A treat for Lovecraft fans everywhere. Evocative of that strange world in-between the by-gone reality and the ever-present horror that HPL characters live in, this film features an earnest voice-over by director and main character Matzke that paces the piece. Nicely short, just enough for a taste of the lurking evil. At times quite tongue-in-cheek, Matzke cannot be said to take himself too seriously, a welcome relief from many of the HPL-related short films made in the last ten years or so. Keep your eyes peeled for a surreal moment or two, reminiscent of the scenes of a hedgehog family walking across screen in the midst of the classic Universal Studios version of Dracula. Recommended!
2 Reviews
Small crew, big picture
Klownius23 October 2002
"I am the last...I will tell the audient void."
Anyone who watches horror flicks knows that good pictures are often few and far between. As far as watching pictures based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, good movies are fewer are farther between. That's been my experience, anyway. Perhaps I haven't been looking in the right circles. I've not read H.P. Lovecraft's short story, "Nyarlathotep," and that's a crime in the right circles. However, it wasn't necessary, and it shouldn't BE necessary. This picture's got that covered.
I first watched "Nyarlathotep" at Necronomicon, Providence, RI in 2001. Most of the films were shorts, like this one. As I've heard - more isn't always better, sometimes it's just more (okay, I took that from a movie, and I'm a movie lover at heart). And this one uses its fifteen odd minutes wisely.
With powerful images and an eerie soundtrack, "Nyarlathotep" comes to life (literally as you soon find out). The main character and narrator, Dr. Burke, hears word of a mysterious traveller and inventor, Nyarlathotep. The charismatic traveller has deeper secrets than his inventions, and his naive followers slowly unearth his twisted truths.
I won't spoil the story, but suffice to say, most characters in Lovecraft stories end up insane or dead - like one might expect from this genre. It's all in the telling, and the telling here is superior. I bought the film, and I've watched it more than any other picture I own.
Anyone who watches horror flicks knows that good pictures are often few and far between. As far as watching pictures based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, good movies are fewer are farther between. That's been my experience, anyway. Perhaps I haven't been looking in the right circles. I've not read H.P. Lovecraft's short story, "Nyarlathotep," and that's a crime in the right circles. However, it wasn't necessary, and it shouldn't BE necessary. This picture's got that covered.
I first watched "Nyarlathotep" at Necronomicon, Providence, RI in 2001. Most of the films were shorts, like this one. As I've heard - more isn't always better, sometimes it's just more (okay, I took that from a movie, and I'm a movie lover at heart). And this one uses its fifteen odd minutes wisely.
With powerful images and an eerie soundtrack, "Nyarlathotep" comes to life (literally as you soon find out). The main character and narrator, Dr. Burke, hears word of a mysterious traveller and inventor, Nyarlathotep. The charismatic traveller has deeper secrets than his inventions, and his naive followers slowly unearth his twisted truths.
I won't spoil the story, but suffice to say, most characters in Lovecraft stories end up insane or dead - like one might expect from this genre. It's all in the telling, and the telling here is superior. I bought the film, and I've watched it more than any other picture I own.
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