The Tomb (2007) (V)

Director:

Ulli Lommel

Writers:

Ulli Lommel (screenplay)
H.P. Lovecraft (short story)

Release Date:

19 June 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A being known as "The Puppetmaster" holds victims captive in a tomb and tortures them. |

Plot Keywords:

Tomb | Torture | Ghost | Violence | Murder

Cast

Victoria Ullmann	...	Tara
Christian Behm	...	Billy
Gerard Griesbaum	...	Morris
Michael Barbour	...	Robert
Shawn Smith	...	Dracy (as Shawn G. Smith)
Naidra Dawn Thomson	...	Dalida
Jillian Swanson	...	Kelly
Shannon Leade	...	Keisha
Janelle Dote	...	Lana
Matt Shively	...	Nathan (as Mathew Shively)
Fabian Garza	...	Young Morris
Nicole Cook	...	Young Tara
Jaquelyn Aurora	...	Clea
Judy Mora	...	Horse Rider
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elissa Dowling	...	Girlfriend (uncredited)

Directed by
Ulli Lommel

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ulli Lommel		screenplay
H.P. Lovecraft		short story

Produced by
Jeff Frentzen	....	executive producer
Ulli Lommel	....	producer
Nola Roeper	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Robert J. Walsh

Cinematography by
Ulli Lommel		(as Bianco Pacelli)

Film Editing by
Christian Behm		(as Xgin)

Casting by
Rachael Devlin		(as Rachel Devlin)

Production Design by
Ulli Lommel		(as Patricia Devereaux)

Makeup Department
John M. Ferguson	....	special makeup effects assistant
Aimee Galicia Torres	....	makeup artist (as Aimee Torres)
Aimee Galicia Torres	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Trista Beard	....	production manager
Howard Berstein	....	post-production supervisor

Art Department
Jim Swain	....	property master

Sound Department
Derek Frentzen	....	sound
Ross James	....	foley editor
Brian Lancaster	....	sound editor (as Brian Lancastert)

Special Effects by
Aimee Galicia Torres	....	special effects supervisor (as Aimee Torres)

Stunts
John Ferguson	....	fight choreographer

Camera and Electrical Department
Bret Ahmed	....	second assistant camera
Eric Bedford	....	grip
Kevin Burnstein	....	gaffer
Diana King	....	second assistant camera
Bill Mayers	....	still photographer
Daniel Noah	....	first assistant camera
Jackie Shawn	....	key grip
Dale Tibor	....	first assistant camera
Chris Tonkovitcz	....	best boy
Annie Wildmoser	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jimmy Williams	....	costumes

Editorial Department
Brian Lancaster	....	additional editor

Music Department
Laverne Lincoln	....	music editor

Other crew
Tito Angeleri	....	assistant: Ms. Roeper
Dan Bigalow	....	assistant: Mr. Dora
Gary Edwards	....	location scout
Howard Goldstein	....	accountant
Harry Gore	....	production assistant
Mark List	....	production assistant
Erica Mandell	....	script supervisor
Rebecca Schwartz	....	researcher
Angelo Vendoren	....	assistant: Mr. Lommel

Production Companies

• The Shadow Factory Inc.

Distributors

• Fenix Pictures (2010) (worldwide) (all media)
• Future Film (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Peacock Films (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Ytinifni (2007) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• Film Finances  completion guarantor

Also Known As:

"HP Lovecraft's The Tomb" - USA (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong grisly violence and disturbing images, nudity , language, and brief sexuality

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:MA (2006) | Finland:K-18 (self applied)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

The Shadow Factory Inc.

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Ulli Lommel] [Killer wears black leather gloves]

Ulli Lommel once again makes horror viewers confused and angry

German director Ulli Lommel randomly emerged into the direct to video horror genre in the mid 2000's and has since then delivered the worst films anyone could ever lay their sorry eyes on. They are actually literally painful to watch where no one gains a thing from them – not even unintentional so-bad-its-good comedy. However, there is a chance that in the distant future his films will become iconic with a cult film formula growing from nothing-but-trash to weird-that-it-was-made, though it's a little unlikely for now as he is making fans of the Horror genre puzzled and confused as to how anyone can create such atrocities of cinema.

If H.P. Lovecraft were still around and saw Lommel's adaptation of The Tomb he would probably be a very sad man and never write ever again; there are just one too many directors who take his well structured stories and utterly destroy them in a demeaning manner through their saddening execution and lack of cinematic talent -- Lommel is a very unoriginal man once again he goes to prove it by creating The Tomb. An unoriginal story is fine granted successful execution, art direction, style, acting, pace – whatever works as long as it isn't in-your-face done before tripe which is exactly what The Tomb is. A major comparison one cannot pass up is the 2004 hit "Saw" with The Tomb having one too many similarities that helps this film fall into the category of either rip-off or cash-in. People are very well aware of Saw by now, the seriousness of their lives, the fact anyone can fall into the trap at any time and you can even wind up dead – whilst The Tomb is an adaptation of another medium its unoriginality is shocking in terms of cinema. Yes The Tomb is quite a seen before pile of crap with many terrible aspects about it like no other.

On top of the films unoriginality is its astonishingly terrible special effects, poor casting and acting, mind numbingly boring music, poor editing, ugly cinematography, shaky camera work that at times is as though the cameraman was drunk and oh how the list just goes on. The Tomb is so much like a home video that someone without a clue about film making could quite possibly pull off a better film that is more watchable. Even a home video can be interesting if it has something to it, something bizarre, appealing and unnatural. An example would be John Waters' Pink Flamingos – its borderline home video and has next to nothing of a budget yet still has international appeal as it's like no other movie out there. The Tomb doesn't have that. It's a prime example of just out right bad horror that hopefully will be forgotten as time goes by as it is just another shot on a camcorder horror film released straight to DVD. This film will make you psychically sad or angry – or hey, even both!

Though Ulli Lommel is a very interesting cinema figure; how anyone can make such terrible, terrible films confuses me, yet draws me to them. He is notorious, a criminal against film and yet still manages to release more than one film at least every year. As the saying goes "It's hideous, yet I cannot turn away" which somewhat summarises Lommel's work – he is so terrible yet sometimes I feel myself renting his movies just to be gobsmacked over how terrible they are. I mean, why has he directed two films based on the Zodiac Killer and released them the same year? It's so bizarre that it almost alienates me from my entire understanding and knowledge of cinema. Still, Lommel is a very bad film director and its movies like The Tomb that make this a fact more than an opinion.