Necronomicon: Book of Dead (1993)

Lovecraft visualizes 3 stories in Necronomicon: The Drowned, The Cold and Whispers, about bringing a dead wife and child back to life, extending life and aliens.

Directors:

Christophe Gans, Shûsuke Kaneko

Writers:

Brent V. Friedman (screenplay), Brent V. Friedman (story)

Stars:

Jeffrey Combs, Tony Azito, Juan Fernández

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeffrey Combs	...	H.P. Lovecraft (wraparound)
Tony Azito	...	Librarian (wraparound)
Juan Fernández	...	Attendant (wraparound)
Brian Yuzna	...	Cabbie (wraparound)
Bruce Payne	...	Edward De Lapoer (part 1)
Belinda Bauer	...	Nancy Gallmore (part 1)
Richard Lynch	...	Jethro De Lapoer (part 1)
Maria Ford	...	Clara (part 1)
Peter Jasienski	...	Jethro's Son (part 1)
Denice D. Lewis	...	Emma De Lapoer (part 1)
William Jess Russell	...	Doctor (part 1)
Vladimir Kulich	...	Villager (part 1)
David Warner	...	Dr. Madden (part 2)
Bess Meyer	...	Emily Osterman (part 2)
Millie Perkins	...	Lena (part 2)

Storyline

H.P. Lovecraft, the well-known horror writer, is looking in the late thirties after the book 'Necronomicon'. He finds it guarded by monks in an old library. He then copies some stories from it, which unfold for our eyes- and his...

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Plot Keywords:

h.p. lovecraft | woman in jeopardy | abusive stepfather | older man younger woman | severed arm | 

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Taglines:

To Hell and back.

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence and gore, and for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Shûsuke Kaneko did not speak any English at the time of filming his segment with an all American cast.

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Goofs

In part 2, the setting was around 1970 or early 1971. As the taxi pulls up, yellow dashed road lines are seen on the road. MUTCD introduced these in the summer of 1971, and were rolled out between 1972 and 1974. On the said road, the modern markings would not have appeared for 2-3 years, so therefore should have been white.

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Quotes

Mr. Benedict: There is one thing I have always maintained. If a man's shoe is dirty, you got to wonder about his sole.

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Alternate Versions

The German rental tape is cut in most of the gory scenes

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Connections

Referenced in Horror Business (2005)

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Soundtracks

Because The Dawn
Written by Daniel Licht and Amy Goldstein
Courtesy of Parallel Fifth Music. BMI

User Reviews

Mediocre and misses the mark

Lovecraft's stories don't translate well to film. Much of their effect comes from the personal horror the characters feel at what they're seeing, and it would take a true filmmaking genius to bring something like that across; if such a person has existed they have not taken aim at Lovecraft's works. The other problem is that it's hard to stretch his short stories out into movie length. Those who try, usually introduce elements that distract from the true flavor and atmosphere of the stories. "Necronomicon" falls into that trap, despite preserving the short stories as separate segments. The first story, which combines elements of "The Strange High House in the Mist" and "The Shadow over Innsmouth", among others, is the most successful at preserving the evil and terrifying atmosphere of Lovecraft's works. The second is a direct adaptation of "Cool Air", a story whose one cool concept doesn't adapt well to a segment of this length. The third segment (actually based on "The Nameless City" and not "The Whisperer in Darkness" as some here have said) winds up being a hamhanded gorefest with no finesse and only a casual relationship to Lovecraft's work. It's not as though gore wasn't an element in Lovecraft's stories, with characters being "torn to ribbons" and all; but it always takes the form of horrifying and unspeakable things that happen and is never present for cheap thrills' sake as it is here. If you're a fan of Lovecraft's stories, you'll probably want to see it. You might not like it very much, but you'll want to see it anyway. If you really like cheesy horror films, it'll entertain you. But if you want a good horror film or a good adaptation of H.P.Lovecraft's works, keep moving.

Details

Country:

France Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1994 (UK)

Also Known As:

Necronomicon: Book of Dead

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Davis-Films, Pioneer LDC, Ozla Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1