This 1994 supernatural horror film is an homage to H.P. Lovecraft. It features a very charming Sam Neil, an amazing creature design, and some great moments of horror filmmaking.

The premise is awesome. A popular horror writer has disappeared after writing a book so mind bendingly horrific it drives everyone who reads it insane. An insurance investigator is hired by the publishers to find the author. This investigator is John Trent, played by a smug and charming Sam Neil. He discovers that the author is in a small town that doesn’t appear to exist. He and the author’s editor Linda Styles, played by Julie Carmen go in search of this town that isnt on any map.

It is a classic Lovecraft set up. Two people go in search of someone who has disapeared and find untold horrors in New England. I’ve never liked Lovecraft. I feel his stories are repetitive and his monsters are all the same too monstrous to describe and older than time. His stories also always end with the heroes being driven mad by what they’ve seen. I’m also not a big fan of Lovecraft’s overt racism.

All that said, this movie was a lot of fun. Sam Neil brings his signature charisma. He puts on a smug James Bond affect in some of his scenes that I found very enjoyable. He also reacts very practically to the madness around him. He reacts in an understandable way to all this craziness, and I really appreciate that in a protagonist.

The creature design and set design here though is really what captured me. There are many monsters and horrors in his movie, and they look phenomenal. There’s a moment where the human body is contorted and twisted into a four legged animal that is horrifying in the best way possible. I love the way it twists and moves. The fact that it is all done with practical effects just makes it that much better. I love the tactile quality of seeing a real monster on screen. It might move in an awkward way compared with cgi, but you cannot beat looking at a something that was actually photographed on set. The light plays on it differently. The shadows are more convincing. The slime that they all seem to ooze feels like its going to get on you if you aren’t careful.

The movie is twisty and turny and has so many great moments of pure horror. As they try to find this town, a boy rides by on a bike. A mile down the road, an old man dressed as the boy rides by on the boys bike. Is it the same boy? What’s happening? The sweet old lady behind the reception desk at the hotel seems kind and quiet, but do we hear her husband moaning whenever she walks behind the counter? The inescapable nature of the narrative is pure horror. Nothing worse than the inescapable.

The movie has some awkward moments, and it isn’t perfect. That said, I had a really fun time with this one. I’d recommend it this Halloween.

It’s my cup of tea. B+