Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Rob McCarthy As a long-time HP Lovecraft fan, I tend to consume with an open mind as much of the related content as I can, and this was no different. I understand a lot of what is out there has only the most tenuous relationship to any Lovecraft story or mythos and the whole 'nameless horror' thing is simply used as a device. And this in many ways is no different.So, anyone expecting a full on Cthulhu Experience (tm) will be disappointed: Cthulhu itself is referred to in only the most general terms and only directly spoken of once; the Cult of Dagon an easily missed, fleeting reference early in the film; and the acolytes themselves, while not over-done, much to their credit, could easily be avid followers of any cult or fringe religion.There are many references to entities coming from or going back to the sea, to horrors committed by and to the locals, but again these are mostly indistinct mentions with no real fleshing-out to make the feeling of creeping dread really take ahold which just left me itching for more of the old fisherman and more backstory. Having said that, there are moments during the film of desolate foreboding that work, and at brief times reminded me of the first Silent Hill game, which for anyone whose played it is high praise indeed! And these points are to the films credit. Same too with some of the other cinematography, with good use of the seascape and threatening clouds, as well as the town itself to create the impression of a coastal colonial American town with some of the history that you might expect of a Lovecraftian horror.However, there were certain points that admittedly other reviewers have covered that I feel genuinely detracted from the film, not least the whole sexual aspect of it. The fact that the main protagonist was gay was semi-relevant to the storyline, so I can grant that, but the amount of time spent on it was inordinate to the amount of time spent on other, more important things like developing tension and moving the plot along. A few minutes less of him making cow-eyes at a truck driver and a few minutes more backstory would have paid dividends! Also, the sexual aggressiveness of Tori Spelling's character, while well done and performed well, smacked just a little of misogyny, as well as a huge missed opportunity for a grander plot device. I similarly felt other female characters were somewhat sidelined, with the sister given only the most cursory of parts. Given the set-up, I would imagine the protagonist and sister to have spent a LOT more time together, or at least that time to be much more emotional.In general, I had no massive problem with the film in that I have certainly seen worse Lovecraft adaptations and much worse acting. But considering how many of these get made that are at best amateur and at worst throwaway projects, seeing that this seemed to at least have the makings of a decent version is a sadly wasted chance at submitting to a niche genre already bloated with half-hearted attempts. Having said that, it by no means sinks without trace and does stand up by itself as a half-way decent film. Unfortunately that is mostly because it's pitched itself at a subgenre with precious little competition. It is ultimately worth watching, but as a Lovecraft fan there are other films I would get to first.

Erica Linardy If you think of this as a SyFy movie of the week, then you are entering into it in the right state of mind. I would not call it cheesy, but it has that low budget feel. The script and dialog could be better, along with some of the acting. It is VERY loosely based in the Lovecraft mythos, but does hit some of the basics. Tori Spelling is mediocre in this role, however she does pull off some of her scenes rather well in the middle of the movie. I have to say her acting at the end of the movie was very over- acted and almost laughable. Luckily, she is not the lead in this movie and the lead did a fairly good job(not great, but decent). If you are looking for strict adherence to the mythos or style of Lovecraft this movie is not for you, but if you like B movies you are surely going to enjoy this movie. This move felt like a fan fiction with higher quality production than usually seen, but that is part of the charm in my opinion.

john-256-2615 I feel sorry for the guys that produced this, because it seems like they made a massive loss.In my view, having read most of HPL's stuff and in particular recently re-read "A shadow out of Innsmouth", I must say that this is a really good adaptation of the book. In fact, it is the best interpretation of HPL that I've seen. (I've seen others which are truer to his stories but which do not adequately capture the suspense).My guess is that the nature of the characters (academic, some of them gay) is too hard for the average American to relate to. Outside of the USA (ie where we accept that the chief character is not a gunslinger and a womaniser) this film is really good. I guess the typical American audience didn't understand it because it didn't contain lots of ravishing of bimbos and lots of exploding cars, trucks and aircraft. Oh and not enough shooting. And no car chases. That's probably why it rates so badly.The various horror scenes are generally implied rather than literal, which also is probably too intellectual for an American audience, accustomed to gratuitous idiotic in-your-face rubbish like Kill Bill. The scene with the camera which flashes periodically is particularly nerve-wracking the first time you see it.That's why I gave it a 10. If I were to criticise it, it would just be that they didn't understand the low-brow audience who wouldn't get it because it didn't have any ka-blah, ka-blah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeSUuj98Rx0

obvious-spoof I put off watching this for a long time. It couldn't be good. After all, it's supposed to be a Lovecraft movie. With Tori Spelling. I downloaded it on the off chance that she would get the 'Dagon'-treatment.The first 20 minutes or so got my hopes up: So far, no Tori. Lots of strained shots, trying to be beautiful. It looked like a post-grad love project. Unfortunately, the following hour and a half can be summarised in bullet points:Tori drugs and rapes a guy. - The police chief quotes Yeats.and, in a negative sense, the following disappointments: - No Cthulhu - No story - No tentacled, naked women and/or naked women being savagely violated by tentacled beings from beyond. (Ok, I admit: this one is more of a personal hobby-horse.)All in all, this movie made me hope that Guillermo del Toro gets to produce that 'At the mountains of madness'-script he has purportedly been lugging around with for a number of years. That would probably be a worthy Lovecraft adaptation. This film is not. For my two hour's worth, just re-reading any Lovecraft story would have been infinitely better.