This H.P. Lovecraft adaptation by Stuart Gordon didn’t look particularly promising, but I’m pleased to say I quite enjoyed it. Exciting and outrageous, it gives Lovecraft-inspired filkms–which outside of Gordon’s RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND haven’t been particularly auspicious–a good name.
The Package
DAGON is reportedly based on H.P. Lovecraft’s six page
story of the same name (his first published work), but it’s
actually heavily inspired by “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,”
another Lovecraft story that Stuart Gordon has apparently wanted
to film for years. Gordon is of course the screen’s pre-eminent
Lovecraft adapter, having concocted two great movies
(RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND) and one mediocre one (CASTLE
FREAK) from the maestro’s writings. Other films inspired by Lovecraft (who hated movies) include bummers like DIE, MONSTER,
DIE! (1965), THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970), THE CURSE (1987) and
NECRONOMICON (1994), all of which demonstrate just how
accomplished Gordon’s first two films are.
It may not be the best, but DAGON is definitely the
most Lovecraftian of Gordon’s films. Lovecraft’s
fiction was relentlessly misanthropic, inhabited by isolated
first person protagonists given to fainting spells and a
frequent inability to finish their descriptions (the man was
famous for his hyperbolic “it’s so horrible I can’t describe
it”-type sentences). Then there were the otherworldly fishlike
critters, which were always patiently awaiting their turn to
take over the earth (while in the meantime harassing the
aforementioned misanthropic protagonists). His most famous works
were the “Cthulhu Mythos,” of which “Dagon” and “Innsmouth” are
pre-eminent examples.
DAGON hits most (if not all) the Lovecraftian bases,
including the fishy monsters, isolated protagonist, otherworldly
atmosphere (it was Lovecraft’s work that inspired the term
“cosmic horror”) and, most importantly, a decidedly unhappy
ending.
The Story
The script, by Gordon”s regular screenwriter Denis
Paoli, basically stacks up like this: the first act is decent
and the second so-so, but the conclusion is GREAT.
New Englander Paul (played by British actor Ezra
Godden, sporting a convincing American accent), out for an
apparently leisurely sail with some friends, crashes his boat
off the coast of a small, foreboding Spanish fishing village. He
and his girlfriend Barbara (Raquel Merono) enter the town in
search of help, while something invades the boat and
drags its other two passengers into the depths of the ocean.
Back on the mainland, Paul and Barbara are separated,
and Paul finds himself pursued though the town by the locals
that, it turns out, are actually fish-people who worship an
aquatic deity called Dagon. Furthermore, Paul’s his own link
with the townspeople may be deeper than he initially realized.
The middle act’s capture/escape formula grows
monotonous after awhile, but the film springs back to life for
an outrageous climax involving a human sacrifice presided over
by the seductively evil demoness Uxia (played with lip-smacking
glee by Spanish TV star Macarena Gomez), an apocalyptic
conflagration and an unexpected transformation. And the final
scene, with its unforgettable mixture of wonderment and
foreboding, is simply perfect.
The Direction
Although I haven’t liked recent Stuart Gordon
productions like CASTLE FREAK (1995) and SPACE TRUCKERS (1997),
the fact is that when he’s “on,” nobody can make a
better B movie. Yes, DAGON, like Gordon’s RE-ANIMATOR, FROM
BEYOND, DOLLS and FORTRESS, is very much a B movie, and makes no
apologies for it. Working with an all-Spanish crew and a modest
budget, he’s fashioned a slick and sprightly film that’s a
perfect match for Lovecraft’s fiction (which originally appeared
in trashy pulp magazines).
Like Lovecraft, Gordon takes his horrors seriously, a
daring and refreshing approach in these days of
(SCREAM-influenced) “hip” irony. Furthermore, he never shies
away from the gore, and isn’t afraid to go clear over the
top-which he does quite often.
Vital Statistics
DAGON
Filmax/Lion’s Gate Films
Director: Stuart Gordon
Producers: Julio Fernandez, Brian Yuzna
Screenplay: Denis Paoli
(Based on stories by H.P. Lovecraft)
Cinematography: Carlos Suarez
Editor: Jaume Vilalta
Cast: Ezra Godden, Frecisco Rabal, Raquel Merono, Macarena
Gomez, Brendan Price, Birgit Bofarull, Uxia Blanco, Ferran Lahoz,
Joan Minguell, Alfredo Villa, Jose Lifante, Javier Sandoval