Mr. Kotwicki reviews the Lovecraft adaptation, Necronomicon.
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| "Dude. I want some of the drugs SHE'S on!!!" |
H.P. Lovecraft’s Necronomicon
is a 1993 anthological fantasy-horror film which loosely adapts three of
the famed author’s short stories to film, The
Rats in the Walls, Cool Air, and The Whisper in Darkness. Starring Jeffrey Combs as Lovecraft himself
in a loose wraparound narrative concerning his sojourn for the magical book of
the dead, the film cross-cuts between Lovecraft’s research of the Necronomicon
for material and the short stories penned by Lovecraft. Lovecraft (Combs) enters a monastery where a
copy of the infamous book itself is being held and finds himself held captive
by mysterious supernatural powers exhibited by the book. Instead of seeking an escape route, Lovecraft
takes the opportunity to seize as much from the book as he can before the film
shifts gears and dramatizes each story he researches.
The first segment by Silent Hill director Christophe Gans is a bizarre tale told largely
in flashback about Faustian figures who reject God after the deaths of loved
ones and get far more than they bargained for in the form of tentacled beasts
when the prospect of reviving said loved ones appears in the form of the
Necronomicon. Those who recall the
surreal prosthetic creatures from Silent
Hill will recognize Gans penchant for atmospheric metaphysical horror with
little explanation provided. Next is
Shusuke Kaneko’s love triangle piece with notable British character actor David
Warner as a doctor who perfects a rejuvenating vaccine made from spinal fluid
in conjunction with the Necronomicon.
Much like the prior segment, the short is divided between flashbacks
recounted during the present moment, with a reporter suspected of murder in
conversation with a woman recounting her encounter with the doctor. Lastly is Re-Animator
producer Brian Yuzna (who also provided the wraparound narrative) whose
segment follows a female police officer trailing a serial killer who winds up
inside some sort of cave inhabited by demons.
Yuzna’s segment is a sick orgy of prosthetic gore operating on all four
cylinders, with tons of wild prosthetics and graphic violence exploding in
front of the camera.
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| "I told you to brush your teeth every night before bed. Now see what happens when you don't listen!!!!" |
Primarily a Japanese/European production with a
theatrical release in international markets, Necronomicon sat on the shelf for three years before being dumped
on video in the United States market in 1996.
The film was also heavily censored in the US, with nearly every scene
involving gore watered down when compared to the international release
versions. Overall Necronomicon is a cult item for enthusiasts of anthological horror
films, Jeffrey Combs, and H.P. Lovecraft.
There are times when it feels not unlike the fantasies of Clive Barker,
particularly Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions for mixing the occult
with all the tools of the visual effects makeup department. The result can be a little corny but still
promises old fashioned fun for horror movie fans wanting more out of the genre
than just another serial killer with a bloody knife. Never one to achieve mainstream success or
find an easy fit into the genre, but absolutely one for those wanting their
horror from off the beaten path.
-Andrew Kotwicki