Kryptographik

I recently viewed Richard Griffin’s seventh independent feature film, Beyond The Dunwich Horror, at the Columbus Theater in Providence, RI.

I can say without reservation that watching Beyond The Dunwich Horror is like watching a Lovecraft adaptation by Dario Argento, with Mario Bava on cinematography and Lucio Fulci on special effects.

If I didn’t meet the cast afterwards in the lobby, I’d swear that Richard Griffin found an old Italian Giallo (pulp-ish horror film) no one knew about and added his name to the title credits. Even the score (by Tony Milano) sounds like a score by occasional Argento collaborator Goblin.

If the above names aren’t familiar to you, this may not be your type of film. If you’re a fan of Bava’s Blood and Black Lace, Argento’s Suspiria or Fulci’s Zombi 2, then you’re in for a treat.

Richard Griffin could have simply lifted elements from some of his favorite horror films and created a pastiche, but thankfully for us he’s aimed significantly higher.

Rather than a direct adaptation or updating of H.P. Lovecraft’s classic short story (The Dunwich Horror), Griffin has woven the original tale into the backstory of Beyond The Dunwich Horror, which brings us up to date on what’s been happening in Dunwich the last few decades.

The audience is told two stories at once. The film starts out with someone (whom we later learn is named Andrew) found washed up on Dunwich’s shore. His brother Kenny comes to town to find out why Andrew has been locked up in a psychiatric hospital, conscious yet incapable of communicating with anyone. Kenny’s story is intercut with scenes from Andrew’s story, as told to Kenny over the course of his investigation. Kenny (and the audience) also learn the essence of Lovecraft’s original story, as it’s used to give context to the events in the film.

If you’ve recently said to yourself (or anyone else), “they don’t make horror films like they used to,” I’m happy to tell you that Richard Griffin (along with his cast and crew) just did.

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There’s going to be another screening on June 13th at the Cable Car Cinema & Cafe (“The Theater with the Couches”, more info at http://www.cablecarcinema.com/ ), followed by some screenings on the horror film festival circuit, and a DVD release in 2009.

If any of you didn’t know Warren Ellis is actually doing a new webcomic called Freak Angels which can be found at Freakangels.com. Now if you haven’t seen it then here’s what it’s all about:

“23 years ago 12 Strange children were born at exactly the same moment. 6 years ago the world ended. This is the story of what happens next.”

Now if that isn’t enough to entise you as it was for me, basically in this post apocolyptic society it’s not what we are always expecting for something set in that kind of world. There is no deserts there are holes of humanity struggling for a way to survive in a hostile world.

What has happened is the “Freak Angels”, who are the ones that were all born at the same time, have made a lift for themselves in Whitechapel and are mainly keeping to themselves. Until a girl with a shotgun comes storming in and accusing them of killing her relatives.

Now there are only 2 episodes up so far but in each episodes there are 6 pages per episode so your getting a good chunk of the story for your veiwing pleasure.

The art is fantastic. Paul Duffield does a great job of bringing this story to life. It doesn’t feel out of place and also the way he does the steampunk elements like the water powered Gyrocopter and the way you can get a sence of what is happening off panel is something that you don’t see that often espesially in a web comic.

As always Warren Ellis’ storytelling is dragging me in and wanting me to know what is going to happen next. What more can you say about the man that hasn’t already been said. As most Warren Ellis fans know he is a big fan of the Steampunk genre and there are elements that have been show that makes you wonder what people are doing for technology within this post apocolyptic world and I’m sure as the story goes on we will find more if it.

Also another bonus for there is a page transcript offered for those that are interested.

Overall this is something I’m going to be reading for a long time and I hope that it will be collected at a later date so I can have this to put on the shelf!