The H.P. Lovecraft Collection, Vol. 1: Cool Air

Professor Miskatonic

at 10:30 pm

As an admirer rather than a fanboy, I view this compilation as a noble attempt to collate some of the huge amount of Lovecraft film adaptations out there. The main feature, ‘Cool Air’ is a nicely shot, paced and structured adaptation of one of Lovecraft’s lesser known, and less ‘cosmic’, works. As such, it is easy to see why it has been adapted for the screen. It is held together by a nicely nuanced and under-stated performance from veteran American actor Jack Donner as Dr Munoz. Director and celebrity satanist Bryan Moore delivers a surprisingly solid performance as Randolph Carter. The four shorts range from eerily atmospheric ( ‘The Hound’ ) to tongue-in-cheek surrealism ( ‘The Hapless Antiquarian’ ). Whilst all features are low-budget, they have two permeating attributes which justifies the modest retail price and makes them a worthwhile and rewarding experience. First, they are imbued with an independent film-making feel and sensibility. Lighting and music, for example, are used to maximise the tension and atmosphere. Second, a desire to remain faithful to Lovecraft’s work, so lacking in previous bigger budget adaptations, is almost palpable. This reflects that they were adapted and produced by genuine fans and admirers of his work. As regards the ‘Special Features’, the interview with Lovecraftian scholar S T Joshi proves to be a useful companion guide to the features, providing some informative back-drops to the stories. The booklet is an equally nice touch and helps to justify the sometimes all too spurious ‘Special Features’ section. Overall, if you’re looking for seamless CGI and high-end production values be warned, this is not for you. Instead, you have a low-budget but respectful and ambitious first collection from fans attempting to disprove the old chestnut that Lovecraft’s works are ‘unfilmable’. The fourth star is awarded for that noble ambition alone. There are three other in the series so it will be interesting to see if the quality control remains consistent, especially in relation to the ‘Special Features’ section; it would be a shame to see it reduced to padding given the wealth of Lovecraftian material out there. With Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of ‘At the Mountains of Madness’ finally green lit for production, maybe the stars are finally aligning.
Rating: 4 / 5