Halloween Movie Madness: The Call of Cthulhu

I've tried to stay away from posts that are not specifically aimed at what this blog is about, but in my opinion, this counts as the world's most favorite roleplaying game has Lovecraftian elements woven into it, not to mention my all time favorite RPG - Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay - is heavily Lovecraftian in theme.

With Halloween looming, I've been on a horror movie kick. Tonight I watched the 2005 silent film of The Call of Cthulhu produced by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. I throughly enjoyed it, and I'm not sure why it took me five years to get around to watching it. I'm sure to check out their radio production soon, based upon the strength of their feature film.

As a Lovecraft fan, I have read most, if not nearly all of his fiction. I've watched film productions of his works in the past, and they rarely click.

The CoC clicked. It is not perfect. It is in fact, a bit cheesy; however, only in the sense that many silent movies are cheesy. Actors overact to emphasize what can not be heard. This sometimes comes across as comical, but not disrupting. Overall, I'd say the acting is good. The musical score for the film was spot on. Cthulhu does make an appearance in the film and yes, he does look a bit cheesy, but considering the low budget, his appearance is more then surprisingly good. It is also handled well in a Hitchcockian fashion, meaning more of the horror is implied and not seen. This works well. Aside from some excellent comics I've read, this is a very true, I'd even say "pure" adaption of the Old Gent's work.

I am eagerly checking the HPLHS blog for updates on their next feature: The Whisperer in Darkness, which they have two trailers posted on their blog and also available on YouTube.

On a side note, I must get my wife a pair of "Elder Wear thong panties" for sale at their Bazaar.

Reading Lists

I'm not sure when in life I decided it was necessary to assign myself reading lists, but I have for more years then I can remember. My problem is two-fold, one: I tend to have more then a single list going at once and two: I am a completionist, perhaps bordering on OCD.

I've mentioned my affection for Lin Carter as an editor before. His non-fiction book Imaginary Worlds: the Art of Fantasy, impressed me so that I have been snagging any book edited by him that I can. This has led me to really appreciate the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series.


While I am still actively reading pre-Tolkien fantasy, I have found myself relying heavily upon the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series (BAFS)as a treasure trove resource for this reading list and I have been actively trying to find and read as many titles in the BAFS as possible and has become another reading list for me.


At the same time, I have discoverd The Planet Stories volumes published by Paizo as well. This too has become another obsessive reading list of mine. I have thus far by so impressed with the volumes I have read, I've purchased a subscribtion with Paizo.


So the reading journey continues and while I need to go into further detail in the future, I must say that I wish I had read Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter prior to starting my Darkling Ways campaign, as I find the elven culture in the novel very inspiring.

Still no Session 9 in Sight...

I was out of town this week and will be next week as well. Alas, still no session 9 anytime soon.