Necronomicon

(Lovecraft/Frame Novella/Eerie Tales)           6******skulls

*Blood* *Violent* *Some Strong Language* *No Sexual Situations* *Very Brief Nudity* *Very Gory*

1993/Min./ITC Home Video & August Entertainment & Pioneer LDC & Ozla Pictures & Necronomicon Films, Inc./Rated (R)

Directors........Brian Yuzna (The Library, Whispers)

                 Christophe Gans (The Drowned)

                 Shusuke Kaneko (The Cold)

Screenplay.......Brent V. Friedman (The Linbrary, Whispers)

                 Christophe Gans & Brent V. Friedman (The Drowned)

                 Kazunori Ito & Brent V. Friedman (The Cold)

Music............Joseph Lo Duca (The Library & The Drowned)

                 Daniel Licht (The Cold & Whispers)

                 "Because the Dawn" by Daniel Licht & Amy Goldstein

Producer.........Brian Yuzna

Executive Producer.....Taka Ichise

The Library & Whispers based on Stories by Brian Yuzna & Brent V. Friedman

H.P. Lovecraft Make-up Created by John Vulich

Spraying Cthulu created by Magic Media Industries  

Alien Library created by Screaming Mad George, Inc.

Wall Safe Cratures Created by Steve Johnson's XFX, Inc.

Darkman/Ressurrected Clara Created by Optic Nerve Studios

Cthulu/Clara/Tentacle Mutations Created by Bart Mixon's Monster Fixin's

Part 2: "The Cold" Make-up Effects by Screaming Mad George, Inc

        Dr. Madden's Melt-Down by Bart Mixon's Monster Fixin's

Part 3: "Whispers" Make-up and Effects by Todd Masters Company

        Creature Designer and Animator Todd Masters

Additional Necronomicon Effects by REX FX & Spectral Effects Studios

Animation Effects by Bret Mixon

Dramatis Personae

Wraparound: The Library

H.P. Lovecraft......Jeffrey Combs

Librarian...........Tony Azito

Attendant...........Juan Fernandez

Cabbie..............Brian Yuzna

Part #1: "The Drowned"

Edward DeLapoer.....Bruce Payne

Nancy Gallmore......Belinda Bauer

Clara...............Maria Ford

Jethro DeLapoer.....Richard Lynch

Villager............Vladimir Kulich

Doctor..............William Jess Russell

Emma DeLapoer.......Denice D. Lewis

Darkman...........Vincent Hammond

Jethro's Son......Peter Jasienski

Part #2: "The Cold"

Dr. Madden.......David Warner

Emily/Amy Ostermann.Bess Meyer

Lena.................Millie Perkins

Dale Porkel.......Dennis Christopher

Sam..................Gary Graham

Al......................Curt Lowens

Policeman........James Paradise

Policeman #2....Sebastian White

Part #3 "Whispers"

Sarah...............Signy Coleman

Mr. Benedict.....Don Calfa

Mrs. Benedict...Judith Drake

Paul.................Obba Babatunde  

Critique: Working extensively with narrative perspectives, Yuzna, Combs and the Lovecraft crew manage another decent homage to their deserving god, Lovecraft. The special effects all-stars (Savini, Buechler, etc.) don't disappoint, but a sense of closure is lacking in the individual stories. Indeed, what should be the strong point, Lovecraft's tales, is ironically rather weakly carried out. Still, this is in part Lovecraft's own doing. His O'Henry endings often give the impression of being the entire premise for the preceding pages. That said, the stories offer plenty of the real strongpoint--eerie Lovecraftian mood: "The Cold" is a chilling tale of vampirism, "The Drowned" has it's scary moments - and Richard Lynch, and Whispers is a Yuznerian romp in the trackmeet tradition of "Bride of Re-Animator" with a few real scares among the hijinx. A must for Lovecraft fans.

Plot Summary: Fall, 1932. Howard P. Lovecraft visits a secret order of monks to see the Necronomicon, which holds the secrets of the universe, and they guard. While a monk is distracted getting Lovecraft a book, he steals the key and sneaks to a locked door. A monk sees him, but allows him to go on. He opens a gate and arrives at a safe when suddenly the gate slams behind him, he drops the key through a grate to a subterranean lake and the safe opens. Lovecraft takes the magical book to a desk and begins reading, then writing "The Drowned". After Part 3: The librarian scolds Lovecraft for losing the keys and tells him to put the book back as as a sea monster squirts slime at Lovecraft. As Lovecraft stabs the floor producing gore from the monster. The librarian manages to mutate through the bars and attempts to hold Lovecraft still while "it" approaches, but Lovecraft stabs him, puts him in a full Nelson and "it" gobbles up the librarian instead.

Part #1: "The Drowned": Today the last descendent of the DeLapoer clan, Edward, returns from Sweden to claim his estate and "escape his own haunted memories". Beneath the decrepit mansion are vast caverns filled with water from the ocean. The real estate agent tells DeLapoer that the hotel has a "hell of a reputation". She has visited it once before with her clerk Kevin. The last owner died sixty years before, but locating the heir took a while. DeLapoer sees a portrait of the deceased Emma DeLapoer who drowned in a shipwreck at a young age. Her death ignited rumors about the hotel. Her husband, Jethro fell hundreds of feet from the balcony to his death on the rocks just days later. Edward has visions of a couple driving off a cliff and a man screaming "Clara!" and identifying his drowned wife's body. The agent, Miss Gallmore, leaves him with the advice that he should sell or turn it into something more "upbeat". Edward reenters the estate, builds a fire and reads a sealed letter written by Jethro, a suicide note. Emma and eight year old son were lost on the rocky New England coast, Jethro alone survived, and awoke to see his family dead, In a rage, he heaved the Necronomicon into the fire. He renounces God for taking his family, causing the natives to flee. A sea-weed monster enters his house and informs him "In this time of need, you are not alone", and leaves a covered gift, the Necronomicon, which opens itself to a page on "Towards the Remedy of Untimely Loss". Jethro follows the instructions, pentagram, blood letting, all so that "death may die". Jan and Emma cough and awaken. Emma and Jan get glowing eyes and sprout tentacles from their mouths. Edward moves the carpet and finds the pentagram, and begins searching for the book, before collapsing. The letter ends, "My beloved guards the book". Edward searches behind her portrait and finds the dusty book. He repeats the rituals and lies waiting. Clara enters his room and sprouts tentacles, Edward stabs her and she reduces to a leach and squirms off only to return as a gigantic tentacle monster. Edward escapes through the stained-glass window in the roof.

Part #2: "The Cold":  In a Boston heatwave, a man remains cool if imprisoned "by his own desperate devices" Reporter Dale Porkel visits Amy Osterman. Dale asks how 40 people could die over 40 years with same m.o. 80 years ago Dr. Richard Madden signed the deed for Amy's house. Madden  was never reported dead. Amy says she doesn't know what became of Madden. 22 years ago, mother came to Boston to study flute. Mother rented a room from Lina Kamen, otherwise they were alone except for the mysterious Dr. Madden upstairs. Mother showers revealing a bruised leg as a spy smokes outside. Mother hears someone and interrupts her shower to investigate. Ammonia dripping from upstairs soaks her sheet music when stepfather Sam covers her mouth and tells her its time to come home when he tries to coerce her into blowing him, they do battle. Madden appears and stabs him in the hand. Madden's rare skin condition requires that he keep his room terribly cold. Mother takes the pills the doctor prescribes and naps. She is awakened by blood dripping from the ceiling and goes up to investigate. Madden and Lina are drilling holes in Sam. She feints and awakes in her room. When he removes her bandages, he cut his hand revealing clear fluid. Mother applies for a job at Al's diner where Al tells her that Madden must be 100 years old. He doesn't look it. While she waits on the police, she sees a reward for the murderer of Sam, and confronts Madden. Oddly Emily is more upset that Madden lied to her than that he murdered Sam. Madden collapses from the heat and Emily takes him to his room and packs him in ice. He explains the water bear, a microorganism that can be frozen and bought back to life. In the Necronomicon. He shows her his greenhouse, cut s a rose injects it and it comes back, and will never die if she keeps it from the sun. Lina spies them having sex. Lina explains to Emily that she loves Madden, and that she would either have to kill for him or he would die. Emily left, but had to return two months later. When she arrives the monsters are killing Al. Madden and Lina argue over killing Emily and as Lina fights the small fire. Lina blasts Emily, and Richard melts down. The reporter asks Amy why then three people died after Madden died. The reporter says he thinks Amy and Emily are one and the same, and that she got the disease. Lina arrives with her needle and they take spinal fluid to keep Madden's baby alive.

Part #3: "Whispers": Philadelphia is terrorized by a "miscreant" called the butcher. Officer Sarah and partner/boyfriend Paul chase a suspect at high speed and flip after Sarah admits that she is afraid to have his child. Paul appears dead and Sarah survives. Paul is dragged off as she calls for backup. Sarah falls through a ceiling and is awakened by Paul's screams just as a man walks in. He claims to be the landlord and after she threatens him he leads her to the cellar where a fat old lady, Daisy (a.k.a. Rose and Lily) fires at them. Daisy and Harold tend to Sarah who is struggling with pregnancy and injury. She wants only to get into the tunnel to chase the Butcher. Daisy says "I bet he (Harold) didn't tell you the Butcher is an alien." Harold leads her through the torch-lit Indian catacombs. Harold says the Butcher is not an alien, but works for aliens, having given up on god, he is betting on the aliens. Harold calls Sarah a butcher for considering abortion and Daisy throws lit gas at her before they dump her into a pit (the belly of the beast) of bodies and skeletons. As alien bats terrorize her, she hears Paul and responds to find him a brainless shaking zombie. Paul turns into a bat and says "Sara, they took my mind. They need us to breed" Harold adds the monsters have a "real sweet tooth for bone marrow" as Daisy's razor tongue comes out and saws off Sara's arm. In the hospital Daisy, who is now Sara's mother, tells Sara that Paul is brain-dead and the hospital suddenly disappears leaving Sara back with the aliens. Daisy has put Sarah's unborn child in her own belly and Sarah throws off her blankets to reveal that her arms and legs have been eaten.