LovecraCkedthemovie

LovecraCked the movie

This has to be one of the most ambitious independent movies that I’ve ever seen. It bills itself as anthology in the vein of Creepshow, but I don’t really think that is accurate. The movie is a collection of short films from filmmakers all around the world cleverly tied together with a wraparound involving the world’s worst investigative journalist searching for the real story behind who author H.P. Lovecraft was.

First lets talk about the good. Some of the short films collected here are very good, though limited in budget and runtime. There is a short with a man getting back at the woman he loves, who is marrying another man, by changing himself into an insect like monster. For no budget short film there is are a couple of decent special effects. Another one that worked well for me involves a man and a piece of music for the violin. Not only does it tell a story in a non-traditional way, but also there are marionettes, which have always given me the creeps. Finally there is a cautionary tale against dating women you meet on the Internet. You never know when one of them might be a practicing pagan that is needing themselves a sacrifice!

There are a few segments that I didn’t like. The first of these was overly stylized artsy story, which is something that never appeals to me. In it a canvas that comes to life, which was an interesting idea, but I hated the camera work and how the images were jerking across the screen. The next short is the only time during the movie did I feel like I was watching a horribly made handy cam movie. It is called the Lurkers and had is about a guy that plays his guitar and raises an army of creepy dudes that lurk at porno shops and strip clubs. This is by far the weakest short in the movie and is rather pointless in my opinion. Finally I was shocked to see a soft-core version of one of the scenes from the XXX Re-Penetrator included in the movie.

I wanted to mention the investigative reporter segments of the movie separately from the short films. I found them to be really funny. There is a great interview with Lloyd Kauffman that had me cracking up, as well as several other bits that were fun. Included in these were a real gotcha moment when I thought I was watching some lame voiceover work, only to find out it was a joke and a funny take on Lovecraft being kidnapped by aliens. But my favorite is near the end and involves a homeless person stealing their camera. My only complaint is that while these are really funny they tend to show up just as I was getting into the more serious mood of the shorts. Truthfully I could have watched an hour and a half of these spoofs and had a good time, with the same being said of the short films. I just didn’t like the two mixed together.

Here at Gutmunchers.com we like supporting independent filmmakers, especially when they put out fun movies that are worth checking out. So does LovecraCked fall into that category? If you dig low budget independent movies then yes you really should check this one out. I don’t like how the tone changes between comedy and seriousness, but overall it is an interesting flick. Not only that but I’m really very excited in checking out what they do next. For more information about how to get your hands on a copy of LovecraCked go to http://www.biffjuggernaut.com/lovecrackedthemovie/main.htm

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer