MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

ferbs54 Having enjoyed great success with a string of some seven pictures based on the works of the writer who has been called the greatest horror author of the 19th century, Edgar Allan Poe, American International Pictures (AIP) soon turned its attention to the horror author who has been called the greatest of the 20th, the so-called "Sage of Providence," Howard Phillips Lovecraft. For their first Lovecraft attempt, the studio came out with the Boris Karloff outing "Die, Monster, Die," loosely based on the author's 1927 story "The Color Out of Space." And five years later, the film in question, "The Dunwich Horror," was released, in January 1970 (just weeks before the studio came out with the Peter Cushing/Vincent Price/Christopher Lee outing "Scream and Scream Again"), again rather loosely based on a classic Lovecraft horror tale, this one dating back to 1928. Roger Corman, who had helmed all those Poe adaptations, this time acted as executive producer only, handing the film's reins to Daniel Haller, who had brought home the first Lovecraft adaptation. And once again, the film sported a respectable cast and impressive production values, resulting in a picture that just might please all fans of ol' H.P., even though it is a far cry from the author's original. In the film, 69-year-old Ed Begley, here in his final screen role and refreshingly playing the good guy/hero for a change, is Dr. Henry Armitage, a professor of occult studies at a Massachusetts university. He is approached by a rather odd and soft-spoken young man, Wilbur Whateley (Dean Stockwell, who would go on to appear in the epic disaster "The Last Movie" in the following year, as well as "The Werewolf of Washington" three years later), who asks to see and even borrow the incredibly rare book known as "The Necronomicon." When his request is denied, Whateley uses his hypnotic power to coerce Armitage's pretty blonde assistant, Nancy Wagner (Sandra Dee, here 28 years old and a far cry more mature than in her Tammy films), to drive him to his home in Dunwich, a town of notorious repute. Once there, the young man uses drugs to further control the young woman. Wilbur lives in the family abode with his creepy grandfather, Old Whateley ( Sam Jaffe, 30+ years post-"Gunga Din"), while in the locked bedroom upstairs resides...something, which makes eerie noises and clamors for release. Eventually, Wilbur's goals come into focus: He intends to use the virginal Nancy in an arcane rite, and once he steals "The Necronomicon" from the university library, use certain passages in that evil tome to effect the release of The Old Ones, a race that had once dwelt here on Earth and that is now confined in another dimension. But can Armitage and Dr. Cory, who had delivered Wilbur in childbirth, and played by the great character actor Lloyd Bochner, stop him in time, before The Old Ones manage to break through, along with the elder god Yog-Sathoth? "The Dunwich Horror," although only partially faithful to its source material, yet boasts any number of features that commend it mightily to even the casual viewer. For one thing, the film itself looks fantastic, with sumptuous sets (Wilbur's house really is a colorful masterpiece of decor) and art direction (the Devil's Hop Yard, high atop a cliff overlooking the ocean, where Wilbur conducts his ghastly rites, is really something to see). The film, though shot on a modest budget, yet boasts some impressive yet perforce restrained special effects, such as that rampaging creature that bursts out of the Whateleys' upstairs; we see it largely from its own POV, thus only getting a sense of its tentacular monstrosity, but it is sufficient to stun and impress. Perhaps most striking in the film is Haller's ultrastylish direction, utilizing bizarre camera angles, colorful negative images (what Wilbur's insane mother sees as she lies dying in an asylum), and surreal dream sequences (the one in which Nancy seems to engage in coitus with Wilbur might forcefully bring to mind the similar sequence in 1968's "Rosemary's Baby"). In one extended sequence, we see Nancy's drug-induced consciousness through what appears to be a burlap sacking covering the camera lens; in the scene in which the whatzit attacks Nancy's galpal Elizabeth, the screen is aswarm with flashing colors, lights and...tentacles? It is a most psychedelic display! Throw in some unusual musical cues (courtesy of Les Baxter, the author of at least seven prior AIP film scores), some surprising toplessness, the inclusion of some interesting bit actors (such as Talia Coppola, later Shire, and "A Bucket of Blood's Barboura Morris), and some pleasing touches (I love when Wilbur and Nancy drive into the Shell station outside of Dunwich, and the "S" of the Shell sign is obscured....), and you have a surprisingly winning entertainment. True, the film's ending is something of a mess--I still don't know why Wilbur bursts into flames at the film's tail end, or just what happened to that ravening monster--but overall, good fun. Too bad AIP never decided to tackle H.P.'s "At the Mountains of Madness"; now THAT might have really been something!

Joe Stemme THE DUNWICH HORROR is one of those titles I should have seen ages ago. Been aware of it since the 70s, but, just never got to it. In a way, it's a good thing I waited since I would have likely seen it on over-the-air TV, panned & scanned and chopped of its nudity instead of the very nice TCM HD broadcast. Of course, the main reason I skipped it until now is because of its mediocre reputation. Unfortunately, that rep is well 'earned'.It certainly isn't a bad film, but, you could excuse audiences at the time of thinking of it as Gidget's Baby or, Gidget Goes To Hell (if it weren't for the legalities, I'm surprised AIP didn't re-release it under one of those monikers!). Although based on the Lovecraft tale, it very much seems to have been fashioned with an eye towards Polanski's classic hit. In the horror pantheon of 'What If?'s, Bava's 1963 aborted version with Karloff ranks high. Still, a cast with Dean Stockwell, Sandra Dee and old vets Sam Jaffe and Ed Begley Sr. wasn't a bad one to work with.Director Daniel Haller was a former Art Director for Roger Corman (who produced), and he, along with Cinematographer Richard Glouner and Art Director Paul Sylos, give DUNWICH a visual look far richer than such a budget would normally allow (a trait Haller was applauded for in the in he Poe pictures). Even with the Rosemary's Baby angle inserted (complete with drugged hallucinations and chanting), there is enough of a Lovecraft feel to the enterprise that gives it a certain atmosphere and flow. Unfortunately, whenever the film seems to pick up momentum, thuddingly conventional and out-of-tune scenes break it up (the funeral; the convenience store; etc.). Sam Jaffe is one of my favorite character actors in cinema, but, the less said about his performance the better. Of course, the two most interesting curios in the credits is an early appearance by Talia Shire, and the very first (Co) Screenplay credit for Curtis Hanson.In the end, DUNWICH is a flawed attempt at melding the 60s AIP Poe pictures formula with the more then 'hip' filmmaking of the early 70s - much like the transition Hammer was going through at the same time. The nudity is a bit jarring - Gidget nude!???! (almost certainly a body double, as Dee remains buttoned up whenever her face is clearly visible). The color filters, zoom lens shots and other 'arty' tics seem to be employed more to cover up the lack of SFX than any attempt at a genuine style. The most effective moments are shots of the wind rolling over a river and empty streets (worthy of Tourneur's NIGHT OF THE DEMON). The shot of Stockwell's tattooed torso as he is about to go all devil on Dee is also a bit chilling.

BA_Harrison Weirdo student of the occult Wilbur Whateley (Dean Stockwell) tries to get his hands on a copy of the Necronomicon in order to perform a ritual that will open an inter-dimensional portal and free 'the old ones'. For his ceremony, he also needs a virgin: cue cinematic goody goody Sandra Dee as librarian Nancy Wagner, the actress ultimately shaking off her wholesome screen image by baring some flesh during the film's climactic ritual.Based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror is an undeniably atmospheric movie, with a great sense of foreboding helped in no small part by a sinister score, but director Daniel Haller's best efforts are undone by a script that treads water until the finale, a plodding pace and an over-reliance on groovy psychedelic visuals, the image becoming negative and changing colours during key scenes: what may have seemed cool to the hippy generation now looks horribly cheesy and incredibly dated.And, of course, anyone looking forward to the arrival of the 'old ones' is heading for disappointment: all the budget can stretch to are some rubbery snake heads, their awfulness partially disguised by one of Haller's crappy visual effects.

Leofwine_draca Brought to us by the man who had earlier made that tacky-but-fun Lovecraft adaptation DIE, MONSTER, DIE!, THE DUNWICH HORROR rather horrendously tries to mix in Lovecraft with the 1970s with devastating results, and not in a good way either. This is an AIP release, and Roger Corman serves as executive producer, meaning that the film has the same "look" and "feel" about it as earlier minor classics like THE HAUNTED PALACE. However, while Corman's AIP releases were all pretty damn good, THE DUNWICH HORROR commits the biggest film 'sin' in my book - it's overlong, and boring with it. I don't mind films being tacky or cheesy (incidentally, this is both of those), but boredom is a sin that I just cannot forgive.THE DUNWICH HORROR is well regarded as being one of Lovecraft's best stories, but the makers of this film - while being fairly loyal to the story - decide to add in an hour of supposed romance and intrigue before we get to the monster bits. Aside from a few hallucinatory dream sequences, where naked natives dance about, there's not a lot of horror in the first hour either. Scenes move sluggishly with no regard for pacing. The music tries to be a mixture of classic horror and seventies cool, and fails miserably. Only some good, quality acting could keep us interesting, but I'm afraid we don't even have that.You see, casting Dean Stockwell (with a perm) in the lead role of Wilbur Whateley was a bad idea. Stockwell, a familiar face on US television, just doesn't have enough menace in his body to play the part convincingly; he just looks like an ineffectual geek, and the monotonous delivery of his lines threatens to send the viewer to sleep. I'm not sure who Sandra Dee is, or where she came from, but she's similarly bad, walking around in a drugged daze for much of the film. We're supposed to feel for her when she gives herself up to Wilbur so easily? I think not. The only actor of any note is Ed Begley, playing one of his final roles, and he brings just the right touch of pomposity to his role as a Professor who has to track down Wilbur. Sam Jaffe is good for a laugh playing a crazed old man.This film does benefit from trying to do some odd, different things (I liked the idea of birds coming to take the soul of a dying person), but the action comes so late in the story that I had lost interest. When the horror of the title finally appears - glimpsed in brief flashes, to disguise the ineptitude of the special effects - it looks like nothing more than a giant floating cabbage. Things quickly go downhill from here, and the film ends with Wilbur and Armitage shouting ancient words at each other. THE DUNWICH HORROR is a missed opportunity, worth a cursory glance by Lovecraft fans or those interested in '70s psychedelia, but nearly totally worthless as anything more than an oddity.