Cthulhu is a 2007 film loosely inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth. The film is notable for having a gay protagonist, exploring LGBTQ themes seriously for the first time in a film with a Cthulhu Mythos backdrop.[1]
Synopsis[]
A young college professor returns to his small seaside hometown after the death of his mother. There, he discovers that his father, the leader of a mysterious cult, is engaged in bringing about the return of an ancient deity named Cthulhu. As people begin to disappear, he discovers that preparations are being made to enact a ritual, and while he is tempted by the cult, his sexuality offers him some small protection against their charms. Ultimately, however, he is forced to choose between the man he loves and his father.
Behind the Mythos[]
Cthulhu was directed by Dan Gildark, who co-wrote the screenplay with Grant Cogswell. It premiered at the Seattle Film Festival on 14 June 2007. Filmed on an estimated budget of $750,000, it was a commercial flop. It received mixed reviews, with a 62 percent fresh score from Rotten Tomatoes[2] and an average rating of 41 (out of 100) from Metacritic.[3]
Connections[]
- The protagonist's family name in this version of The Shadow Over Innsmouth is Marsh.
- At one point in the film, while Russell is speaking to Zadok, a yacht named the Alert can be seen moored in the background. The Alert was a ship crewed by members of the Cthulhu Cult in "The Call of Cthulhu".
- At another point, an image of an octopoid creature is clearly visible on a manhole cover, an obvious nod to Cthulhu himself.
Sexuality[]
Critic Bobby Derie calls Cthulhu, which explores a gay subtext sometimes seen in The Shadow Over Innsmouth, a film with "a lot of firsts for Cthulhu cinema: the first homosexual protagonist, and the first film to make a character’s sexuality an important aspect of the narrative."[1] Co-writer Grant Cogswell commented that the Lovecraft story
| “ | more than anything reminded me of the experience of gay and lesbian friends, who after leaving home under duress in their teens, had to go back in their 30s when a parent was sick or a sibling needed help.[4] | „ |
Gallery[]
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References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sex and the Cthulhu Mythos, Bobby Derie (Hippocampus Press, 2014).
- ↑ Rotten Tomatoes, "Cthulhu."
- ↑ Metacritic, "Cthulhu (2008)."
- ↑ Dread Central, "Cogswell, Grant (Cthulhu)," by Jon Condit, January 22, 2006.