2002 HP Lovecraft Film Festival Wrap-Up

Ah, October. My favorite month of the year. Being a director who specializes in dark scary movies (especially those inspired by or based on the writings of HP Lovecraft), the Halloween month is a natch to bring an evil grin to my otherwise dour countenance. But it's not just the fact that horror movies flourish in October like mold on month-old jack o' lanterns that I get giddy, it's also the fact that, for the past seven years, I have been lucky enough to attend the annual HP Lovecraft Film Festival, located in Portland, Oregon. This being the ninth such festival, I have seen it grow from its beginnings of two short films (one being my own) and a feature at a sagging two-screen theater in downtown Portland to a huge festival that is a viable part of a larger non-profit organization based in a historic theater (the Hollywood, in the aptly-named Hollywood district of the city) with all three screens entirely devoted to the festival. I have seen the attendance grow from about 300 for the weekend to 300 for one screen, on one night. I've seen the HP Lovecraft movies range from student films and cheap video fan flicks to big budget professional productions and serious artistic adventures. What's both frightening and exciting is seeing the films of people who have been inspired by the past Lovecraft films that played at the festival. Better still, every year, the Lovecraft Film Festival gives us filmmakers a chance to see each other, see our latest works, and catch up. Each year, the crowd of "Lurkers"(as we call ourselves), gets bigger, the parties get wilder, the films better and more numerous. What abhorrent beast have you created, Andrew?! (Migliore, the progenitor of this madness)

This year was one of the best years ever: Six feature films, two television episodes, fourteen short films, and if that's not enough, trailers for FOUR more movies coming out next year. All of these, mind you, are either direct adaptations or very inspired renditions of Lovecraft's stories. Plus: dealer tables, gaming, panels with director Stuart Gordon and scholar ST. Joshi, and more pitchers of specialty microbrew (including a Laurelwood Inn gift, the "HP Lovecraft ale") than any human should be allowed to consume over a weekend.

This year was also notable because, unlike previous years, I planned on spending some more time in the area, and not rushing in at the last minute&say, handing over the master tape of my movie literally two minutes before it is scheduled to go on. This year, I flew up on Thursday, and left on Monday (the Festival ran Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).

THURSDAY The first night was spent at the McMenamin's Grand Lodge, a former Freemason rest home and orphanage that has been converted into a bed and breakfast by two of the top developers in Oregon, the McMenamin brothers. They've refurbished and restored the lodge to its former glory (or a semblance of it), and managed to squeeze in three bars and a pub, a theater, numerous sitting rooms, a soaking pool, and some of the most amazing artwork I've ever seen. Originally opened in 1922 for Mason retirees and orphaned children, it was a private resort until the last two years. Like any secret society rest home, I am sure there are tales to tell in this place (and we probably added a few to the repertoire). The artwork alone, which is all new, is disturbing. Many of the paintings are pastiches and interpretations of actual black and white photographs taken from the Mason era (mostly 20's and 30's). An example is a photo of a woman in a carriage being pulled by a large black goat. Elsewhere in the lodge is a painting of this same woman, in the goat-tethered carriage, but she is flying above the city, with Mason symbols aplenty. The Grand Lodge begs to be the central location of a Call of Cthulhu live game. Joining the fun at the Grand Lodge were: the "Pagans", as I like to call them (John Tynes and Scott Glancy), Catalyst Studios (Jason, Ann, Eric), plus Thom Ryng and wife Beverly, and the lead actress of my movie "The Yellow Sign", Shawna Waldron (who, as the famous actress she is, got the best suite in the hotel, complete with leering faces on every pipe and electrical fitting in the room watching our every move). Also present was indie filmmaker Mike Prosser, who is doing some amazing stuff (albeit not Lovecraft adaptations) with his company Playground Films. Fest founder Andrew Migliore and wife Linda D'Onofrio joined us for awhile before grown-up functions called them away. Leaving us kids to drink, be warned twice by security, relocate the party three or four times, and finally crashing around 4am. Or was it dawn? Regardless, much of the events that occurred at the Lodge are too horrible to remember. I thank Bacchus that inebriation has fogged my memory. I dont think we killed anyone. Nevertheless&Thom, can I see those pictures before they go anywhere?

FRIDAY Due to last night's, er, imbibing, everyone was slow getting out the gate. And for some reason, it took extra long for us to get our breakfast in the Ironwork Grill at the Lodge. Regardless, we rolled in to the Hollywood Theatre around 5pm. The Hollywood was built in the Lovecraft period of the 1920's, and the movie house is especially appealing to fans of the "old gent" because of its lack of hard angles. In fact, the hallway that leads up to the top two theaters is of sufficient "non-Euclidean" design that descending it drives you down to the lobby, almost uncontrollably. Since "The Yellow Sign" wasn't screening until Saturday night, I was able to relax a bit, and enjoy catching up with old friends like Christian Matzke, creator of An Imperfect Solution (of which we only saw a trailer at the festival), and master of Propping Up the Mythos, a great website for making Lovecraft props (Christian is part of the "second wave" of Lovecraft filmmakers, or "Lurkers"); Andrew Leman, co-creator (with Sean Branney) of such wonderful things as A Shoggoth on the Roof, a Lovecraft Musical, founder of the HP Lovecraft Historical Society, a great actor, and really, really, really talented guy. Andrew L. designed all the trivia questions and slides that played in the theaters before every movie; plus Bryan Moore, maker of the exceptionally fine Cool Air movie, and someone who must be using some evil occult longevity spell, because he has the energy (and tastes) of a 12 year old boy while being&older than that. (More shout outs on the way, be warned) The first night's shows that I saw were: "The Raven", a striking animated short from Germany adapted from the classic Poe poem. The hand-drawn woodcut -style animation in black, white, and red, suggested the harsh painted shadows of "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". Second was the exquisite Japanese descent into madness, "Uzumaki" ("Spiral"). Directed by Higuchinski (what is it with one name directors?), it is about a young girl from the town of Kurozu-cho, which is falling under the curse of a spiral shape, and the effects of this are as twisted as anything from Tsukamoto's "Tetsuo" films. Although not featuring any direct Lovecraft references, "Uzumaki" certainly held a full house of "cosmic horror" themes, and is one of the few movies that has such a simple hook that, like the bugle horn from "The Crying of Lot 49", you'll be seeing it everywhere when you leave the theater&making you question your own sanity (if you think you have any). The screening of "Uzumaki" was sponsored by Nightshade Books, led by Jason Williams, whom I regret only speaking with for 10 minutes. (Jason, contact me!)

Shifting gears to a smaller theater for the second half of Friday night's programming, I saw "Shorts Block Two", one of three presentations of the latest amateur and independent short films. This is always a personal favorite of mine, because I believe that the independent filmmaking community is the best place to get good Lovecraft adaptations, unspoiled by the whims of corporate Hollywood. The programs in this block were mostly teasers for future shows. I cannot wait to see these at next year's festival! They were: Ed Martin's "Dreams of Unknown Kadath" (an indie ANIMATED feature!), Christian "Nyarlathotep" Matzke's "An Imperfect Solution", and two by filmmakers I don't know, who are doing: "The Thing on the Doorstep" and "Pickman's Model". The intro to each of the short blocks was a short (30 second) faux commercial from "Ego", for a new toy called "Cthulu" [sic], built entirely out of Legos, smashing little Lego people and Lego buildings, all to the enjoyment of a cackling boy child. Got laughs every time. One of the main shorts in block two was a Spanish sequel to of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" starring Paul Naschy. Shot on video in one location, it was competently acted, but I found it less than satisfying, especially with its overuse of zoom ins on Paul Naschy looking over his shoulder at the camera with his patented "sinister glance." It worked great the first time, not so great the fifth time. Another short in block two was "Out There", a cute video piece about alien abductions and a therapist that "helps" people work through their repressed memories and experiences. Although it desperately needed a makeup artist and some good lighting to avoid making the two leads look like they were covered in gelatin, it ultimately worked well, due completely to the two main actors in the film: Jeff Fahey and HARRY SHEARER (!) Last flick at block two was the theatrical premiere of "The Resurrectionist", a short directed by Jason Soles, written by Thom Ryng, and featuring just about every thing and person from Catalyst Studios. Shot on Super 8 film and edited by John Tynes, I loved the premise: in the old west, a man who works as a grave robber has to solve the mystery of someone who isn't quite dead. It looked amazing, but alas, the pacing was slower than I cared for, and ultimately fell into the murk of many independent productions that are more enamored with cool shots than telling the story. I have to give huge amounts of credit, though, to everyone for making it happen. I wish my first film was as good as this. The settings, costumes, props, etc., were all truly, truly, spectacular. In addition, the lead actor, Graves, completely commands your attention on camera. With some trimming and sound rework, this could be a tight, moody piece. After the films, I borrowed Andrew's car (he let me!) to pick up my wife, Kirsten, from the airport. She had to fly in late because she was busy working during the day (someone has to pay for my sorry ass). From PDX, it was back to the Laurelwood Inn, where the party had spread out over six or seven tables, with twice as many pitchers of the "HP Lovecraft" ale. Much drinking and shmoozing took place, and it was good to have some words with everyone, especially Andrew Migliore (it's amazing how little we actually say to one another during the fest; being so busy running around and watching movies). At some point in the night, the party split into numerous camps (Pagans and Catalyst went to a nearby hotel, Bryan Moore, Kirsten and I to Andrew's house). Some late night bonding occurred. I dont think it involved any of us taking our clothes off.

SATURDAY Saturday morning was rough: too little sleep, too much alcohol. Nevertheless, I was an early riser. Mr. Moore, it seems, had a few too many, and didn't rise until dusk (sorry, Bry). Back to the theater we went! There was a two o' clock matinee, where I caught the indie feature "Creature of the Mist", directed by Karl Roulson, who also attended the fest, and hung with us Lurkers. We had already "initiated" him in our ways. So it was good to see his film. Again, CotM could use some tightening, and I'm not partial to voice over narration (and yes, I did it in "The Outsider", but NO MORE!), so the film didn't quite bowl me over, but a lot of attention was paid to the production, and it did manage to hold mostly together for 85 minutes. What helped was the constant shots of the topless actress, and the great little "critters" that were shot using stop motion (you'll know them when you see them). Some of the scenes worked well, too. There were enough "signposts" to keep the narrative moving. I'd love to see what Karl could do with some real time and money. "Creature of the Mist", BTW, is about a man who rents a cabin on the lake, and is lured to its depths by a beautiful (topless!) woman, possibly a selkie. I was actually surprised at the ending, although it does make sense and makes you think about it afterwards, something that is rare in many movies. After the movies, I munched on some sandwich fixin's Andrew brought from home, and proceeded to indulge in another of my favorite pastimes: playing THE HILLS RISE WILD! by Pagan Publishing. Since we were running into the next batch of movies, we didn't get very far. The Deep Ones were first played by Kennon James, who has done the last three illustrations for the festival, and was selling prints of his work (ooh, that reminds me&gotta buy them). You can see Kennon's work here. The other players were Lemar (sp?) and Pagan Scott Glancy. Lemar and Scott were involved in a blender of Whateley and cultist flesh, whereas I as the DeGhoules managed to use some "Tee-Enn-Tee" to toss their way (only killing one cultist, though). Kennon had to run back to his table, so lovely Shawna took over as goddess of the deep ones. Unfortunately, the game was never finished, and sat on the table for passerby to peruse for the rest of the festival. Some day, though, I will manage to play a full game with the creators. Over the weekend, I also managed to hook up with no less than: Mark Fauver, the musical composer for almost all of my Lovecraft flicks, (and look for an upcoming soundtrack of Mark's music from the movies), his sister Amy, the fourth "T-womyn", a pen pal of mine who I've been corresponding with since I was in seventh grade and her sister, my father and James "Roz" Rosling (check the credits of "Return to Innsmouth"), as well as briefly meeting The Scholar himself, Mr. S.T. Joshi. I had a few words here and there with Stuart Gordon, who was having a complete blast, maybe even more fun than the last time he was up here for the festival. (If I missed anyone, don't kill me) Finally, seven o' clock rolled around, time to introduce the dual screening of the "Pickman's Model" episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, followed by "The Yellow Sign." We let the Night Gallery episode play first. If you've seen it, you know it's a fairly decent period piece about a disturbed painter, which falls into complete comedy when you finally see the "dreaded creature" that Pickman has been painting: a guy in a rubber suit with a rat butt and a rat tail, who hops around like a rabbit. Both times this screened, the audience was lost to hysterics. The denouement of the show isn't much better, either. The painting of the ghoul is much more disturbing than the "real" thing. I then introduced the show, gave away some prizes (for every screening, every theater, every year, there are door prizes&not corporate promo swag, mind you, Im talking REAL MERCHANDISE!) Anyway, we played my movie, off a recently burned DVD. I thought it looked great, especially compared to the previous versions. I have only heard compliments, but then, I don't know how many people would say "this sucks" to my face (I'm sure there are some of you out there). Afterwards, I brought screenwriter John Tynes, music composer Mark Fauver, and lead actress Shawna Waldron up on stage for some Q&A on the flick. Which is always fun, hearing from you all. Thanks to everyone for sitting in the seats. That's what it's all about, baby. After that, I ran down to the main theater, where Andrew and Bryan were giving away the "Howie" awards, an astounding foot-tall figurine of HP Lovecraft himself, jaw jutted forward proudly. Bryan made them himself from his Arkham Studios HQ in sunny Southern California. The awards for contributions to the Mythos were given to Stuart Gordon and S.T. Joshi. (Last year, Andrew himself took the first one home). The ceremony was brief, and both speakers accepted the ward with grace (too bad there weren't any naked people running across the stage, though). The best gaff came when Bryan likened Stuart and S.T. to August Derleth, as they have been keeping the Mythos alive. Nevertheless, the audience reacted to the name like Joshi, who gagged perceptibly. As the stage cleared and the lights went down, I finally saw the finished "Dagon" on the big screen. I had seen the rough cut a year ago on the Disney lot, and I've had the DVD screener for months now. But it was nice to see it LARGE again. The basic premise of the film is adapted from HPL's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" story, but takes place in the modern day. Paul Marsh and his companions are stranded just off the coastal town of Imboca, Spain. Imboca is Lovecraft's Innsmouth, with strange, degenerate citizens, eager to capture and kill Paul&until it's discovered that he is really one of them. "Dagon", I think, is the most restrained and subtle of Gordon's HPL features, so although there are some gratuitous scenes (it wouldnt be a Stuart Gordon film without them), it's not so over the top as to feature severed-head cunnilingus (which some people might applaud, others might miss). Personally, I think it is his best HP-themed feature ever. It's creepy, moody, has many layers of complexity, amazing sets and costumes, and although it's not flawless (my complaints are with the climax and the staging of the ending), it's recommended to not just Lovecraft fans (to whom this movie is a requirement), but to horror fans in general. After "Dagon", the rock and roll continued with the greatest band ever in the main theater: The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets! The sound system was sub-adequate, the costumes were taken from the crew of "Spaceship Zero" (unlike their amazing monster costumes from years past), and original bassist Bob Fugger was replaced by newbie Troy, but the Thickets STILL demolished our sanity with their unearthly rhythms and primeval riffs. I quickly imbibed some of the offerings from the Laurelwood pub (who came to the theater to serve us!) to numb the pain of what was to come. About halfway through their set, I touched off a riot. I couldn't help it. It was heavy metal, and I needed to mosh. So I ran down the aisle, hair flying, head banging, requisite devil sign in my fist, and off we go. I just had to pop the bubble, and the cultists all came flooding in. Next thing I know, there's a gang of more than thirty people dancing before the stage, including Bryan Moore, who thrashes like an 18 year old released convict, and, lo and behold, Stuart Gordon himself! The screaming, howling, and hysteria continued. We managed to drag Toren Atkinson, the lead singer, out of the bathroom for a second encore (he was halfway out of his uniform, but we summoned him back by chanting "TOR-EN! TOR-EN! TOR-EN! TOR-EN!"). When the crowd screams your name, you must perform. So Toren bit the head off a baby deep one and we sacrificed a few fans to Azathoth before heading over to the pub for a few pints. I don't remember much after that.

(Click to continue to part 2)