THE WHISPERER IN THE DARKNESS (2011)

Streaming on Amazon Prime!
Directed by Sean Branney
Written by H.P. Lovecraft (story), Andrew Leman & Sean Branney (screenplay)
Starring Matt Foyer, Barry Lynch, Daniel Kaemon, Matt Lagan, Joe Sofranko, Stephen Blackheart, David Pavao, & Autumn Wendel
Find out more about this film here!

Those looking for Lovecraft done right should look no further than Sean Branney’s THE WHISPERER IN THE DARKNESS. I’ve read the story quite a few times, and though this story of otherworldly portals and demon bugs from other dimensions is not the most literal of Lovecraft’s work, I still don’t think that it’s been adapted perfectly. Until now. The filmmakers seem to not only possess the uncanny ability to translate Lovecraft’s words and themes with ease, but they also punch up the story with modern effects while giving it a timeless quality of the matinee serials.

It’s a simpler time, when men wore fedoras and suits everywhere and life was monochromatic. The film’s narrator Albert Wilmarth (played by Matt Foyer) is a scholar interested in having a philosophical debate about the existence of uncategorized beings not recognized by science. After receiving a summons from a townsperson in Vermont, he journeys to the man’s home only to encounter the very otherworldly beings he told himself didn’t exist.

Though this film is heavy on the talk, the strong performances and full embrace of the monster movies of the fifties make every second of this film intriguing and unblinkable. Filmed in stark blacks, faded whites, and amorphous greys, THE WHISPERER IN THE DARKNESS is a monster movie for folks who miss going to monster movie matinees. Branney adapts this tale of science proved wrong sharply with quick line exchanges and every eerie trick in the book made to amp up the old timey thrills.

Branney also incorporates modern CGI and practical effects to make this film experience seem as real as those old time movies were to you when you watched them as a child. The makers of this film’s love of Lovecraft is seen in every frame, and where most Lovecraftian films veer toward the more sensible or less bogged down by mythology, THE WHISPERER IN THE DARKNESS embraces the world of Lovecraft with all of its cryptic phrases and names.

The heroics are daring, as is the music. As Albert reluctantly is forced into defending the earth, I could see the masses of the fifties loving the hell out of a film like this, tossing their popcorn in the air and gripping their loved ones. I loved every moment of this Saturday afternoon serial brought to life in the modern age. The effects are top tier, with mask-wearing alien bug creatures called the Mi-Go working with human cults attempting to open a portal so that their world can overtake our own. THE WHISPERER IN THE DARKNESS is a Lovecraftian film done completely right and I can’t wait to see more from this production company, which has also adapted THE CALL OF CTHULHU.

It’s about damn time they got Lovecraft right.

Check out the trailer here!!