The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu

Plot synopsis:
Jeff Philips is working a dead end job at a call center. One day, an old man arrives at his apartment to tell him he is the last descendent of H.P. Lovecraft and must guard a relic to keep it from being reunited; if the pieces of the relic are united while the stars are in alignment, the sunken city of R'lyeh will rise from the sea and the demonic creature Cthulhu will be released upon an unsuspecting world.
Shortly thereafter, squid-like "deep ones" attack and Jeff flees with his friend Charlie, a comic book artist. Cult followers of Cthulhu pursue them to reunite the relic. They find an old high school acquaintance, Paul, and enlist him in their cause. The three flee to the desert to seek Captain Olaf, a sailor who has first-hand experience with the cult. Eventually, the cult members attack them and Paul is taken by the cult, only to later escape and reunite at Olaf's RV. Cthulhu's general, Starspawn, and the deep ones corner them in the captain's RV. In their haste to flee, Jeff and Charlie leave the relic behind, and Starspawn re-assembles it. This causes everyone but Jeff, as the last in the Lovecraft bloodline, excruciating pain. As Cthulhu prepares to escape his undersea prison, Jeff shoots some dynamite, destroying Star Spawn, separating the relic, and saving the world.
Sometime later, we see Charlie doing a comic book signing for his new book based on his and Jeff's adventures. While telling a small disbelieving comic fan that the story is true, Jeff arrives with an ancient map of more artifacts they must safeguard. They quickly leave for the Antarctic and arrive at the Mountains of Madness.

Tags: comedy

Review:
The people who say this isn't based on Lovecraft or the Cthulhu mythos are way off base, and they miss the point of this romp.
While I'm not sure it's bound for cult classic status, the film does have it's moments, and offers a humorous take on the Lovecraftian mythos, including an opening credit sequence that was reminiscent of the 80's cult classic Re-Animator.The basic premise is that the world H.P. Lovecraft envisioned was more fact than fiction, and the reason he could write about the nameless horrors is because of a genetic disposition that allows his bloodline to avoid going absolutely mad when confronted with the evil of the Old Ones.
Some of it felt forced, but it was pretty rare, and there are a couple of stand out performances, especially from Barak Hardley as Paul, a high school friend and Lovecraft nerd who joins them on their quest, and the mysterious Captain Olaf, played by Gregg Lawrence.If you're going to do a creature feature, you need to have some good monster effects, and on this front, the film certainly delivers.
The sucker fish creature which appears in the trailer is most definitely on the silly side, but the spawn that attack a group of camping teenagers work well in delivering some chills.Some of the most enjoyable parts of the movie for me were the animated sequences, including a comic book style recap of the history of the Old Ones coming to Earth during the time of the dinosaurs.
There are some great sequences with the animated Cthulhu fighting dinosaurs, especially notable is the point where he uses a recently decapitated triceratops head as a shield.When making a low budget movie of this nature, it's very often a labour of love for everyone involved, and that love comes across on film.
There were a few points, such as the camping teenagers scene mentioned above, where just knowing when to cut would have made a difference in how things played out.Even with some of the largely technical problems that come with an indie film, The Last Lovecraft is a fun horror-comedy romp with some great moments, and makes for a great popcorn flick.
It manages to evoke notes from other horror-comedy classics while remaining it's own beast, which is something tough to pull off at any budget, when it comes to genre films.At the end of the film, Devin McGinn, who plays Charlie and also wrote and produced the film, took to the stage, along with director Henry Saine, for a Q & A session, and were joined by other cast members.
OK, first off, if you're not into Lovecraft or the Cthulhu Mythos, you won't get all of the references and jokes, but that's not to say you won't have fun with this movie.
Underneath its rough exterior lies a film with plenty of wit and charm, and a "deep" (pun intended) love of all things Lovecraft.The delivery, as said, is a bit rough, but after only a short period I found myself easily forgiving any of the film's minor shortcomings.
No expensive, top-of-the-line special effects, an excess of foul language that probably should have been scaled (ha!) back a bit, and a couple of performances that weren't anything said performers would want to put on their demo reel (read: stiff).Still, those things aside, the story is fun and silly, and maintains a nice balance between the humor and drama, avoiding any awkward or jarring transitional moments between scenes (if nothing else could be said, at least take note of that element, which I found refreshing, as I've seen quite a few "blockbusters" of late that failed at it, unable to decide whether they're action or comedy vehicles).A somewhat imperfect analogy would be to reference the TV series "Chuck." Take any old Lovecraftian Hammer film and drop Chuck & Morgan down in the middle of it as the protagonists and you've got a good idea of what I believe this movie was intended to be.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it completely succeeded, but in the end I think it worked well enough to make the movie enjoyable.Ultimately it's a light-hearted Cthulhu Mythos comic book on film, with nods to geeks, gamers and Lovecraft fans everywhere.
This isn't a perfect movie, at places the acting and writing are a bit weak, but it's obvious that most of these people aren't hardened actors and that most of their effects are on a budget, and with that in mind, it's a damn good presentation.It's not a movie for hardcore Lovecraft fans who'll cry if someone gets their mythos a bit wrong, as the movie(which largely loyal to the concept) isn't particularly about madness and does take its chance to have a bit of fun with the silliness inherent in just about any horror situation.The start's a bit stuttering and not ideal, but by the end of the movie I was genuinely in love with it.Ultimately, if you approach this movie without expecting a big-budget Hollywood execution, but instead a competent indie/student movie, you won't be disappointed..
And Devin McGinn as the sidekick was really a standout - I want to see him in more movies or TV work, especially if he could play a similar character.
So, by the end I was rooting for our unlikely heroes.One more note: there are a couple of reviews here that say this movie has "nothing to do" with the Cthulhu mythos.
I don't know what movie THEY were watching, but as someone who has read literally the entire Lovecraft bibliography, I can say that they spent a lot of time throwing in many, many references, and really made me believe they could have been in a comedy version of Lovecraft's world.
Go into it expecting a VERY low-budget film that's earnestly trying to entertain, and and I don't think you'll be disappointed..
An ancient relic is the key to the rebirth of Great God Cthulhu (which is not in the film), and a group of *keepers* brings the relic to the last heir of Lovecraft who must protect it at all costs.LL is a (very)crappy comedy-slash-horror film, and if you saw Shaun of the Dead and think that these two genres can go well together you'r in for a bad surprise.
Any pretence of this being a horror film expires after the first 10 minutes (with the special effects also going AWOL), and as a comedy is just *not funny*.
Lovecraft sorely deserves more screen time and I would love to see a sequel.The effects were done very well and I was impressed with how scary they actually made the monsters.
The acting was perfect and believable, I am really glad their was no stupid girl to ruin the vibe of the movie with the characters mentioning sex every 5 seconds.
The lamest and laziest trick in the book if you can't be bothered to write intelligent dialogue or develop your characters.I love low-budget films, and labour of love this film may have been, but the heart was definitely the only organ involved in the writing.If you want to see an homage to Lovecraft, check out the beautifully and imaginatively done "The Call of Cthulhu"..
Our main characters are extremely unlikable, the direction seems confused and the editing does nothing but squander what's left of this ultra low budget waste of time.
This is a prime example of the kind of movies that give low budget films a bad rep.
That's a rare thing in movies like this these days and it's nice to see people still making an effort to do that, even if they don't look that good.
I am sure the people making the movie meant well, but come on.As for the acting, well there were both good, bad and mediocre performances throughout the movie.
Kyle Davis (playing Jeff), Devin McGinn (playing Charlie) and Barak Hardley (playing Paul) were actually doing a good enough job, and they were the ones carrying the movie.The effects of the movie, well they were mediocre, but the film guys tried.
"The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu" came off as a half-hearted attempt to make something in the footsteps of the forefather of modern day horror.
Now, I am sure the director meant well enough, but for the hardcore fans of Lovecraft, this is not a movie to associate with his work.
You might be tempted to think it is the bookish type who like Lovecraft's work of suspense and psychological horror.
Not the film making itself as they do have some great camera-work, good FX for the budget and some clever animation bits.
In the vein of Shaun of the Dead, this horror comedy follows three buddies, one the last descendant of H.P. Lovecraft, trying to keep an ancient relic out of the hands of mutant fish people who want to use it to resurrect Cthulu.
Virtually the only thing we know about him is he hates nerdishness and even used to beat them up in high school (note to filmmakers: who the Hell do you think is watching your H.P. Lovecraft-inspired horror movie?).
McGinn has at least some nerdy tendencies (mostly a love for comic books), but he's an annoying little prick with the douchiest haircut this side of Fall Out Boy. These two soon join up with uber-nerd Barak Hardley, a bearded Lovecraft dork who has no friends and lives in his grandmother's basement, and then they constantly tease and bully him.
The fishy people aren't totally awful for such a low-budget film, and there is a decent animated recount of Lovecraft mythology near the beginning.
I love Lovecraft, but this was just a wonderfully silly send up of horror/monster films in general.
It is a total B-movie intended for and made by fans of the Lovecraftian Cthulhu mythos.
looking for blood and gorewell developed charactersa good scriptgood fxdon't have a genuine love for the Cthulhu mythos,then this movie is NOT for you.If you:
dig all things Cthulhucan enjoy a flick of said theme without expecting serious film-making qualitiesenjoy a good laughcan handle a LITTLE bit of blood and gore,then this is DEFINITELY worth a watch.Don't take it too seriously...nobody making the movie did..
This is certainly one of the better Lovecraft inspired movies I've seen.
This is a light-hearted "nerd-based" film about two friends, one of whom is a descendant of the actual H.P. Lovecraft who get wrapped up in a conspiracy about cultists wanting to wake Cthulhu using a magical amulet.
The effects are a mixed bag - not convincing but full on B grade like you'd expect from a low budget film.
Fun comedy horror, maybe a bit too geeky for it's own good..
Professor Lake tracks down Jeff (Kyle Davis) & tells him the full story, many thousands of years ago a huge war broke out between rival alien forces the Cthulhu & the Old Ones for total control of the planet Earth.
Jeff & his comic book loving friend Charlie (Devin McGinn) are given the relic to protect as Cthulhu's mutant creatures go in search of it killing anyone who gets in the way...Co-edited & directed by Henry Saine this light hearted horror comedy borrows huge slices of the Cthulhu mythology from horror author H.P. Lovecraft's work but puts a modern self referential comic book fan geek twist on it, although silly & lightweight The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu is quite endearing & likable.
At less than 80 minutes long the film starts off quickly & rarely stops, I would say the script tries to mimic the style of Shaun of the Dead (2004) with plenty of in-jokes, horror film references & homages & geeky character's.
There are some amusing moments in The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu with some very funny dialogue between the quirky character's, from the geek fan-boy Paul to the fish raped Captain Olaf there's plenty of one-liners ^ dry sarcastic wit as the genre & fandom itself are made fun of although it's never in a mean spirited way & has respect for Lovecraft, comics, horror & geek fandom in general.
While the film is good natured & fun the constant horror, fantasy & comic book references do wear a little thin by the end & The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu starts to feel like a collection of small comedy sketches rather than one coherent film.
The plot is alright but isn't that tight & could have used a bit of work, the threat from Cthuluhu isn't really demonstrated& the evil red monster thing is killed too easily at the end.There are some very good special effects in The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu, sure some of the CGI is poor but the practical make-up effects are good with some good monster effects & a bit of gore.
Well shot in full 2:35:1 widescreen The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu looks nice enough & there's a really cool animated insert as Charlie the comic book fan narrates a neat sequence in which the story behind Cthulhu is explained.Probably shot on a low budget the production values are good, the acting is good too with the whole cast looking like they had a lot of fun making this.
Nobody seems to hold back anyway & make the most of the one-liners & material they are given.The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu is actually a pretty neat little film, sure it's not a serious film & leans towards laughs more than scares but it has a certain energy & likability.
All the horror film & comic book references are sure to please fans too, just don't expect anything dark & Gothic like Lovecraft originally wrote & you'll enjoy this for what it is..
This descendant is Jeff Philips (Kyle Davis) who works in a boring job in a cubicle in an office with his comic-book geek friend Charlie (Devin McGinn) and wishes there was more to life.When Jeff and Charlie get home to their apartment they find Professor Lake standing there.
He has a map from a comic-book to a Captain Olaf (Gregg Lawrence) who has told stories of his encounters with spawn of Cthulhu, the Deep Ones who live in the ocean.
They come ashore next to a beach party and we see and hear them slaughtering everyone from inside a tent where a woman lies cowering in fear.Jeff, Paul and Charlie have to get to Captain Olaf who lives in the middle of the desert to see if he has any idea how to defeat Starspawn and the Cult of CthulhuA comedy based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft has potential but this was disappointing.
It has a very low-budget so it really has very little in the way of effects though some of it was pretty good for the money spent.
This film is not your style.If however you've read (or read of) any of his works or have played D&D more than 3 times in your life then read on.This movie is crap.
I laughed myself silly watching this.The entire film feels like a bunch of friends got together at a party, and after several rounds of drinks said "Hey!
The previous reviewer must have been picking at popcorn on the floor to have missed that not only is Cthulhu in this film but indeed rips a T-rex in half and uses a triceratops head as a weapon.This movie was written so that anyone could get the gist of some of the works of H.P.L into their heads.
They go on a Nerd-Rage fest of travels across the desert to keep ahead of Deep Ones and Star Spawn in bad costumes.I guess it's a horror comedy that fails to be either scary or funny.
However, uprooted from gloomy New England to sunny southern California, they're totally laughable (a result which LAST LOVECRAFT writer\producer Devin McGinn and "star"\cast-and-crew-caterer Kyle Davis may have been shooting for).
But for people like me who enjoy a little levity mixed with my horror and who can really appreciate the work and sweat and tears that go into low budget independent film making, this one is a winner.
And how many times have you ever looked at the star of a film and said "Boy, that guy really looks more like a caterer?" Well, Kyle Davis not only looks like a caterer, he emotes like one as well.
One day, a guy who looks like a fat Derek Jacobi (Edmund Lupinski) shows up and tells Jeff he's the last descendant of H.P. Lovecraft and must protect an ancient relic that could release the monstrous Cthulu to destroy the world.
Paul sends them searching for a guy named Captain Olaf (Gregg Lawrence) who has experience in fighting Cthulu's monsters and they hold up in an RV in the desert and have to fight off the squid-man Starspawn (Ethan Wilde) to save the Earth.Now, there's some okay comedy mined out of a loser, a geek and a nerd playing the roles of Mankind's saviors and there are some comic booky animation sequences here that are fairly well done.
Like, for example, casting Kyle Davis as the main character.
Why McGinn didn't just make himself the star, I'll never know.The costumes and special effects aren't bad and the action scenes, for filmmakers who don't have a lot of money or expertise to pull them off, are perfectly acceptable.
All of a sudden one of them - a Last Lovecraft Descendant - gets called upon to somehow keep the nefarious Cult of Cthulu from reuniting the two halves of a lost relic that will allow Great Cthulu to rise again from his sunken city and take over the world.The rest of the movie details their floundering attempts to do same whilst surviving all kinds of one-liners, spoofed characters, silly situations - and a fair amount of gore.