 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
ENTER THE DAGON
Directed by Tom Gleason
Written by Curt MarkhamHerbert East - Kevin Serwacki
Stuart Corman - Jessie Edmund
Dexter Burt Ward - John Karyus
Crispin Eldrith - Curt Markham
Kim Weng-sang - Thary KokDiscriminating fanboys agree, Tom Gleason's ENTER THE DAGON is like 20 simultaneous geek orgasms. All giddy abandon without an ounce of self-deprecating guilt.
Parodying those HBO Behind the Scenes specials, ENTER THE DAGON recounts the making of THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH, from beloved genre author H.P. Lovecraft's novella. Only this is a Hollywood picture and the dealmakers want action, so Herbert East is now a kung-fu master with a hardon for kicking Cthulus' ass chopsocky-style.
The director is Stuart Corman, and his writer is Dexter Burt Ward, obvious puns on names familiar to the intended audience of horror and comic book enthusiasts, of which I am one. Together, these two loveable losers set about putting Lovecraft's work on the silver screen. There's just one catch, Lovecraft never wanted his work adapted. According to the opening title card, Lovecraft would rather severe his penis with rusty razor blades and go skinny dipping in a vat of salt than see his work adapted to film.
And as Lord John Worfin said to Buckaroo Banzai, it's a deal "Sealed with a curse as sharp as a knife. Doomed is your soul and damned is your life." And Lovecraft's ghost is pissed.
Despite Lovecraft's wrath, Corman and Ward are determined to make their picture, and nowhere is this more apparent then when the two scope the colleges for interns and talent willing to work on the thrifty side of cheap. And to paraphrase Bugs Bunny, Corman and Ward "make a complete Ness of themselves," and their movie.
Forgive the bad puns and movie references, I can't help myself. That's the fun and charm of ENTER THE DAGON, when you're finished watching it, the humor sticks with you. And even worse, I've find myself emulating it. The movie is so thickly laden with references and injokes that the obigatory drinking game would have the average viewers smashed like a frat boy at halftime during the superbowl.
The dvd screener contained extras featuring gory claymation where creatures dismember one another as well as the horror musical SNUFFED: THE MUSICAL, which is even more delightfully wacky than the main feature. Viewers will also find various other shorts from Spinning Grave Productions that give an inside view of what makes these people so fun to watch.