H.P. Lovecraft’s Witch House

I won’t even quibble about the lack of creatures from the Mythos, as the classic Re-Animator had zip zero nada Mythos creatures either. However, I will speak up over the more traditional devil imagery that keeps cropping up. I know it can’t be all tentacles all the time, but why roll out a Paul Naschy style ram horn devil when you can go more abstract, shapeless, and horrifying. Lovecraft was so scary because his s**t was beyond the devil.

The execution is uneven but in a way familiar to any horror fan. There are many facets to H.P. Lovecraft’s Witch House that are flat-out crappy. While some lighting is inventive, most of the feature is plainly lit like a school library. Also, there is the stench of amateurism around some of the line delivery by supporting players.

“…there is no denying the raw power Easley unleashes…”

The female leads do a fine job, though. Prescott proves to be a great love interest, never laying it on too thick and keeping the boil going. Trimble has a potent screen presence and should be signed up for a jet load of character work. Chellelynn carries the production, getting to run a gamut of emotions while expressing real terror.

Also, there is no denying the raw power Easley unleashes in the horror sequences. His instincts are dead on and will make your skin leap right off your bones. The witch sequences are dynamite, some of the best I have seen. This makes for a viewing experience of someone flicking a light switch between impressed and unimpressed repeatedly. However, this devil’s dichotomy of splendor and dreck is the steady diet of any horror fan. They will devour the indigestible in order to get to the lip-smacking bloody bits.

Also, you have to admire a horror production that has the balls to shoot in a real haunted house. In the case of H.P. Lovecraft’s Witch House, the fearsome Hannah House in Indiana is reported to be genuinely haunted. So while this adaptation isn’t in the same league as Gordon’s or Richard Stanley’s Lovecraft work, it does have the hideous glow that horror fans will be drawn to.