Snark, Critic and Pop!

Being a fan of the works of H.P. Lovecraft, I was very excited to see this film when it came out back in high school.  Having read the novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward I was interested to see if this would be a great adaptation of a brilliant work of gothic horror, or a terrible (although not necessarily unenjoyable) film that used a lose association of plot to link itself to a popular work of fiction. The film does stay true to the book, aside from the ending which turns out to not only be more exciting than the one Lovecraft wrote, but not inconsistent with the story.  That being said, this is certainly a film that would be considered a B-Movie… but despite the dreadful acting, the movie is one that lovers of horror films and Lovecraft’s works will enjoy. 

Directed by Dan O’Bannon (This was the last of the two films he directed, the other being The Return of the Living Dead) and starring Chris Sarandon who is best known as the evil Prince Humperdink in the classic film The Princess Bride, the film tells the story of Charles Dexter Ward whose wife hires a private detective to find out what her husband is up to.  It seems that ever since he inherited that ancestral home out in the country and found that strange old trunk full of things he won’t talk to her about he has been working on experiments out in the garage at all hours of the night.  Once she begins her snooping, he leaves and sets up shop at the country home.

Ward has begun to arouse suspicion out there as well thanks to the terrible smells that now emanate from the house, and the deliveries of human remains at all hours.  The detective finds a diary that recounts the experiments of Joseph Curwin, Ward’s ancestor, that took place in 1771 and it becomes apparent that Ward has begun to pick up where Curwin left off – attempting to reanimate the dead.  Ward’s wife joins the detective in an investigation of the country home only to learn the horrible truth about what Ward was up to, and what befell him

I don’t want to give to much away – as I have said, despite it’s shortcomings the movie is one horror fans will find quite entertaining.  The special effects are prosthetic and were produced by the Todd Masters Company (Hellraiser: Bloodline, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child) and are quite disconcerting at parts, especially in the scenes taking place in the catacombs below the country home and some of the flashback sequences. This is not a film for everyone, but I would imagine those who take the time to seek out a copy will enjoy it.