Review of The Dunwich Horror (1970) by Connor G — 24 Jul 2011
The plot is significantly different from the Lovecraft short story, though many elements were retained. "The Dunwich Horror" is extremely cheesy; sort of an "R" rated "Dark Shadows", but that's part of its charm. The soundtrack is very 1960's horror (complete with theremin-ish whistles and "wah-wah"s), Wilbur Whateley's brother is a mass of psychedelic colors, and apparently the Miskatonic University Library at Arkham looks like a local public school library (with a copy of "The Necronomicon" (in scare quotes) in a plexiglass case near the book check-out area). The acting is just OK, nothing special. Dean Stockwell (Al from "Quantum Leap") plays Wilbur Whateley (and "Ygnaiih!!" was never said so well in film!). This movie is more amusing than frightening.
Still much better than the low-budget Leigh Scott version made in 2009 (despite the fact that movie had Jeffrey Combs as Wilbur). Recommended for fans of Lovecraft's work, though certainly it's no "Re-Animator" or "Dagon".
(Revised 7/25/2011).
This review of The Dunwich Horror (1970) was written by Connor G on 24 Jul 2011.
The Dunwich Horror has generally received mixed reviews.
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