Product Description

A noir thriller set in 1948 L.A., pits Detective Harry Lovecraft against a cast of horrors in his search for a stolen book of ultimate mystical power. ' 'Imagine ?Who Framed Roger Rabbit?? with witches and zombies instead of toons.' ' (USA Today.) ' 'A great way to spend an evening.' ' (Entertainment Weekly)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10709 in VHS
• Released on: 2001-08-21
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Customer Reviews

BRILLIANT AND HILARIOUS LOVECRAFT SPOOF
Whether you are an "in the closet/out of the closet" Occultist, you'll love this film spoof of the occult in general, and HP Lovecraft in particular. The scene where Fred Ward has a conversation with a real estate agent who praises the fact that her homes are made with "the finest Thaumaturgy" and builder zombies falling in the background will split your gut...no pun intended. Anyone will enjoy this film; but Occultists will howl. Plus, Old Cthulhu never looked so good...

Great way to blow an hour and a half

It's not incisive or heavy and it won't inspire debate, but this movie is an absolute blast nonetheless, and a nice illustration of the fact that a movie doesn't have to be vapid pablum to work as light, fun, happy entertainment. Even the violence isn't anywhere near as gory as it could have been. In general, you'll hit the rewind button 90 minutes after starting the film and be pretty pleased at the way you just spent those 90 minutes.

The story is engaging and fun, Fred Ward (who I've had a soft spot for ever since "The Right Stuff") is perfect as the inexplicably sexy roadworn gumshoe, perfect casting. David Warner plays his standard "Hi, I'm Bob Evil" type of role and does a lovely job at it.

This could have been a lot schlockier than it was if it hadn't been played so straight, but as it is, with the actors playing it *absolutely* straight, you get to enjoy the movie on a variety of levels: just suspending your disbelief and letting yourself fall into the story, and enjoying the general fun of watching it all played so straight. One little wink at the camera would have ruined it.

It's called a comedy, but I'm not sure it is -- it's just that the way the film comes together just has you chuckling out of delight more than laughter.

Marvelous Mystic Film Noir
This is definitely a parody of both the paranormal genre and classic hardboiled detectives, but it is done with tremendous style and grace. From the landlady who puts a spell on the cards she gives Fred Ward so they always come up first when he reaches for one of his own to the casual assumption that everyone in Hollywood uses magic, this an entertaining film worth seeing if you catch it on TV.

It'd be better if the geniuses at HBO would release it on DVD because I'd snatch it up in a minute.