The Dunwich Horror Horror (1970) vs. the Dunwich Horror (2009)






Name: The Dunwich Horror (1970) vs. The Dunwich Horror, aka H.P. Lovecraft's: The Witches, aka, Witches: The Darkest Evil

Directed By: Daniel Haller (1970) and Leigh Scott (2009)

Subgenre: Lovecraftian, but the 1970 version incorporates quite a bit of Surreal/Psychedelic imagery while the 2009 version skews more into the Fantasy side of things.

Series: Spooktober 2018 entry #29; Remake Rampage entry #1



Review: As one would hope, both iterations of The Dunwich Horror are loose adaptations of the short story of the same name by H.P. Lovecraft, preeminent author of weird horror and cosmic dread. Thankfully, both films have a very similar plot: Wilbur Whateley, scion of the Whateley family and heir to their cult worshiping the Old Ones (a group of alien entities so tremendous, so powerful that they're worshiped as gods), seeks the blasphemous book of spells, the Necronomicon, to complete the ritual to bring the Old Ones back to Earth. There are some minor to moderate departures from the original short story, namely Wilbur becoming more of a main antagonist (and replacing his otherworldly qualities with an almost magical charm) in the 1970 iteration; the 2009 version is more true to the source material and an homage to Lovecraft's other works (and also stars Jeffrey Combs, a fan favorite in the world of Lovecraft inspired films--oh, and apparently Dean Stockwell, who plays Dr. Armitage in this version, played Wilbur in the 1970 version). Problem is, the 2009 version is also a steaming pile of hot garbage. It's the sort of movie you'd expect to see on the SyFy channel at like 10 AM because everyone else is at work--it's got laughably bad special effects, the acting is...a mixed bag, and the only thing going for it is the grimy quality which is often overshadowed by the shoehorned love story. Update from my original review: apparently this iteration of The Dunwich Horror was a made-for-TV movie that originally aired on the SyFy channel; now that's a validating find, y'all. Comparatively, the 1970 film is considerably more stylish and charming, even if the scares are dated. For those familiar with the material, Wilbur's brother makes an appearance in both films and both do a good job capturing the bizarre, alien quality Lovecraft described him having...but the 2009 film's model is very clearly an immovable puppet, so it loses points, yet again. Watch the 1970 film, or buy a few drinks and invite some friends to have a laugh at the 2009 version.




Overall Score: 3.5 (1970) / 1.5 (2009) out of 5 Chads hiding from the elder Whateley boy. Did either version of The Dunwich Horror scare you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

IMDB: Here and Here

How to Watch: The Dunwich Horror (1970) is available on these platforms; but The Dunwich Horror (2009) is also available on these platforms.


Official Trailer






















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