Dagon

[Saruman]

Did anyone like this direct to video title? I loved the atmosphere but not the story so much. I guess H.P. Lovecraft is hard to convert into cinema.

[Klownzilla]

I actually saw it for the first time last Sunday (Shame on me for seeing it so late)! I loved it. The characters and setting were great and the cinematography was beautiful. One of my only nitpicks was the design of the "sea-people" who inhabited Imboca. I was hoping they'd have more fish-like features found in the Deep Ones, but they were more octopus-based sporting tentacles like minions of Cthulhu. Overall, an impressive film; one of Stuart Gordon's best.

My rating: 3.5/4

[pyscho dude]

I found this film to be decent. It had some nice atmosphere, some good acting, nice gore, and some good t&a but I felt it kinda lagged and the sea creatures were dissapointing and I wasn't too fond of the ending.

[starcat]

i tried to watch this movie with much enthusiasm...but i just didnt get it

[Hans, wihout Franz]

While it was not Re-animator, or even From Beyond, Dagon shows us that no one can do H.P. better than Stuart Gordon
3/4

[Jas]

It's alright, has it's moments.
Very creepy atmosphere

[neco82]

It had nice atmosphere and good suspense for its first half, then started getting dumb... the acting was so-so... but the gore was nice, that guy that gets skinned alive has to be one of the most disgusting scenes I have ever seen.

[spacemonkey]

http://movies.fantasticfactory.com/dagon/Dagon/images/4.jpg

Title: Dagon (2001)

Director: Stuart Gordon

Stars:Ezra Goden, Francisco Rabal, Raquel Merono, Macarena Gomez

Review:

Heres yet another great film from horror director Stuart Gordon, the man responsible for such horror classics as Re-animator, From Beyond and Castle Freak. Gordons known for making some of the goriest moments on film (just ask that prostitute on Castle Freak) and allways drenching his films with buckets of blood. Well Dagon is no departure from that formula but offers up something a little different this time around..a little more atmospheric.

Actually in my opinion Dagon is one of Stuart Gordons finest films to date. It seems like one of his most polished and slick films, and Im sure that had a lot to do with the fact that he had been wanting to make this films for more then ten years now. So all that build up and pre-production finally shows up on the film.

The movie is based on a few of Hp Lovecrafts short stories. Among them are Dagon and Shadow over Innsmouth and the Lovecraftian influences are all over this film, from deep underwater creatures and cilizations to scally watery fish people in a spooky town in the middle of Spain. Having read those stories I can honestly say that this is on of the best HP Lovecraft adaptations outhere. All thanks to Gordon and Paoli who have been fans of HP Lovecrafts work since their Re-animator days.

The story revolves around two couples who are having their vacations somewhere around the coast of spain somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. A storm catches up with them and their boat crashes on some rocks. They are then forced to hide out in the town of Inboca (spanish for Innsmouth) where the towns people have strange customs, traditions, and religions. Little do they know they are willingly going into a town of cult worshippers for a deity known as Dagon.

The film is excellent in the atmosphere department, and this is with out a doubt one of the films strongest points. It is raining 80% of the film. I can only feel sorry for the actors who had to endure this excrutiating shoot. But it was worth it because the humidity, the uncomfortable weather, the decay, the dirtyness all shows on screen. I loved how nothing int he film worked. Not the lights, or the bathrooms, even the bed was dirty. This film had some decent art direction and it shows, specially in those scenes int he hotel and later the scenes that take place in that old abandoned house in wich Paul goes to hide in. Great stuff.

The film has some flaws, yeah, like for example some of the characters have very very thick spanish accents, and it aint easy making out what they are saying (even if you know spanish!) so that does take some people out of the movie specially in scenes like Ezequiel flashbacks. But it kinda also helps the film in a way, because it helps the audience feel alienated, like they really are in some strange, far away place that no one knows about.

Also some of the fx are not the greatest, specifically the CGI. Wich explains why Gordon decided to play the CGI down and go with a more subtle approach as far as showing the creature goes. Now if Gordon could get himself a decent budget Im sure he could do a really good looking flick. But as it is, he is so used to dealing with low budget that he really knows just how to use it in the best way possible.

The story is great, how could you go wrong using some of HP Lovecrafts short stories, wich are so rich with ancient civilizations and creatures (well actually in the wrong hands the use of those stories can go wrong...but thats another thread all together) the acting is great to. Ezra Godden does a great job of playing the reluctant heroe. Hes not really a heroe, he keeps making all the wrong choices, and doesnt want to face the enemy, right up to the last moment. He might remind some of a younger Jeffrey Combs and thats because Stuart Gordon was going exactly for that, when he wrote the movie he had writen it with Combs in mind, but such a long time had passed that they had to go with a younger actor. Enter Ezra Godden.

The films greeat in the gore department! It takes a little longer to get to the gore then your usual Gordon film...but when it gets there trust me...its there. Youll cringe.

And for those of you guys who dig the nudity, Raquel Merono shows us just how beautiful a woman can be. Sorry gals, but no nudity for you.

All in all, one of Gordons best efforts. Now all Im waiting for is to see hes next film King of the Ants wich promises to be another gore fest! In the meanwhile, Ill stick my copy of Dagon on my DVD and enjoy one of Gordons best films to date.

Rating: 4/5

[Klownzilla]

I heard something about this film originally being a spin-off(!) to Re-Animator with Herbert West in the lead. However, such an idea would probably have Lovecraft fans pissed so I can see why it wasn't followed through with. Still it would've been cool to see Jeff Combs fighting against the Deep Ones.