Cthulhu

R

Released Aug 22, 2008

1h 49m

Horror

LGBTQ+

List

62%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

29%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

A Seattle history professor (Jason Cottle) encounters deadly cultists when he returns to his hometown to settle his late mother's estate.

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Mark Rahner

Seattle Times

Too much about the movie is just amateurish.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 12, 2008

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Mark Olsen

Los Angeles Times

Cthulhu isn't awful, but it isn't particularly compelling either, as Glidark and Cogswell make their message so plain that it robs the story of its broader mysteries.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 22, 2008

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Tim Cogshell

Boxoffice Magazine

As the creepy gives way to the criminal, and ultimately to the genuinely supernatural, Cthulhu maintains its grounding in the sort of real-world interests that holds one's attention without shocking demonstrations like dismemberment or decapitation.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 22, 2008

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Steve

Dread Central

High on ambition and originality and the closest we've come to a true H.P. Lovecraft film.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 27, 2009

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Maitland McDonagh

Miss FlickChick

Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth looms largest in this offbeat film's influences, and while it can't be called faithful ... it does have an authentically doom-haunted atmosphere.

Mar 3, 2009

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Brian Juergens

AfterElton.com

An assured, creepy effort that skillfully integrates gay themes and characters into a straight-up horror story.

Rated: 7/10

Oct 30, 2008

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Audience Member

A little know and little regarded movie from 2007, I came across Cthulhu on a list of, I think, underrated horror films. It's got very few recognisable actors in it, with the biggest name probably being Tori Spelling, and the acting ranges from sedate to unhinged. There's a few good performances in it, including the lead Jason Cottle, who does feel like he's trying his best with the material he's been given. At times it seems like it's trying to be a commentary on homophobia in small town America, but at others it's a straight up cult horror film, with a few supernatural elements woven into it. It's not especially scary or even dramatic, and the ending is supposed to be ambiguous, but feels more like the cliffhanger at the end of a TV series that the network dropped before a resolution could be written. Very little about it is memorable, and I can't see it gracing many watch later lists. See it if you're curious, but if you choose not to, I promise you won't be missing anything.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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richard p

Very interesting topic. captivating.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Cthulhu is an entertaining, creepy, original story that anyone can enjoy, but is an absolute must-see for any fans of H.P. Lovecraft and his work. I'll admit right off the bat that this is more of a 4/4.5-star movie for me, but the audience score is criminally low and it deserves the boost from a 5-star rating. That being said, Cthulhu is definitively the best H.P. Lovecraft film adaptation I've ever seen, and I've seen them all. The well-paced story is incredibly well acted despite a no-name cast, and the excellent writing not only forgoes horror cliches but turns them on their head. The utilization of a gay protagonist, Jason Cottle as Russ, in a small religious town adds a unique wrinkle to the horror and slow-burning discomfort that is a staple of Lovecraft's stories. Cottle's performance is outstanding as he nails the relatable feelings of returning home to face a crazy family and a small town life he left behind. Perhaps most impressive was the the simmering romance with his childhood friend, who struggles with his sexuality and attraction to Cottle. Contrary to many movies in the genre where sex and love subplots are shoehorned into the film to show nudity or give characters a flimsy backstory, Cthulhu's use of the romantic subplot is powerful, believable, and a vital element to the story without detracting from the Lovecraftian vibes. While the pace of the film is excellent, my only complaint is that its 100-minute run time feels too short, though perhaps this, too, is an homage to Lovecraft's brevity. I would have loved to see the religious cult, the character of Cottle's father, and the town itself get some more screen time and more fleshing out. If not for that, this would be a perfect 5-stars. Still, it deserves the 5-star rating as the current audience score of 28% is bafflingly low.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This feels like a bunch of students were given some cash to make a movie. Not media students. Not drama students. Probably dental students. It's as if a bunch of dentists made a movie....and argued a lot while they were making it.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Interesting idea but some parts were not well acted.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is more 90's coming out gay angst and far less Lovecraft. Not only is the acting campy at best, the few moments that could have been great horror are all over shadowed and drowned out by the actual narrative on the film. If you take out a handful of lines, and a few props this is a coming out story and nothing to do with Cthulhu. Greatly misleading, and poorly done.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

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Dan Gildark

Director

Jason Cottle

Russell Marsh

Scott Patrick Green

Mike

Cara Buono

Dannie

Tori Spelling

Susan

Robert Padilla

Ancestor

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Synopsis

A Seattle history professor (Jason Cottle) encounters deadly cultists when he returns to his hometown to settle his late mother's estate.

Director: Dan Gildark
Screenwriter: Grant Cogswell, Jason Cottle
Distributor: Regent Releasing
Production Co: Arkham Northwest Productions, Cascadia Film Collective
Rating: R (Violence|Language|Some Sexuality|Nudity)
Genre: Horror, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 22, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 4, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.2K
Runtime: 1h 49m