H.P Lovecraft spins out very dark, morbid and harrowing tales in this three story Gothic anthology, that has the horror master Lovecraft (no other acted by Jeffery Combs) coming across the book of the dead; 'Necronomicon' in the formidable wraparound story 'The Library' . The quest for forbidden knowledge will always come at a price, and the imagery suggests that.
Brian Yuzna was another name tagged to the project directing, writing the wraparound yarn and the third story; the relentlessly gusty 'Whispers'.
Plus making sure that the ghoulish make-up FX was unforgettable, Screaming Mad George, Tom Savini, David Sharp and Todd Masters lend their class to the imaginatively gob-smacking visual effects. Their efforts really go a long way to outdoing the cluttered stories and the art direction is simply sensational and masterfully shot, namely in the first story; the tragically brooding 'The Drowned'.
The pick of the lot would be the second tale; the icy, but skin-crawling 'The Cold' which starred David Warner as a lonely scientist, dabbling in the quest for immortality involving human spinal fluid that's fresh! It's quite well defined piece with an effective twist to cap it off. However my favourite is the gritty, pulsating 'Whispers', due to its gruesome mentality and edgy atmosphere with some kooky performances by Judith Drake and Don Calfa. It's a hard on to pick up on to which way the daftly twisty story would end. Two cops find themselves in a car accident after chasing the brutal killer known as 'the butcher', one is dragged off into underground tunnels with the other trailing behind. It's a hell of a ride!
The weakest is by far 'The Drowned'. However it isn't that bad far from it. The direction is stylishly done and when it goes for shocks (far in between) it does it well. It's a slow-going, tightly knitted atmospheric story delving into personally haunting torment and trying to make amends for hanging guilt. The make-up looks great, with a spectacular climax. Bruce Payne is richly engaging. Richard Lynch gives a booming performance and Maria Ford is gracefully creepy.
A fine, flowing collection of episodes linked together to equal an enterprisingly grisly and moody anthology. Better than I expected, but I found myself wanting more from it.
Brian Yuzna was another name tagged to the project directing, writing the wraparound yarn and the third story; the relentlessly gusty 'Whispers'.
Plus making sure that the ghoulish make-up FX was unforgettable, Screaming Mad George, Tom Savini, David Sharp and Todd Masters lend their class to the imaginatively gob-smacking visual effects. Their efforts really go a long way to outdoing the cluttered stories and the art direction is simply sensational and masterfully shot, namely in the first story; the tragically brooding 'The Drowned'.
The pick of the lot would be the second tale; the icy, but skin-crawling 'The Cold' which starred David Warner as a lonely scientist, dabbling in the quest for immortality involving human spinal fluid that's fresh! It's quite well defined piece with an effective twist to cap it off. However my favourite is the gritty, pulsating 'Whispers', due to its gruesome mentality and edgy atmosphere with some kooky performances by Judith Drake and Don Calfa. It's a hard on to pick up on to which way the daftly twisty story would end. Two cops find themselves in a car accident after chasing the brutal killer known as 'the butcher', one is dragged off into underground tunnels with the other trailing behind. It's a hell of a ride!
The weakest is by far 'The Drowned'. However it isn't that bad far from it. The direction is stylishly done and when it goes for shocks (far in between) it does it well. It's a slow-going, tightly knitted atmospheric story delving into personally haunting torment and trying to make amends for hanging guilt. The make-up looks great, with a spectacular climax. Bruce Payne is richly engaging. Richard Lynch gives a booming performance and Maria Ford is gracefully creepy.
A fine, flowing collection of episodes linked together to equal an enterprisingly grisly and moody anthology. Better than I expected, but I found myself wanting more from it.