The year is 1978 and we see a car speeding down a backwoods road. In flashback we see that the driver of the car has stolen two paintings wrapped in brown paper from the Pickman gallery (a nod to Lovecraft's story Pickman's model). But things did not go quite to plan as the thief is shot in the leg by a security guard in a shoot-out before killing the guard and fleeing. We then see via another flashback that he had met with a mysterious man the previous day who seems to have sent him on this job. The thief goes to the woods to meet his contact but stumbles upon an old house, enters and passes out. The owner of the house wakes him and tells him a strange story about the old book upon the table.
Gant Haverstick's 2003 short is a modern reworking of H.P. Lovecraft's short story "The Picture in the House" and a rather good one at that. Haverstick has chosen a story that is a popular choice for short film adaptations but rather than go for a 'straight' adaptation has used the basic plot elements within his own story.
There are many things to like about this short film. Haverstick makes good use of the Mounds State Park near Anderson, Indiana for the scenes in the woods - including some of the local wildlife. The film makers have actually included the picture of the cannibal 'Anzique' butcher's shop from Pigafetta's 'Regnum Congo' in this film. The image gives extra force to the scenes involving the homeowner telling his guest about his experiences. William McKenna and Gavin Haverstick give good performances as the two central characters and the music adds to the atmosphere. The mysterious man in yellow tinted spectacles that seems to send the thief to steal the paintings is an interesting touch - are the paintings BY Pickman? But there are also some things not to like about the film too. Firearms can be the absolute bane of low-budget film making and so it is here. I had to rewind the film after the shoot-out as I could not understand how the thief had been wounded when it did not appear that the guard had fired his gun. Of course he had fired it, but the sound effect was so underwhelming I had not heard it's report. Some of the sound effects in the house when the homeowner is telling of his experiences in the war were rather poor as well and some of McKenna's dialogue wasn't as clearly delivered as they could have been. I was also unsure about whether the audience needed to see the final scene - certainly anyone who is familiar with Lovecraft's story will know what the man in the house has been doing without needing that final scene.
I don't want to sound too negative, this is a good film overall and an interesting reworking of a popular story but there are a few minor faults with it too.
Gant Haverstick's 2003 short is a modern reworking of H.P. Lovecraft's short story "The Picture in the House" and a rather good one at that. Haverstick has chosen a story that is a popular choice for short film adaptations but rather than go for a 'straight' adaptation has used the basic plot elements within his own story.
There are many things to like about this short film. Haverstick makes good use of the Mounds State Park near Anderson, Indiana for the scenes in the woods - including some of the local wildlife. The film makers have actually included the picture of the cannibal 'Anzique' butcher's shop from Pigafetta's 'Regnum Congo' in this film. The image gives extra force to the scenes involving the homeowner telling his guest about his experiences. William McKenna and Gavin Haverstick give good performances as the two central characters and the music adds to the atmosphere. The mysterious man in yellow tinted spectacles that seems to send the thief to steal the paintings is an interesting touch - are the paintings BY Pickman? But there are also some things not to like about the film too. Firearms can be the absolute bane of low-budget film making and so it is here. I had to rewind the film after the shoot-out as I could not understand how the thief had been wounded when it did not appear that the guard had fired his gun. Of course he had fired it, but the sound effect was so underwhelming I had not heard it's report. Some of the sound effects in the house when the homeowner is telling of his experiences in the war were rather poor as well and some of McKenna's dialogue wasn't as clearly delivered as they could have been. I was also unsure about whether the audience needed to see the final scene - certainly anyone who is familiar with Lovecraft's story will know what the man in the house has been doing without needing that final scene.
I don't want to sound too negative, this is a good film overall and an interesting reworking of a popular story but there are a few minor faults with it too.
