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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Look What I Got

The other day I received the following package in the mail:
And this was the invoice it contained:
I hope I can be forgiven for being more than a little delighted that I get mail that could almost double as props for use in a Call of Cthulhu adventure. Some might argue that the appearance of the package and invoice have no bearing whatsoever on the quality of the movie with which they're associated, but I'd argue otherwise. The fact that the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society puts so much fannish love into even their billing invoices tells you everything you need to know about why its movies, like The Whisperer in Darkness (about which I'll talk more soon), kick the butt of anything "Lovecraftian" Hollywood has ever produced. If we only had a group of Howard fans as dedicated, we might finally get a Conan movie worth a damn ...
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18 comments:

  1. Rob BarrettFebruary 29, 2012 at 1:16 PM

    That's a lovely touch with the stamp there.

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  2. Michael CurtisFebruary 29, 2012 at 1:30 PM

    I often find myself wishing there was a local chapter of the HPLHS in my neck of the woods. I'm enthralled by both the time period they recreate and the dedication to which they apply themselves.

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  3. ArchaeopteryxFebruary 29, 2012 at 1:35 PM

    Yeah, the HPLHS are definitely in it for the love. Not only are even the invoices cool looking (and printed on fairly sturdy paper too), they include all sorts of little extras with the movies and the radio dramas. Excerpts from the characters' notes, fake newspaper clippings, just a lot of cool stuff.

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  4. yell0w lanternFebruary 29, 2012 at 2:45 PM

    Not familiar with these people or their products. It couldn't possibly be better than the Dunwich Horror starring Dean Stockwell. ;)

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  5. Havard:February 29, 2012 at 2:59 PM

    Nice :)

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  6. The WaspFebruary 29, 2012 at 3:02 PM

    Very cool packaging and I can't wait to hear your review of the film.

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  7. PicadorFebruary 29, 2012 at 3:44 PM

    If we only had a group of Howard fans as dedicated, we might finally get a Conan movie worth a damn ...

    Sure, but who wants to get invoices delivered by bloodthirsty ape-things from before the age of Man?

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  8. BigharaFebruary 29, 2012 at 4:10 PM

    I have both DVDs (CoC & WitD) and a "radio broadcast" of The Dunwich Horror, and cannot recommend HPLHS highly enough. I haven't gone back and re-read "Whisperer" since watching the movie, so I don't know how faithful it was overall, but it was excellently done as far as pure fun goes.

    Picador said, "Sure, but who wants to get invoices delivered by bloodthirsty ape-things from before the age of Man?"

    Ooo! Oo! Me!

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  9. CthimothyFebruary 29, 2012 at 4:11 PM

    Definitely a great work. HPLHS really are completely cool. I've used their props in my Cthulhu games lots of times and the players always go potty for them.

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  10. PCBFebruary 29, 2012 at 4:56 PM

    If we only had a group of Howard fans as dedicated, we might finally get a Conan movie worth a damn ...

    I think you have a fundamental limitation. Lovecraft's fans tend to be dilettantes and aesthetes much from the same mould as his characters, so casting parts in a fan-generated film is a relatively simple matter. At the risk of over generalising, I suspect that the people who care enough about the original Howard stories to make a film probably aren't blessed with the musculature or cat-like grace of Conan, or even of the supporting characters.

    Perhaps an audio drama or an animation would be possible, but a live-action movie would risk turning into a LARP.

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  11. DonFebruary 29, 2012 at 5:23 PM

    Thats just fantastic! I'd be tempted to order the movie just to get that package in my mail. :)

    I actually re-reading Whisperer right now and hope to order the dvd soon. I also dearly want to get a copy of the poster for their Call Of Cthulhu movie. That thing is just awesome...

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  12. MelanFebruary 29, 2012 at 5:53 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  13. MelanFebruary 29, 2012 at 5:54 PM

    I will be interested to read your take on the movie. I have seen it and it is a really different kind of adaptation than The Call of Cthulhu. Liked it a lot, but I have a hunch it will be polarising.

    Also, my package was addressed to:
    (My mailing address)
    HUNGARY
    Germany

    Do the US people know something we don't know? .)

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    Replies
    1. AkrasiaMarch 1, 2012 at 12:38 AM

      "Also, my package was addressed to:
      (My mailing address)
      HUNGARY
      Germany      "

      I thought Hungary hadn't joined the Eurozone yet! ;)

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  14. Blayne FlemingFebruary 29, 2012 at 6:13 PM

    I have all four of the HPLHS' "Dark Adventure Radio" series (Shadow Out of Time, Dunwich Horror, Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Mountains of Madness) and I highly recommend them. They're all excellently produced and each is over 70 minutes long, so you get a lot for your money. The included props are fantastic (my favorite for props is Innsmouth: it includes a matchbook from the Gilman House and a map with scratch-n-sniff fish oil stains!)

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  15. AngantyrFebruary 29, 2012 at 9:29 PM

    I've said it before and I'll say it again...

    There already HAS been a Conan fan film project. It has filmed though I don't know if it is truly finished (i.e. post production). See here: [url]http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/guignol/robert-e-howards-the-frost-giants-daughter?ref=recently_launched[/url]

    Does anyone ever read the comments section to these posts? This is not the first time I've pointed this one out...

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  16. AkrasiaMarch 1, 2012 at 12:36 AM

    By coincidence, last week I received a package from the HPLHS, and similarly found charming their invoice (it now graces my fridge).

    I have yet to watch "The Whisperer in Darkness" or listen to the 4 radio plays I ordered (the latter came in a cardboard box modeled as a 1930s radio). I ordered these items simply because I was so impressed with their "The Call of Cthulhu" film.

    I look forward to reading your review!

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  17. mikoMarch 1, 2012 at 4:09 AM

    Charming, indeed...
    Do they have a shipping option "by shoggoth"?

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