The Thing on the Doorstep

-
The Thing on the Doorstep
Starring David Bunce, Rob Dalton, Susan Cicarelli-Caputo, Mary Jane Hansen
Directed by Tom Gliserman


The Story:
Lifelong friends Daniel (David Bunce) and Edward (Rob Dalton) have had their ups and downs, but now Edward has seemingly fallen in love with the mysterious Asenath Waite (Mary Jane Hansen), who's supposed to be a necromancer and witch.  After a surprise wedding, Edward starts acting stranger, to the dismay of Daniel and his wife Marion (Susan Cicarelli-Caputo).  Edward seems convinced Asenath is controlling his mind and taking over his body, but Daniel is unsure if this is actually true, or Edward is loosing his mind.

The Synopsis:
There's a quote that goes something like this: people won't appreciate your true genius until after you're dead.  For author H.P. Lovecraft, that quote rings true, as now he's celebrated as a genius horror writer who introduced the world to the evil god Cthulhu, and there's even religions that follow this creation as an actual being.  "The Thing on the Doorstep" is a short story Lovecraft wrote and incorporated it in his anthology book "Weird Tales" in 1937, and it's not as celebrated as his other work, due to an overly dry story, in comparison to his other work.  This short story was adapted into a low-budget movie, and much like the short story, it's rather dry and devoid of actual scares.

After his best friend Edward quickly marries Asenath, a mysterious woman thought to be a necromancer, Daniel investigates the marriage after Edward seemingly changes.  He believes Asenath is taking over his body, and fears for his life.  Daniel investigates to find whether Edward is right, or if he's loosing his mind.

The writing of Lovecraft is somewhat difficult to put to screen, and "The Thing on the Doorstep" is no different.  The monologue from Daniel throughout is monotone and lackluster, especially since he's basically narrating what we're seeing on screen.  The performances are weak and unmemorable, and the cinematography is rather awful - the entire film has a sepia-style tone to it that makes it almost totally unappealing to watch.  The story meanders to repetitiveness, and even when we get to the ending, we're still left wondering what the heck was going on in the first place.  Maybe if the film had a bigger budget, or a better way to make it more modernized, it could've been decent.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and all we got was another disappointing outing from the superior mind of H.P. Lovecraft.

The Summary:
There's not a whole lot to say about "The Thing on the Doorstep," except that it's another mediocre film adaptation from the late, great H.P. Lovecraft - it doesn't offer anything of substance, and would've been easily forgotten if I could get the awful cinematography out of my mind.

The Score: D-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Major Theatrical Releases May 2019

-
Image
Major Theatrical Releases May 2019 After the hype that is "Avengers: Endgame," May offers a massive collection of differing types of movies, enough to entertain everyone. Here are the major theatrical releases for May 2019. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**  The Intruder May 3 Dennis Quaid goes from starring the family-friendly "A Dog's Journey" to playing a total psycho in "The Intruder."  When a young couple purchases a home from Quaid's character Charlie, they didn't realize it came with an addition - Charlie himself, who can't seem to let his old home go.  I don't expect any twists or turns in this tale, and this looks like a film better fit for Lifetime than the big screen.  Long Shot May 3 Charlize Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the current Secretary of State and who's running for President.  Seth Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a
Read more

Witch

-
Image
Witch Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget. In the small
Read more

Special Review: "Midwest Sessions"

-
Image
Special Review: "Midwest Sessions" Directed by Mario Ricciardi Independent filmmaking is a fascinating concept, wherein the director and everyone involved sets out to make something unique, different, and go against the traditional status quo of what's defined as a "blockbuster." These films aren't usually seen by the masses and won't be included in the top ten highest grossing movies of all time, but they offer something those films don't: a heart and commitment by the people involved to craft something wholly distinctive that tell a story in their own way. Such is "Midwest Sessions," a local film directed by Mario Ricciardi that centers on the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and the captivating people who live there. Told in different vignettes that seem distinct and different from one another but coming together as a whole in the end, it's an engrossing film that utilizes its shoestring budget and gives great performances, decent effects a
Read more