Audience Member
It aired on tv over 30 years ago but was largely forgotten Starring Fred Ward, David Warner, Julianne Moore, Clancy Brown I'm amazed they mix 1940s mystery-noir with supernatural creatures You don't see genres like that together very often I like that it gives it some variety having gremlins, witches, vampires, werewolves blend with gangster style filmmaking It got glowing reviews in the press and even won an Emmy for its musical numbers Yet it does seem silly to modern viewers not to mention being a tad insensitive of being homophobic and transphobic when it came out But the world building is fascinating, lots of bloody violence, I like the 1940ss setting, and the cool creature effects I liked watching it still
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
09/08/23
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Audience Member
Carried by Fred Ward but ably supported by Julianne Moore and Clancy Brown, this is a daft but atmospheric and enjoyable 40's noir fantasy where magic is an everyday thing. The ending is entirely predictable but overall it's more than deserving of cult status.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
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Audience Member
intresting - it's not a great film by any means, but it's kind of fun. I'm not sure if it was funny on purpose or on accident, but the creatures are quite funny. it's to a bad watch if you don't have anything better to do.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
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Audience Member
"After World War I, the only thing we brought back from France was the clap. This war, they go off to the Pacific and bring back these damn gremlins!" Fred Ward ("Tremors", "Naked Gun 33⅓", "Remo Williams"), David Warren ("Waxwork", "Time Bandits", "Necronomicon", "My Best Friend Is a Vampire", "The Omen"), Charles Hallahan ("The Thing", "Warlock 2"), Clancy Brown ("Starship Troopers", "Highlander"), Raymond O'Connor ("Drowning Mona", night doorman from "Seinfeld" ep.), and Julianne Moore ("Hannibal", "The Big Lebowski") star in this Lovecraftian film noir which is set in alternate-reality 1948 Los Angeles where magic is real and common-place. Joe Dirt's dad plays HP Lovecraft, re-imagined as a gritty P.I. who refuses to use any magic, which is unusual and many question or insult this choice of his. He is hired by a wealthy man who is attempting to track down a recently-stolen spellbook. Through his investigation, the private eye learns of the power of the missing grimoire, the infamous Necronomicon. The strange blending of genres including comedy, horror, mystery, and fantasy works for the most part and the visuals fit the story well as it was made in during that short window of time when both cgi and traditional matte paintings were used. There was a sort-of sequel with much of the same cast, though Dennis Hopper now plays the Lovecraft character.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/02/23
Full Review
robert p
I laughed my head off at this 1940's film noir where magic hold sway over
science. The creatures were very good, I recognized the Bad Gremlin from the
movie Gremlins, I laughed at him especially. The context of this movie is all tongue-in-cheek with the central Character who does not have any magic is H. P. Lovecraft and his horrors from the great beyond!!! p.s. Though the ending was week the rest of the movie made up for it.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
jon c
One person can cast a deadly spell on us whether it's love, mystery, murder, or magic
Fred Ward, David Warner, Clancy Brown, Julianne Moore, Charles Hallahan
It's Los Angeles 1948; the era of old Hollywood, gangster films, jazz clubs, The Depression turning into prosperity, and when disillusionment becomes optimism
The twist here is that it's an alternate dimension is where monsters, witchcraft, and all kinds of supernatural things exist!
Detective Harry Phillip Lovecraft is hired by Amos Hacksaw who share a distaste for magic to track down a book filled with ancient power
It's a bit unorthodox since one of the city's leading gangsters he used to be partners with uses magic for luxury
But Amos wants the text for his own benefit to conquer the world much to Harry's dismay
I find it fascinating that this period mystery-noir pic is mixed with fantasy elements from unicorns to gargoyles to vampires to zombies
You rarely see that in this kind of genre
This time period is filled with creatures like gremlins and werewolves and also raining blood yet still relies on human players to keep it grounded having a gumshoe detective story
The Cthulhu Mythos being of horror-fiction is used as a template for this story since it was created in the 1920s in pulp novels and magazines
Being that magic is ubiquitous and a part of daily life Harry's the only one left behind
Thankfully the movie doesn't rely too heavily on the magic/monster aspect, they still manage to weave an intriguing mystery
Sure modern viewers will find it silly and a tad insensitive of being homophobic and transphobic not to mention it ignores the racial prejudices of its era
But there's good makeup/creature effects, terrific bloody violence, love the 1940s period setting, Fred Ward is awesome and so is Julianne Moore
I got a lot to like with this one even if it faded from obscurity over time
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
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