Search - The Dunwich Horror on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1970 DVD Release: 08/28/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 28 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Horror, Thriller, Supernatural Horror

With a style and tone that wreaks of the late '60s, this cheap-looking adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft story plays like an obvious reference to the battle between the establishment and the counterculture. The film stars Dean Stockwell as Wilbur Whateley, a brooding young man who makes a connection with a pretty librarian named Nancy (a very out-of-place Sandra Dee). Whateley wants to get his hands on the -Necronomicon, a diabolical book that he believes will help him to open a doorway to a dimension inhabited by unspeakable creatures known as the "Old Ones." Hypnotized by Whateley's spell, Nancy accompanies the man back to his cursed home where he lives with his nutty grandfather (Sam Jaffe) and an unseen "thing" that is kept in an upstairs room. Meanwhile, the -Necronomicon's owner, Dr. Armitage (Ed Begley), does some detective work on Whateley when he begins to fear for Nancy's safety. He quickly realizes that Whateley means to sacrifice Nancy in order to accomplish his diabolical plan. Whateley manages to steal the -Necronomicon and begins the ritual to resurrect the Old Ones. As Armitage races to stop him, the thing from the upstairs room breaks out and beats a murderous path towards Whateley as well, leading to a final confrontation that leaves a lot to be desired. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide

Sandra Dee - Nancy Walker
Dean Stockwell - Wilbur Whateley
Ed Begley, Sr. - Dr. Henry Armitage
Sam Jaffe - Old Whateley
Donna Baccala - Elizabeth Hamilton

Filmmakers have never been able to translate the cosmic horror-fantasy stories of H.P. Lovecraft to the screen effectively. Films such as Roger Corman's The Haunted Palace, Daniel Haller's Die, Monster, Die!, Jesús Franco's Succubus, Vernon Sewell's The Curse of the Crimson Altar, William Girdler's Asylum of Satan, Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series, and John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness have all attempted to draw out the sublime dark of Lovecraft and put it on the screen. There was even the HBO cable movie Cast a Deadly Spell starring Fred Ward as a hard-boiled private dick named H. Phillip Lovecraft. And let's not forget Stuart Gordon's whacked-out gore fest Re-Animator and the even more over-the-top From Beyond. And then there are the short films. Ultimately, though, no one has ever done the man from Providence justice. Some have come close. And some, as with The Dunwich Horror, are so far removed from the source material that there is virtually no reason for fans of the author to get upset. Hell, even Lovecraft himself would probably find the whole thing rather amusing. MGM Home Entertainment's disc is another installment in their excellent Midnight Movies series. The film is offered in its original 1.85:1 (enhanced) aspect ratio and is available with both English and French mono soundtracks. The picture and sound are fabulous, giving the film an overall sheen that it has previously lacked. But most importantly, in keeping with MGM's policy of finding the most complete version of a film available for disc, The Dunwich Horror is now offered up with an "R" rating, restoring four minutes of nudity and some violence (the film was originally released with an "M" rating). Previous video versions of the film were always cut, so this disc makes for a great addition to the collector. The original theatrical trailer is also included. ~ Derek Hill, All Movie Guide