Horror Flick of the Week: Dagon (2001)

This week, I'd like to talk about one of my personal favorites, Dagon. This is one of those movies you either really love (like myself) or really hate. It has slow and developed pacing, which is something you don't really see in a lot of horror films anymore, and I think that's the trouble some people had with this film. Well, that and the fact that it's called 'Dagon', but it's really more of an adaptation of Lovecraft's other story, 'Shadow Over Innsmouth'. A very loose adaptation. Face it, there's absolutely no way to film a Lovecraft story and keep it spot on every step of the way, the man's visions are just...well, sometimes they're impossible even to envision (that's not a bad thing, though.)

BUT, that aside, the film maintains the feel of a Lovecraftian tale. It maintains a creepy environment, and definitely manages to drum up a healthy dose of ichthyophobia. It's also a 'one dark and stormy night' kind of story, which I can definitely appreciate. When a film manages to make a majority of the timeline feel like real time, it's much easier to get sucked into the story.

For anyone who's in the mood for something that builds suspense, I'd recommend this. I'd also recommend it for anyone who needs another reminder why we should fear the old ones. After all, as they say...Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!