Tag Archives: H.P. Lovecraft

Cthulhu, Dead May Die Crowdfunding Operation Exceeds Expectations!

15 Jul

ed52bf2143626f7fe5f672b0d47f3550_originalBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Is it madness to want to own nearly every single Call of Cthulhu related gaming product that’s out there? I have six games in my slowly growing collection and this occult hobby makes for a terrific display for those miniatures based products. The first prints of H.P. Lovecraft‘s material can be a gold-mine when it comes to being collectable and valuable, and oddly enough, so can some of the role playing material. The board games are expensive in itself and that has not stopped me from helping crowdfund Cthulhu, Dead May Die.

This board game is probably the most anticipated game for all Lovecraft fans to dive into and it has busted records for exceeding the goal within hours of going live. While it is too late to get the all-inclusive package (limits have been placed on production), the rest of community can still purchase the core product itself and order one or more of the bonus miniatures which make up the stretch goals.

Continue reading →

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Revisiting “Dreams in the Witch-House: A Lovecraftian Rock Opera” & 2018 Updates

21 Jan

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Fans of the rock musical genre will be lured to sleep, perchance to dream of forgotten places where the sounds from the gods of heavy metal reign in a brilliantly conceived album, Dreams in the Witch-House: a Lovecraftian Rock Opera. When I want my spirits lifted away, I listen to this album originally released in 2014.

I wrote this review for Nerd Titan a couple of years back; because this media hub is down, I’m offering updates in what has happened since here and offer some thoughts in why this album is timeless. It has a huge potential to become a new live musical, the direction I hope it might take. Continue reading →

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The Call of Charlie is a Fun, H.P. Lovecraft Inspired Short

28 Jan

mv5bn2rkzdc2ztetotq0ys00ndk3lwfhndqtmzy4zdy3zjg1zwyyxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymti1njcwotk-_v1_uy268_cr90182268_al_By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Disclaimer: a preview was provided by the director.

You never know where to find cultists from the Esoteric Order of Dagon (ala H.P. Lovecraft). The Call of Charlie is a wonderfully whimsical short film written by Nick Spooner (who also directs), Guy Benoit and John Simpson who brings the scares in a different kind of way. Why fight it when you can embrace it? This short film is making its rounds at select horror film festivals and comic conventions around the world. A schedule can be found on this film’s Facebook page.

Although never explicitly said, I’m guessing Mark (Harry Sinclair) and Diane (Brooke Smith) are from that cult. They seem like everyday folks who invited a friend, Charlie (Sven Holmberg), from work to dinner — or so they say. They are setting him up on a blind date. But when old friends Jay (Evan Arnold) and Virginia (Roberta Valderrama), unexpectedly show up, the night is going to hell in a hand basket in a downright hilarious way!

The scares are jovial in nature and the gore is handled with simple off-camera shots to convey a sense of you must not look lest you lose your mind. Jay is the only character who shows signs of wavering sanity as the evening can only go one way. Arnold conveys a charm to show he’s the only character who realizes what’s going on. The hosts handle the “threat” well, and they act like this occurrence is not above the norm. When you’re a cultist honoring an Elder God at home, common courtesy is a must!

5 Shoggoths out of 5

Trailer

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Changes are in Store for Howard Lovecraft & The Undersea Kingdom

21 Jan
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Comic book cover

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Revisions are in store in Arcana Studios next film, Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom. The original comic book story had two companions helping the boy travel to this new world to rescue his family. With only his mother and aunts, life may seem easy. But after the events from Frozen Kingdom, he better look out! His father broke out of his asylum prison so both he and Constable Smith (who finds the boy without a home) can help. The gun-touting action and violence in this edition works, but in a product targeting a general audience to enjoy, it has to be changed.

“The guns and grenades being used in Undersea Kingdom were an immediate offside from numerous distributors,” revealed Sean O’Reilly, co-founder of Arcana Studios. “Losing that character [of Smith], and replacing him with a character that H.P. Lovecraft created in Dr. Henry Armitage, put us in a direction towards Miskatonic University. This then leads to building out the world that the author created.”

Both this studio and Shout! Factory announced the voice cast a few days ago, indicating that progress is on track for a Q4 direct-to-video release. Mark Hamill will be playing the role of the prestigious doctor. Best known as The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, this talent can do more than swing a light saber in Star Wars. Also set to play a bigger role is Jeffrey Combs as King Abdul, the primary antagonist for this second film. When he kidnaps his mother and aunts, the young lad has to get Spot to help him travel to the Undersea Kingdom to rescue them. But he can not do it alone, and to see what O’Reilly has to alter in series creator, Bruce Brown’s work, will have followers curious.

Using the original graphic novel as reference, the monsters we will get to see include Shoggoths and Deep Ones. With luck, maybe a Mi-Go or two will help out.

Returning talents include Christopher Plummer and Doug Bradley as Dr. Herbert West and Nyarlathotep.

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