*QUESTION: What is the BEST Lovecraftian Horror Movie?* Let me know in the comments! Go to www.buyraycon.com/ryan to get 15% off your order! Brought to you by Raycon.
My favourite has to be In The Mouth Of Madness. In my opinion, it fulfills all the requirements that make something a Lovecraftian movie. Also it's just a crazy fun to watch.
the first ALIEN movie or John Carpenter's The THING. Both do a wonderful job making the cosmos seem way vaster and more horrifying than any human mind could ever comprehend, or pray not to.
One of the rare Lovecraftian inspired films that isn't complete dog vomit. I love The Void as it leaves much to the imagination and captures the vibe of human beings feeling completely insignificant, just what I want from the cosmic horror genre.
Exactly. Lovecraft/ cosmic horror isn't meant to make sense. It's a feeling. Puts us in the character's shoes. The entire niche of the genre is "what's that bump in the night?", the unknown, & the inevitable.
@@TechnicJunglist So much yes. I'm so sick of anything getting described as Lovecraftian or cosmic horror that just shows some bad tentacle monster within the first few minutes. I just don't know how you can read any of his work or anything else from the mythos cycle and not come away with the understanding that it is the mood, the dread, the fear of not knowing, the way you fell trapped in a dream and can't wake up, the worry of what it might be tormenting you and then the tease that it is really so much worse than you could have imagined.
This is one of my favorite cosmic horror movies and I think I was able to enjoy it because I just let myself be lost and confused just like the characters were. I really felt like I was there experiencing these events with them and I think the fact that a lot of this was not explained or fleshed out too much really helped with that.
Yes! That really sums it up! Like most people, I'm constantly trying to figure things out, apply logic, subconsciously looking for, like writing issues or continuity errors. But with this movie, you just enjoy what you see. Don't think about it, just go with the flow, and don't try to explain it
@@dylanmonstrum1538 Exactly, Just imagine this happened wherever you were, you wouldnt be able to find a definitive answer as to what is going on immediately you would just know what you kinda stumbled into and just go from situation to situation trying to get out of there. I know for some people that is not an appealing way to watch a movie but with this movie it just really worked for me. Glad to know someone sees it the same way lol.
I couldn't have put it better, it's the last film that really impressed me but then again I eat up anything cosmic horror. This year it was the sadness that impressed me it's like the comic crossed but in movie format.
One important thing you left out in your review, is that the total budget for this movie is 82 thousand dollars. Which I think turned out an amazing movie for the cost.
You are mistaken, the true budget was never released. The creature effects for the monsters were crowdfunded on indiegogo, which amounted to the 82 grand. Since the full budget was never released, Wikipedia and movie websites usually just list it as >$82,000
@@HorrorLover yeah I don't believe 82000 is the only cost the effects are some of the best practical effects ive seen in the entirety of the 2000s, the acting was solid. I really am surprised by hearing the budget and people make excuses for these big budget blockbusters and we get movies like this.
This is by far one of my FAVORITE movies from the past few years. It doesn't treat it's audience like idiots by explaining EVERY LITTLE ASPECT, but it leaves enough bread crumbs that you can piece together most of the story you aren't spoon fed. And the practical work done on the film is BEYOND amazing. It seems to get compared alot to Hellraiser, but it's got a very Lovecraftian vibe. I'm just sad to know they aren't going to continue the story at all.
tbh the comparisons to Hellraiser arent totally off the mark. Clive Barker is famously a Lovecraft Hater but from such passion comes inspiration, and I would gladly call Barker one of the descendants and inheritors of Lovecraft's particular brand of cosmic horror. Barker's is a very internal and personal incarnation. all about feelings like guilt and the limit experiences involved in torture, as well as concepts of infinity and our limited capacity to understand that. Barker is what Lovecraft would have been had he had a bloody, still-beating heart. Barker is bloody, raw, and tactile, where Lovecraft is detached, cold, and intellectual. Theyre great together, and i think this movie draws a lot of very good inspiration from both.
@@HadalStreetlights No they aren't, and that's not what I meant to convey. But I don't think they're the best comparisons out there. Just low budget, but very well made Lovecraftian horror is probably the most accurate thing I can say about it. It absolutely looks WELL beyond it's meager budget.
This was filmed in a disused high school in my hometown that has since been demolished... I always thought that was kind of strange because we have a disused hospital also, but maybe they couldn't get permission to film there.
I love The Void! It's the perfect throwback horror film, Prince Of Darkness mixed with The Beyond and a little bit of The Boneyard. All of which are movies you should look into!
This is the film that made me fall in love with not only cosmic horror and ‘80s horror but the horror genre as a whole. I watched it for the first time at a way younger age than I should of and there are few other films that left such an impact on me and my interests. It is nowhere near my favorite horror film but I don’t think a day will come that I’ll ever stop loving it.
This is one of my favorite movies ever. All of the points you make in the video are precisely why I love it; the fact none of the characters are truly lead characters, the fact that everything seems to already be in the endgame, the ambiguity of the horror combined with the grounded horror of the human cast, the magnificent and inventive practical effects and the utter lack of trust and overwhelming alienation. All of these points are the reason that I love this strange, dark, very Canadian piece of horror cinema. If there are more movies with this kind of "5 minutes to the end of the world" vibe
I actually love that kind of endings, just a tiny glimpse into something so much greater than the intimate setting of the movie, and something that's intentionally left beyond the viewer's understanding.
The part where they're in the catacombs and watch a zombie bash its head against a pipe, the dad looks at it and says "We're in hell." in a completely deadpan way always makes me laugh.
A film like this almost makes me think of Hellraiser with the cosmic body horror and nihilism, which is a plus for me because that's my favourite 80s horror film.
considering Barker is basically the visceral meaty "black sheep" of Lovecraft's intellectual line, i think such a comparison is delightfully appropriate. Barker may hate his intellectual ancestor, and for good reason, but his passion has generated a style of cosmic horror Lovecraft probably would have ultimately been proud of. A deeply personal and introspective/emotional approach to Howard's more lofty intellectual takes.
I fucking love this movie! Thank you so much for spotlighting it! I embrace its flaws, but also love that the more you watch it, the more you pick up clues and hints at who knows who and who is who. It's set in a small nowhere town, and being from a small nowhere town myself, I fell in love with the familiar vibe of "We all sort of know each other in passing, and now we're here." I find all the characters to be likeable in their own way, specifically the cop and his wife, as well as the grandfather who brought his daughter to the hospital. That may just be because I feel like I've met every one of them before due to that small-town upbringing. I also love that the son of the hunter doesn't/can't talk, which you don't see every day, and low-key wish we could get a sequel with him and the intern, maybe trying to lie low and live their lives as far away from the cult as possible and being targeted due to what they experienced, and maybe seeing some other familiar faces along the way. It could even involve the use of ASL so the hunter's son can get some lines and tell us more about what happened with him and his family. How cool would that be? I'm on a personal mission to get as many of my friends to watch it with me as possible, lol, don't mind me.
This is one of my favourite hidden Canadian horror gems of recent years along with a film called Black Mountain Side (check that one out as well if you haven't already). When you consider the trouble they had just getting this film completed I'm shocked at how much it works, though I do agree the ending would have worked if it was implied rather then shown... yet, I want a sequel just to see more creatures
I've always maintained that one of my favorite character types for horror is "The Witness". They aren't there to be the hero or the villain, they aren't there to grow as a person or make any grand realization. They are just tourists at the end of the world, gaining no new knowledge as to what is happening or why. Much like Lovecraftian Horror is intended to, it lets my own mind run away with what is really going on.
This was the first "Lovecraftian"/Cosmic Horror movie I ever saw, just a few years ago too. It got me into the genre, and eventually into Lovecrafts work itself.
I discovered "The Void" simply by accident, I just saw movies cover poster and I was instantly drawn to it, it's retro look really made me want to see it, after reading couple of reviews about it, things like "80s style practical body horror in similiar style like John Carpenter's The Thing" caught my attention. And after I watched the whole movie, I was really suprised how WEIRD and AWESOME movie was, yes, I didn't understand anything, but that's what made like the movie. It's mystery, and whole lovecraftian horror elements made movie enjoyable to watch. Also, cool special effects.
Just goes to show the power of good movie posters. I stumbled across this movie at my local movie store and was immediately drawn in by the picture as well. So glad I checked this movie out.
looking back i remember having a really fun time watching it but i cant remember a single thing about what actually happened gave some heavy halloween 2 vibes but traded out its simplicity for alien inhuman horror kinda reminds me of mandy being a lot but thinking about it after you realize there wasnt much to it but the joy of watching it
What I liked about The Void was that the ephemeral quest for immortality and resurrection was a farce from the get go. It is the justification used by the doctor for his many abuses in his quest to commune with powers greater than himself. At the end, when his "Daughter" is "reborn" that is revealed. The thing that arrives is not his daughter, nor even attempting to mimic his daughter and at this point, the doctor doesn't care anymore. The creature that comes through the woman is something much more of the ilk of the Whateley Horror from "The Dunwich Horror", than any re-birth of the long dead. His search for the key to resurrection was merely the catalyst for his engagement with powers which didn't care much for his motives, and he becomes corrupted and transformed by them. Altogether, it was a welcome addition to Lovecraftian film, and I was far more impressed by its sense of dread and atmosphere than I was in many other attempts.
I saw this film for the first time in a packed theater full of fellow horror fans during a special showing. It was like being on a rollercoaster. We were all gasping, screaming, and laughing together. That atmosphere made it a wild ride that I’ll never forget.
I always liked the view that Lovecraft can show that sometimes knowing something can be too much for you. It's neat when a small inkling of suspicion grows into an obsession that can sometimes literally consume them. It's like learning a dark secret about something you cherished. The chaos that tears you apart from the inside because you asked too many questions.
This movie came out when I was working as a graveyard shift security guard in an old rural hospital that was a secondary campus to a larger modern one a few towns over. I was definitely on high alert for months after I watched it. I experienced some pretty freaky phenomenon during my time there.. I felt a connection to this movie ever since.
Now that Ryan has seen The Void, he'll need to see the dorectoral followup, Psycho Goreman. Because Psycho Goreman was not only an excellent horror comedy, it was one of the best movies of last year.
This is one of those 'Eh Canada' NFB movies where f'n everyone in the cast and production is Canadian. Where if you're American like me you might not even realize it unless you're the kind of person who spends a lot of time on IMDB. And it's one of the best bang-for-buck horror movies I've seen produced out of that national system.
I think the reason a lot of people hate this movie is because it doesn’t care about typical plot structure stuff that we’ve been conditioned to need in order to think a movie is good
I love that Ryan just kinda jumps all in and experiences something to give us solid content. His ability to slide between entirely different things is fun and reminds me of how me and my GF switch between topics. If he ends up doing the stop motion age with Jason and The Argonauts and Sinbad. Our things will have weirdly crossed over 😂🤷 But god it was just last year we were watching everything Lovecraftian we could get our hands on 🙏
There is a scene in this movie that will haunt me for a while. The Doctor is explaining his various experiments and surgeries to Alison whom is on his operating table. All of these experiments are an attempt to find immortality, but some of these were failed experiments that he has locked up in the basement somewhere. He says to Alison, "I won't let them die". And then it cuts to the gang exploring the basement, finding a creature that is trying to bash its head in on an open pipe. Although it quickly becomes clear that the creature has been successfully bashing its head in for years and just won't die but instead is walking around with a giant hole in its face.
IM SO GLAD YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE VOID! It's one of my favorite horror movies and I was very pleasantly surprised to stumble across it on Netflix. I think it plays out kind of like a survival horror game and it really works for me
Yesss I was waiting for you to cover this one. Absolutely one of my favorite movies and a in my opinion a great double feature with Mandy. Just almost four hours of artistic shots, funky colours, great gore and wild confusion.
As a big fan of Lovecraftian stories, I took a punt on this film a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised. This is a lovely stew of the elements that show up in my favorite cosmic horror, so it was nice to sit back and enjoy the madness - the film makers are clearly in love with the same material that makes me smile. It's pretty flawed, but very very charming: I lost count of the number of times I said "yay!" at something happening on screen. It deffo deserves some love, so good on you for flagging it with a review.
As someone who discovered the movie out of the blue and went in without much expectation it was quite refreshing experience compared to what was around, but yeah too bad that they tried to explain everything. Still enjoyed it a lot.
I felt like you summed up the ‘story’ of this movie well. The aesthetic choices, sound design and practical effects were the stars of the show. The whole thing feels like a more surreal bad trip than something with a fleshed-out plot.
Honestly, the film itself left me feeling kind of bleh. Hoyever, the practical effects are just fantastic. They're even more impressive given the film was crowd-funded for a budget of over $82,000 when most major Hollywood films are made on several times that.
Another movie that seems to have been a big influence for The Void is Fulci's The Beyond. The plot is even crazier (borderline inexistent) and the ending is quite similar, although much more haunting IMO
I really loved this one and honestly, the ending just made me want more of the story. I wanted to know if they would suffer eternally too? Would they be able to go home? Would there even be a home to go back to? I was really intrigued and impressed with the plot and how they didn't spell everything out but at the same time not making it so vague that it would frustrate the viewer with a trendy non-ending. And man, those practical effects! 👏👏 10/10
I discovered this movie in IndieGogo and watched it in a cinema, during a horror film festival here in Brazil. One of the best movie experiences I've ever had.
Man, I really wished I was able to enjoy this movie, but I've watched it a couple of times and just can't. I do love the body horror stuff in it, that got an A from me
Yeah, as great as the practical effects were it was just a fucking tedious watch. Every character is an annoying trope, the plots single twist at first feels totally unwarranted and then immediately after feels totally contrived. I was really hoping to like it but alas.
Im on the same page as you, and it’s a real shame because the movie ends up being a lot less than the sum of its substantial parts. I don’t mind how slow the pacing is but it’s impressive how a movie that tries to do as much as this one (body horror, monster movie, cult horror, slasher) manages to move so slowly. It’s both too much and also not enough.
I loved this movie. I just love movies that are so blatent in "We have a story to tell, its your job to keep up, good luck!". There's no spoon feeding explanations, no exposition dumping, or montage of info gathering. You're just thrown into the plot with the characters with all the chaos that they expirence and are told to hold on.
Honestly one of my favourite films. Best practical effects work I've seen in a horror movie in awhile. I think the plot and characters were pretty simple and easy to understand. So can't say I agree with some of your video. But glad it's getting talked about
I watched this movie I believe last year and when I saw it I had the lowest of low expectations but was pleasantly surprised by how it turned it, it's hardly perfect but I was more than happy with it, a good watch if you're into this sort of thing.
From beyond and re animator were probably the best lovecraftian movies to date though they were based on hp works and weren't just Lovecraft in theme. I hadn't heard of this movie before, I'll check it out at some point.
Who else loves horror movies and everything to do with that genre!?! That's why Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year! lovecraftian storys seem 2 be hard 2 adapt 2 film but this was done rather well!
>The Thing's Assault on Precinct Hellraiser The best summary of The Void I've read goes something like "the movie drank from so many sources of inspiration, it got drunk." It very clearly tries to be a homage to John Carpenter's style of moviemaking, and it certainly nails the cinematography, but the plot gradually turns into an incoherent mess, and the actors are nowhere near charismatic enough to elevate the barebones script through their performance.
I loved this movie and it felt like an 80s movie that someone just discovered in some basement somewhere and released. I hope that someone continues the story.
I watched this movie randomly not expecting anything and I ended liking it a lot, especially because it reminded me of The Thing so much. I do remember having issues with the acting in some parts though. Other than that, the practical effects really surprised me. I'm glad you reviewed it, I haven't heard much about it!
DUDE, please make a video on “Mandy” with Nick Cage. I watch pretty much every horror movie I can get my hands on that looks even vaguely interesting and it absolutely blew me away. I’m not exaggerating when I say it is in my top 5 favorite horror movies of all time. Maybe even top 3. I would watch any analysis you decided to make of it in a heartbeat. Additionally, A24’s Men. Premise seemed a little anemic but the horror and the performances from both of the primary cast members were significantly noteworthy in my opinion. Definitely worth making a video on it if you ever run out of movies you’re already really excited to analyze. Seriously though, man. Mandy. Watch it.
The writers had watched too many Lucio Fulci films and the ending of this film reminded me so much of Fulci's "The Beyond" ending with sprinkling of "Event Horizon". I'm not a big Lovecraft fan but I did enjoy The Void - I liked most of the practical effects keeping them in the shadows and quick fire focus so you never get a good clear look at it. I never got how people didn't get the film or ending? It uses classic well known Lovecraft/Sinister Cult/Dimensional portals Horror/Sci-fi tropes 🤣🤣🤣. Love ambiguity in films esp endings.
The reason I liked the film is because I play the Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG and The Void feels exactly like an adaptation of a prewritten adventure from the game. The random characters with no connection to each other, the crazy set pieces that exist just to freak everyone out, the paranoid hunters from a previous adventure who have lost everything except their desire to destroy evil, and odd dialogue from players who just want to use their favorite cliches. It doesn’t feel like a movie, it feels like an Actual Play.
Dude same. I'd always joke that the movie feels like a CoC game I'd run if I didn't have enough time to prep the adventure. More focused on presenting a vibe and some cool imagery than making sure the narrative makes sense and straight up forgetting about certain NPCs until they're relevant
On an unrelated note, Ryan, whenever I hear you butcher the word “however,” I can’t help but think of the “Ya like dags?” scene from Snatch 😅. Jokes aside though, I love your work, man. Please don’t stop making videos any time soon.
I remember following the making of this movie and how it was crowdfunded and was curious about it coming out and watched it as soon as I could have the opportunity. And I agree completely with Ryan's analysis of The Void. However, I do feel that it mostly nails its concept of basically stumbling into a cosmic horror scenario and its disjointed nature almost lends itself to its theme. The ending though I feel felt a bit mute as well.
I like to describe this movie as essentially a Call of Cthulhu game. Like the scenario is a One-Shot and the players didn't know when the Eldritch Horror shenanigans were going to start.
One of my all time favourite movies, I feel like it nailed that lovecraftian ambience of madness really well! For a relatively small budget it sure packs a punch haha I’m pretty sure it’s the same people who made The Endless (I could be wrong don’t hate me comment section) which I find an even better rendition of cosmic madness without the gore fest - both great films! So glad you covered this one, always love the videos and I’m excited for this movie to get a bit more coverage! :)
AAAH! _The Endless!_ Excuse me while I spazz out. No, not the same directors, but similar! I love _The Endless_ and _Resolution_ so much. Such an underrated, obscure pair-- nobody at all seems to know about it. I agree, it's very much in the same vein. There needs to be a bootleg box trilogy set! Maybe sold with a 6-pack of that special eternal beer they've been brewing up, but can never be satisfied with.
This movie f**ked me up so badly, it stays in my head for years! And a movie I would recommend covering is "The Sadness", a messed up version of "28 Days Later" with hints of "Crossed".
Wasn't a big fan of the film due to the apparent "too many cooks" program, but I really liked the recurring triangle motif, which felt the most Lovecraftian out of everything
I am a very big Lovecraft fan and, as you said, this movie expertly captured that "the universe is vast, unknowable, and does not care about us" feeling. These cultists really have no idea what they are worshiping and there is no indication that it (or they or whatever) even notices. They tap into powers they cannot control or comprehend just because they figured out how, like toddlers playing with nuclear weapons. The fact that they start as strangers and don't really bond or grow as characters is, I think, part of the point. Disaster can happen to anyone at any time and there is often no good reason for it. Life happens. The ending was anti-climactic and unnecessary. The pass through the portal should have been the end without showing us what it's like over there. As for "what's the best Lovecraftian Horror Movie"? Well, for direct adaptations, there aren't many to choose from. As for "inspired by", that covers probably a quarter of all the horror out there, if not more. "From Beyond" is my favorite "loosely based" on Lovecraft movie. It picks up directly after the short story's ending. "Dagon" is my favorite "direct adaptation" of a Lovecraft story. It's an adaptation of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" just shifted to a derelict Spanish town call Imboca. As for "inspired by"... we have "Under the Skin", "Annihilation", "The Endless", "John Carpenter's The Thing", and, of course, "The Mist". "Dreamscape" is a decent movie about how Lovecraft wrote about The Dreamlands.
I feel like we really need to stop calling everything involving literally any amount of cosmic horror a "Lovecraft" film, as it's both lazy and also does a disservice to the other artists who have had a significant hand in shaping the genre. Make no mistake, this is not a Lovecraft film; this is a Clive Barker love letter. Like, you cannot watch this film and not be constantly reminded of Hellraiser II.
I personally see both creators inspired The Void. It definitely reminded me of Hellraiser and Reanimator whilst watching. Personally I'd watch Hellraiser or Reanimator again before watching The Void again, but Cosmic/Body horror isn't my thing in the first place. It is annoying that if you look up Lovecraft you find all this weird stuff that people claim is "Lovecraftian" and it's not helpful in truly understanding his style. Heck, Wikipedia states The Void is based on H. P. Lovecraft's work, and I have no idea how much it is so beyond the creator saying it's inspired by Lovecraft.
I've watched this a few times and I always get the heebie jeebies. Love the references to not only the films you mentioned but also John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness (the scene of someone pushing the conduit of evil and themselves into a mirror), and the ending is straight out of The Beyond when the two main protagonists find themselves trapped in hell where everything is barren and bleak. This, to me, was a very effective quiet ending to a high tension high action film. Just like with The Beyond it's an ending to ponder death and darkness but also
I'm generally not a fan of body horror, but the sfx team did such an amazing job, especially on the twisted creature that runs on all four's and the one that keeps smashing its head on the spike. I watched it a while after seeing this video, and I vaguely relented the review when i spotted it on amazon, so i went in not expecting too much. But i loved it!
I'm a BIG lovecraft fan, and the main reason I loved The Void so much was because it perfectly followed Lovecraft's formula. It involved horror, a cult, obviously some greater power at work, people going insane, and a nihilistic ending in another dimension. I appreciated it so much for what it was.
My favourite film of all time that is also Lovecraftian in it’s Nihilistic tone is - Andrzej Zulawski’s “Possession” 1981. I highly recommend it! Zuławski’s films mesmerise and hypnotise me to the point of obsession. They drag you through a nightmarish fever dreams to inspire you, to open your eyes on the crumbling worlds. He was an infernal shaman. He made his entire oeuvre with his pacifistically visceral screams, inner guts and with a suffered soul. The first time you will see “Possession”, you won’t be same anymore. It is ingrained into my mind as a masterpiece. The acting of Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill - are the most unnervingly bestial, expressionistically frenetic and the overall strongest duo performances in cinematic history.
I'd love to see you tackle "The Vault" it's an interesting dynamic change film because the victims are still murderers and bank robbers and still delivers quality ghost content
The most confusing part for me was the doctor having 3 separate first names. He was referred to as Richard, Cline, and Paul throughout the movie, and he's credited as Powell so idk what was going on there. The monster designs and effects were really great. And it's apparently Canadian, which makes a lot of sense .
My favorite Lovecraftian movie is In the Mouth of Madness, but since you've already done a video on that, I say you should do one on Harbinger Down since it uses a lot of practical effects like The Void.
I saw this movie in the theater. It had some hecklers and people laughing at it for the first half. But, I've never seen a movie have such a huge mic drop last half. It literally left the theater completely silent. Like people had no idea what to make of it.
Thank you for acknowledging this movie. It is one of my favorites and I never see anyone talk about it. Such a great use of practical effects and the fact that they give so little away keeps me coming back.
I like to think this film is the B plot of a bigger Lovecraftian horror movie, like say In the Mouth of Madness. No one really knows what's going on, suddenly the entire world just goes crazy.
watched the movie before the video, it was really great. there were some flaws on direction and acting (like the end where the Asian girl hugs the mute guy, and asks him if "its over" while having her head in his shoulder), but the movie was pretty good. writing was excellent. there was also the "dumb horror movie character" problem, where characters simply didn't communicate beyond grunts, but I was okay with that.
Your description of the ins and outs of the movie are mostly spot-on, if always with a kind of tongue-in-cheek distant irony that, I believe, does not completely yields credit to the visceral nature of the movie. But ... to each his own, I guess. There is however an element which, I feel, ought to always be mentioned in any analysis of this movie: its INCREDIBLE budget. I am late to the game here, so probably someone else already mentioned that point. You will correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that it was made on less than 100,000 USD, which is properly unheard of for a movie with as many set pieces, characters and SFX shots. That such an indy, small-budget movie should rival with the likes of The Thing or earn favourable comparisons with Hellraiser and other genre-defining films testifies, in my book, of the incredible talent of the team that made it. The Void is much more than a mere Lovecraftian creature feature in my book, but even if it were just that, it would already be a small miracle in that context.
One of the best parts of this movie is how it builds the scale of the threat. Individual threat, small group threat, large creature threat, cult threat, etc. etc. until it threatens the world. It reminds me of the reveals in Us where you think it’s just the one family and then the threat gets larger and larger.
it’s wild that they crowdfunded the fx budget and headhunted talent from the crew of Suicide Squad to get the creature fx done. I could have sworn this was one of those films like Harbinger Down that were more or less made by a VFX house specifically as a practical effects showcase
Thanks for reviewing the Void! I really like this movie. Would love to see your take on the Empty Man (If you haven't already, I did not find a video on this from you). As always, great job!
Ryan, you mentioned Seikiro Shadows Die Twice during the analysis, I was curious if you'd ever do a video on the horror elements of the game? I seem to remember you doing videos on games in the past a few times.
I watched it with my gf. I loved it. She's more into ghosts and demons movies. I found that the ending of the ending is more of a "theatrical ending", not the true ending. It adds nothing to the story, just more questions. The reunion of the 2 survivors seems like the true ending.
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*QUESTION: What is the BEST Lovecraftian Horror Movie?* Let me know in the comments!
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The thing
I enjoyed Underwater, not the best movie ever made, but it was a fun popcorn flick
My favourite has to be In The Mouth Of Madness. In my opinion, it fulfills all the requirements that make something a Lovecraftian movie. Also it's just a crazy fun to watch.
Annihilation
the first ALIEN movie or John Carpenter's The THING. Both do a wonderful job making the cosmos seem way vaster and more horrifying than any human mind could ever comprehend, or pray not to.
One of the rare Lovecraftian inspired films that isn't complete dog vomit. I love The Void as it leaves much to the imagination and captures the vibe of human beings feeling completely insignificant, just what I want from the cosmic horror genre.
Well said. I enjoyed this film too for similar reasons. Truly grim with an 'oh please no, not me' vibe
I couldn’t agree more
Exactly. Lovecraft/ cosmic horror isn't meant to make sense. It's a feeling. Puts us in the character's shoes. The entire niche of the genre is "what's that bump in the night?", the unknown, & the inevitable.
@@TechnicJunglist So much yes. I'm so sick of anything getting described as Lovecraftian or cosmic horror that just shows some bad tentacle monster within the first few minutes. I just don't know how you can read any of his work or anything else from the mythos cycle and not come away with the understanding that it is the mood, the dread, the fear of not knowing, the way you fell trapped in a dream and can't wake up, the worry of what it might be tormenting you and then the tease that it is really so much worse than you could have imagined.
You love the void.
Yet it doesn't care about you
This is one of my favorite cosmic horror movies and I think I was able to enjoy it because I just let myself be lost and confused just like the characters were. I really felt like I was there experiencing these events with them and I think the fact that a lot of this was not explained or fleshed out too much really helped with that.
Yes! That really sums it up! Like most people, I'm constantly trying to figure things out, apply logic, subconsciously looking for, like writing issues or continuity errors.
But with this movie, you just enjoy what you see. Don't think about it, just go with the flow, and don't try to explain it
@@dylanmonstrum1538 Exactly, Just imagine this happened wherever you were, you wouldnt be able to find a definitive answer as to what is going on immediately you would just know what you kinda stumbled into and just go from situation to situation trying to get out of there. I know for some people that is not an appealing way to watch a movie but with this movie it just really worked for me. Glad to know someone sees it the same way lol.
I couldn't have put it better, it's the last film that really impressed me but then again I eat up anything cosmic horror. This year it was the sadness that impressed me it's like the comic crossed but in movie format.
One important thing you left out in your review, is that the total budget for this movie is 82 thousand dollars. Which I think turned out an amazing movie for the cost.
There are some scenes where you can tell they had to cut things due to budget, but the editing was on point and was able to cover
That’s so impressive! It’s wild to hear the big budget so many movies get that lose my interest so quickly
You are mistaken, the true budget was never released. The creature effects for the monsters were crowdfunded on indiegogo, which amounted to the 82 grand. Since the full budget was never released, Wikipedia and movie websites usually just list it as >$82,000
@@HorrorLover yeah I don't believe 82000 is the only cost the effects are some of the best practical effects ive seen in the entirety of the 2000s, the acting was solid. I really am surprised by hearing the budget and people make excuses for these big budget blockbusters and we get movies like this.
@@pikachureynolds1110 vfx only had a budget of 80 grand lol
This is by far one of my FAVORITE movies from the past few years. It doesn't treat it's audience like idiots by explaining EVERY LITTLE ASPECT, but it leaves enough bread crumbs that you can piece together most of the story you aren't spoon fed. And the practical work done on the film is BEYOND amazing. It seems to get compared alot to Hellraiser, but it's got a very Lovecraftian vibe. I'm just sad to know they aren't going to continue the story at all.
tbh the comparisons to Hellraiser arent totally off the mark. Clive Barker is famously a Lovecraft Hater but from such passion comes inspiration, and I would gladly call Barker one of the descendants and inheritors of Lovecraft's particular brand of cosmic horror. Barker's is a very internal and personal incarnation. all about feelings like guilt and the limit experiences involved in torture, as well as concepts of infinity and our limited capacity to understand that.
Barker is what Lovecraft would have been had he had a bloody, still-beating heart. Barker is bloody, raw, and tactile, where Lovecraft is detached, cold, and intellectual.
Theyre great together, and i think this movie draws a lot of very good inspiration from both.
@@HadalStreetlights No they aren't, and that's not what I meant to convey. But I don't think they're the best comparisons out there. Just low budget, but very well made Lovecraftian horror is probably the most accurate thing I can say about it. It absolutely looks WELL beyond it's meager budget.
I dunno if there was much of a story though?
I thought it looked cool but was underwhelmed with characters and motivations or relationships
This was filmed in a disused high school in my hometown that has since been demolished... I always thought that was kind of strange because we have a disused hospital also, but maybe they couldn't get permission to film there.
Whoever owns the actual property probably wanted too much to film there
What area?
@@shannond1511 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_James_Dunn_Collegiate_and_Vocational_School
I love The Void! It's the perfect throwback horror film, Prince Of Darkness mixed with The Beyond and a little bit of The Boneyard. All of which are movies you should look into!
Exactly 👍👍 esp The Beyond. All that was missing was the twist appearance of Clive Barker's Cenobites 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Jumped into the comments myself to bring up The Beyond… but fortunately you beat me to it.
@@Reverend_Nada 🤣🤣👍
I'm kind of surprised he didn't mention the similarity of Prince of Darkness where the summoner is tackled through the gateway, thus closing it.
@@ytndndrummer defo 👍
This is the film that made me fall in love with not only cosmic horror and ‘80s horror but the horror genre as a whole. I watched it for the first time at a way younger age than I should of and there are few other films that left such an impact on me and my interests. It is nowhere near my favorite horror film but I don’t think a day will come that I’ll ever stop loving it.
This is one of my favorite movies ever. All of the points you make in the video are precisely why I love it; the fact none of the characters are truly lead characters, the fact that everything seems to already be in the endgame, the ambiguity of the horror combined with the grounded horror of the human cast, the magnificent and inventive practical effects and the utter lack of trust and overwhelming alienation. All of these points are the reason that I love this strange, dark, very Canadian piece of horror cinema. If there are more movies with this kind of "5 minutes to the end of the world" vibe
Same, God this movie rules
Cosmic body horror occurs to yourself when you hear Ryan's "HOYEVER" without using Ray-Con ear buds.
Yep
And RUclips isn’t playing at all
That " Hoyever" is a beacon call for the Ancient Ones.
For me it's the "Threw-yew-yuh" instead of "through," and other similar pronunciations. lol
I actually love that kind of endings, just a tiny glimpse into something so much greater than the intimate setting of the movie, and something that's intentionally left beyond the viewer's understanding.
interesting pfp u got there friend!
Really loved The Void! It’s not perfect, but overall so unsettling and well done, considering was made for about twenty dollars or so.
I feel exactly the same. It's really cool. I love Kenneth Welsh, too.
The part where they're in the catacombs and watch a zombie bash its head against a pipe, the dad looks at it and says "We're in hell." in a completely deadpan way always makes me laugh.
A film like this almost makes me think of Hellraiser with the cosmic body horror and nihilism, which is a plus for me because that's my favourite 80s horror film.
considering Barker is basically the visceral meaty "black sheep" of Lovecraft's intellectual line, i think such a comparison is delightfully appropriate. Barker may hate his intellectual ancestor, and for good reason, but his passion has generated a style of cosmic horror Lovecraft probably would have ultimately been proud of. A deeply personal and introspective/emotional approach to Howard's more lofty intellectual takes.
Well the hall closing up is a nod to hellraiser, crushing the creature even.
I fucking love this movie! Thank you so much for spotlighting it! I embrace its flaws, but also love that the more you watch it, the more you pick up clues and hints at who knows who and who is who.
It's set in a small nowhere town, and being from a small nowhere town myself, I fell in love with the familiar vibe of "We all sort of know each other in passing, and now we're here." I find all the characters to be likeable in their own way, specifically the cop and his wife, as well as the grandfather who brought his daughter to the hospital. That may just be because I feel like I've met every one of them before due to that small-town upbringing.
I also love that the son of the hunter doesn't/can't talk, which you don't see every day, and low-key wish we could get a sequel with him and the intern, maybe trying to lie low and live their lives as far away from the cult as possible and being targeted due to what they experienced, and maybe seeing some other familiar faces along the way. It could even involve the use of ASL so the hunter's son can get some lines and tell us more about what happened with him and his family. How cool would that be?
I'm on a personal mission to get as many of my friends to watch it with me as possible, lol, don't mind me.
This is one of my favourite hidden Canadian horror gems of recent years along with a film called Black Mountain Side (check that one out as well if you haven't already). When you consider the trouble they had just getting this film completed I'm shocked at how much it works, though I do agree the ending would have worked if it was implied rather then shown... yet, I want a sequel just to see more creatures
Black Mountain Side is so good; another amazing Canadian cosmic/body horror
I've always maintained that one of my favorite character types for horror is "The Witness". They aren't there to be the hero or the villain, they aren't there to grow as a person or make any grand realization. They are just tourists at the end of the world, gaining no new knowledge as to what is happening or why. Much like Lovecraftian Horror is intended to, it lets my own mind run away with what is really going on.
I could've gone a whole lifetime without hearing Ryan say "it wants you to burrow deep into it's gory rabbit hole" 😂
I adore both Lovecraftian and body horror, so this movie sounds like it's right down my aisle.
It's freaking great, even taking some inspiration from Silent Hill with some of the designs and a monster detecting Radio.
The movie is dope.
Down my aisle lol. I’m never saying up my alley again.
It’s free on tubi I just watched it again as I had seen it a long time ago lol
This was the first "Lovecraftian"/Cosmic Horror movie I ever saw, just a few years ago too. It got me into the genre, and eventually into Lovecrafts work itself.
I discovered "The Void" simply by accident, I just saw movies cover poster and I was instantly drawn to it, it's retro look really made me want to see it, after reading couple of reviews about it, things like "80s style practical body horror in similiar style like John Carpenter's The Thing" caught my attention. And after I watched the whole movie, I was really suprised how WEIRD and AWESOME movie was, yes, I didn't understand anything, but that's what made like the movie. It's mystery, and whole lovecraftian horror elements made movie enjoyable to watch.
Also, cool special effects.
Just goes to show the power of good movie posters. I stumbled across this movie at my local movie store and was immediately drawn in by the picture as well. So glad I checked this movie out.
Please talk about The Tunnel, an absolutely underrated Australian found footage monster movie xx
looking back i remember having a really fun time watching it but i cant remember a single thing about what actually happened
gave some heavy halloween 2 vibes but traded out its simplicity for alien inhuman horror
kinda reminds me of mandy being a lot but thinking about it after you realize there wasnt much to it but the joy of watching it
That’s a perfect summary.
There's actually a lot to unpack and dissect with Mandy.
@@airsir9559 you gotta brain for that. Me just like watch Nic Cage do funni scream and swing axe.
What I liked about The Void was that the ephemeral quest for immortality and resurrection was a farce from the get go. It is the justification used by the doctor for his many abuses in his quest to commune with powers greater than himself. At the end, when his "Daughter" is "reborn" that is revealed. The thing that arrives is not his daughter, nor even attempting to mimic his daughter and at this point, the doctor doesn't care anymore. The creature that comes through the woman is something much more of the ilk of the Whateley Horror from "The Dunwich Horror", than any re-birth of the long dead. His search for the key to resurrection was merely the catalyst for his engagement with powers which didn't care much for his motives, and he becomes corrupted and transformed by them. Altogether, it was a welcome addition to Lovecraftian film, and I was far more impressed by its sense of dread and atmosphere than I was in many other attempts.
'The Void' is a perfect example of a great film , without studio meddling.
"Sometimes dead is better." I can hear that in Fred Gwynne's amazing faux Maine accent so clearly. He was so good in Pet Semetary. RIP
I saw this film for the first time in a packed theater full of fellow horror fans during a special showing. It was like being on a rollercoaster. We were all gasping, screaming, and laughing together. That atmosphere made it a wild ride that I’ll never forget.
I always liked the view that Lovecraft can show that sometimes knowing something can be too much for you. It's neat when a small inkling of suspicion grows into an obsession that can sometimes literally consume them. It's like learning a dark secret about something you cherished. The chaos that tears you apart from the inside because you asked too many questions.
You’re fixing my Monday gloomies!!! Another quality analysis, thank you so much.
This movie came out when I was working as a graveyard shift security guard in an old rural hospital that was a secondary campus to a larger modern one a few towns over. I was definitely on high alert for months after I watched it. I experienced some pretty freaky phenomenon during my time there.. I felt a connection to this movie ever since.
I love this film simply for its attempt at showing the terrifying scale of lovecraftian horror like it's just so overwhelming it's perfect
Easily one of my favorite horror films of all time. The sheer madness of it all, and those practical effects!
I did a review of this recently and it just got nuked by the owners of the footage. Hope that yours doesn't get the same treatment.
Oh damn
Now that Ryan has seen The Void, he'll need to see the dorectoral followup, Psycho Goreman. Because Psycho Goreman was not only an excellent horror comedy, it was one of the best movies of last year.
Psycho Goreman sucks
This is one of those 'Eh Canada' NFB movies where f'n everyone in the cast and production is Canadian. Where if you're American like me you might not even realize it unless you're the kind of person who spends a lot of time on IMDB.
And it's one of the best bang-for-buck horror movies I've seen produced out of that national system.
I think the reason a lot of people hate this movie is because it doesn’t care about typical plot structure stuff that we’ve been conditioned to need in order to think a movie is good
I love that Ryan just kinda jumps all in and experiences something to give us solid content.
His ability to slide between entirely different things is fun and reminds me of how me and my GF switch between topics.
If he ends up doing the stop motion age with Jason and The Argonauts and Sinbad.
Our things will have weirdly crossed over 😂🤷
But god it was just last year we were watching everything Lovecraftian we could get our hands on 🙏
There is a scene in this movie that will haunt me for a while. The Doctor is explaining his various experiments and surgeries to Alison whom is on his operating table. All of these experiments are an attempt to find immortality, but some of these were failed experiments that he has locked up in the basement somewhere. He says to Alison, "I won't let them die". And then it cuts to the gang exploring the basement, finding a creature that is trying to bash its head in on an open pipe. Although it quickly becomes clear that the creature has been successfully bashing its head in for years and just won't die but instead is walking around with a giant hole in its face.
IM SO GLAD YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE VOID! It's one of my favorite horror movies and I was very pleasantly surprised to stumble across it on Netflix. I think it plays out kind of like a survival horror game and it really works for me
Yesss I was waiting for you to cover this one. Absolutely one of my favorite movies and a in my opinion a great double feature with Mandy. Just almost four hours of artistic shots, funky colours, great gore and wild confusion.
On the same day I wear my Void shirt to work. Coincidence? Yes. But also rad.
As a big fan of Lovecraftian stories, I took a punt on this film a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised. This is a lovely stew of the elements that show up in my favorite cosmic horror, so it was nice to sit back and enjoy the madness - the film makers are clearly in love with the same material that makes me smile. It's pretty flawed, but very very charming: I lost count of the number of times I said "yay!" at something happening on screen. It deffo deserves some love, so good on you for flagging it with a review.
This is a wonderfully good cosmic horror movie.
Combining themes from the likes of Clive Barker, David Cronenberg, and John Carpenter.
Oh shut up!
Don't forget Silent Hill~
As a Canadian I’m very happy to see a Canadian horror film being covered by Ryan
Same here! We make some really good, low budget movies that don't often get the notice they deserve.
Behind the bastards is a great podcast, never missed one!!!!
As someone who discovered the movie out of the blue and went in without much expectation it was quite refreshing experience compared to what was around, but yeah too bad that they tried to explain everything. Still enjoyed it a lot.
It's been a bit since I've seen it but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The monsters and effects were fantastic. It was just fun.
I felt like you summed up the ‘story’ of this movie well. The aesthetic choices, sound design and practical effects were the stars of the show. The whole thing feels like a more surreal bad trip than something with a fleshed-out plot.
Honestly, the film itself left me feeling kind of bleh. Hoyever, the practical effects are just fantastic. They're even more impressive given the film was crowd-funded for a budget of over $82,000 when most major Hollywood films are made on several times that.
Another movie that seems to have been a big influence for The Void is Fulci's The Beyond. The plot is even crazier (borderline inexistent) and the ending is quite similar, although much more haunting IMO
That’s my favorite movie to feature a guy’s face getting eaten by tarantulas!
This movie was like a survival horror game brought to life. Dope flick 🤙
I really loved this one and honestly, the ending just made me want more of the story. I wanted to know if they would suffer eternally too? Would they be able to go home? Would there even be a home to go back to? I was really intrigued and impressed with the plot and how they didn't spell everything out but at the same time not making it so vague that it would frustrate the viewer with a trendy non-ending. And man, those practical effects! 👏👏 10/10
Myself and many others have been asking Ryan to cover this film for years!!! Thanks Ryan! The wait was worth it
I discovered this movie in IndieGogo and watched it in a cinema, during a horror film festival here in Brazil. One of the best movie experiences I've ever had.
Man, I really wished I was able to enjoy this movie, but I've watched it a couple of times and just can't. I do love the body horror stuff in it, that got an A from me
it was very slow for me, tbh
@@seattlecryptid I don't mind a slow burn, but this one was a bit much for me
Yeah, as great as the practical effects were it was just a fucking tedious watch. Every character is an annoying trope, the plots single twist at first feels totally unwarranted and then immediately after feels totally contrived. I was really hoping to like it but alas.
That's where I was at. It kept getting mentioned along side The Endless for amazing lovecraftian horror movies and this just didn't work for me
Im on the same page as you, and it’s a real shame because the movie ends up being a lot less than the sum of its substantial parts. I don’t mind how slow the pacing is but it’s impressive how a movie that tries to do as much as this one (body horror, monster movie, cult horror, slasher) manages to move so slowly. It’s both too much and also not enough.
I loved this movie. I just love movies that are so blatent in "We have a story to tell, its your job to keep up, good luck!". There's no spoon feeding explanations, no exposition dumping, or montage of info gathering. You're just thrown into the plot with the characters with all the chaos that they expirence and are told to hold on.
Honestly one of my favourite films. Best practical effects work I've seen in a horror movie in awhile. I think the plot and characters were pretty simple and easy to understand. So can't say I agree with some of your video. But glad it's getting talked about
I watched this movie I believe last year and when I saw it I had the lowest of low expectations but was pleasantly surprised by how it turned it, it's hardly perfect but I was more than happy with it, a good watch if you're into this sort of thing.
Love this film. Was wondering when you'd get to it! Love your work dude!
From beyond and re animator were probably the best lovecraftian movies to date though they were based on hp works and weren't just Lovecraft in theme.
I hadn't heard of this movie before, I'll check it out at some point.
Who else loves horror movies and everything to do with that genre!?!
That's why Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year!
lovecraftian storys seem 2 be hard 2 adapt 2 film but this was done rather well!
>The Thing's Assault on Precinct Hellraiser
The best summary of The Void I've read goes something like "the movie drank from so many sources of inspiration, it got drunk." It very clearly tries to be a homage to John Carpenter's style of moviemaking, and it certainly nails the cinematography, but the plot gradually turns into an incoherent mess, and the actors are nowhere near charismatic enough to elevate the barebones script through their performance.
I loved this movie and it felt like an 80s movie that someone just discovered in some basement somewhere and released. I hope that someone continues the story.
I watched this movie randomly not expecting anything and I ended liking it a lot, especially because it reminded me of The Thing so much. I do remember having issues with the acting in some parts though. Other than that, the practical effects really surprised me. I'm glad you reviewed it, I haven't heard much about it!
Would love to hear your take on lovecraft, himself and his stories. Would that ever be in the cards for you or is this a movie only type of channel?
DUDE, please make a video on “Mandy” with Nick Cage. I watch pretty much every horror movie I can get my hands on that looks even vaguely interesting and it absolutely blew me away. I’m not exaggerating when I say it is in my top 5 favorite horror movies of all time. Maybe even top 3. I would watch any analysis you decided to make of it in a heartbeat.
Additionally, A24’s Men. Premise seemed a little anemic but the horror and the performances from both of the primary cast members were significantly noteworthy in my opinion. Definitely worth making a video on it if you ever run out of movies you’re already really excited to analyze.
Seriously though, man. Mandy. Watch it.
The writers had watched too many Lucio Fulci films and the ending of this film reminded me so much of Fulci's "The Beyond" ending with sprinkling of "Event Horizon".
I'm not a big Lovecraft fan but I did enjoy The Void - I liked most of the practical effects keeping them in the shadows and quick fire focus so you never get a good clear look at it. I never got how people didn't get the film or ending? It uses classic well known Lovecraft/Sinister Cult/Dimensional portals Horror/Sci-fi tropes 🤣🤣🤣. Love ambiguity in films esp endings.
The reason I liked the film is because I play the Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG and The Void feels exactly like an adaptation of a prewritten adventure from the game. The random characters with no connection to each other, the crazy set pieces that exist just to freak everyone out, the paranoid hunters from a previous adventure who have lost everything except their desire to destroy evil, and odd dialogue from players who just want to use their favorite cliches. It doesn’t feel like a movie, it feels like an Actual Play.
Dude same. I'd always joke that the movie feels like a CoC game I'd run if I didn't have enough time to prep the adventure. More focused on presenting a vibe and some cool imagery than making sure the narrative makes sense and straight up forgetting about certain NPCs until they're relevant
On an unrelated note, Ryan, whenever I hear you butcher the word “however,” I can’t help but think of the “Ya like dags?” scene from Snatch 😅. Jokes aside though, I love your work, man. Please don’t stop making videos any time soon.
Ryan speaks the most formal English compared to Mickey, though I do love that completely muddled speaking Brad Pitt had in Snatch.
What a stupid comment.
“You like dags?”
“What?”
“Dags, you like dags?”
“Ohhh, dogs, yeah I like dags.”
I remember following the making of this movie and how it was crowdfunded and was curious about it coming out and watched it as soon as I could have the opportunity. And I agree completely with Ryan's analysis of The Void. However, I do feel that it mostly nails its concept of basically stumbling into a cosmic horror scenario and its disjointed nature almost lends itself to its theme. The ending though I feel felt a bit mute as well.
I like to describe this movie as essentially a Call of Cthulhu game. Like the scenario is a One-Shot and the players didn't know when the Eldritch Horror shenanigans were going to start.
One of my all time favourite movies, I feel like it nailed that lovecraftian ambience of madness really well! For a relatively small budget it sure packs a punch haha I’m pretty sure it’s the same people who made The Endless (I could be wrong don’t hate me comment section) which I find an even better rendition of cosmic madness without the gore fest - both great films!
So glad you covered this one, always love the videos and I’m excited for this movie to get a bit more coverage! :)
AAAH! _The Endless!_ Excuse me while I spazz out.
No, not the same directors, but similar! I love _The Endless_ and _Resolution_ so much. Such an underrated, obscure pair-- nobody at all seems to know about it. I agree, it's very much in the same vein. There needs to be a bootleg box trilogy set! Maybe sold with a 6-pack of that special eternal beer they've been brewing up, but can never be satisfied with.
This movie f**ked me up so badly, it stays in my head for years! And a movie I would recommend covering is "The Sadness", a messed up version of "28 Days Later" with hints of "Crossed".
I loved this movie
I'll say, I did not expect Sekiro to be referenced in an analysis of The Void
Wasn't a big fan of the film due to the apparent "too many cooks" program, but I really liked the recurring triangle motif, which felt the most Lovecraftian out of everything
I am a very big Lovecraft fan and, as you said, this movie expertly captured that "the universe is vast, unknowable, and does not care about us" feeling.
These cultists really have no idea what they are worshiping and there is no indication that it (or they or whatever) even notices. They tap into powers they cannot control or comprehend just because they figured out how, like toddlers playing with nuclear weapons.
The fact that they start as strangers and don't really bond or grow as characters is, I think, part of the point. Disaster can happen to anyone at any time and there is often no good reason for it. Life happens.
The ending was anti-climactic and unnecessary. The pass through the portal should have been the end without showing us what it's like over there.
As for "what's the best Lovecraftian Horror Movie"? Well, for direct adaptations, there aren't many to choose from. As for "inspired by", that covers probably a quarter of all the horror out there, if not more.
"From Beyond" is my favorite "loosely based" on Lovecraft movie. It picks up directly after the short story's ending.
"Dagon" is my favorite "direct adaptation" of a Lovecraft story. It's an adaptation of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" just shifted to a derelict Spanish town call Imboca.
As for "inspired by"... we have "Under the Skin", "Annihilation", "The Endless", "John Carpenter's The Thing", and, of course, "The Mist".
"Dreamscape" is a decent movie about how Lovecraft wrote about The Dreamlands.
I feel like we really need to stop calling everything involving literally any amount of cosmic horror a "Lovecraft" film, as it's both lazy and also does a disservice to the other artists who have had a significant hand in shaping the genre.
Make no mistake, this is not a Lovecraft film; this is a Clive Barker love letter. Like, you cannot watch this film and not be constantly reminded of Hellraiser II.
I personally see both creators inspired The Void. It definitely reminded me of Hellraiser and Reanimator whilst watching. Personally I'd watch Hellraiser or Reanimator again before watching The Void again, but Cosmic/Body horror isn't my thing in the first place. It is annoying that if you look up Lovecraft you find all this weird stuff that people claim is "Lovecraftian" and it's not helpful in truly understanding his style. Heck, Wikipedia states The Void is based on H. P. Lovecraft's work, and I have no idea how much it is so beyond the creator saying it's inspired by Lovecraft.
I've watched this a few times and I always get the heebie jeebies. Love the references to not only the films you mentioned but also John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness (the scene of someone pushing the conduit of evil and themselves into a mirror), and the ending is straight out of The Beyond when the two main protagonists find themselves trapped in hell where everything is barren and bleak. This, to me, was a very effective quiet ending to a high tension high action film. Just like with The Beyond it's an ending to ponder death and darkness but also
Let’s gooooo!
I'm generally not a fan of body horror, but the sfx team did such an amazing job, especially on the twisted creature that runs on all four's and the one that keeps smashing its head on the spike. I watched it a while after seeing this video, and I vaguely relented the review when i spotted it on amazon, so i went in not expecting too much. But i loved it!
I'm a BIG lovecraft fan, and the main reason I loved The Void so much was because it perfectly followed Lovecraft's formula. It involved horror, a cult, obviously some greater power at work, people going insane, and a nihilistic ending in another dimension. I appreciated it so much for what it was.
My favourite film of all time that is also Lovecraftian in it’s Nihilistic tone is - Andrzej Zulawski’s “Possession” 1981. I highly recommend it! Zuławski’s films mesmerise and hypnotise me to the point of obsession. They drag you through a nightmarish fever dreams to inspire you, to open your eyes on the crumbling worlds. He was an infernal shaman. He made his entire oeuvre with his pacifistically visceral screams, inner guts and with a suffered soul. The first time you will see “Possession”, you won’t be same anymore. It is ingrained into my mind as a masterpiece. The acting of Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill - are the most unnervingly bestial, expressionistically frenetic and the overall strongest duo performances in cinematic history.
I'd love to see you tackle "The Vault"
it's an interesting dynamic change film because the victims are still murderers and bank robbers and still delivers quality ghost content
Similar to this is a film called Baskin. Not a great story but the terror and sensory overload it delivers is worth the watch.
The most confusing part for me was the doctor having 3 separate first names. He was referred to as Richard, Cline, and Paul throughout the movie, and he's credited as Powell so idk what was going on there.
The monster designs and effects were really great. And it's apparently Canadian, which makes a lot of sense .
My favorite Lovecraftian movie is In the Mouth of Madness, but since you've already done a video on that, I say you should do one on Harbinger Down since it uses a lot of practical effects like The Void.
I saw this movie in the theater. It had some hecklers and people laughing at it for the first half. But, I've never seen a movie have such a huge mic drop last half. It literally left the theater completely silent. Like people had no idea what to make of it.
Thank you for acknowledging this movie. It is one of my favorites and I never see anyone talk about it. Such a great use of practical effects and the fact that they give so little away keeps me coming back.
I like to think this film is the B plot of a bigger Lovecraftian horror movie, like say In the Mouth of Madness. No one really knows what's going on, suddenly the entire world just goes crazy.
watched the movie before the video, it was really great.
there were some flaws on direction and acting (like the end where the Asian girl hugs the mute guy, and asks him if "its over" while having her head in his shoulder), but the movie was pretty good. writing was excellent.
there was also the "dumb horror movie character" problem, where characters simply didn't communicate beyond grunts, but I was okay with that.
Your description of the ins and outs of the movie are mostly spot-on, if always with a kind of tongue-in-cheek distant irony that, I believe, does not completely yields credit to the visceral nature of the movie. But ... to each his own, I guess.
There is however an element which, I feel, ought to always be mentioned in any analysis of this movie: its INCREDIBLE budget. I am late to the game here, so probably someone else already mentioned that point. You will correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that it was made on less than 100,000 USD, which is properly unheard of for a movie with as many set pieces, characters and SFX shots. That such an indy, small-budget movie should rival with the likes of The Thing or earn favourable comparisons with Hellraiser and other genre-defining films testifies, in my book, of the incredible talent of the team that made it.
The Void is much more than a mere Lovecraftian creature feature in my book, but even if it were just that, it would already be a small miracle in that context.
One of the best parts of this movie is how it builds the scale of the threat. Individual threat, small group threat, large creature threat, cult threat, etc. etc. until it threatens the world. It reminds me of the reveals in Us where you think it’s just the one family and then the threat gets larger and larger.
it’s wild that they crowdfunded the fx budget and headhunted talent from the crew of Suicide Squad to get the creature fx done. I could have sworn this was one of those films like Harbinger Down that were more or less made by a VFX house specifically as a practical effects showcase
There is no plot, this movie is just an amalgamation of the nuttiest visual and sound effects and I still love it
Thanks for reviewing the Void! I really like this movie. Would love to see your take on the Empty Man (If you haven't already, I did not find a video on this from you).
As always, great job!
Love Kostanski's take on Lovecraft. His other movie "Psycho Goreman" is also heavily eldritch (meets the powerrangers)
Ryan, you mentioned Seikiro Shadows Die Twice during the analysis, I was curious if you'd ever do a video on the horror elements of the game? I seem to remember you doing videos on games in the past a few times.
I watched it with my gf.
I loved it. She's more into ghosts and demons movies.
I found that the ending of the ending is more of a "theatrical ending", not the true ending. It adds nothing to the story, just more questions. The reunion of the 2 survivors seems like the true ending.
12:53 Big, abrupt, flashing lights warning for those with photosensitive epilepsy
Time for a re-watch!