As part of the 13 episode Masters of Horror strand currently showing on Bravo in the United Kingdom, H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams In The Witch-House is a contemporary retelling of the old story by writer-director Stuart Gordon, who also gave us the seriously underrated, Lovecraft-adaption Dagon.
With slightly more nudity, bad language and sex than the original tale, Gordon proves his love of the Master's work by keeping the key elements - such as the creepy rat creature Brown Jenkin, who looks like an escapee from a Basement Jaxx video - but building faithfully on the story's foundations for a rounded televisual experience.
Ezra Godden returns from the watery depths of Dagon to don a Miskatonic University top again as struggling student Walter Gilman (unintentional in-joke there, given his previous Lovecraft role as a man turning into a Deep One). His decline into madness - a common theme in Lovecraft's work - is wonderfully captured. Gordon's direction is spot on for atmosphere, with one stand-out scene (when Gilman is being compelled by the witch to sacrifice a child) being so agonisingly intense that it's almost impossible to watch.
A great episode that is hopefully is representative of the standard of the series - 13 tales by 13 different genre directors - which is screened at 11pm every Friday.
With slightly more nudity, bad language and sex than the original tale, Gordon proves his love of the Master's work by keeping the key elements - such as the creepy rat creature Brown Jenkin, who looks like an escapee from a Basement Jaxx video - but building faithfully on the story's foundations for a rounded televisual experience.
Ezra Godden returns from the watery depths of Dagon to don a Miskatonic University top again as struggling student Walter Gilman (unintentional in-joke there, given his previous Lovecraft role as a man turning into a Deep One). His decline into madness - a common theme in Lovecraft's work - is wonderfully captured. Gordon's direction is spot on for atmosphere, with one stand-out scene (when Gilman is being compelled by the witch to sacrifice a child) being so agonisingly intense that it's almost impossible to watch.
A great episode that is hopefully is representative of the standard of the series - 13 tales by 13 different genre directors - which is screened at 11pm every Friday.