The Thing on the Doorstep (2014)

This is a low budget, independent adaptation of Lovecraft's classic tale of glub-glubbery in ghoul-haunted Arkham. It got pretty poor reviews, and I can see why. So can you - just take a look at the trailer.



Bilious. This is a film that seems to be perpetually on the verge of throwing up. It was a major strategic blunder by the director Tom Gliserman (presumably) to tint much of his movie a seasick green. Yes, Asenath Waite's family came from Innsmouth of the fishy smells, but that's no reason to make too many scenes look as if they were filmed through an old fish-tank.

Other problems include the sound, recorded 'as live' rather than dubbed later. This makes it seem very amateurish and forced this ageing reviewer to turn on the subtitles. Finally, there's the problem of the climactic moment itself. The actual thing on the doorstep just isn't that good. Maybe the budget ran out, but it's disappointing to see some fairly weak CGI used instead of practical effects.

So, those are all the film's flaws. But what of its virtues? These are numerous and worth pointing out. Firstly, it is a very faithful adaptation of the original story. Yes, it is fleshed out a little, because in the original story we learn nothing of Daniel Upton's family. Here he acquires a wife, Marion, and we see her pregnancy and the birth of their son, William. By the same token the 'fast set' Edward Derby joins at college, plus Edward's father, Asenath's servants, and various gossipy neighbours all appear.





The script, by Mary Jane Hansen, is an intelligent and well-balanced attempt to bring Lovecraft up to date. We begin with the actual shooting, then Edward starts typing (on an old portable) his version of events. The story is told in extended flashbacks as Edward sticks typewritten sheets and drawings to the wall of what is a kind of self-imposed madhouse cell. A nice touch.

The actors are pretty good too. Mary Jane Hansen takes the role of Asenath, and while she looks a little too girl-next-door to be an Innsmouth native, she does a decent job. So do David Bunce as Daniel, and Susan Cicarelli-Caputo as Marion. The part of Edward Derby is tricky, as he is a weak and rather silly man yet possessed of high intelligence and - rather improbably - capable of very decisive action at a key moment. Rather weirdly I can't find the name of the actor who played the role, but he looks like Benedict Cumberbatch after eating a few too many pies.

Then there are the settings. Much of the action takes place in or around the Crowninshield House where the newly-married Derbys set up home. The building used here is excellent - a very Lovecraftian house that is run down, ancient, and probably has more gambrels than a gambrel festival. There are also some good dream/nightmare sequences that utilise various free-to-use locations.

Finally, it's worth noting that Hansen exploits the modern concern with domestic abuse to undermine on Daniel's attempts to help Edward. Marion becomes convinced that Asenath is the victim, on the reasonable grounds that it's Asenath who is locked in the attic and shows signs of abuse - bruises, rope burns, etc. The scenes in which Edward 'changes' while Daniel is present are well-handled, and the necessary murder is also presented just graphically enough.

Would I recommend this film? Only to die-hard Lovecraft fans. It is a qualified success for a group of enthusiasts. I think it compares favourably to the efforts of the HPLHS. but is altogether more serious in tone.