Necronomicon: The Book of the Dead

REVIEW
This triptych of episodes based on stories by H.P. Lovecraft can be classified along with most other attempts to bring his highly imaginative works to the big screen, as a nice try. Producer and codirector Yuzna directs the last and probably the best episode, based on "The Whisperer in Darkness." The first episode (by French director Gans), "The Drowned," is trite and marred by poorly executed special makeup effects. The middle episode, "The Cold" (based on "Cool Air"), directed by Kaneko, is admirable, but its modern ending works at cross-purposes with its Lovecraftian beginning. Fans of Lovecraftian lore will either be overjoyed or outraged, and more casual viewers will probably be mildly entertained.