Dagon

REVIEW
Director Gordon's dream project for years has been an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's terrific short story, "The Shadow over Innsmouth." He and screenwriter Dennis Paoli hit pay dirt twice before with Lovecraft — From Beyond and especially Re-Animator — and they've basically done it again with this sometimes uneven but often chilling film. A rather dorky (but gradually appealing) computer nerd and his girlfriend are shipwrecked off the coast of a mysterious Spanish village. They seek help from the oddball locals, but soon discover these folks are even creepier than they appear. After a bumpy start, Dagon gains its footing, capturing the terrifying nightmare flavor of the short story, and rarely letting up. Its low budget shows, and some of the film's ending may leave some viewers cold, but Dagon is a witty, eerie, at times rather frightening little movie, with a healthy dose of gore to boot.