Dagon (2001)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

H.P. Lovecraft (short stories "Dagon" and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth")
Dennis Paoli (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 October 2001 (Spain)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, the undisputed master of the macabre, Dagon tells the story of Paul Marsh...

Plot Keywords:

H.P. Lovecraft | Gold | Ritual | Amputation | Skinned Alive

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Ezra Godden	...	Paul Marsh
Francisco Rabal	...	Ezequiel
Raquel Meroño	...	Bárbara
Macarena Gómez	...	Uxía Cambarro
Brendan Price	...	Howard
Birgit Bofarull	...	Vicki
Uxía Blanco	...	Madre Ezequiel / Ezequiel's Mother
Ferran Lahoz	...	Sacerdote / Priest
Joan Minguell	...	Xavier Cambarro
Alfredo Villa	...	Capitán Orfeo Cambarro / Captain Orpheus Cambarro
José Lifante	...	Recepcionista Hotel / Desk Clerk
Javier Sandoval	...	Padre Ezequiel / Ezequiel's Father
Victor Barreira	...	Ezequiel Joven / Young Ezequiel
Fernando Gil	...	Sacerdote Católico / Catholic Priest
Jorge Luis Pérez	...	Chico / Boy

Also Known As:

Dagon - La secta del mar (Spain)
Dagon: Sect of the Sea
H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon (USA) (complete title)
The Lost Island (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore, sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime:

95 min | USA:98 min | Argentina:97 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

English | Galician | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Argentina:13 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 (cut) | Italy:VM14 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:R21 | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Combarro, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

Company:

Castelao Producciones

Trivia:

Paul Marsh was written to be a Woody Allen-style comic hero.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Paul is trying to escape in the car and hits one of the villagers in the road, the man is yanked back, (by an obvious harness), before the car even touches him.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Eldritch Influence: The Life, Vision, and Phenomenon of H.P. Lovecraft (2003)

A treat for Lovecraft fans

Dagon was the first horror movie I've seen in a few years that both had a good plot and kept me on the edge of my seat. After reading most of H.P. Lovecraft's short stories on which this movie was based, I can safely say that this is the only movie based on Lovecraft that is true to the atmosphere and plot structure of his stories. The special effects are not overdone and there is minimal (and yet effective) "splatter," unlike the movie "Necronomicon," which is also based on Lovecraft. The horror and suspense of the movie relies on xenophobia, fear of the strange and unknown, and this plays into the movie's surprise ending where the hero must question his own path.

I'd also like to add that this movie was filmed in a coastal village in Galicia, Spain, and the scenery is both realistic and haunting.

All in all, this movie should be a pleasure to both fans of H.P. Lovecraft and the horror genre.