1970s Horror Cult Classic Is The First Lovecraft Movie
Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft gave the world more than 100 short stories and novels during the first part of the 20th century, making him one of the most prolific genre writers of all time. But for as many works that he penned, there have been only a handful of film adaptations that were up to snuff. The 1970 film The Dunwich Horror is a great exception to the low-budget flops filmmakers have given fans, a truly terrifying tale that is now able to stream without a subscription to Netflix.
The Dunwich Horror
The Dunwich Horror is the story that closely follows one of Lovecraft’s favorite fictitious plot elements, the Necronomicon. Allegedly an ancient tome that contains the magic rituals of ancient Sumerians and Babylonians, the Necronomicon is used in The Dunwich Horror as the means of achieving power that is sought by a charming (but creepy) man named Wilbur Whateley (Dean Stockwell).
Whately discovers that this sacred text has fallen into the possession of a Massachusetts university professor named Henry Armitage (Ed Begley) and he begins making plans to seize it.
The Book
After a lecture on the Necronomicon, Armitage gives the book to student Nancy Wagner (Sandra Dee) to return to the university library. Wilbur greets the young woman first and uses his hypnotic powers to convince her to give him the ancient text. He’s stopped by Armitage before he can get too far with it, however.
A Killing Spree
The Dunwich Horror sees the naive Nancy give Wilbur a ride to his family estate where she is drugged by him. Armitage and Nancy’s friend Elizabeth (Donna Baccala) arrive the next morning to try unsuccessfully to convince her to leave the estate.
Armitage and Nancy work to uncover a sinister plot that reveals that Wilbur’s twin, thought to have been stillborn, is alive and well and living in captivity in the family estate.
After accidentally letting Wilbur’s twin loose, the deformed creature goes on a killing spree as Wilbur prepares to use an ancient ritual to sacrifice an unwitting Nancy to a series of old gods that are the subject of the Necronomicon.
More Faithful To The Source Material
While two films inspired by Lovecraft’s works were produced before The Dunwich Horror landed in theaters in 1970, the Daniel Haller film is regarded by film historians to be the first true-to-life adaptation of the late horror author’s tales of terror.
The Haunted Palace (1963) and Die, Monster, Die (1965), while great horror films, were little more than loosely inspired by the Lovecraft works The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Colour Out of Space, respectively.
The Dunwich Horror followed the source material almost entirely, with some minor alterations surrounding a handful of its characters.
Stream It Now
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The Dunwich Horror‘s sets and special effects deserve much praise, often equaling the acting that elevated this film to be one of the best genre films from its era. It’s by far at the top of the list for any of the 40+ Lovecraft film adaptations, mostly due to its high-level production value, meticulous attention to details, and great performances from Stockwell, Dee, and Begley.
You can stream The Dunwich Horror for free with Tubi.
