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The Dunwich Horror (1970)


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    This drive in movie from AIP is an excellent example of good intentions gone bad.  AIP had made a ton of money on the Poe adaptations in the 60s so decided it was time to adapt the works of that other American horror master HP Lovecraft to film.  In this movie Dean Stockwell plays the mysterious Wilbur Whatley a creepy fellow who shows up on the campus of Miskatonic University asking to see their copy of the Necronomicon.  Along the way he meets a young woman named Nancy (portrayed by Sandra Dee) who is either a librarian or a grad assistant for the professor who has been using the book in his studies of the occult.  After being told by the professor that he cannot borrow the book to study it Wilbur Whatley decides to return home to Dunwich.  He discovers that he has “mistakenly” missed the last bus of the day so Nancy offers to drive him home.    Once he has Nancy at his home Wilbur manipulates her so that she stays with him and it becomes clear that he has some nefarious plans for her.  The rest of the film is the professor and the locals of Dunwich trying to figure out exactly what old Wilbur is up to.   

    This isn’t a bad film but it really doesn’t match up to the Poe films that AIP produced in the 60s. The film itself has that great 70s “cheese” vibe for it.  The music, psychedelic scenes, and great clothes all add up for a cool drive-in movie feel.  The cast is pretty good in the film, especially Dean Stockwell.  I found his portrayal to be very subtle and creepy.  Stockwell actually manages to make Wilbur a sympathetic villain thru much of the film, at least until the end where you figure out that he is trying to destroy all of humanity.  Sandra Dee is also pretty good as the virginal victim to all of Wilbur’s evil plans.  Oscar winner Ed Begley, who does a great job in this one of his last film appearances, plays the supporting role of the professor.  Watch for a pre-Rocky Talia Shire in the small role of the doctor’s nurse!  The fact that these actors do such a great job in spite of a bad script is just amazing to me.  The script is slow and plods along thru its runtime.  You will probably want to have the caffeinated beverage of your choice to avoid nodding off as it is that bad at times.  The movie is 90 minutes long and would be benefited by losing maybe 10-15 minutes of its runtime.  Even though the Dunwich Horror violates my golden rule of not boring me,there is a great vibe to the film and some good performances by the cast that really must be seen.  


Rating - **

John "El Juan" Shatzer