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“Don’t take this too seriously, we didn’t.”

Those were the first words out of Devin McGinn(writer, producer and actor) who brought about the creation of the film The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu.

For those of you unfamiliar with any of the mythology of Cthulhu, I’ll break it down for you. There was an author by the name of H.P. Lovecraft who specialized in the ideas of the dark, twisted and supernatural. Specifically the old god Cthulhu who is supposed to bring about the end of days. Typical giant scary monster being story arch. So what does The Last Lovecraft bring to the table that’s any different? It combines that mythology, with outrageous comedy, dark situations, and an enjoyable viewing experience.

Taking place in present day California (one would assume) a pair of guys who seemingly despise one another is set forth on the task to guard an ancient relic of Cthulu from the dark forces that wish to resurrect him. Very simple LOTR storyline here, they attempt to bring about this “you are the chosen one deal” but it putters out after a few short jokes about who knocks on a door. After being entrusted with this quest they seek out help from two other unlikely men. An extremely awkward nerdy guy that can only be described to as a nerdier version of Allen from The Hangover, and an old Captain(who was the best part of the film) in order to protect the relic.

Of course there are minions and of course there are varying troubles along the way to safety but all in all it never seems like the troupe hits any real danger. This is a big problem. While I can understand the idea that this is a quirky comedy horror film, it had a low budget and was shot in 21 days(I can’t believe it either) that’s no excuse for not building up a little bit of suspense in the mix. That aside there are only a few other problems with the film.

The main character, Jeff, supposedly the last descendant of H.P. Lovecraft is unlikeable to the most obnoxious level. He treats his friends like garbage and seems like a much whinier Frodo Baggins. His little quips that were supposed to garner laughs from the audience were met with mostly crickets, while it was all carried on the humorous backs of Paul and Charlie.

Lastly, and this was the worst thing out of them all, was the dialogue. I understand how modern people speak but let’s be realistic. Not everyone drops an f-bomb every other word. I appreciate the attempt at realism and at times the use of the word was hilarious and fit really well with the situation, but the writer really didn’t need to have over fifty (and no I’m not exaggerating) f-bombs throughout the entire film. Not to mention the other expletives.

Overall the film is good though. I know it seemed like I was being knit picky I’m just dissecting it for your pleasure. Was it worth going to see? Of course, it was your classic 80’s horror movie with really bad CGI but awesome make-up(props to that crew by the way it looked incredible). Cheesy dialogue a plenty, hilarious characters and outrageous situations really help make The Last Lovecraft an enjoyable movie over all. As for a sequel(yes the film ends on a cliffhanger) there are hints at the possibility of a trilogy depending on how well this film does. And considering it’s $180,000 budget on 21 days of shooting, I feel like it has a good chance of being picked up somewhere along the line. Let’s just hope Cthulhu doesn’t awaken and enslave humanity before then.

The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu hits shelves February 15th