I'm a big Lovecraft fan, trouble is very few movies based on his works are even remotely loyal and this right here isn't either.In fact the movie has absolutely nothing to do with Cthulhu, at all! A gang take the wrong people hostage and all hell breaks lose, nothing original here but nothing too offensive or clichéd either.Sadly the movie falls apart at the end which is a shame because with a decent finale it wouldn't have been "That" bad.I was astounded how low it's IMDb rating was and can confidently say it doesn't deserve it. It's not great, but it isn't terrible either.If you want a decent movie based on Lovecrafts works then, well you're kind of out of luck as I'm not sure I've seen one. Necronomican (1993) isn't awful I suppose.If I were to make a Cthulhu movie you know what I'd have in it? CTHULHU! I'd make him all big and scary and resist the urge to use his tentacles inappropriately! I've watched a bit too much Japanese anime lately, if they ever make a Cthulhu movie it'll involve school girls and a definite R rating.

I read somewhere that this movie had nothing to do with H.P. Lovecraft, but was given its title solely in the hopes of attracting viewers. Because there's nothing about the movie itself that would attract viewers. I'm not a fan of the "so bad it's good" idea, it's just a mask for people who can't admit to liking lowbrow or low-budget movies. But this movie isn't "lowbrow", it's just bad. It's got no acting and no thrills, and possibly may be the only movie I've seen about which I didn't like anything at all. One of the very worst I've seen, and far worse than any of the films I've seen that turn up on the IMDb "Bottom 100" list. This is not even one you'd watch for curiosity's sake.

Following a drug deal at a carnival gone bad, a gang takes magician Chandu (Frank Finley) and his daughter hostage. They all head to his creepy Cthulhu (the only Lovecraft connection) Manor where strange things start to happen. Perhaps needing a break from the seriousness of CTHULHU (2007), I revisited this cheesy flick that has nothing to do with H.P. Lovecraft stories outside of Lovecraft adaptations being all the rage in the late 80s. Director J.P. Simon, sadly, makes a film that lacks the charm and insanity of his earlier PIECES or SLUGS. There are a few funny moments though (watch for a gun changing from scene to scene). The whole gang gets it in a variety of bizarre ways including death by monster in the fridge, a blood spewing shower, killer ivy and flying cutlery. The end demon is dispelled by literally turning his upside down cross right side up. Finley hit an all-time low here and Melanie Shatner is one of the gang kids.

This is without a doubt, the worst movie I've ever seen. Back in my Lovecraft-freakish days, I would scour video stores for every Lovecraft based film I could find. Oh, I rue the day I stumbled upon this one. Horrible plot, worse acting, and just plain bad production values abound in this film. however, I gave it a two because of one moment of HPL-inspired brilliance. If you've seen the film, you know what I'm talking about; if you haven't, it's not worth sitting through the whole film just to see this one bit.