Lovecraft fans be warned – DAGON is a very loose adaptation of his Shadow Over Innsmouth, changing much of the action and containing little of the atmosphere that Lovecraft painstakingly created in his works. Saying that, this is a very atypical movie which makes great use of Lovecraft's themes and ideas, but bizarrely alternates between scenes of pure horror and other moments of outright comedy. The mixture is uneven but the result is worth a look; an action-packed and eventful thrill-ride of a film with great costumes and make-ups and a fantastic setting. The setting (despite its relocation to Spain) is one thing that director Stuart Gordon and his associates got exactly right and they deserve praise for their efforts.Not everything about this film is good. The extremely spooky and weird inhabitants of the town are incredibly played for laughs instead of menace – the result is weird but the audience's reaction mixed. At least Gordon works in a sense of uneasiness into the characters – especially the creepy hotel clerk played by veteran performer Jose Ruiz Lifante (THE DEVIL'S KISS), who steals the show in his cameo appearance. It's great to see Lifante back on screen after his appearance two decades previously in such classics as THE LIVING DEAD AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE and his presence is a lovely touch. Also appearing is veteran Spanish actor Francisco Rabal, who sadly died shortly after production. Unfortunately for the viewer, his poor English makes it hard to understand a word of what his character says, which is doubly unfortunate as he is the guy who explains the plot to us! It doesn't really matter, because this film's script isn't a strong point. What is strong is the visual impact, from the scenery and the effects. There are some strong scenes of gore and gruesomeness which are pretty hard-hitting, including a totally surprising face-pull which pushes the boundaries of good taste to the limit. Unfortunately the creature effects (created by CGI) are less even and rather laughable in places, but work if you're in a kind mood. The film ups the exploitation value by including a fair amount of female nudity, especially prominent in the ritual sequence which ends the film on a high.The acting ranges from okay to good in the most part. Lead Ezra Godden actually starts off pretty bad and wooden as the film progresses, but as the danger increases he comes into his own and makes an impact as the hero. The basic template of the film is all action, a big long chase scene, which has its strengths and weaknesses. A strength is the driving suspense and excitement in some sequences – the attack in the hotel is devastatingly effective, for instance. Unfortunately such attacks soon become fairly repetitive, lacking the drive that made the film so gripping initially. Thankfully things pick up for a strong finale and are heightened by an effectively spooky score. Generally this is an uneven movie but one definitely worth a look for Lovecraft followers, as it's a lot closer to his spirit than many other so-called adaptations.

This was recommended to me by a friend, otherwise I would never have found this great nugget.A distressed couple end up on a remote seaside village where it is immediately apparent something fishy is going.This is based on Lovecraft so therefore has a certain tone and pace to it. The film is essentially a chase movie but compared to modern movies it may seem a bit tame - do not expect exploding oil tankers or roundhouse kicks.There is a real Hammer House feel to the film from the relaxed pace to the mysterious yarn spinning hobo to the scattering of topless beauties.Some of the CGI is a little ropey in places but the horror scenes are affective and well managed, most importantly the overall feel is perfect.If you need lots of action to hold your attention this may not be for you. But if you are a Cthulhu fan, have a bit of patience and imagination this is a great movie.

Not a fan of Cthulhu, but this engaged me by the end.But ... who cast that idiot as the lead? To be fair to the actor the early part of the film was poorly written, and he did have to carry most of the awful dialogue. Almost all of it reaction stuff, with loads of questions: Over here! Which way? C'mon! What the hell? Some actors don't need to say a word in those situations.The first scene in particular made me hate him, and I was tempted to give up. By the time we reached the house he'd settled down, and became an action man once he'd lost the irritating glasses - "I'm being chased, so I think I'll pause to push up my specs." Anyway, he was acted off the screen by the old exposition chap with the gravelly voice (RIP).The sound and movement of the fishumans was great. But the full length shots of Barbara were a bit coy, especially when she was hauled out of the pit - could have had an amazing silhouette there. I did get a good laugh out of the dangling arms.Overall it starts out cheap and nasty, but ends up camp and enjoyable.

I have just watched this film for the second time, so that means I like it, enough to buy the DVD. There are so many big-budget and even-bigger-budget films out there that are utter rubbish, insult the viewers' intelligence and waste their time & money. Its a genuine pleasure to see this small budget production, and a Spanish one at that, showing the big boys a thing or two. I agree with a previous poster's comments about Hollywood being too scared to touch this material, which is a real tragedy. Such imaginative writing deserves the bigger budget treatment. Firstly I am a real fan of H.P.Lovecraft's work and to best appreciate the film, you'd probably be well advised to read some of his work, particularly in this case, "Shadow over Innsmouth" and "Dagon", both in the excellent volume: "Necronomicon". Lovecraft's writing has a claustrophobic, nightmarish and dreadful feel and the film captures these attributes admirably. The film spends a lot of time in pursuit of the "hero" by nightmarish creatures who, alone would pose but a slight threat. Its their strength in numbers and perseverance that creates the real fear factor, and vain attempts to hide and subsequent discovery and flight are genuinely scary. Add in the constant rain and flooding, used to great effect in "Bladerunner" and "The Hitcher", the decrepit feel to the village and you have a superb backdrop to paint on the action. The actors may not be A-listers but they do a decent enough job and Macarena Gomez's countenance is striking. Special effects are also decent enough considering the budget, and there is a mild sexual undertone too which is in keeping with the popularity of more current productions like "Game of Thrones" and "Sparticus". There is one gory scene that in my opinion interrupts the progressive feel to the action. In summary I'd say another underrated low budget triumph, I would liken to the original "The Wicker Man". Watch it and I am confident you will have seen worse. In my opinion a lot worse.