THE PREAMBLE: This is easily the biggest movie disappointment I've experienced in a very long time.  Being a big fan of both Lovecraft's works and Jeffrey Combs' performances, I was looking forward to this film.  Basically, if it's Lovecraftian or has Jeffrey Combs in it (and often times the two are inseparable), I want to see it.  And with the trailer looking as promising as it did... well, I was set up for disappointment.

THE AMBLE: I'm not sure what the film industry has against making a faithful adaptation of Lovecraft's work, but many a Lovecraft inspired movie just refuses to follow the original plot.  Such is the case with The Dunwich Horror.  Dr Henry Armitage (played by Dean Stockwell) is no longer a simple professor embroiled in twisted circumstances, he is now a regular ghostbuster, exorcising demons and actively fighting the powers of the old gods.  He can even shoot lightning from his fingertips:  an extraordinary power that is never explained.  His partner is the beautiful Fay Morgan (Sarah Lieving).  You may recall from the original short story that Morgan, along with Rice, was a colleague of Dr Armitage, and assisted in putting an end to the Dunwich Horror.  I certainly wouldn't mind the film makers taking the liberty of turning professor Morgan into a woman, but unless Miskatonic has a habit of taking on professors based on bra size, Lieving is too young to play the role of a university professor.  It seems to me the casting choice was made for simple T&A, and to introduce the romantic subplot between she and Dr Rice.  What's that?  You don't remember some cheesy romantic subplot in Lovecraft's story?  Well, you wouldn't.  Dr Rice (played by Griff Furst.  Seriously, that's his name) is a skeptical colleague who has a steamy past with Dr Morgan.  He doesn't believe that the world is being invaded by a race of elder gods, and is constantly made to appear as a cold, faithless, fool just because he has some common sense.

The characters are trite and poorly developed.  The acting is reasonable (though both Lieving and Griff Furst have a couple shaky scenes) but the writing is so flat that no actor could carry it along to bring their character to life while still sticking to the script.  Even Combs can't get the intriguing character of Wilbur Whateley to come to life, I'm sorry to say.  This is due in no small part to a couple of factors.  First, the character of Wilbur Whateley is simply not central enough.  There aren't that many scenes with him, especially compared next to all the screen time given to the absurd adventures shared between Morgan and Rice.  Considering how he is the major focus in the short story, and they cast the brilliant Combs in this role, I can't understand why he takes a backseat.  The second problem comes in because someone decided to give Wilbur Whateley the mind of a 10 year old boy.  Combs does a good job of playing a grown man with the mind of a child, but the concept itself makes the character dull and listless.  Wilbur is not supposed to be some simple, inbred hick; he is the spawn of an unholy union between a mortal woman and an old god.  Lovecraft wrote him to be highly advanced both physically and mentally.  It's as if the screenwriter just skimmed the character section of some cliffnotes before coming up with these perversions.

All in all, this movie is so mediocre because of the writing; be it the empty dialogue, poorly constructed characters, or shifty interpretation of the plot.  Everything else about this movie, while not exceptional, is quite passable, and this could have been a fun horror movie in the Lovecraftian vein.  Note that I've cited numerous examples of this film's deviation from the original story, but make no mistake, I don't look down on this movie because it isn't canon enough for my taste.  I've yet to see a faithful Lovecraft inspired film, and I doubt I ever will.  I merely point out the differences here when the changes draws away from the film.  If the film makers wished to take liberties with the story that added to the film, or just took it down a different, but enticing path, I'd be quite accepting.  Sadly, this movie probably isn't worth your time unless you're a die hard Lovecraft or Jeffrey Combs fan, and even then, I'd only suggest you see it just to add that extra notch of exposure to your repertoire.  I think it's unlikely you'll actually enjoy it.