bowmanblue 'Dagon' is one of those films where I watch and yet still can't really make up my mind about. I didn't hate it. It has its good points, yet overall there didn't really seem like there was enough story to flesh it out (even to its quite average ninety minute runtime).It's about an American couple whose boat gets shipwrecked off a remote Spanish island. When they get to shore they find the locals are hardly the hospitable types. It kind of reminded me of 'The Wicker Man,' i.e. outsiders who are up against the whole of a town.My main problem with the film was that very little happens. Once the couple arrive on the island, they're quickly separated and we're left with just the man. Pretty much the whole of the middle part of the film is him being chased from one dark and creepy location to the next. He's all on his own and doesn't really have anyone to interact with, therefore we don't really get to know him that well and know that he's going to make it out of each area, simply because the film would end if he didn't. He does meet one local, but the old man talks with such a strong accent I actually had to put the subtitles on to understand him! Seriously, if you were watching Dagon on DVD, you could skip a few chapters in the middle and you wouldn't miss anything 'story-wise,' just a few creepy scenes here and there. The atmosphere is one of the plus points. The story is nicely creepy and the monsters are well done. It's just a pity not much happens for the majority of the movie.The last act is a bit more dramatic and they've saved some of the best gore for last, but it's too little too late to turn what could have elevated an okay film to a really classic one. Bottom line, it's okay, but because there's so little story, I probably wouldn't watch it again because I can remember everything about it.

begob 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.

princeps-suspiriorum A well acted little flick that manages to update its source material for the modern day while staying true to its core, Dagon is nevertheless let down by a script that vacillates for too long between Re-Animator style dark comedy and taking itself seriously. This becomes especially problematic as the film heads towards its climax, which feels mean-spirited and lazily resolved. Still, as Lovecraft adaptations go, Dagon remains one of the better ones, and it makes good use of its modest budget to provide a plethora of weird and entertaining visuals.Despite its uneven script, the movie remains enjoyable for most of its running time thanks to the efforts of the cast. However, it's definitely not for everyone, as the climax veers towards uncomfortable and poorly treated sexual violence.

Zettelhead Dagon is the closest Brian Yuzna ever got to Lovecraft - and that is still quite far away from getting near to it. Yuznas movies have never been anything else than cheap splatter and horror with some vague plots of Lovecrafts stories. There is no feeling of real deep horror, no atmosphere, no madness in it, just a lot of blood, skinned corpses, naked boobs, plastic tentacles, dated computer animation and the like, combined with interior settings reminding me of "Xena". If you want the real feeling of fear and alienation look out for "Cthulhu", if you want authentic Lovecraftian myths look out for the productions of the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society - and forget about Yuzna. Well, still the Spanish city really has a great atmosphere and Raquel Merono is not only a great actor but looks terrific. That makes it two stars instead of one..