Director: Stuart Gordon
Studio: Lions Gate
This movie is based on the short story "Dagon" written by Howard Phillips Lovecraft in 1917...of course this adaptation has been modernized, although the key vision intended for the story remains prevalent throughout. The budget on this film was none too extravagant but I will back the film up with a nod for a job well done considering meager funding. The story starts out with two couples on a sailboat, out for a day of sun and laptop-brandishing stock exchange inquiries. A storm suddenly rolls in from behind a small fishing village close-by on shore and the schooner is tossed into a random monolithic rock in the middle of the ocean. A woman is trapped below deck with her leg pinned through a hole betwixt the rock and the side of the boat (which is now filling with water.) Her beau, (the captain) will not leave his ship to dinghy over to the village to seek medical aid for his bleeding wife, so the other couple retires to do so.
Upon arrival at the village, the initial perception of the inhabitants there is a creepy "there's something not quite right with these bug-eyed mutants" sort of way. In a nutshell, Ezra (played by Paul Marsh) and Bárbara (played by Raquel Meroño) land on shore, skulking and bandit-masked villagers give them the willies, Bárbara gets separated from Ezra, Ezra finds himself chased by cultist fish-men, ultimately leading him into a room in a dilapidated Victorian mansion...where he is then seduced by the beautiful Uxía Cambarro (Macarena Gómez), only to find out that she has tentacles where legs were thought to reside beneath the sheets.
Ezra flees the mansion and comes to the realization that the locals have a penchant for skinning outsiders and wearing them. The strange octo-lady turns out to be the High Priestess for the cult of Dagon (sea-deity extraordinaire) and Ezra finds out that Captain Courageous; who stayed on the boat, has since perished and his woman with the trapped leg; who has since become an amputee, has apparently been forcibly impregnated by the fish god, himself. Her demise quickly follows suit in a "if I am to die, I will take the fish-baby to hell with me", self-inflicted disembowelment. Ezra then becomes separated from Bárbara amidst the streets of fish-towne...still trailed by the leg-dragging, lung gurgling Gorton's Fisherman-types again...finds Bárbara in an underground catacomb, dangling over a water-filled pit, surrounded by human-flesh-wearing-fish-cultists in a Dagonic ceremony being led by Squid Legged Hussy #1, Uxia. Ezra douses worshipers in gasoline, sets them ablaze and is soon led into dialogue from the Priestess, that reveals that she and him are born of the same Father, that they are both kin and lovers to be destined.
Bárbara is dropped into the pit (containing Dagon) and is instantaneously impregnated by him. Ezra pulls Bárbara out of the pit, only to have Dagon spring forth and snatch her, leaving nothing but hands and forearms dangling by chains. Ezra cries out (in a very Shatner-esque "KHAAAAAANN!" sort of way) and subsequently douses himself in gasoline to let Squid Lady know that he'd rather die than be betrothed to her. He then sets himself on fire...but is tackled by The Priestess, the two tumbling into the pit, putting out the flames. Ezra opens his eyes underwater, has third degree burns about 95% of his body, but notices that new found gills permit him to breathe in the water. He makes eye contact with squid girl, then swims after her into the darkness, and the credits roll. A touching tale of Love and Honor.
Mike's Thoughts:
The atmosphere in this movie is really it's saving grace. The archaic fishing village was believably creepy. The acting was not terrible. All in all, I liked this one. I'm a Lovecraft whore, so my opinion may be biased, but I CAN say that I do recommend it. Just give yourself the grace to not enter in taking it too seriously.
Look For:
Gnarly skinning scene...fans of any of the Hellraiser movies be vigilant.
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