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.

A man, his girlfriend and their two wealthy friends get caught in a storm off the coast of Spain. The man is forced to go to shore to seek help, but stumbles across a town with a legacy both dark and treacherous.

As I've said before, Stuart Gordon is the undisputed master of H. P. Lovecraft adaptations, this one coming from the short story "Dagon" and one other tale (to flesh it out). He captures the imagery perfectly -- the storms, the fear of the water, the importance of an arcane faith (without making it cheesy) and of course the tentacles.

The acting is quite good, especially from the star (who was also the star of "Dreams in the Witch House")... Ezra Godden, I believe his name is (forgive me if I'm wrong). He plays a much nerdier character than in "Dreams", so much so that I might not have even noticed it was the same actor. The other characters are also good. All of them. The bum, the girlfriend, the townsfolk... I have no complaints.

The scenery was very drab, and I mean that in a good way. It was a dirty, isolated town that really portrayed the feeling of helplessness. I read in another review that Gordon moved the story from New England to Spain to capture this feeling, as modern America really has no such place left. Spain seemed natural, and fit the theme perfectly. Besides, an ancient cult does tend to have more of a "European" rather than "American" flavor to it (unlike witches, which are right at home in America).

I really have to protest about the CGI in this film, though. Some scenes use amateur computer graphics, which come across looking cartoonish. This upsets me any time I see it in a film, but even more so with Stuart Gordon. I have seen what he can do with old fashioned makeup and special effects. I've been impressed. Why has he resorted to this technique? While I would say this is the least of the Gordon-Lovecraft films I've seen, it's still a fine job. It's probably the only film you'll ever watch where you find a fish attractive. Well, besides "The Little Mermaid", of course. Ariel's pretty dang sexy.

Uptight Paul Marsh (a fine and engaging performance by Ezra Godden) and his fiery girlfriend Barbara (delightfully played with spunky aplomb by the lovely Raquel Merono) seek refuge in a remote rundown village following a boating accident. The couple discover that the strange and unfriendly townspeople are harboring a horrifying ancient secret. Director Stuart Gordon, working from a sharp and literate script by frequent collaborator Dennis Paoli, relates the engrossing story at a steady, yet unhurried pace, does an expert job of creating and sustaining a creepy and unsettling atmosphere, and whips up one startling doozy of a surprise twist ending. Better still, the tone is uncompromisingly dark, grim and serious, with no silly obtrusive humor to detract from the severity of the full-bore in-your-face unflinching horror. Gordon and Paoli put a welcome and refreshing emphasis on flesh-crawling ooga-booga shivery mood over needless excessive gore (although we still get a truly nasty sequence with a bound man being skinned alive) and cheap scare tactics. Godden excels as the nerdy and bespectacled unconventional protagonist Paul; he receives sound support from Francisco Rabal as wise and helpful old man Ezequiel and Macarena Gomez as alluring high priestess Uxia Cambarro. The gnarly make-up f/x and strikingly grotesque humanoid monstrosities are every bit as icky and hideous as they ought to be. Carlos Saurez's cinematography gives the picture an effectively gloomy rainy look while Carlos Cases' spooky score does the shuddery trick. An excellent and worthwhile fright feature winner.