# Cthulhu Movie? By JJ Abrahms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 8, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972 "2007-07-08T16:47:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/1 "2007-07-08T16:47:16Z")
If anyone saw Transformers over the weekend, they most likely saw a teaser trailer for an as yet untitled movie that is shot entirely through 1st person, using a consumer video camera. There’s [rumors](http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33238) it might just be a Lovecraft based story set today. I was pretty impressed by the teaser, and if the flick actually turns out to have that same perspective and tone all the way through, while based on Cthulhu… hot damn. But why do disasters of this sort, always happen to NY first, and not, say, Iowa? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/2 "2007-07-08T17:01:20Z")
The screenplay is credited to Drew Goddard without any “based upon” qualification so I think the Lovecraft rumors are unlikely to pan out. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/3 "2007-07-08T17:02:38Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] The screenplay is credited to Drew Goddard without any “based upon” qualification so I think the Lovecraft rumors are unlikely to pan out. [/QUOTE] Is Lovecraft still under copyright? ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/4 "2007-07-08T17:10:43Z")
Of course, if the screenplay did give Lovecraft credit at this stage of the marketing campaign, there’d be no mystery… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/5 "2007-07-08T17:17:23Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan] Is Lovecraft still under copyright? [/QUOTE] According to [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft#Intellectual_property), the copyright status is kind of murky but I would still be surprised if a movie were to use Lovecraft’s signature character (Cthulhu) without crediting him in any way. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/6 "2007-07-08T17:28:24Z")
Lovecraft is largely out of copyright. However, Cthulhu is a trademark of Chaosium and can’t be used without their consent. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/7 "2007-07-08T21:56:27Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan] Is Lovecraft still under copyright? [/QUOTE] Copyright or not Lovecraft should still get a credit if it’s based on his work. Even [Homer](http://akas.imdb.com/name/nm0392955/) is still getting movie credits. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/8 "2007-07-08T22:21:58Z")
hmmm… One of the working titles for the film is Clover. Can’t spell the first part of **Lovecr** aft without it. Coincidence? I think NOT! ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/9 "2007-07-08T22:38:07Z")
[Earlier Thread with speculation and questions.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=427573) ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/10 "2007-07-09T16:59:40Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan] Is Lovecraft still under copyright? [/QUOTE] Even if Lovecraft’s work is under copyright, he was known to be very free with the characters and ideas he created, actively encouraging fans & SF / fantasy writers to use the Old Ones in their stories, so I don’t think that would be any impediment to making a movie based upon his work. The big impediment is the fact that no one has ever made a ‘Lovecraft’ film well. Too often the mere idea of the Old Ones ‘inspires’ Hollywood hacks to churn out forulaic monster splatter flicks that are heavy on disembowlments and dismemberments, but completely miss Lovecraft’s sense of dread of the unknown, of the unfathomable mysteries of Things From Beyond This World. Either that, or they descend into dreary, incoherent psychedelia. Re: “From Beyond” or “the Dunwich Horror.” As to why New York City is always the target for such catastrophic attacks - it’s because it’s chock full of recognizable landmarks. No offense to Iowans, but if one of the Old Ones appeared there, it would be rampaging through mostly a lot of open flatlands and stripmalls. In NYC, you have lots of big buildings to trash dramatically. What would look better on the screen - Cthulhu destroying a dairy farm or the Empire State Building? ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/11 "2007-07-09T17:09:37Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] But why do disasters of this sort, always happen to NY first, and not, say, Iowa? [/QUOTE] Everyone complains when aliens land in front of some farmer in Iowa and not in NYC, and then they complain when NYC gets destroyed by aliens or monsters. Make up your minds! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/12 "2007-07-09T17:18:48Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman] The big impediment is the fact that no one has ever made a ‘Lovecraft’ film well. Too often the mere idea of the Old Ones ‘inspires’ Hollywood hacks to churn out forulaic monster splatter flicks that are heavy on disembowlments and dismemberments, but completely miss Lovecraft’s sense of dread of the unknown, of the unfathomable mysteries of Things From Beyond This World. [/QUOTE] Best recent entry: _Hellboy._ ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/13 "2007-07-09T21:44:51Z")
Shooting the film via a very eprsonal perspective could be good. The problem with most such monster movies is that monsters aren’t actually very impressive or scary. Frankly, an actual Cthuhlu would be an ugly waste of flesh, to be blown up by anyone with a bazooka. Same with pretyt mcuh all the Lovecraftian monsters. It was only the books’ esoteric writings and personal viewpoints that make them interesting or scary. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/14 "2007-07-09T21:54:43Z")
[QUOTE=smiling bandit] Shooting the film via a very eprsonal perspective could be good. The problem with most such monster movies is that monsters aren’t actually very impressive or scary. Frankly, an actual Cthuhlu would be an ugly waste of flesh, to be blown up by anyone with a bazooka. Same with pretyt mcuh all the Lovecraftian monsters. It was only the books’ esoteric writings and personal viewpoints that make them interesting or scary. [/QUOTE] Right. I mean, the whole POINT of Lovecraft’s creatures are that they are so horrible that to look at them is to go mad. How do you translate that to film? “They’re DOGS and they’re playing POKER! AHHHHHHHH!” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/15 "2007-07-09T22:03:58Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman] The big impediment is the fact that no one has ever made a ‘Lovecraft’ film well. [/QUOTE] _Quatermass and the Pit_ is an almost perfect Lovecraft movie, except for the fact that it has no direct connection to anything written by HP Lovecraft. But it absolutely nailed the themes and tone he was going for in stories like _At the Mountains of Madness_. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/16 "2007-07-09T22:11:09Z")
[In the Mouth of Madness](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113409/) is another good HPL movie that doesn’t specifically mention anything from the mythos. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/17 "2007-07-09T22:15:40Z")
[QUOTE=smiling bandit] Shooting the film via a very eprsonal perspective could be good. The problem with most such monster movies is that monsters aren’t actually very impressive or scary. Frankly, an actual Cthuhlu would be an ugly waste of flesh, to be blown up by anyone with a bazooka. Same with pretyt mcuh all the Lovecraftian monsters. It was only the books’ esoteric writings and personal viewpoints that make them interesting or scary. [/QUOTE] The same being true for **all** movie monsters. Except, one rarely has a bazooka, does one? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/18 "2007-07-09T22:28:41Z")
But the point is that, push come to shove, mot movie mosters are really just ugly=-looking animals. The Aliens from… _Aliens_ are really just a particularly nasty version of tigers. And tigers are only scary when you’re all on your own. Which is why so many movies come up with ridiculous scenarios or somehow disarms all the characters. It gets boring after a while. Even the Lovecraft monsters aren’t particularly frightening except that they’re mysterious. The “we’re so incredibly horrible that we cause instant madness!!!110” is just a leeeeetle unbelievable to me. But maybe I’m odd. Fact is, I just don’t find monsters terribly scary. I’d be the guy who grabs the wood axe and charges the monsters looking for a nice trophy to put on my wall. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/19 "2007-07-09T22:44:00Z")
[QUOTE=smiling bandit] I’d be the guy who grabs the wood axe and charges the monsters looking for a nice trophy to put on my wall. 😃 [/QUOTE] You’d be the guy who pees his knickers, & wails for Mummie. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972/20 "2007-07-09T23:40:12Z")
[QUOTE=smiling bandit] But the point is that, push come to shove, mot movie mosters are really just ugly=-looking animals. [/QUOTE] Good counterexample: Carpenter’s _The Thing._ The creature remains scary to the end because despite several up-close encounters you never really know what the hell the thing actually _is._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cthulhu-movie-by-jj-abrahms/410972.md?page=2)