An appreciation by Bob Ignizio
Russ (Jason Cottle) is a college
professor who left the small town where he grew up in part because
his family didn't approve of his homosexuality. He hasn’t been
back home in years, but when his mother dies he returns for the
funeral. Russ’ father, Reverend Marsh (Dennis Kleinsmith), still
holds out hope that his son will switch teams and give him an heir.
Russ and his dad have more than just the usual coming out issues to
work through, though. The religious sect Reverend Marsh leads, The
Esoteric Order of Dagon, worships a strange alien deity named Cthulhu
and is more than a little on the cultish side.
As Russ waits around for the reading of
his mother’s will, he reconnects with his old friend Mike (Scott
Green). The two did some sexual experimenting as kids, and although
Mike is now married with children, a remnant of the old spark
remains. But relationship issues get put on the back burner as Russ
begins investigating the mysterious disappearances and other weird
occurrences in town.
CTHULHU
is inspired by the short stories of H. P. Lovecraft, in particular
The Shadow Over Insmouth. Director/co-writer Dan Gildark does
a good job bringing the sense of dread that permeates Lovecraft’s
tales to the screen, both in the look of his film and with little
background touches like the TV and radio broadcasts reporting on a
world falling into chaos.
The gay aspect of the story, something
Lovecraft would never have touched on, is nonetheless integrated
well. This is not a “gay” movie. It’s just a movie whose main
character happens to be gay. To be sure there is a subtext about how
some gay people have to make a painful choice between family or being
true to themselves, but only for those viewers who care to look
beneath the surface.
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