Directed by: Richard Stanley
Notable cast: Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine
Arthur, Tommy Chong
Famous horror author, and extremely racist even for a turn
of the century American man, HP Lovecraft was disappointed by the lack of the
truly alien in horror and was inspired to write what is arguably his most
famous story, The Colour Out Of Space. His most adapted work, it has
been made into movies as disparate as Die, Monster, Die! and Die Farbe
(The Color) and even directly inspired the Stephen King novel, Tommyknockers.
What is it about this story that’s made it work for so long and adapt so
well? Lovecraft’s stated goal: a truly alien threat.
A family farm is struck by a meteor that defies the laws of
physics and radiates a bright otherworldly color. Soon the crops all begin to
grow large and grotesque, tasting horrible, while animals start to become
aggressive and mutate, and the family all slowly starts to go insane… all while
implying that something intelligent, or at least conscious has taken up
residence in the well. That’s the book’s basic set up, and from that spins this
new take on Color Out Of Space, Richard Stanley’s first major film since
his famous replacement on the ill-fated but fascinating dumpster fire The
Isle Of Doctor Moreau. He further challenges himself by casting Nicolas
Cage as the lead. A brief aside, I’ve always been of the belief that you don’t
cast Nic Cage in a movie, you unleash him on a movie and if that movie is
strong enough, he’ll improve it exponentially. If not… well, we’ve all seen the
supercuts. I am happy to report, in this instance, Cage is an extremely welcome
addition.