Dagon (2001)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

H.P. Lovecraft (short stories "Dagon" and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth")
Dennis Paoli (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 October 2001 (Spain)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, the undisputed master of the macabre, Dagon tells the story of Paul Marsh...

Plot Keywords:

Mermaid | Kicking | Person On Fire | Undressing Scene | Disturbing

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Ezra Godden	...	Paul Marsh
Francisco Rabal	...	Ezequiel
Raquel Meroño	...	Bárbara
Macarena Gómez	...	Uxía Cambarro
Brendan Price	...	Howard
Birgit Bofarull	...	Vicki
Uxía Blanco	...	Madre Ezequiel / Ezequiel's Mother
Ferran Lahoz	...	Sacerdote / Priest
Joan Minguell	...	Xavier Cambarro
Alfredo Villa	...	Capitán Orfeo Cambarro / Captain Orpheus Cambarro
José Lifante	...	Recepcionista Hotel / Desk Clerk
Javier Sandoval	...	Padre Ezequiel / Ezequiel's Father
Victor Barreira	...	Ezequiel Joven / Young Ezequiel
Fernando Gil	...	Sacerdote Católico / Catholic Priest
Jorge Luis Pérez	...	Chico / Boy

Also Known As:

Dagon - La secta del mar (Spain)
Dagon: Sect of the Sea
H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon (USA) (complete title)
The Lost Island (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore, sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime:

95 min | USA:98 min | Argentina:97 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

English | Galician | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Argentina:13 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 (cut) | Italy:VM14 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:R21 | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Combarro, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

Company:

Castelao Producciones

Trivia:

Is based on the story "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" By H.P. Lovecraft. The movie has been in various stages of production for well over 15 years.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Paul is the hotel room, he removes the door slide bolt from the dresser and puts it on the door. He only puts one screw on it and its also positioned awkwardly. In the next shoot, there are two screws on the slide bolt with it placed correctly on the door.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Eldritch Influence: The Life, Vision, and Phenomenon of H.P. Lovecraft (2003)

There's something fishy in Imboca!

Based on two short stories ("Dagon" and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth") by horror author H.P. Lovecraft, Dagon tells the story of Paul Marsh (Ezra Godden), who has just made a bundle of money from stocks. While vacationing on a small boat with his girlfriend, Barbara (Raquel Merono), and an older couple, they run into trouble off the coast of a seemingly deserted, small Spanish fishing town of Imboca. Paul and his Barbara make it to shore to look for help, but things turn from bad to worse as they discover the town's evil secrets.

This is director Stuart Gordon's third Lovecraft related film, after Re-Animator (1985) and From Beyond (1986). All were also at least co-produced by Brian Yuzna and co-written by Dennis Paoli. While I can't say Dagon is the best, it is just as good, finishing as a solid 10 out of 10 for me.

What really puts Dagon over the top early on is the incredible atmosphere that Gordon achieves from the beginning of the film. We see a prologue of sorts with Marsh diving beneath the ocean, coming across bizarre, creepy ruins, and finally running into a beautiful mermaid who just happens to have a set of shark teeth. This turns out to be a dream, but shortly after, it gets even better when our heroes spot the deserted Spanish town and the ominous weather that's quickly approaching.

By the time Paul begins exploring the spooky town, I wanted to spend an eternity there. It has all the atmosphere of Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's superb Delicatessen (1991), with the addition of creepy, freakish townspeople. The more we learn about everything, the more strange it becomes, until we're finally in the middle of a nightmare that seems like a melding of Federico Fellini, David Cronenberg and Frank Henenlotter--we get visceral horror, captivating dark fantasy, and beautiful surrealism. There couldn't be a much more exquisite mix for my tastes. Don't miss this one.