Albert Wilmarth (Matt Foyer) is a seeker after knowledge, and his collection of New England folklore receives a new twist when he recovers an old manuscript version of a book feared lost. The pages contain stories from natives and the descendants of settlers about the strange goings on in the region. It’s part of his academic research, but could it be more?
Famed collector of esoterica, Charles Fort (Andrew Leman), certainly thinks so. In the midst of a debate broadcast over live radio, that recent find of Wilmarth’s seems to agree with his own anti-intellectual claims about visitors from the stars and the truth found in strange, occult lore.
When George Akeley (Joe Sofranko) arrives to convince Albert to come to Vermont to witness evidence to some of the folklore the academic disbelieves, Albert is initially reluctant. Yes, he has been corresponding with a farmer from out that way, but Henry Akeley (Barry Lynch) seems out of touch with reality. Smart but harmlessly deranged.
However, the pressure mounts and only a sudden, shocking change in Henry Akeley’s demeanor (and increased skepticism) convinces Albert to take the trip, bringing all the “evidence” Akeley has sent confirming his Vermont land as a meeting ground for strange insect-like beings called Mi-go. That journey will reveal the darkness brooding in those wild hills, along with families living in fear of the night, and strange intruders who scuttle through the overgrowth or flit about in the dark skies. Albert Wilmarth is about to learn that some folklore is based on an uncomfortable truth. But can he stand against a conspiracy to see evil leaked into the world, or will he instead become another victim? Sean Branney helms a spirited adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft’s The Whisperer in Darkness (2011).
“The Whisperer in Darkness” is a creepy yarn about an academic who ventures out to rural Vermont and finds out the truth behind things he believed to be mere folklore. It’s a terrific example of Lovecraft’s skill in evoking mood and atmosphere, cosmic implications, as well as for delivering a punchy ending (something he was not necessarily known for but could accomplish nicely, as in “Pickman’s Model”).
However, that short story composes about the first hour or so of the picture, and the filmmakers remain surprisingly true to the yarn. In order to flesh this out to feature length, scenarists Branney and Leman have to make some expansions to the story. Some of these are found in the opening bit: we get a better sense of Wilmarth’s colleagues and backstory (including a lovely, pure cinema establishment of his deceased wife and daughter). As the story continues and finds Wilmarth witnessing cosmic horrors and the human beings aligned with them, the screen story delves into a dark adventure that Lovecraft purists will scoff at. It is an enjoyable exploration of the text, but it’s easy to imagine Lovecraft himself barfing tentacles at the liberties.
However, this dark adventure angle is in keeping both with the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society’s original radio play style dramas as well as the changing expectations from Call of Cthulhu game players (and fantasy fiction readers if we’re being honest). The academic who goes bonkers and proves his ineffectualness and mankind’s overall inconsequentiality is all well and good in a short story, but it doesn’t necessarily work well on a film level. The picture does offer plenty of examples of the cosmic horror school, but hope for mankind’s victory is maintained by necessity … though whether or not Wilmarth actually succeeds is something I would never think of spoiling. So, some Lovecraft/cosmic horror purists may scoff, but the rest of us can enjoy the wrinkles and twists Branney and Leman add in. They aren’t all successful, but the movie is certainly never boring.
What is impossible to pooh-pooh is the stylish execution. All of the love and care that went into the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society’s adaptation of Call of Cthulhu (2005) is evident here, as well. That earlier adaptation was designed to be a silent picture, and it works nicely. This picture resembles an early talkie, so one of the horror movies from the 1930s and 1940s. It’s easy to see some of the angles and scenario construction evident in things like The Black Cat (1934), The Cat and the Canary (1939) or The Cat Creeps (1946) behind some of the choices here. The photography is lovely and the interweaving of effects into the shots is terrific (though sometimes resulting in a lot of work on the post-production end, since the director and cinematographer Davey Robertson enjoy moving the camera).
The sound of the thing is lovely, as well. With a score from Troy Sterling Nyes that blends intrigue, chills, adventure, and big cosmic horror elements, it does the ultimate job of adding layers and context to the images. And it can also turn bombastic as the best of Les Baxter or John Williams.
Matt Foyer looks good as the academic protagonist. He has an expressive face that he uses to good effect and he brings both pathos and gravity to the role, qualities the Providence author was not necessarily any good at evoking in his characters. His performance is central to grounding the picture for audiences, and he does a fine job of it.
Daniel Kaemon has a lovely sense for playing a heel. His character, P. F. Noyes, is one of the human antagonists in the picture (no spoiler there, he all but radiates sleaze as soon as he appears) and he plays the role with a strong regional accent, a moustache twirl, and a gleeful twinkle in the eye.
Barry Lynch does a fine job as the titular whisperer and instigator of the drama. His voice is tweaked by some interesting post-production effects, lending him an off-putting quality that is part and parcel with the presentation in the prose story. He leaves a lasting impression though he does little more than sit and talk for much of his time on screen.
The HPLHS release includes most of the same features between the DVD and Blu-ray. There are deleted/extended scenes and commentary track as well as plenty of featurettes on the making of the picture. Sadly, the DVD includes a ton of subtitles and the Blu-ray includes not a single track (even English for the hearing impaired).
The Whisperer in Darkness is an entertaining entry in the canon of Lovecraft adaptations. While it has more adventure and thrills than we might expect from this particular story, such additions tend to add new elements to Lovecraft’s yarn instead of detracting from it. It’s a fun production, worth a watch. I was hoping the HPLHS would make new such flicks with some degree of regularity back in the day, but it’s been 13 years since this one appeared without another materializing. Unlike the fiction of Lovecraft, hopes springs eternal for another entry. What about one done in the Technicolor, high emotion of a Douglas Sirk picture? But what story would they adapt to such a medium?
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The Whisperer in Darkness is available in DVD and Blu-ray editions.
Next, we will take a look at Cynthia Rothrock’s 1990 action film, China O’Brien. It is available in DVD and 4K UHD/Blu-ray editions.
Writing for “Fear the Visitors from Dead Yuggoth: The Whisperer in Darkness (2011)” is copyright © 2024 by Daniel R. Robichaud.
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