After Innsmouth, we entered the EOD Center, a hub for vendors, Lovecraft games, and the place where the many panels and discussions took place throughout the weekend. From there, we went across the street to the Theatre proper. For those unfamiliar, the Hollywood Theatre is a fully restored 1920s style theatre. It is a non-profit that features Indie [no, not Indiana Jones, sadly…] films year-round. Concessions are sold at a very fair price, and the theatre does have many beers available, in bottles and on tap. They also have a partnership with Sizzle Pie, the pizza place next door. You can order a pizza at the concessions stand and pick up your slice at the little window connecting the theatre and the restaurant. As we entered the theatre, we were greeted by Pickman’s model, a huge sculpture of the disturbingly horrific creature from Lovecraft’s tale. Because the Hollywood Theatre has 3 screens, the festival runs a schedule simultaneously for all 3 screens, rotating some popular films throughout the weekend. I highly recommend you map out your desired schedule ahead of time, and know which screen to go to within each 2-hour block. If you don’t plan ahead, you risk the show filling to capacity and you may not catch a movie or block you may have deeply desired to experience. The best way to do this is to pick up a free copy of the “Daily Lurker”, a newspaper distributed every year for the festival. It has a complete schedule of everything happening over the weekend and a description of all panels and movies being presented.

We decided to start our journey with a short film block. I must confess that this year overwhelmingly surprised me with the quality of the films. The block was filled with gems: The Music of Eric Zann, Corpse, Night Crawl, Ens Rationis, Tome Alone, and Aurora, all exceeded expectations. Zann was a very stylistic film depicting the Lovecraft story of the same name. Corpse was a creepy tale of a couple who come to visit an old friend and find he has aligned himself with hyper-religious people who may have some sinister secrets. Night Crawl weaved a tale of two inmates in a prison who have been digging an escape tunnel every night for years, only to realize their tunnel has unleashed a horrifying secret buried deep below the prison. Ens Rationis, a melancholy tale about getting a second chance at life, but at a tremendous cost. Tome Alone was a tongue in cheek film about two brothers left alone for an hour by their father, who warns them not to read his book. Of course the boys immediately do so, to hilarious repricussions. Finally, Aurora told the story of the leaders of an 1800s western American town, who have found the body of an extraterrestial humanoid, the implications it creates about their existence, and the decisions they have to make about their discovery.

After the shorts block on Friday night, we decided to catch the second showing of Richard Stanley’s “Color Out of Space”, starring Nicholas Cage. The movie felt like a roller-coaster ride. The pacing was good and the acting was top notch. Nick Cage was clearly having a lot of fun in the role and put on a performance that showcased his strengths as an actor. The special effects and direction of the story exceeded my expectations, and the climax was so enthralling I couldn’t even blink. When we walked out of the theatre, my wife and I looked at each other in disbelief of what we had just watched. The only criticism I had with the movie was the ending (which I won’t spoil here), as I felt it took away quite a bit from the original story and minimized the implications of the arrival of the Colour.