Writer/director Richard Stanley has long been a cult favorite. Especially in genre circles. Hardware (1990), Dust Devil (1992), Replace (2017), and so on. Word on the street says he’s finally going to be able to release a project he’s always wanted to do… adapting an H.P. Lovecraft story for the silver screen.
It’s a feat many of tried and most have failed. This time, however, it’s possible “the stars are right” and we might see something special.
Maybe.
Richard Stanley’s Color Out of Space (2019) stars Nicolas Cage fresh from last year’s crowd pleaser, Mandy (2018), and Joely Richardson [Event Horizon (1997)] as Nathan and Theresa Gardner. The Gardner family have recently moved to grandpa’s old farm homestead. They’re just getting settled when a meteor slams into their front yard. And according to online sources…
The mysterious aerolite seems to melt into the earth, infecting both the land and the properties of space-time with a strange, otherworldly color. To their horror, the Gardner family discover that this alien force is gradually mutating every life form that it touches… including them.
From that, those familiar with the original Lovecraft short story “The Colour Out of Space” (1927) can already tell some changes have been made in bringing the story to the screen. For those unfamiliar with the source material…
An unnamed narrator pieces together the story of an area known by the locals as the “blasted heath” in the wild hills west of Arkham, Massachusetts. The narrator discovers that many years ago a meteorite crashed there, draining the life force from anything living nearby; vegetation grows large, but tasteless, animals are driven mad and deformed into grotesque shapes, and the people go insane or die one by one.
Courtesy of The H.P. Lovecraft Wiki
Will the change in timeline be a big deal? We’ll get to find out soon!
The Color Out of Space is nearly done with post-production. Film editor Brett W. Bachman — who also edited Mandy (2018) and Daniel Isn’t Real (2019) — is putting the finishing touches in place to get this new project ready for its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this September. And, for those of our numerous Northwest fans, Richard Stanley will be on hand to promote his film at The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival which is happening this October 4-6. (Also, congratulations to our friends Gwen and Brian Callahan for getting Mr. Stanley to attend!)
Will this be yet another in a long series of tried-and-failed Lovecraft story adaptations? Or will it buck the odds and, possibly, light the way for a renaissance of Lovecraftian goodness? Let us know what you think!
For now, I’ll leave you with a quote from Richard Stanley and keep all of my fingers firmly crossed.
There needs to be a scary Lovecraft movie. I want to make a bad trip film and The Colour Out Of Space definitely has what it takes to be a very, very bad trip indeed…
RIchard Stanley, 2014
