The Call Of Cthulhu

The key element in telling a tale of psychological horror is to bind the audience into the drama as tightly as possible. Unfortunately, this H.P. Lovecraft adaption threatens to share its pain and anguish, but never quite connects.

Admittedly, this is not all Michael Sabbaton’s fault. Sloppy technical work is partly to blame for constant breaks in the emotional link. A climactic gunshot rings out slightly too late and an anachronistic synthesiser invades the 1920s setting.

Playing a string of men who encounter the malevolent god, Cthulhu, Sabbaton portrays their descents into madness well, but doesn’t always succeed in making the characters captivating; it is often hard to care about their fates.