Color Out of Space (2019)
Directed by Richard Stanley
Starring Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine Arthur, Brenden Meyer, Julian Hilliard, Tommy Chong, Elliot Knight

Like many horror movie fans, my first introduction to the works of H.P. Lovecraft was from film and TV adaptations, most likely from an episode of Night Gallery, even though at the time I had no idea where the story originally came from. That would come many years later. I think the first feature film based on his work that I remember seeing was the 1965 film Die, Monster, Die!, directed by Daniel Haller. Again, even though I had no idea who Lovecraft was, let alone that this was based on his work, I do remember the “zoo in hell” sequence scared the crap out of me as a kid! This film happens to be based on the same short story that this new movie is based on, The Colour Out of Space, which was first published in the Sept. issue of Amazing Stories, in 1927. And while this latest version doesn’t have a zoo, there is plenty of images within to give one nightmares.

I can remember seeing Hardware in the theaters in 1990 and being blown away by the look and feel of it. His use of colors even then, combined with loud music, flashes of lights, and bizarre characters, gave us a look of an apocalyptic future that seemed too real. Two years later, we got his second feature, Dust Devil (1992), though it did take a few years to get to see the uncut version of it, but again, it showed this amazing talent. Then came the Island incident happened and we lost an incredible visionary. There is a whole documentary on this subject so I won’t go into here, but the light at the end of this tunnel is Richard Stanley has returned to directing a feature film. Not only given us another picture, but has done the difficult task is adapting H.P. Lovecraft to the screen, and does it exceptionally well.

Lovecraft tended to write about things that would drive one mad if witnessed, not really going into a lot of details or descriptions, letting the reader do that on their own. But Stanley does a wonderful job capturing the feel of Lovecraft, showing us some visuals, but not going too overboard. There is even a scene when Cage is trying to describe the colors from the meteor but can’t seem to find the specific color word for it.

Cage plays the father of three kids, who lives on a farm outside of Arkham with this wife who is recovering from cancer. Getting away from the city, living in the peacefulness of the area (though their two older kids don’t seem to be enjoying it as much), they think they have found their paradise. And then a meteor hits in their front yard, which slowly starts to transform things around it. Strange plants start to grow. The vegetables in their garden start to grow larger than normal, though all have a bad taste to them. But it also starts to affect the animals as well. And then the family too.

That is as much of the story I will to go into because you need to see this film and you need to see it in the theater if at all possible. The look of this is just incredible, really filling the screen with a color palette that would almost have Lovecraft raising from his grave and say “That’s it!” While I tend to think Cage goes a wee bit overboard in his latest films, which he does here as well a few times, he still does a good job as a man just trying to keep his family together and safe. Joely Richardson plays his wife, who gives one hell of a performance, especially what she goes through here. As a parent, having to watch children, even teenage ones, in peril, can be a tough watch, and Stanley plays it out exceptionally well, with great performances by Madeleine Arthur, Brenden Meyer, and especially the young Julian Hilliard. And a huge shout out to Tommy Chong that yes, while he is perfectly cast as a hippie living in the woods, he actually gives a brilliant performance here. Who would have thought?

I’m thrilled to see Stanley back in the director’s chair and can only hope that this is the first step in a long line of new features from him. It is rare to have a director to have an incredible vision and be able to successfully translate it to the screen. Stanley is one of them and one that we thought we’d lost. But he has returned, which is why us fans need to show our support by going to see this in the theater if we can, pre-order the Blu-ray, write your reviews, post your opinions, and make sure everyone knows just how great this film is.

The film opens on January 24th, so please do what you can to show your support for this film and its creators!