The Color Out Of Space

Wunderbar!
If you are enjoying the 'Mythoscope' retro-styled films of the HPLHS you will want to see DIE FARBE, a German adaption of THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE (as of course the gentleman from Providence would have insisted it spelt!).

Shot in sumptious B&W with a very competent cast and clever effects, Huan Vin shows that he is a talented director and writer that clearly understands HPL's vision of otherwordly horror that relies largely on suspense and concept rather than outright violence. In relocating the story to rural Germany the story loses very little from the original, and the inclusion of WW2 takes it into another direction entirely.

The first five minutes are a little poorly realized with some very noticeable green-screen that took me back to the Color Seperation Overlay technique of the 70s, but once the filming shifts to almost entirely location-work in the German countryside the production does not make a wrong step. It looks terrific with atmospheric locations...

AWKWARD START - BUT GREAT ADAPTATION.
I've recently found myself re-reading Lovecraft's works and found that new productions, bringing his stories to film, were available. This story was one of my favorites. Whatever you may think of his writing, Lovecraft set a standard that was, and still is, employed by authors of gothic and horror fiction.
Most attempts at translating his works to film have been dismal abominations.
Although there are major changes and important elements left out, overall this German production worked for me as a small budget homage to the original story.
The first few minutes are the only real detraction due to some dreadful acting by a character who, fortunately, has no re-occurring appearances. Afterwards, the acting is in keeping with any larger budget flick. The effects are minimal but several are quite creepy and work very well in the black and white format. The horror could have been intensified and extended if certain elements of the original story had been included but...

The Best Adaption of an H.P. Lovecraft Story
The Color Out of Space is considered to be H.P. Lovecraft's most unfilmable work largely because Lovecraft often wrote of things "beyond description" or that human language lacked the ability to convey. So when I heard that an independent filmmaker in Germany had tackled the work, my expectations weren't very high. After watching The Color Out of Space (originally titled Die Farbe which is German for The Color) I came away extremely impressed. The filmmaker managed to capture the eerie feeling of Lovecraft's story which is something that is very hard to do, only a couple of films out there have managed to pull that off.

Purist and hardcore fans of H.P. Lovecraft's work will complain about some changes that were made to the story, including one at the end. I loved the twist that's included near the conclusion. It both surprised and shocked me, which doesn't happen very often. Fans of Lovecraft and independent horror should find The Color Out of Space well worth seeking...

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