Sunday, September 8, 2013

Anthony Penta's Adaptation of HPL's "The Hound"

I had no idea this amateur production existed until it was recently shared on Facebook. H. P. Lovecraft's 1922 short story "The Hound" is rarely considered among his major works, but I have always enjoyed its grim tone, Poe-esque prose, and rather amusing depiction of human decadence. This 1997 video adaptation, originally produced by Anthony Penta on SVHS tape, has been digitally restored and is available for free streaming or download on Vimeo. It stars Scott Hoye and Steve Toth (who also composed the eerie score). I'm not overly fond of the narration, but the imagery and overall atmosphere could not better capture the story's deviant characters and overwhelming sense of impending doom. The combination of music, deeply shadowed visuals, and slow, tense pace make this little production far more effective than any single big-budget adaptation of Lovecraft's work. It runs about 18 minutes long, so it's less than a third of an hour of your time well spent. Give 'er a look: H. P. Lovecraft's The Hound

1 comment:

James Robert Smith said...

Very cool! Thanks for the link!