The Summer of Love(craft) continues. As the 1980's moved on, the success of the Re-Animator series brought Lovecraft back into the forefront of the viewing public. Going with one of Lovecraft's lesser known short stories, the Unnamable had Lovecraft's occasional hero Randolph Carter having a weird encounter in your typical New England graveyard.
In the late 18th Century, there is trouble afoot at the Winthrop House. Joshua Winthrop (Delbert Spain) rushes through the darkened corridors trying to comfort the source of an unholy scream. He fails spectacularly and is ripped apart for his efforts...
Thus ends the story that Randolph Carter (Mark Kinsey Stephenson) is telling to his two friends Howard Damon (Charles Klausmeyer) and Joel Manton (Mark Parra). The trio is sitting in an old graveyard, which happens to be surrounding the old Winthrop House. Joel gets the brilliant idea to spend the night in the nearly 200 year old house. Carter and Damon wish him the best of luck and spilt, while Joel settles in for the night.
The next day, two football players, Bruce Weeks (Eben Ham) and John Babcock (Blane Wheatley) are also eyeing the old Winthrop House. Their goals are a bit more carnally inclined though, especially when they convince local gals Wendy Barnes (Laura Albert); of whom Howard has a crush on, and Tanya Heller (Alexandra Durrell); who has a crush on Howard.
As the foursome settles in to tell ghost stories, among other things, Howard starts to get worried about Joel. Getting some gear, the duo rushes out to the house, which as it turns out isn't as abandoned as previously thought. It seems Joshua's daughter Alyda (Katrin Alexandre) is still alive after all these years and she hates trespassers almost as much as she hated her father.
Not bad, but when compared to the Re-Animator it does fall flat. The short story is extremely short, so the makers stretch it out almost to the breaking point with characters that just exist to add to the body count. Good overall, but there are better and worse Lovecraft adaptations out there .
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