THE DUNWICH HORROR
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| Rated R
| | Copyright 1970 Filmways Pictures
| | Reviewed by Andrew Borntreger on 'a long time ago'
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- Wilbur Whateley - Dean Stockwell! A young cultist intent on bringing back "The Old Ones." Spontaneously combusts.
- Nancy - Sandra Dee! Girl entranced by Wilbur's powers.
- Doctor Armitage - Professor of the occult who possesses the powerful tomb "The Necronomicon."
- Grandpa Whateley - Elder of the clan, falls down the steps.
- Elizabeth - Another college girl, opens the wrong door and becomes monster chow.
- Levinya Whateley - Wilbur's mother, a bit goofy since giving birth to the twins. Passes away and has her soul eaten by birds.
- Doctor Cory - Town physician.
- Wilbur's Brother - A monster which looks more like their father. What it does look like is a mass of rubber hands and snake heads. Banished to it's home dimension.
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PAINFULLY slow. Dean Stockwell's steady and faultless monotone didn't help either, no matter what he's describing it's the same droning voice. Just add some really long and drawn out scenes to this for the real horror.
Wilbur meets Armitage hoping to persuade him for time to study the Necronomicon, but is refused. So then he lures Nancy to his home and drugs her, using something which makes it's subject sleepy and prone to suggestion. After stealing the book everything is ready for his ritual, lucky for the human race Armitage arrives in time to save the day.
There's no joke about how much suffering this movie caused me, it has few redeeming qualities. One is that Elizabeth's clothes are all ripped off when the monster chomps her! (NO IDEA why that happened, but it's cool.) I stopped the film to get a good look at this "monster" - it really is a mass of latex snake heads and arms. They only give glimpses to prevent you getting a really good look and I don't blame them.
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| Things I Learned From This Movie: | |
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- Worshippers of "The Old Ones" have to use self serve gas stations.
- Never let a cultist make the tea.
- Evil people do not use combs.
- Giving birth to a monster from another dimension is hard on a girl.
- Owls are kept nailed to porch railings.
- Birds eat souls.
- Pistols are more difficult to keep a hold on than a greased pig.
- Glass paperweights are the leading cause of house fires.
- Women make great book rests.
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- 3 mins - Wait! This is a horror movie right? Horror movies don't transition into some goofy cartoon during the opening credits...
- 15 mins - Wilbur, your monotone is driving me up the wall.
- 21 mins - Nancy is pretty darn hyper for having been drugged.
- 22 mins - What the heck is making that sound?
- 40 mins - Hello? Nancy? Every time you drink tea you get sleepy and dizzy...
- 47 mins - Will this scene ever end?
- 50 mins - I wouldn't open that door Elizabeth.
- 61 mins - Here we go with reddish "possessed vision."
- 68 mins - Can't see that gun very well, I don't think it should be making a sound like a pump shotgun though.
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| | Audio clips in wav format | SOUNDS | Starving actors speak out | |
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| File | Dialog |  | dunwich1.wav
| Wilbur: "Doctor Armitage, I'd like permission to study the Necronomicon."
| | dunwich2.wav
| Armitage: "In ancient times that book was said to unlock the gates to another dimension, to another race of beings."
| | dunwich3.wav
| Nancy: "What did he believe in?"
Wilbur: "In another race of beings from a different dimension. An earlier race superior to man, and he believed they could be brought back."
| | dunwich4.wav
| Nancy: "Wilbur, those birds, what does it mean?"
Wilbur: "They were trying to capture his soul as it left his body."
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| | Click for a larger image | IMAGES | Scenes from the movie | |
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| | Watch a scene | VIDEO | MPEG video files | |
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 | dunwich1.mpg
- 1.6m
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| Elizabeth gets to meet Wilbur's brother in this scene and I don't think she is very happy about it. Being flogged with rubber hands and snake heads is probably painful.
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| | Leave a comment | EXTRAS | Buy the movie | |
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