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A review by Robert Long II ©2015
Starring David Phillip Carollo, Melissa O’Brien, Nicolette La Faye, Dave Gamble, Helenmary Ball, Sabrina Taylor-Smith, George Stover and Leanna Chamish
Cinematography by Nick Baldwin
Special Effects by Jason M. Koch and Kaleigh Brown
Written and Produced by Jimmy George and Chris LaMartina
Directed by Chris LaMartina
Genre: Horror/Comedy
IMDb synopsis: When a virginal artist falls in love with a call girl, she turns out to be the chosen bride of the alien god Cthulhu. To save her, he must stop an ancient cult from summoning their god and destroying mankind.
Let me just get this out of the way; I am not a fan of H.P. Lovecraft or the writings of the creature known as Cthulhu. Greasy tentacle horror is not my bag. However, I believe in filmmakers Jimmy George and Chris LaMartina, and helped back the Kickstarter campaign for this movie. They did not disappoint!
The story of the shy artist Carter Wilcox (a very talented David Phillip Carollo) finding love with an escort (the beautiful Melissa O’Brien) is filled with wit and charm. There is tragedy interweaved into the plot as Sebastian Suydum (the wonderfully sardonic Dave Gamble), a sinister cult leader is killing hookers left and right – trying to find the right prostitute to mate with the god Cthulhu. Unfortunately that turns out to be Riley Whatley (Melissa O’Brien) – a woman with the birthmark of Cthulhu on her butt.
Also involved is this motley plot is Professor Edna Curwen (the ever awesome Helenmary Ball), an adversary to Suydum. She enlists the help of Wilcox and his noise musician roommate Erica Zann (the always fun Nicolette La Faye) in trying to overthrow Sebastion before he can complete his nefarious scheme. Will they be able to do so in time to save the world from… Cthulhu?
Let’s do a little breakdown of the movie here. First up, I’d like to say that this is the best damn looking movie Midnight Crew Studios has ever produced. A great deal of this can be attributed to the cinematography done by Nick Baldwin. He gives the movie a very professional, large look with his camera and lighting techniques. This also allows director LaMartina to focus more on the performances from the actors. What also helps is that the Midnight Crew Studios team raised over $28,000, which secured locations and provided a professional sheen. The movie looks like it was shot for 10 times that amount.
And the acting! Every single main cast member does an INCREDIBLE job. And the secondary characters are just as solid especially Leanna Chamish as the chain smoking, hard-as-nails cop interrogating Carter, and the legendary George Stover as one of Riley’s regular customers turns in a poignant, sensitive performance.
In a film of this nature, the producers of the film do not disappoint. There is plenty of male and female skin on display for the audience. As far as the blood and grue are concerned, Jason M. Koch and Kaleigh Brown are to be commended for the physical effects that are brought to life due to their skills. The god Cthulhu looks great and acts convincingly. There is no lack of on scene blood and violence as well: beheadings, ripped out tongues, monster penises, stabbings – it just keeps coming.
And let’s take a moment to talk about the story. George and LaMartina have worked together for years now, and have the beats to horror/comedy down pat. Carl Girl of Cthulhu is a very interesting story that never drags. Filled with humor, horror, action, romance, pathos and tragedy.
The movie comes in a bluray/DVD 2 pack. Extras on the discs include two audio commentaries, a blooper reel, and a making of the movie. I would have liked to have seen a feature done on the creative makeup team, as their work is a huge part of the film production.
I rate this one very high – 9.5 out of 10 tentacles. It’s not quite a perfect movie, but there guys and gals have put their heart and soul into this production, and it shows. You can buy the movie HERE.