The Dunwich Horror

Synopsis: H.P. Lovecraft meets Hollywood: Wilbur Whateley wants to help the Old Ones break through by consulting the Necronomicon, and Armitage must stop him. Attractive females are added to fill out the plot.
Genre: Horror
Director(s): Daniel Haller
Production: AIP
 
IMDB:
5.4
Rotten Tomatoes:
17%
R
Year:
1970
90 min
401 Views


[Heartbeat]

[Heartbeat stops]

[Woman moans]

[Moans louder]

[Screams]

OH, GOD!

IT WAS A BRILLIANT

LECTURE, DOCTOR.

YEAH. THE BEST

OF THE YEAR.

CAREFUL, ALL THESE BRAVOS WILL

GO TO AN OLD Ph.D.'s HEAD.

AND NOW, IF YOU'LL TAKE

THE NECRONOMICON

AND RETURN IT:

TO THE LIBRARY,

I'LL MEET YOU THERE

AS SOON AS I CAN.

DOCTOR, DON'T FORGET WE'RE

PICKING YOU UP FOR DINNER.

I'LL BE THERE.

AND YOU TAKE GOOD CARE

OF THAT BOOK.

YOU KNOW, SOME OF

THAT STUFF HE SAID

SORT OF GOT TO ME.

[Laughs]

IT'S RIDICULOUS.

NO, NO. I KNOW

WHAT YOU MEAN.

ESPECIALLY THOSE

CREEPY PEOPLE:

AND SOME OF THE:

THINGS THEY DID.

CAN YOU LIFT THAT?

COULD I SEE THAT

BEFORE YOU PUT IT AWAY?

DO YOU ALWAYS SNEAK UP

ON PEOPLE LIKE THAT?

OH, MY, YOU SCARE EASILY.

I'D REALLY LIKE TO GLANCE

THROUGH THAT BOOK,

THE NECRONOMICON.

WELL, THAT'S

IMPOSSIBLE.

I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY.

THE LIBRARY IS CLOSING.

COME ON.

GIVE ME 5 MINUTES.

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

WAIT A MINUTE.

I DON'T SUPPOSE

IT WOULD DO ANY HARM.

ARE YOU CRAZY?

UH, WHY DON'T YOU

TAKE IT IN THERE?

THANK YOU.

YOU MUST BE:

INSANE.

OH, IT'LL BE ALL RIGHT.

HE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT.

HE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT?

THAT BOOK IS PRICELESS.

OH, STOP WORRYING

ABOUT THE BOOK.

DID YOU NOTICE HIS EYES?

HE'S REALLY GOT GREAT EYES.

NANCY, WHAT DO YOU DO?

YOU'RE GIVING

HIS RAREST BOOK:

TO THE FIRST KOOK

THAT COMES ALONG.

WELL, UH...

I--I TRUST HIM.

"YOG-SOTHOTH...

"IT IS THE GATE WHEREBY

THE SPHERES MEET.

"ONLY THEM FROM BEYOND CAN

MAKE IT MULTIPLY AND WORK.

"YOG-SOTHOTH

IS THE KEY.

"AND WITH THE GATE OPEN,

THE OLD ONES SHALL BE...

"PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE...

ALL ARE ONE.

"THE OLD ONES WALK

SERENE AND PRIMAL...

"UNDIMENSIONED AND UNSEEN...

"THE OLD ONES BROKE THROUGH

OF OLD...

"AND THEY SHALL

BREAK THROUGH--"

[Armitage]

THE BOOK, PLEASE.

THE BOOK, PLEASE.

OH, THERE'S NO NEED

TO BE UPSET.

I WAS ONLY READING IT.

HAVE YOU ANY IDEA

WHAT THIS VOLUME IS WORTH?

IT'S ONE OF A KIND.

OF COURSE,

A GENERATION AGO,

THERE WAS:

ANOTHER COPY...

40 MILES FROM HERE.

YOUNG MAN, I AM FAMILIAR

WITH DUNWICH.

I KNOW.

YOU'VE READ MY PAPER

ON OLIVER WHATELEY?

HE WAS A GREAT MAN.

THEY HANGED HIM.

THEY WERE FOOLS.

WHO'S TO SAY?

I'M WILBUR WHATELEY,

OLIVER'S GREAT-GRANDSON.

THEN YOU KNOW WHO I AM.

DR. HENRY ARMITAGE.

YES. IT'S A PLEASURE

TO MEET A WHATELEY.

THANK YOU.

[Nancy] DOCTOR?

OH, IT'S EASY TO SEE

WHY YOU 2 GIRLS WERE

SO EFFECTIVELY CHARMED.

I'M VERY GLAD TO HAVE

MET THIS YOUNG MAN.

WE SHARE A MUTUAL INTEREST.

IN FACT, I'D LIKE TO TALK

FURTHER WITH YOU.

[Armitage] WE MIGHT LEARN

A GREAT DEAL FROM EACH OTHER,

DON'T YOU THINK?

ABOUT DUNWICH, PERHAPS?

DUNWICH, DR. ARMITAGE,

MIGHT APPEAR TO YOU

AS JUST ANOTHER SMALL TOWN.

THE PEOPLE OF DUNWICH ARE

JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

THEY'RE JUST MORE HONEST

ABOUT IT.

YOU SEE MAN AS A RATHER

DISMAL CREATURE.

YES. WHY NOT?

LOOK AROUND.

YOU'LL SEE WHAT'S THERE.

FEAR, AND FRIGHTENED

PEOPLE WHO KILL:

WHAT THEY CAN'T UNDERSTAND.

IT'S LATE.

I SHOULD BE GOING.

DR. ARMITAGE,

I'D LIKE PERMISSION

TO STUDY:

THE NECRONOMICON.

FOR WHAT REASON,

MR. WHATELEY?

WELL, I'M A STUDENT

OF THE OCCULT.

AND THAT BOOK IS

LIKE A BIBLE.

A RATHER ODIOUS COMPARISON.

UH, NO, NOT REALLY.

IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO SAY

THE BOOK IS IRREPLACEABLE?

NO. YOU'RE AFRAID.

AFRAID? POSSIBLY.

IN ANCIENT TIMES,

THAT BOOK WAS SAID

TO UNLOCK THE GATES

TO ANOTHER DIMENSION,

TO ANOTHER RACE:

OF BEINGS.

I DO NOT SHARE:

THOSE BELIEFS,

NOR DO I FULLY:

UNDERSTAND THEM.

HOWEVER, I KNOW ENOUGH

ABOUT STRANGE THINGS

NOT TO LAUGH AT THEM.

I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU

I'D TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT.

I'M SORRY,

I COULDN'T POSSIBLY

LET THE BOOK:

OUT OF MY HANDS.

I NEED IT IN MY OWN

FIELD OF STUDY.

DR. ARMITAGE, WILL YOU

LEND ME THE BOOK?

I WILL NOT.

THAT'S YOUR LAST WORD?

YES.

LET ME GET:

PART OF THAT.

OH, NONSENSE.

NANCY'S CAR

IS HERE.

I'LL TAKE YOU

TO THE HOTEL.

THANK YOU.

GOOD NIGHT.

GOOD NIGHT.

MR. WHATELEY.

MAYBE WE'LL MEET AGAIN.

PERHAPS.

I GUESS I KIND OF PUT

THE DAMPER ON A NICE EVENING,

BUT I CAN'T STAND POMPOSITY.

I THINK YOU'VE MADE

YOUR POINT QUITE CLEAR.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER

HE'S GONNA BE IN TOWN?

UH, HIS LAST LECTURE'S

NEXT MONDAY.

MONDAY.

THAT'S ONLY 3 DAYS.

I WANTED TO HEAR

ONE OF HIS LECTURES.

YOU WON'T BE HERE

THAT LONG?

NO. I HAVE TO GO BACK

TO DUNWICH TONIGHT.

AS A MATTER OF FACT,

I SHOULD GET MOVING,

OR I'LL MISS MY BUS.

WHAT TIME'S YOUR BUS?

9:
15.

9:
15?

YOU JUST MISSED IT.

DAMMIT.

THERE ISN'T ANOTHER BUS

UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING.

WELL, UH,

I COULD DRIVE YOU.

OH, IT'S TOO LATE.

I COULDN'T LET YOU DO THAT.

NO, NO, REALLY.

I MEAN, I'D LIKE TO.

OH, FINE.

IT'S ONLY A COUPLE

MORE MILES, NANCY.

I HOPE SO. WE'RE

ALMOST OUT OF GAS.

OH, SAVED.

IT'S PAST

CLOSING TIME.

OH, COULDN'T I HAVE

A LITTLE GAS?

OK. HOW MUCH?

CAN YOU FILL IT UP,

PLEASE?

SERVICE:

WITH A SMILE.

SAY, HOW FAR

IS THE TOWN?

OH, IT'S DOWN THAT WAY.

BUT WE TURN OFF:

RIGHT UP HERE.

I'M SORRY.

I WANTED TO SEE DUNWICH.

IT'S ALL RIGHT.

THERE'S NOT MUCH

TO SEE AT NIGHT.

BESIDES, EVERYTHING IN TOWN

CLOSES UP PRETTY EARLY.

$1!

$1? I ASKED YOU

TO FILL IT UP.

$1!

AREN'T YOU GONNA FINISH

THE WINDOW?

[Nancy] BOY, I COULD NEVER GET

USED TO TREATMENT LIKE THAT.

[Whateley] THEY'VE

TREATED ME THAT WAY

SINCE THE DAY:

I WAS BORN.

THEY NEVER CHANGE.

THEY'RE STILL

THE SAME FRIGHTENED,

SUPERSTITIOUS FOOLS.

THAT'S EVEN CRAZIER

THAN YOU SAID.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME IN

AND SEE THE INSIDE?

OH, NO, NO.

I'D LIKE TO,

BUT REALLY,

I SHOULD START BACK.

JUST HAVE A DRINK...

OR CUP OF TEA.

I REALLY SHOULDN'T.

PLEASE.

OK.

[Nervous laugh]

WELL?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

[Nervous laugh]

WELL, I DON'T KNOW

WHAT TO THINK.

I'M GLAD YOU FIND IT

INTERESTING.

WOULD YOU LIKE:

A CUP OF TEA?

PLEASE.

FINE.

IT'S BEEN A LONG RIDE.

IF YOU FEEL:

LIKE FRESHENING UP,

THERE'S A BATHROOM

RIGHT THROUGH THAT DOOR.

THANK YOU.

[Door opens]

[Door closes]

[Kettle whistles]

[Strange noises like wind]

WILBUR!

WILBUR!

THIS IS MY GRANDFATHER.

I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU.

WE WERE JUST GOING

TO HAVE SOME TEA.

I'LL SEE YOU

WHEN WE'RE FINISHED.

I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU.

SORRY.

SIT DOWN, NANCY.

I THOUGHT YOU:

LIVED ALONE.

GEE, I'M SORRY

HE FRIGHTENED YOU.

DO YOU WANT:

SUGAR OR CREAM?

NO, THANK YOU.

TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I DIDN'T

THINK HE'D BE UP THIS LATE.

OH, IT'S ALL RIGHT.

IT'S JUST THAT

HE STARTLED ME.

WILBUR, WHEN YOU

WERE IN THE KITCHEN,

I HEARD STRANGE SOUNDS.

OH? WHAT KIND OF SOUNDS?

I'M NOT SURE.

I MEAN,

IT SOUNDED LIKE WIND...

OR THE OCEAN.

THAT'S WHAT IT WAS.

THIS PLACE IS SO OLD.

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS,

EVERYTHING KIND OF CREAKS.

OH, WILBUR,

I'M SORRY.

I DROPPED:

SOMETHING BEFORE.

OH?

THE...GLASS.

OH. [Chuckles]

THAT'S NOTHING.

IT'S ALL RIGHT.

WELL...

I GUESS I'D

BETTER START BACK.

FINISH YOUR TEA.

NO, REALLY, NO.

IT'S LATE. I MUST GO.

I UNDERSTAND.

WELL, YOU COME BACK AND

VISIT SOON, WILL YOU?

WE'LL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN.

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Curtis Hanson

Curtis Lee Hanson (March 24, 1945 – September 20, 2016) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His directing work included the psychological thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), the neo-noir crime film L.A. Confidential (1997), the comedy Wonder Boys (2000), the hip hop drama 8 Mile (2002), and the romantic comedy-drama In Her Shoes (2005). Hanson won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1998, for co-writing L.A. Confidential with Brian Helgeland. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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