Color Out of Space Review (Film, 2020) #31DaysofHorror

content warning: gore, self-harm, animal cruelty (the film shows graphic footage of the aftermath of what the unidentified object can do by showing animals who suffered awful fates)

Inspired by the H.P. Lovecraft story “The Colour Out of Space,” Color Out of Space tells the story of the Gardner Family. They live in a remote house in the middle of the woods. Mother Theresa has cancer and everyone is struggling to cope. Then, a mysterious object falls from the sky, changing their lives forever. The town refuses to investigate the crash and son Jack does not feel well.

I’ve written many times about my personal stance on H.P. Lovecraft’s work. The TL:DR at this point is he’s a historical figure I try to avoid discussing. His legacy impacted the landscape of Western horror, so it’s a credit and move on scenario for me. “The Colour Out of Space” falls into his sci-fi/psychological horror stories. I don’t recall this one being particularly…problematic, but it’s been a long time since I willingly revisited his work. I did, however, heavily research his work in my younger years and even ran panels on the extended Mythos and adaptations at large fan conventions. I’ve done the work to speak with authority on the good and the bad of his life and work.

Color Out of Space leans into the sci-fi aspects of the story. There’s immediately a conflict established between belief in the occult and modern science. Daughter Lavinia is performing rites on the edge of the property to battle her mother’s cancer, only to be interrupted by water surveyor Ward doing studies on all public water supplies in the area. She is incredibly hostile over his interruption, but he wins her over by demonstrating a keen knowledge of the occult through his studies at Miskatonic University. This back and forth continues throughout the entire film, with everyone’s understanding of the world constantly challenged moment by moment after the meteorite crash.

The film has a great look to it. The lighting doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but it really doesn’t have to in this kind of story. The emergence of the otherworldly presence is signified by a mix of fog and pinkish/purple lighting. Things may or may not be watching in the shadows that create bursts of light when you notice them. The visual language is spot on to play with the expected tone of this kind of sci-fi/horror story.

Calling Color Out of Space an adaptation of “The Colour Out of Space” does feel a little misleading. Writer/director Richard Stanley and screenwriter Scarlett Amaris certainly hinge the plot on events in that story, but they layer in all kinds of Lovecraftian clichés pulled from the Cthulhu mythos. There are even clear nods to Algernon Blackwood and the extended canon. The only reason I even bring it up is that the whole film seems to meander around various story elements that don’t all pay off. A more focused adaptation could create a clearer narrative in a much shorter runtime. The plot of the film really takes off about an hour into the runtime and brings some much needed energy and clarity.

Lovecraftian stories are some of the hardest ones to make work onscreen. Despite the immense influence his worlds and style had on the horror genre, Lovecraft wrote psychological horror. His stories played with fear created through the perception of breaks in the universe. Different characters got different glimpses at the source of the terror and those are combined together to create the images we associate with characters like Cthulhu, The King in Yellow, and Shoggoth.

Now imagine how you can visually tell a story about a person perceiving a slight shift in reality—a crack in a wall, a new shadow, a corner that doesn’t quite make sense—and having it make sense in a visual medium like film. Games tend to do better because there’s an elemental of exploration and reading required; films and TV shows tend to suffer because the narrative is defined for us. Show too little and the story makes no sense; show too much and there’s nothing to be afraid of.

Color Out of Space tries to balance the various approaches to this kind of storytelling. It is an uneven ride through Lovecraftian territory that gets the tone right. This film feels true to the style. The story did not come together for me in the end, but I also anticipated where it would ultimately wind up in the first two scenes. Despite this, the last act is among the best Lovecraftian cinema I’ve encountered. This is ultimately a solid atmospheric sci-fi/horror film.

Color Out of Space is streaming on Shudder.