By Jennifer Ciotta

In honor of the month of Halloween, Providence holds the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival every year.  The Festival centers around budding horror filmmakers and employing the classics as well.  On hand this year will be actor Gary Klar from Day of the Dead and Paul Kratka from Friday the 13th: Part 3.  However, the literary highlight of the festival is a screening of The Call of the Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft's most famous piece.  The film itself has been receiving critical acclaim, earning official selections at Sundance, winning awards at international festivals and winning both the audience and jury awards at the 2005 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon.  Produced by the Lovecraft Historical Society, it is a 1920s style movie, in black and white and silence.  The make-up, costumes and acting literally bring a filmgoer back to a different era in time, forgetting that the movie was made recently.  In addition on October 8th is Children's Day, where a storyteller will read The Call of the Cthulhu as well.

Meanwhile, on the exact same weekend, on the opposite coast, is the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon.  The mission behind the festival is to promote of the works of Lovecraft, literary horror and weird tales through the cinematic adaptations by professional and amateur filmmakers.  Events include a kickoff with Cthulhu blessing, question and answer sessions, discussion panels and a secret screening.  All films of are Lovecraft material or have been influenced by his writing in some way.  For instance, Nightmares and Dreamscapes has a Lovecraft tribute in its second episode; and famous actors includes names such as William Hurt and Claire Forlani.  In the movie Cthulhu! the storyline is loosely based upon Lovecraft's works The Thing on the Doorstep and The Dunwich Horror.

For more information, visit the festivals' websites:

http://www.film-festival.org/Horror_ri.php

http://www.hplfilmfestival.com/index.htm

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