Nerdly » HorRHIFFic 2024: ‘The Old Ones’ Review

28th Feb2024

HorRHIFFic 2024: ‘The Old Ones’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Robert Miano, Benjamin Philip, Silvia Spross, Cyril O’Reilly, Rico E. Anderson, Kurt Bonzell, Jon Budinoff, Scott Vogel, Timothy Muskatell, Roger Garcia, Elli Rahn | Written and Directed by Chad Ferrin

Chad Ferrin, director of the outrageous fun Exorcism at 60,000 Feet follows up his 2020 foray into the world of H.P. Lovecraft, The Deep Ones, with The Old Ones – an even truer take on the work of Lovecraft than ever before, including the likes of Captain Marsh, Cthulhu and R’lyeh.

Speaking of Captain Marsh, The Old Ones sees two fishermen, Dan Gordon (Scott Vogel) and his son Gideon (Benjamin Philip), pull an old man out of the water. He turns out to be Marsh, who explains that he’s been kept alive for the past 93 years as a vessel of the Great Old One and then sacrificed to the same gods by the cult of worshippers – as seen in this film’s animated intro. Now free Marsh plans on taking down the old ones and their denizens and finally solidifying his freedom. But it’s never that easy, is it? We’re not two minutes into Marsh being found when a gaggle of deep ones try to take Marsh back to the watery depths before he reverses everything that’s happened to him in the intervening 93 years.

H.P. Lovecraft’s stories have often been said to be unfilmable. But that doesn’t stop people from trying – Joe Lynch most recently gave us his take on Stuart Gordon’s take on Lovecraft with Suitable Flesh, Ferrin previously gave us the aforementioned The Deep Ones, whilst Jaume Balagueró, most famous for the [REC] franchise produced his take on a Lovecraftian story with Venus in 2022. Hell, there was even a TV show, Lovecraft Country, based on the works of the (in)famous author! In The Old Ones we get almost something of a “best of” Lovecraft – mining the mythology of Lovecraft cosmic terror tales, name-dropping familiar characters names like Nyarlathotep, Randolph Carter and even Crawford Tillinghast, a Lovecraft character who was made oh-so-famous by Jeffrey Combs in 1986s From Beyond. And if you’ve seen THAT film, you’ll have a great appreciation of what happens in The Old Ones.

The fact that Ferrin can craft a NEW Lovecraft story, not based on any particular book or short story, and still feel so Lovecraftian, is a real tribute to Ferrin’s writing and his love of the author. What this film does do is blend the likes of The Shadow over Innsmouth, Call of Cthulhu and From Beyond into a whole new story – one that can be told on a low budget (the old ones possessing human bodies saves on a LOT of effects work and saves cash too!) But the fact this film was made on a budget doesn’t mean Ferrin and co. scrimp on the much-needed monster effects or practical gore either. In fact, one of the real pluses of this film IS the practical effects – which have a grisly, gooey and gross aspect to them that just wouldn’t feel the same in CGI form. Truly.

And whilst Ferrin really knows how to make a film look a million bucks even when it’s filmed on a low budget, he’s also great at crafting atmosphere, something that is essential when it comes to adapting Lovecraft. And whilst this film might not be set in Lovecraft Country – the entire film was, in fact, shot in California – it doesn’t stop Ferrin from delivering something that still feels downright creepy, mainly due to the fact he finds some of the most soulless, and barren, places to film in!

What also makes this film so effective is the two leads. Robert Miano, who has been a mainstay in Ferrin’s films for years, reprises his role as Captain Marsh from The Deep Ones. This time he’s given a chance to shine in a meatier role, the epicentre of this film’s story – a man driven by revenge and by love, both wanting to reverse the torture he’s gone through and regain the love of his life Amalia. Marsh is helped by Gideon Gordon, played in fantastic fashion by Benjamin Philip – who gives Gideon both an innocence and a strength. On the one hand, he’s innocent to the sights he sees – the monstrous, the magical and the downright weird but yet he has the strength to help Marsh, to even save Marsh at times.

Eventually, things come to a head as Marsh uses Tillinghast’s machine (the same machine seen in Stuart Gordon’s From Beyond) to fulfil his journey but… as the film dourly states at the film’s close “If you manage to reach your time, your space, someone else will fill the void in the change you create.” Leaving this particular story open to ANOTHER possible sequel. And I’m here for it, bring it on!