Lurking Fear
Reviewed By : Sinn

Release Year : 1994

Directed By : C Courtney Joiner

Written By : C Courtney Joiner, H P Lovecraft

Starring : Ashley Laurence, Blake Bailey, Jon Finch

Related Links : IMDB

 

Gollums poor relations - ugly, rubbery looking bastards the lot of em - lurk in the tunnels beneath town, preying on the locals, and fucking up an ex cons plans to reclaim his fathers hidden loot. There's also some other gangsters in hot pursuit of the loot, locals planning on killing the Gollums, and a lot of rainy shots of the cemetary.

I guess the "Lurking" part of the title is kind of apt, the deformed people underground do lurk, peeking up through holes, schneaking a la Smeagol etc. As for the "Fear" bit though, well I am not so sure, there's not really much fear on offer. Perhaps "Lurking Rubber" or "Lurking Freaks" would have been more fitting.

The acting is clunky, the dialogue is awkward and often feels like the leftovers of a movie even Chuck Norris refused to touch, many of the action/death scenes are handled clumsily and lack finesse. However, there's summit that eludes me underneath it all, something that managed to make it entertain even though my heart was telling me to turn this shit off. Perhaps it was just a primal urge to listen out for the next piece of wooden, hackneyed dialogue that would bring a wry smile.

Based on a short story by the immortal giant of horror H P Lovecraft, this certainly isn't anywhere near being a fine screen outing for his work - but, it's worth a watch at least, savour the woodeness and the schneaking. Filthy hobbitsees!