“Dagon”, animation

Year: 1999. Picts: None. Source: See “Included”. Length: 6 min 36 sec. Style: CG animation mixed with live action. Included: Into Lurker in the Lobby, Vol. II: The Best of the H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival (Nov. 2000) VHS-casette. Story: “Dagon [H.P. Lovecraft]” / “Dagon [comics]”. Music: Philip DeWalt. Additional Photography: Jan Strnad. Description: A sailor adrifts on a boat to the unknown dimention and time to confront worshipers of Dagon. Extra: Richard Corben acts sailor.

Animation: Animation starts with quickly changing water splash images and on them the title “Dagon”. Soon after that appears sailor’s deformed face which stabilizes as a live action face of Richard Corben. “I’m not crazy!” he starts. Sailor is inside the room and someone enters throught the door. We cannot see the room, neither the intrudor, just the door which is about to open. “Before that,” he later goes on and the entire story will be told by the mouth of sailor (story written by Richard Corben, following the storyline of H.P. Lovecraft). Sailor is adrifting on a raft and is only survivor from the crash. Suddenly he awakes out of sea on a dry land with a seagul near by. He smells rotten stink and an ancient monolith, which he enters. As soon as he reaches the monolith a big group of alien forms enters with drum sound and starts to dance. Group includes both male and female figures. Aliens stop dancing as soon as Dagon the monster from deep enters. Story ends with sailor locked into mental hospital (we can see only talking sailor, not the environment). In the very end says “Inspired by DAGON by H.P. Lovecraft” and “Produced and Directed by Richard Corben” and “Music Score and Performance by Philip DeWalt; © p 1999 by Phili DeWalt” and “Additional Photography by Jan Strnad” and “Any material not derived from the story DAGON is © copyright 1999 by Richard Corben” and “The End”.
Comment: Highly interesting combination of CG animation and live action. Especially the disappearance of the sea under a raft is cool. Sailor, raft, sky with clouds, smoke and seagul are live action; all the rest CG animation. Alien dance is choreographed by motion capture, which makes movement natural. The sound mixture was not always the best, since sometimes the voice of sailor burried under music.
Comparing Adaptations: Both adaptations circles around same theme. The end differs.