The Other Gods (2006 short)

Still from "The Other Gods (2006 short)"

The Other Gods (2006 short)

Summary

A "retro" style, silent and black-and-white short film using 1920s period animation, adapting Lovecraft's short Dunsanian tale "The Other Gods (fiction)" about a prophet who longed to look upon gods too powerful to name or even behold....

Details

• Release Date: 2006
• Country/Language: USA, (Silent, English Title Cards)
• Genres/Technical: Fantasy, Horror, Animation, Short, Silent, B&W
• Setting: Dreamlands
• Runtime: 6 min
• Starring: (animated)
• Director: Michael Boas (AKA Peter Rhodes)
• Producer: Michael Boas (AKA Peter Rhodes)
• Music: Keith Handy
• Animation: Animatus Studio
• Writer: H.P. Lovecraft
• Production Co: Subterranea Entertainment, Mad Dog Movies
• Film Website: (link)
• See it at: (link)
• IMDB: ([ link])

Ratings

MPAA Ratings

• Rated: (none?)

This animated short film appears to be unrated, but would probably be the equivalent of a kid-friendly "G", with off-screen violence, and minimally scary animated monsters.

Tentacle Ratings

A rough measure of how "Lovecraftian" the work is:

• SSSSs (Four and a half Tentacles: Unusually Lovecraftian; a remarkably faithful adaptation)

A faithful adaptation of Lovecraft's "The Other Gods", executed using period animation.

Note: This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.

Reviews

Review Links:

• Paghat the Ratgirl, "THE OTHER GODS: A TALE OF THE DREAM CYCLE. 2006" - "This little work borders on genius... a real work of art, certainly far & away better than the sort of "fan films" one usually encounters...."

Synopsis

 Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)

In the Dreamland of Ulthar, Barzai the Wise attempts to spy on the forbidden Old Gods as they dance on the mountain Hatheg-Kla, only to discover that the monstrous Other Gods are spying on him, and take their unspeakable vengeance on the sage for his hubris....

Comments, Trivia, Dedication

• The film was actually made by Michael Boas ("Subterranea Entertainment") in 2006, with a fictional backstory:

A prophet who longed to look upon his deities. A daunting journey to a mountain peak. A confrontation with gods too powerful to name.

This is the story that inspired Peter Rhodes, who worked as a filmmaker and artist during the 1920s. Few people know of his work, and it's only through luck and perseverance that we have been able to track down the elements for this "lost" film. "The Other Gods" has undergone an extensive restoration and is currently being screened at select film festivals throughout the world.

Rhodes' films were created using silhouette animation, a technique perfectly suited to depict Lovecraft's mythic Dreamland stories. The filmmaker's involvement in New York City's occult and literary scenes provided him with a select audience for his work. Rhodes was especially influenced through his relationships with occultist Aleister Crowley and writer H.P. Lovecraft, but it was personal tragedy that moved him to produce "The Other Gods," his most powerful film.

The restoration of "The Other Gods" features an all new soundtrack by Keith Handy.

Associated Mythos Elements

• "The Other Gods (fiction)"

Keeper Notes

• This film might go nicely with other period-style Lovecraft adaptations, such as The Call of Cthulhu (2005 short), or with The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (2003 film).