'Color Out Of Space' (2019)

I'm no Lovecraft scholar; I know what I like of his work and I very much disagree with the man's views on race, that's about the size of it really. I do enjoy his work though, dry as it is (I think Lovecraft's vision of mankind set against gods who barely notice our existence far surpasses his ability to tell it on the page), and 'The Colour Out Of Space' is a favourite of mine so when I heard it was going to be adapted into a film, I knew that I'd be watching it sooner rather than later. Well, 'sooner' finally came round, I watched it last night and it was great.

'It came from the stars, where things aren't like they are here...

'Color Out Of Space' follows the Gardener family, whose recent retreat to rural life crumbles when a meteorite crashes into their front yard. The mysterious rock melts into the earth, infecting both the land and the properties of space-time. Mutant technicolor flora start sprouting, and local animals begin to display bizarre deformities. Soon, the Gardner's realize that they too are susceptible to the extra-terrestrial pathogen, and must escape the contagion that has consumed their farm. The family attempts to battle the nebulous entity but what chance can a few humans have against a force capable of traversing the gulf between worlds, a nightmarish being that exists beyond the limits of the human spectrum?

'Color Out Of Space' is one of those films where I get so into it that I just lose all track of time while I'm watching. Really easy to get into and very hard to put down until it is done, it's as simple as that.

It's a slow burner though, you need to know that before you give it a shot. The payoff and the little jump scares are worth it but director Richard Stanley really takes his time building up the tension and introducing us to what is going on. And it's so subtly done, a scattering of pink flowers here and some purple vines here. It's there but and as it gradually builds up in the background so does the tension, just like the Lovecraft tale that it's based on. I liked this approach for that very reason but could see the 'slow burn' approach turning a few viewers off.

Stick with it though as 'The Color Out Of Space' is cosmic-horror very much in the vein of the original story. It also has it's very own line in body horror as well, grotesque but also making for some genuinely touching moments as Nicolas Cage's Nathan Gardener faces a horrible choice which finally pushes him over the edge. Cage is great by the way, I haven't seen many of his films but I understand that he does 'angrily breaking down' very well; he certainly does that here.

The Gardener's completely fracture in the face of something that they have no hope of possibly understanding and that is what cosmic horror is all about. It's not what the 'Color' does, although that is pretty grim at times, it's the fact that it is so far beyond human experience that just looking at it will drive you insane. Madeleine Arthur's Lavinia comes the closest to standing her ground but it is too much for her, of course it is (especially when you see where it came from, deliciously creepy and trippy all at the same time).

Because I'm in one of those moods though, I couldn't help but wonder if there's an element of tragedy to 'Color Out Of Space' that goes beyond what the Gardeners went through. If they couldn't understand the 'Color' then it has to work the other way, right? Was this cosmic horror or just a tragedy of misunderstandings coming out of a 'first contact' situation? It's the former, of course it is, but it makes you think doesn't it...?

'Color Out Of Space' is a very unsettling Lovecraft adaptation that fans of the author should definitely watch. It's slow to start but grabs you, without you realizing, and doesn't let go until the end. If Richard Stanley wants to do more Lovecraft films, I'd love to see them.