Which
is scarier, the Lovecraftian Dreamlands or the Paris suburbs? An immigrant
security guard will have a chance to compare and contrast in Julien Jauniaux’s
short film An Eldritch Place (trailer here), which screens
tonight during the 2017 Boston Underground Film Festival.
A
reputable scientist should never look as haggard and stressed out as Francis Wayland.
Even though his apartment complex is in the city outskirts, it is still
considered a reasonably quiet neighborhood, so he really shouldn’t be so
concerned about security. However, he has some rather specialized gear in his
garage and a malfunctioning door. Frankly, it sounds like a dull but easy temp
job to Abdel Alhazred, who is perfectly willing to accept.
Of
course, it will be more complicated than he anticipates. First, a catty
neighbor tells him malicious gossip about the disappearance of Wayland’s wife.
Then he starts to hear strange noises over the walkie-talkie—real strange. When
he investigates, Wayland is nowhere to be found, but the scene he left behind
is decidedly ominous. Yes, there are references to Cthulhu and the Dreamlands.
Eldritch is one of at least
two impressively produced Lovecraftian short films at this year’s BUFF, but its
tone is radically different from Nick Spooner’s The Call of Charlie. Jauniaux’s film is thoroughly eerie and loaded
with foreboding. Frankly, he makes the earthly glass and concrete housing
complex just as spooky as the realm of the Elder Gods, if not more so. Yet, the
eldritch dimension looks surprisingly real, but still appropriately malevolent.
