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Cthulhu

 Cthulhu
type
TVTItem
 Cthulhu
label
Cthulhu
 Cthulhu
page
Cthulhu
 Cthulhu
comment
Russell Marsh, a gay professor of history in Seattle, returns to his hometown of Rivermouth, Oregon after a long estrangement from his family to execute his late mother's estate. He becomes reacquainted with his childhood friend and lover Mike, and over the next few days becomes aware that his father's New Age cult, The Esoteric Order of Dagon, is planning to bring about The End of the World as We Know It.It should be stated straight up that Cthulhu does not have H. P. Lovecraft's most famous Eldritch Abomination in it. Cthulhu is loosely based on The Shadow Over Innsmouth with elements of The Call of Cthulhu thrown in, but overall it's best if you view this movie as one that simply draws on the Cthulhu Mythos rather than an adaptation of the above stories.
 Cthulhu
fetched
2024-04-17T08:16:26Z
 Cthulhu
parsed
2024-04-17T08:16:26Z
 Cthulhu
processingComment
Dropped link to CthulhuMythos: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Cthulhu
processingComment
Dropped link to IfItsYouItsOK: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Cthulhu
processingUnknown
IfItsYouItsOK
 Cthulhu
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Cthulhu / int_1484dba1
type
Foreshadowing
 Cthulhu / int_1484dba1
comment
Foreshadowing: Russell shaves his head and starts wearing purple quite early in the movie.
 Cthulhu / int_1484dba1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_1484dba1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_1484dba1
 Cthulhu / int_14ed6ab7
type
Does This Remind You of Anything?
 Cthulhu / int_14ed6ab7
comment
Does This Remind You of Anything?: The movie is basically the classic tale of a gay man rejecting his close-minded small town and its lifestyle and values. It's just that in this case, those small-town values include membership in an apocalyptic sea cult and churning out a few mutant kids.
 Cthulhu / int_14ed6ab7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_14ed6ab7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_14ed6ab7
 Cthulhu / int_18d15922
type
Title Drop
 Cthulhu / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop: An obligatory one given that Cthulhu himself never shows up. Russell comes across Kellin Myles alone in a house, staring at a TV set.
 Cthulhu / int_18d15922
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_18d15922
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_18d15922
 Cthulhu / int_2310dacb
type
Dead Man Writing
 Cthulhu / int_2310dacb
comment
Dead Man Writing: Russell is told his mother left a message for him hidden in her house. He instead finds it in plain sight on top of the TV/VCR. On the tape his mother starts to warn Russell that his life is in danger; she then hears a noise and quickly turns the camera off. The camera is then turned on again by Reverend Marsh, who implores his son to take his rightful place as leader of the Dagon cult. Russell is shocked to see his father has blood on his face and hands, implying that he murdered Russell's mother moments before.
 Cthulhu / int_2310dacb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_2310dacb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_2310dacb
 Cthulhu / int_2c77fae3
type
Darkness Equals Death
 Cthulhu / int_2c77fae3
comment
Darkness Equals Death: Russell wakes up in an alley to find that something is dragging him into the dark interior of a doorway. Not surprisingly he runs like hell.
 Cthulhu / int_2c77fae3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_2c77fae3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_2c77fae3
 Cthulhu / int_3d85c6bc
type
Black Speech
 Cthulhu / int_3d85c6bc
comment
Black Speech: The Dagon cults' version of Ominous Latin Chanting.
 Cthulhu / int_3d85c6bc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_3d85c6bc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_3d85c6bc
 Cthulhu / int_49d59be9
type
Scenery Porn
 Cthulhu / int_49d59be9
comment
Scenery Porn: The Pacific Northwest is certainly beautiful.
 Cthulhu / int_49d59be9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_49d59be9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_49d59be9
 Cthulhu / int_4a9c731e
type
When Trees Attack
 Cthulhu / int_4a9c731e
comment
When Trees Attack: The tree-like creature glimpsed on a couple of occasions is presumably a Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath (The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young).
 Cthulhu / int_4a9c731e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_4a9c731e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_4a9c731e
 Cthulhu / int_504a1991
type
Body Horror
 Cthulhu / int_504a1991
comment
Body Horror: Averted, despite it being the main subject of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". Unless you count the Fetus Terrible in the bathtub.
 Cthulhu / int_504a1991
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Cthulhu / int_504a1991
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_504a1991
 Cthulhu / int_5a3b8032
type
The Un-Reveal
 Cthulhu / int_5a3b8032
comment
The Unreveal: Russell and Susan's offspring in the bathtub. This is likely what pushes Russell over the edge. Also what happens to Mike.
 Cthulhu / int_5a3b8032
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_5a3b8032
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_5a3b8032
 Cthulhu / int_5c0fc07b
type
Nightmare Sequence
 Cthulhu / int_5c0fc07b
comment
Nightmare Sequence: Several of these. In the first one Russell wakes up to discover the stone cudgel he saw in his dream is lying on his chest.
 Cthulhu / int_5c0fc07b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_5c0fc07b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_5c0fc07b
 Cthulhu / int_65acf9db
type
He Knows Too Much
 Cthulhu / int_65acf9db
comment
He Knows Too Much: A deleted scene apparently has Zadok found floating, murdered by the cult for talking to Russell.
 Cthulhu / int_65acf9db
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_65acf9db
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_65acf9db
 Cthulhu / int_6941e30b
type
Room Full of Crazy
 Cthulhu / int_6941e30b
comment
Room Full of Crazy: The names of the missing (and soon-to-be-missing) are chalked on the walls and floor of the net shed.
 Cthulhu / int_6941e30b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_6941e30b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_6941e30b
 Cthulhu / int_698d7dad
type
Lovecraft Country
 Cthulhu / int_698d7dad
comment
Lovecraft Country: Averted. The events take place in the Pacific Northwest, though according to the backstory the town founders originally came from New England.
 Cthulhu / int_698d7dad
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Cthulhu / int_698d7dad
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_698d7dad
 Cthulhu / int_69fb91e8
type
Chewing the Scenery
 Cthulhu / int_69fb91e8
comment
Chewing the Scenery: The drunken old seaman, Zadok.
 Cthulhu / int_69fb91e8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_69fb91e8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_69fb91e8
 Cthulhu / int_71687bca
type
Stalker with a Test Tube
 Cthulhu / int_71687bca
comment
Stalker with a Test Tube: Susan asks Russell to be a Chosen Conception Partner; he's squicked out and refuses, only to get drugged and raped by Susan.
 Cthulhu / int_71687bca
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_71687bca
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_71687bca
 Cthulhu / int_733ca2f8
type
Noble Bigot with a Badge
 Cthulhu / int_733ca2f8
comment
Noble Bigot with a Badge: The homophobic sheriff is determined to bring down the Marsh family, and beats Russell for the murder of Kellin Miles. When Russell encounters the sheriff after his escape he thinks he's going to be shot out of hand, but the sheriff just tells Russell to go home because he's not after him...whereupon he's Killed Mid-Sentence by Reverend Marsh.
 Cthulhu / int_733ca2f8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_733ca2f8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_733ca2f8
 Cthulhu / int_7a32312a
type
Rain of Blood
 Cthulhu / int_7a32312a
comment
Rain of Blood: Kellin Miles is murdered and his body tied up outside Mike's house. They only realise this when his blood starts to drip on them.
 Cthulhu / int_7a32312a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_7a32312a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_7a32312a
 Cthulhu / int_7a9f921d
type
Extinct in the Future
 Cthulhu / int_7a9f921d
comment
Probably has something to do with how a radio broadcast at the start of the film implies the last polar bear in the wild died so only those in captivity remain. One could tie that to humanity's situation by the end of the film...
 Cthulhu / int_7a9f921d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_7a9f921d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_7a9f921d
 Cthulhu / int_87e661e8
type
Absurdly Spacious Sewer
 Cthulhu / int_87e661e8
comment
Absurdly Spacious Sewer: The catacombs which "go on for miles" beneath Rivermouth. Filmed in the real-life Seattle Catacombs where one of the producers worked as a tour guide.
 Cthulhu / int_87e661e8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_87e661e8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_87e661e8
 Cthulhu / int_8d718b9e
type
Bears Are Bad News
 Cthulhu / int_8d718b9e
comment
Bears Are Bad News: Inverted. We see polar bears swimming behind glass, and while it's not clear what they're supposed to represent in the movie, they do look beautiful. Probably has something to do with how a radio broadcast at the start of the film implies the last polar bear in the wild died so only those in captivity remain. One could tie that to humanity's situation by the end of the film...
 Cthulhu / int_8d718b9e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_8d718b9e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_8d718b9e
 Cthulhu / int_9ba53911
type
Stranger in a Familiar Land
 Cthulhu / int_9ba53911
comment
Stranger in a Familiar Land: Inverted. Russell is only returning to settle his mother's estate, and intends to leave as soon as possible. His family have other plans.
 Cthulhu / int_9ba53911
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_9ba53911
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_9ba53911
 Cthulhu / int_a19e2ff0
type
Little Dead Riding Hood
 Cthulhu / int_a19e2ff0
comment
Little Dead Riding Hood: Julia (a blonde girl in a red top) the liquor store clerk who tries to warn the protagonist and ends up tied to a bitthead with barbed wire as a sacrifice to the Fish People.
 Cthulhu / int_a19e2ff0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_a19e2ff0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_a19e2ff0
 Cthulhu / int_a5c30aec
type
Floating Water
 Cthulhu / int_a5c30aec
comment
Floating Water: The liquid wall through which the Ancestor attacks Russell.
 Cthulhu / int_a5c30aec
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_a5c30aec
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_a5c30aec
 Cthulhu / int_aaf19fae
type
Doesn't Like Guns
 Cthulhu / int_aaf19fae
comment
Doesn't Like Guns: When Mike suggests Russell take a pistol with him to investigate an Abandoned Warehouse in the middle of the night, he's annoyed that Mike even owns one.
 Cthulhu / int_aaf19fae
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_aaf19fae
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_aaf19fae
 Cthulhu / int_ad5c41b7
type
Black Screen of Death
 Cthulhu / int_ad5c41b7
comment
Black Screen of Death: The ending is a Smash Cut to black so we don't know what Russell does.
 Cthulhu / int_ad5c41b7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_ad5c41b7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_ad5c41b7
 Cthulhu / int_b6ca8bd
type
If Jesus, Then Aliens
 Cthulhu / int_b6ca8bd
comment
If Jesus, Then Aliens: Russell ridicules Mike's suggestion that the Absurdly Spacious Sewers are the legendary Shanghai tunnels (subterranean passages allegedly used to transport men kidnapped as slaves) and says sarcastically, "What other explanation could there be, UFOs?" Which is amusing given the origins of the Great Old Ones.
 Cthulhu / int_b6ca8bd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_b6ca8bd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_b6ca8bd
 Cthulhu / int_c289826f
type
Double Standard Rape: Female on Male
 Cthulhu / int_c289826f
comment
Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Averted. Due to his sexuality Russell turns down the offer of attractive vamp Susan to impregnate her, only to be drugged and raped anyway. Russell first appears to have little reaction to this, but when he encounters Susan again he's noticeably angry.
 Cthulhu / int_c289826f
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Cthulhu / int_c289826f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_c289826f
 Cthulhu / int_c66cb5a9
type
Human Sacrifice
 Cthulhu / int_c66cb5a9
comment
Human Sacrifice: The cult of Dagon has apparently been sacrificing children (and other 'missing' persons) for some time. One horrifying dream sequence shows screaming children crammed into a wooden cage for the Fish People to devour when the tide comes in. At the end of the movie, Russell is called on to sacrifice his own lover.
 Cthulhu / int_c66cb5a9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_c66cb5a9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_c66cb5a9
 Cthulhu / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Cthulhu / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: Apart from the Cthulhu Mythos references, there are also homages to other movies like Phantasm, e.g. the Ancestor who was inspired by the Tall Man. The movie contains an estate auction that includes an item that might be the key to an ancient conspiracy. Its lot number is 49, of course. For an added bonus, the end of the scene makes sense as an alternate ending for The Crying of Lot 49.
 Cthulhu / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_c75df49a
 Cthulhu / int_d01cffbc
type
Badass Longcoat
 Cthulhu / int_d01cffbc
comment
Badass Longcoat: Worn by the cult leaders. We also see a line of candle-bearing figures In the Hood — Russell is so freaked out he steals a boat to avoid them. It's implied that these were the Fish People.
 Cthulhu / int_d01cffbc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_d01cffbc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_d01cffbc
 Cthulhu / int_d71d51fd
type
The End of the World as We Know It
 Cthulhu / int_d71d51fd
comment
The End of the World as We Know It: Worldwide rioting and madness occur in the leadup to the apocalypse, as foretold in The Call of Cthulhu ("with laws and morals thrown aside, and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy"). Best points go to the MP5-toting soccer mum.
 Cthulhu / int_d71d51fd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_d71d51fd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_d71d51fd
 Cthulhu / int_dba0c928
type
Stock Quotes
 Cthulhu / int_dba0c928
comment
Stock Quotes: "And what rough beast" is quoted by the sheriff who arrests Russell. He claims he's the rough beast. He's not.
 Cthulhu / int_dba0c928
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_dba0c928
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_dba0c928
 Cthulhu / int_e016e53f
type
Throwing Off the Disability
 Cthulhu / int_e016e53f
comment
Throwing Off the Disability: Susan's husband claims to have lost the use of his legs and testicles in a construction accident, so it's OK for Russell to impregnate his wife. Later, after he's raped by Susan, Russell confronts her in an alley, only for her husband to walk up behind him and jab him with a knockout needle. He's telling the truth about losing the ability to use his legs. He implies the Order will give them back to him if his wife births a child—which she did and they apparently lived up to their end of the bargain.
 Cthulhu / int_e016e53f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_e016e53f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_e016e53f
 Cthulhu / int_e529d5c3
type
Torches and Pitchforks
 Cthulhu / int_e529d5c3
comment
Torches and Pitchforks: An angry crowd with burning torches shows up at the police station after Russell has been arrested for raping and murdering Kellin Miles. He naturally thinks they've come to lynch him and desperately holds onto the door of his cell to keep it shut. In the morning he discovers the crowd (presumably Dagon cultists) have trashed the police station, unlocked the cell door and driven off the police so he can escape.
 Cthulhu / int_e529d5c3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_e529d5c3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_e529d5c3
 Cthulhu / int_ea2e9f2d
type
No Ending
 Cthulhu / int_ea2e9f2d
comment
No Ending: As the Fish People stagger out of the ocean and the world comes to an end, Reverend Marsh offers Russell the chance to appease the Old Ones by sacrificing the man he most loves (Mike) thereby becoming the immortal leader of the cult. Although we see Russell raising the stone cudgel, the movie ends before revealing whether he kills his father or his lover.
 Cthulhu / int_ea2e9f2d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_ea2e9f2d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_ea2e9f2d
 Cthulhu / int_eca56f2
type
Ten-Second Flashlight
 Cthulhu / int_eca56f2
comment
Ten-Second Flashlight. Russell uses his camera's flash to see in the pitch-black catacombs. It's no surprise that he runs into something nasty.
 Cthulhu / int_eca56f2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_eca56f2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_eca56f2
 Cthulhu / int_f32d85ab
type
20 Minutes into the Future
 Cthulhu / int_f32d85ab
comment
20 Minutes into the Future: Radio reports speak of Eskimo terrorists attacking U.S. arctic bases, guerillas on the 'former U.S border', rapidly rising sea levels, and the death of the last polar bear living in the wild.
 Cthulhu / int_f32d85ab
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_f32d85ab
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_f32d85ab
 Cthulhu / int_f3d5d15f
type
Creepy Child
 Cthulhu / int_f3d5d15f
comment
Creepy Child: The blind boy Kellin Miles, especially when he sits 'watching' the static-filled Ominous Television.
 Cthulhu / int_f3d5d15f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_f3d5d15f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_f3d5d15f
 Cthulhu / int_f4a5b281
type
Ceiling Cling
 Cthulhu / int_f4a5b281
comment
Ceiling Cling: The Fish People in the catacombs.
 Cthulhu / int_f4a5b281
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_f4a5b281
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_f4a5b281
 Cthulhu / int_name
type
ItemName
 Cthulhu / int_name
comment
 Cthulhu / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Cthulhu / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Cthulhu / int_name
 Cthulhu / int_name
itemName
Cthulhu

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Cthulhu
hasFeature
A Fête Worse than Death / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Absurdly Spacious Sewer / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Ankle Drag / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Black Cloak / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Black Screen of Death / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Catapult Nightmare / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Ceiling Cling / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Chained to a Rock / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Chosen Conception Partner / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Dead Man Writing / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Extinct in the Future / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Fish People / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Full-Frontal Assault / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Girlish Pigtails / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Human Sacrifice / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
If Jesus, Then Aliens / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten! / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
In the Hood / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Little Dead Riding Hood / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Lovecraft Country / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Mermaid Media / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Monster Media / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Ominous Television / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Rain of Blood / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Room Full of Crazy / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Shoot Your Mate / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Stalker with a Test Tube / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Stock Quotes / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Ten-Second Flashlight / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
The End of the World as We Know It / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Throwing Off the Disability / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Torches and Pitchforks / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
Video Wills / int_4c3597c1
 Cthulhu
hasFeature
When Trees Attack / int_4c3597c1