Imagine the worst afternoon radio play you've ever heard, full of cringe inducing Scottish/American accents, and with performances that would have disappointed if heard for free, and you have this sorry mess. I have to say, I can only comment on the first 15 minutes, as we left shortly thereafter....

To look around the film house and see my fellow listeners with their eyes closed immersing themselves in the drama of Dunwich was one of THE most enjoyable movie experiences I've had. The thought of each of us conjuring a completely different mental image with every twist of the narrative, instance of cattle mutilation or thunderous monster attack, was something truly exciting. Thanks to the meticulously detailed sound design, not to mention the acutely evocative soundtrack, the creation of a collectively diverse, common imagination served only to make the listener feel that they too were a part of the creative process in brining Lovecraft’s story to life. This was one of the true charms of the piece; there is nothing more vivid than your own imagination, particularly when accompanied by some of the most bloodcurdling sound effects ever presented in Dolby 5.1!

And even for those of us who aren’t H. P. Lovecraft aficionados the detail and pace of the narrative kept the listener engrossed and poised for the next tentacled attack. The camp, fun and melodramatic style of the performance was a nod to the existing corpus of Lovecraft adaptations as well as a respectful demonstration of the directors appreciation for the horror writers idiosyncratic style of storytelling.

All in all it was a truly unique experience; Dunwich is an impressive example of what can be achieved with a little imagination and a massive amount of sound!

THEY DID IT!!!

Okay, I have to admit that I was VERY sceptical about this at first. Firstly, it's a film festival and I was worried that this was simply a gimmick. Secondly, as a Lovecraft fan I am sick and tired of "filmmakers" repeatedly being unable, or unwilling, to provide us with a faithful adaptation of his work.

Well, I have to admit that I am now kinda eating my words. These guys have done a phenomenal job. What you get here is 100% pure, unadulterated Lovecraft. And not only that but they have presented it on a scale that is just jaw dropping. If you closed your eyes (as most of the audience did) you could have been mistaken for thinking you were "watching" a movie with a budget of millions. The attention to detail, the sound design and the sheer scale of it was just staggering.

Okay yes, it wasn't perfect - some moments passed too quickly for my liking and could've done with lingering on certain scenes - but it is a rollercoaster of an adaptation. After carefully setting up the scenario and doing an admirable job over the first 18 minutes or so of the very difficult task of introducing an audience into the sometimes impenetrable world of Lovecraft, the tale really kicks off with a vast amount of action, imagery and all the juicy stuff that a lot of horror fans have been salivating for for years.

All in all, that GOD someone has done it! And boy, they do not hold back on the size of the monster

This was pretty bloody good! I laughed and I jumped loads. And I'm still trying to figure out how they made the sounds. And a very good (and funny) Q+A. Get the feeling it was a hell of alot of fun making this

As an audio adaptation of the Dunwich Horror, it was great. Really enjoyed it and the experience of 'seeing' it in a cinema. However, when the description describes it as taking 'full advantage' of the surround system, and uses words like 'immerse' I was expecting the action to unfold all around us and was quite disappointed when everything happened in front, rather than behind and to the sides, with just the occasional sound effect happening anywhere else. Since our imaginations weren't constrained by having to look at a screen right in front of us, I feel the director and sound designer missed a trick with this. For example, when the 'horror' attacks the first house, imagine how much more effective it could have been if the family's voices in the house had been to the front, while the monster approached and attacked the barn behind us, before moving to the fore to take out the house.

Other than that one aspect, which I think could have elevated it from a really good Lovecraft adaptation, to an astounding one, I really enjoyed it and was thoroughly absorbed from start to finish

Any showing that can hold an audience's attention for that long in sweltering heat, without visuals has to be commended. I was gripped from beginning to end and became totally absorbed in the plotline. A genuine labour of love for the cast and crew, I loved it.