The Call of Cthulhu: The Celebrated Story of H.P. Lovecraft [DVD] [2005]

The Microcinema DVD of this modern silent horror effort comes filled with extras, though the 47 minute film itself is mightily impressive in its own right, as presented here. The makers have treated the film to an excellent full-screen (1.33-to-1)transfer, and one marvels at the realistic presence of vertical scratches (in high-resolution), to create the verisimilitude of watching an early twentieth century silent horror classic. Care has been taken so that the movie never looks so crisp or fresh so as to destroy the "period" illusion created by the theatrical original -- and the makers' use of odd angles and shadows work well on the small-screen. The audio is, of course, no problem at all, a modern digital recording of a contemporary score that it as timeless as most of the images presented. The disc opens to a multi-layered menu that is easy to maneuver around and offers simple access to the extras -- the highlights of the bonus material include a short film explaining the history of the production and the makers' approach to it, and various outtakes, of which the highlights are the stop-motion animation sequences.