Earlier today I tweeted a video to a fan made “At the Mountains of Madness” trailer. I was then told about how it’s in the works, a fact I already knew but wasn’t excited about. Here’s the fan video and after the break I’ll talk a little bit about why I don’t think the Del Toro movie will be good.

First, the facts as I know them. Guillermo del Toro has been slated to write and direct. Del Toro wrote the screenplay along with Matthew Robbins. The project would be made in 3D with James Cameron as producer. Not too much more is known beyond that. So, we have three names and I can make a few assessments based on their previous projects.

Del Toro hasn’t done anything I’ve really liked. As a director Blade II, Hellboy, and Hellboy 2 were alright. I didn’t care for Pan’s Labyrinth at all and I’ll admit to not seeing any of his other work. As a writer it’s just Hellboy, Hellboy 2, and Pan’s Labyrinth, none of which I think were much in terms of writing. On of my biggest problems with Del Toro directing a Lovecraft movie is that his features have always been very creature and visual heavy. He tends to focus on bizarre creatures too much for my tastes. Hellboy 2 was nothing more then a big special effects romp to me. Sure it was fun, but Lovecraft isn’t meant to be fun.

To my tastes, Lovecraft was always about the unimaginable. Once you give form to Lovecraft’s creations they loose their potency. While Lovecraft’s scant descriptions of thing could create a very visual palate I’d rather it not be long shots of sweeping cyclopedia vistas and protracted sequences in which monsters chased heroes down well lit tunnels. I don’t trust Del Toro to NOT show things that need not be shown.

Matthew Robbins helped write the screenplay and I had to look him up to see what he’s done. I think the last thing I’ve seen that he’s been part of was the 1981 Dragonslayer. Forgive me if I don’t have faith in his abilities, I’ve simply seen nothing out of him in almost thirty years and even that wasn’t very good.

This brings us to James Cameron. The word is that he’s provided a lot of the funding for the picture, which is a red flag to me. In 2005 the HP Lovecraft Historical Society made The Call of Cthulhu, a silent adaptation of the story. The budget for that movie was no where near the Del Toro \ James Cameron level and it is easily one of the best depictions of Lovecraft work on the big screen. Mountains doesn’t need the Avatar $237,000,000 budget.

As far as James Cameron goes, from 1984 to 1991 he did some movies I really liked. Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2… I can get behind all of those. Then he did True Lies… Titanic… Avatar. Nothing really impressive to me over the last twenty years. At least he’s not directing, he’s just producing in 3D.

Fuck 3D. Personally, I am part of a small fraction of the population that suffers migraines from this new 3D technology. That aside, I don’t need shoggoths jumping out of the screen at me. Again it ties back to the visual elements. 3D movies tend to show MORE, not less. When it comes to visuals Lovecraft is a less is more type of horror.

I’m not saying “At the Mountains of Madness” is going to be terrible, I’m just saying that I’m not excited for it. I don’t care for Del Toro or Cameron, neither have earned my trust to do this project right. But who am I to say, I’m just some jackass with a blog.