Dagon

media release: Spain | 2001 | 35mm | 98 min. 

Director: Stuart Gordon; Cast: Ezra Godden, Francisco Rabal, Raquel Meroño 

Washed ashore in a small coastal village after a boating accident, Paul (Godden) and his girlfriend Barbara (Meroño) uncover a frightening community of half-human/half-fish creatures who target the couple for a ritual sacrifice to Dagon, God of the Sea.  After Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Castle Freak, director Gordon and screenwriter Dennis Paoli returned to adapting H.P. Lovecraft, resulting in this clever and suspenseful monster movie. 

Admission free for all screenings, seating limited. No admission 15 minutes after scheduled start times. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions.

AT THE CHAZEN: STUART GORDON RETROSPECTIVE, PART THREE 

Born and raised in Chicago and educated at UW Madison, Stuart Gordon (1947-2020) turned to movie storytelling after nearly two decades of acclaimed theatrical productions that were frequently outlandish and sometimes controversial. Gordon’s cinematic oeuvre was similarly championed for a colorful visual style, themes that celebrated working class underdogs, and stories driven by flamboyant villains who are typically authority figures abusing their power. A horror and science-fiction genre specialist, Gordon also made a few movies that are not easily categorizable. This third and final section of our year-long retrospective highlights three horror gems, Gordon’s 1991 variation on Poe’s The Pit and the Pendulum, and two more H.P. Lovecraft adaptations, Dagon and From Beyond. The series also includes Gordon’s final theatrical feature, the shocking and satirical Stuck. All of the 35mm prints for this series are courtesy Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research. Special thanks to Amanda Smith.