Though it doesn't hit as hard as it could, Older Gods delivers plenty of Lovecraftian and folk horror on a budget.
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Lovecraftian movies all have a baseline problem. Budget. Because the core horror and appeal of Lovecraftian horror is a power that's too big to comprehend, you typically need a budget that allows you to craft the giant monstrosities that make humans feel small and pitiful. Hence why even horror masters like Guillermo del Toro have had trouble getting adaptations of The Mountains of Madness off the ground. I bring all of this up because this independent horror movie, Older Gods tries to invoke Loftcratian vibes on a shoestring budget. And comes dang close...
The Setup
The movie centers around Chris Rivers, a man who, seemingly without telling anyone, has left his pregnant wife at home and gone to visit the place where his estranged friend ended his life. Once there, Chris begins to unravel a massive conspiracy involving powers beyond his understanding...that now have their malicious eye on him.
Older Gods is an interesting movie to review, because I think it's a lot better than it has any right to be considering its resources. We've got about 4-5 speaking parts, one location and somehow we're supposed to create an oppressive atmosphere while alluding to powers beyond human understanding (imagine an echo here).
And Older Gods comes very close to pulling it off.
The biggest and best reason? How this powerful force makes its presence known.
As I alluded too before, most Lovecraftian horror overwhelms its protagonists and the audience with scale. The reason Cthulhu is so terrifying isn't just that he's a massive sea monster, it's that he's SO big that fighting against him would require at least a Mecha-Godzilla.
Older Gods dodges this by making its titular Gods influential in the world right around Chris. Because that isolation with a power beyond your understanding is also a hallmark of Lovecraft's work. This means every time Chris makes a seemingly good decision (i.e. calling the police about intruders), he's quickly thwarted either by time and space being warped or the cult of these old gods revealing their influence.
On a budget you can accomplish this by taking possession of humans or simply showing what the protagonist thinks is happening before showing us what actually happened. Coupled with the isolation Chris is experiencing (which also makes the single location work in the film's favor).
Chris is on an island and all he has is his wits and his will to fend off whatever is coming his way. And based on the imagery flashing in his head, it looks overwhelming.
Another reason I generally enjoyed this movie is that it takes a more defiant turn towards this kind of horror. There's a tendency in Lovecraftian stories to make the protagonist shrink in the face of the horror, which is both less compelling to me as an audience member and also not my personal outlook. If I'm going down to a giant old god, I'm going down swinging. And Older Gods and its hero Chris embodies this defiance.
He's constantly trying to push against the violent part or game that these beings want him to play. Which also means that the forces working against Chris have to demonstrate a cruel streak or petulance.
Director David A. Roberts also does a great job of selecting shots to amplify the terror. So say Chris is watching a creepy video, we're going to put things in dull lighting minus the screen to make it feel more spooky. Same goes with the omnipresence and flashes of cultish imagery.
So what keeps this movie from getting the full-throated "see this immediately!"
An inconsistent script.
Something you might've forgotten from the intro is that Chris went here on his own, without warning, leaving his pregnant wife at home to wonder what the hell happened. I get what the movie is going for. Chris clearly feels immense guilt over his friend's death and is likely feeling incapable of being a supportive or good father at the same time, and also might be freaking out at the responsibility of being a parent.
Ideally you tie this all together so Chris gets an opportunity to succumb, redeem or prove himself so he's ready to move on.
In practice, Chris and the movie often gets so caught up with the mystery of what's going on, that the themes fall by the wayside for 15-20 minutes...only to come roaring back when the movie is aiming for an emotional climax.
It's hard to explain, but there's a distinct feeling you get when you watch a movie lay out "this is what this movie is all about" and you're a little surprised. Like either I missed something or there's a scene or two of exposition and character development missing.
Doesn't mean the movie is without its moments, and in fact, I'm generally impressed with what writer/director David A. Roberts put together on a budget. It just means it doesn't rise above the "pretty good indie horror label."
The Verdict: Pretty Good
Though it doesn't hit as hard as it could, Older Gods delivers plenty of Lovecraftian and folk horror on a budget. 6/10
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