H. P. Lovecraft (played by Jeffrey Combs) goes to a library of the occult to read the Necronomicon (book of the laws of the dead). But it is safely guarded and he must sneak past the monks. After he succeeds, he reads three stories from the book (each very loosely based off a Lovecraft tale) and we are treated to them from three different directors.

This film shouldn't fail. Combs and Yuzna know Lovecraft... along with Stuart Gordon they're like the masters of the Lovecraft. And the anthology format has been done successfully before ("Creepshow"). But yet, this just seems like more of a mess than anything. I think this is because the three stories have nothing in common with each other (that didn't matter in "Creepshow" but it seems like it should here). And the fact it's a different director each time makes the transitions a little stranger. Maybe this could have been a short-lived television series with directors adapting various Lovecraft tales each week. As one feature film, it just doesn't slide.

The first tale ("The Drowned") was awful beginning to end. I won't name names, because the actors and director don't need this on their record. Seriously, just plain bad.

Shusuke Kaneko (known for his Godzilla films) gives us the second part, based on "Cool Air". Of the three, this is the only really good one, and the only thing redeeming this movie (besides Combs). We get the story of a woman who meets a doctor and falls in love with him, and gets impregnated. But the doctor has a secret -- he is ancient, and must be kept alive by using spinal fluid and avoiding all heat and light.

David Warner (veteran horror actor and also the professor from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze") plays Dr. Madden, and his presence is always welcome. Bess Meyer, whom I don't know, plays a great Emily Osterman. If all three sequences were this good, this film would have been much more memorable (and maybe available on DVD by now). Obba Babatunde (best known to me as the "Dawson's Creek" principal) shows up, also. The only good part of part three (besides the gore, which part two does better).

The road to filming this movie was paved with good intentions, but I'm not convinced. If you do watch it, watch all the way through -- it gets better as it goes, I promise. But unless you're as much of a lover of Combs or Lovecraft as I am, this really can wait until the DVD edition arrives... and even then, take your time.

This is an interesting anthology that revolves around the fabled Necronomicon and the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Usually I am not overly keen on anthologies, but this is Lovecraftian material, and that alone makes it more than well-worth watching.

There are three segments titled "The Drowned", "The Cold" and "Whispers" which are all intertwined with the narrative "The Library". "The Library" actually deals with H.P. Lovecraft coming to get a hold of the Necronomicon and peruses it for inspiration to his writing.

The stories are nicely told and manage to capture the cosmic doom, despair, desolation and isolation of man that Lovecraft refined in his actual writings. And if you enjoy reading his work, then you should give this movie a chance. Each story and segment is very different from one another, offering something for everyone.

Granted, the movie is from 1993, so the effects are not matching the overwhelming CGI fest that we have today. But I still found them to be good enough and working quite in favor of the movie.

And there is an abundance of great talents on the cast list, some of whom are no strangers to Lovecraftian movie adaptations, such as Maria Ford, David Warner and of course Jeffrey Combs who is finally in the role of Lovecraft himself after having starred in numerous Lovecraft adaptations. And even Lovecraftian director Brian Yuzna is on the cast list.

"Necronomicon: Book of the Dead" is well-deserving a place in the movie collection of any horror fan and Lovecraft movie adaptation fan.

Iä, Iä Cthulhu!

Usually I don't like movies that have three stories with a wrapper around them but here it works fine. The first story is pretty good, the second is pretty dull and the last is awesome. The wraparound is one of the best in this type of movie. The first story was good with a great amount of creepy monster effects and scary moments. The second story left me cold. The third story was great with like demons and stuff. The wraparound would have been better as a separate story but it is very entertaining with a great ending (just like the first and third stories). Four stories in one film and three of them are great! This is a gritty classic.