DAGON (2001) ***1/2

Reviewed 7/26/02

Stuart Gordon gets much mileage out of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” despite horrible acting and an obvious low budget.  Actually, doing such pulpy material in a slick Hollywood style would be an insult, and the B-movie, exploitation trappings work to achieve the traditional so bad-it’s good feel.  Gordon makes excellent use of a Spanish seaside town and revs up the spook factor in the hero’s isolation there.  Lead Ezra Godden seems to be trying to impersonate Jeffery Combs from Re-Animator and has no charisma whatsoever, but not so Macarena Gomez who effortlessly manages to be beautiful and enormously creepy at the same time.  Striking Raquel Meroņo gets the thankless role of nude human sacrifice, but at least looks good doing it.