Die Farbe/The Color Out of Space (2010) Review

 

Die Farbe/The Color Out of Space (2010)

The Color Out of Space follows Jonathan, who goes to Germany looking for his father, instead uncovering the truth behind a mysterious entity that plagued a small farm 45 years earlier.

I don’t know of any story that has been done as much as this Lovecraft classic but hey! I’m not complaining. This one is particularly unique, being a low budget German adaptation that goes to great lengths to invigorate the story. Most of the story is told through flashbacks to 1930 and 1945, in a narrative choice that I quite like, as it hinders the characters to their environment and sets the tone early for the worldly happenings of the time.

With it being shot in black and white, I think that stylistic choice is perfect, as the loss of color really opens the door for more horror elements to seep in, as well as let the “colour” stand out as this otherworldly light that is beyond the comprehension of those who come in contact with it.

Naturally, with it being set in Germany, I won’t knock it too hard on it’s pretty bad English but the acting is never anything that stands out, especially in the “modern day” parts (1975). While it really captures the essence and haunting essence of the story, the actual scare factor is really lacking too, mainly due to it’s begrudging length that drags out the film longer than it needs to be (with little to no action to fill out the long bouts of exposition). Most importantly though, setting the “colour” in color is an excellent artistic choice but it falls really short as the special effects are very primitive in looks, never coming off as scary, just weird.

We get a relative cast of unknowns, featuring Ingo Heise, Erik Rastetter, Michael Kausch, & Marco Liebnitz. Liebnitz is the only real saving grace in this, as his flashback era portrayal of a young Kausch brings an innocence and wonder that really brings a levity to events.

The Color Out of Space, directed by Huan Vu, isn’t necessarily bad, as it’s a stellar attempt with some really ingenious artistic additions to the H.P. Lovecraft story, just never finds a footing in it’s attempt to really portray the complex horror of this intrinsic story.

6.8/10