2012 Film Challenge #63 - The Cicerones

Ah, here we go.

I've no idea how they read, but through a combination of poor quality material and wild veers from the remit (such as it is); the past few posts on this blog have felt a bit lacking from my end.

But here we have a short film written and directed by Jeremy Dyson (yes!) starring Mark Gatiss (yes!) based on a short story by Robert Aickman (yes!).

It's one of those film where the less you know about it, the more you're likely to enjoy it.

It's just over ten minutes long, so you have no excuse to not watch it.

The opening seems to be a tribute to that of Eraserhead, and it ends like all Robert Aickman stories so far encountered – with an absolute refusal to answer any of the questions currently screaming through your disquietened brain.

If you don't know who Robert Aickman is, think of him as M.R James gone weird.

If you don't know who M.R James is, think of him as Edgar Allen Poe gone English.

If you don't know who Edgar Allen Poe is, think of him as the thinking man's HP Lovecraft.

If you don't know who HP Lovecraft is, think of him as a man whose terrifying brilliance was unfortunately tainted by racism.

If you don't know what racism is, then it's likely that you and I can be friends.

Unless you're one of those unwitting, blundering racist types.

Oooh.