Though born in Wisconsin, I spent my formative years near the domed Vermont hills Lovecraft evokes so effectively in his story the "Whisperer in Darkness". While working on this film I graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Political Science. The first story by Lovecraft I ever read was "The Music of Erich Zahn". I was enthralled by the scale of the story and Lovecraft's incredible use of language. It is fitting then that the first Lovecraftian adaptation I ever saw was of "The Music of Erich Zahn". John Strysik's short film convinced me that it would be possible to capture Lovecraft's vision on film.

My friendship with the very talented Aaron Vanek allowed me to watch the process of making a movie step by step. Aaron's first two films impressed me greatly so I jumped at the chance to work on his film "Return to Innsmouth". Being stuck on the wrong side of the continent I was only able to help out with web design and monetary donations.

Finally I began the process of making a Lovecraftian adaptation of my own. To help me visualize the film I enlisted the help of John Dearnley whose knowledge and enthusiasm have helped greatly. John was originally set to direct the film, but opted to join the air force instead. After a few casting changes (one caused when my original choice for Nyarlathotep moved suddenly to San Francisco) the major roles were set. Dan Harrod plays the title role of Nyarlathotep, the first time one of Lovecraft's major deities has been portrayed on film. Dan is an avid Lovecraftian and brings such intensity to the role I can no longer picture anyone else filling it. Elias Bresnick lends his deep voice and love for the material to the production as the voice of the narrator. I play the protagonist, a dream form of H. P. Lovecraft.

Our interpretation of Nyarlathotep was inspired by Will Murray's comparison of the Dark God with the maverick scientist Nikola Tesla. Tesla traveled from city to city putting on shows that defied the laws of physics and sent his audiences away baffled and disturbed. This meshes perfectly with the description of Nyarlathotep given in the story. Nyarlathotep incorporates the scientific advances of the time such as the motion picture into his show, creating a nightmare grounded much more in science than in the supernatural.

We drew upon later stories by Lovecraft involving Nyarlathotep to flesh out the character. Another source for visual imagery was the "Revelation of Saint John" since this story --though written well in advance of Lovecraft's mythos stories-- serves a similar purpose as an apocalypse tale. In many of Lovecraft's stories we are told of the impending return of the Great Old Ones, but only in this story are we shown a glimpse of it.

The film is a straight adaptation of the story, with the original text being read in its entirety over the corresponding scenes. This approach was chosen when John and I saw Anthony Reed's adaptation of "The Hound" which follows a similar pattern.

The film is set in the early 1920's and is being filmed in Portland Maine with additional scenes being filmed in Land of Nod Maine and with a special sequence being filmed in the Desert of Maine. Parts of the city of Portland have hardly changed since Lovecraft visited them in the 1930's. This New England fondness for historic architecture has made location scouting much easier. The bulk of the interior shots will be filmed in two period buildings, one providing hallways and apartments that have been kept in their original condition and the other providing a large enough space to film Nyarlathotep's show.

The film is being shot on digital video in black and white.