Welcome to another Philm Phreaks review.This time I’m turning my attention to a DVD release of “H. P. Lovecraft's Witch House.”

I have seen this described as a faithful adaptation. In some ways it is. In others it is very much not. They get the basic spooky stuff from the original story right. One aspect of the story is that it focuses on the blurring of dream world and reality, with the two encroaching on one another. I think the movie did a great job of that. 

They play a bit looser with the characters and overall story line. I think some of that was necessary to bring it into a contemporary setting. I'm actually okay with most of the changes they made to the story. 

Probably the biggest change is in the character of Brown Jenkin. That character is definitely included here. I don't think they ever use the name, though. I can't be sure because some of the dialog was in whispered and weirdly processed style, and it was hard to understand. Also, rather than a mouse with a human face, he is a rat who turns into twisted human form. I have to think that was a budgetary concern because the effect of creating a story accurate version would have likely been expensive. 

Some of this movie is too dark (literally), making it hard to figure out what's going on some of the time. I also have to wonder how well you would figure out what was going on if you were unfamiliar with the original story. I mean, I recognized various elements, but I'm not sure how well some of them were spelled out in the film. 

This movie is definitely creepy. It does a great job of blurring the lines to the point where you, as the viewer, aren't sure what is dream and what is the reality in the film. The acting is all solid. I think this movie is a good adaptation of the story. Purists will likely have issues with it, though. For them, I think the Stuart Gordon adaptation that was done for the “Masters of Horror” series will probably be the "go to." Personally, though, I think, while this isn't as good as that one, it is a pretty good adaptation, and it's a trippy movie. That makes it worthwhile. The DVD really doesn't have any substantial bonus features, but people buy movies for the movies, not the bonuses.