Color Out of Space: Blinded by the Light

The insidious influence of the Color is perhaps its most frightening aspect, distracting its victims and overwhelming their senses as it transforms them for its purposes.

So I watched Color Out of Space, a film adaptation of the HP Lovecraft short story of the same name starring Nicholas Cage, and to tell the truth, I didn't expect much. There's definitely easier options of source material to adapt than the cosmic horror of Lovecraft, and a story about an indescribable color is a hard sell on a visual medium. However, Color Out of Space is surprisingly well-crafted, eerie, and exciting, using modern cinematic effects and (largely) great techniques in order to perfectly capture the essence of Lovecraftian storytelling in all its unsettling wonder.

The plot of Color Out of Space is essentially the same as the short story of the same name written in March 1927, but taking place in the modern day at a secluded farm in Arkham County (the only world building in a surprising show of restraint). It tells the story of a family living on said farm that eventually fall victim to a living color/energy force, driving them to madness, mutation, or both. This isn't limited to humans, the said color also changes the world around it, leading to new varieties of flora and fauna showing up gradually and supplanting the native environment. Though vividly colored, the transformation of the environment and people is reminiscent of radiation poisoning and Chernobyl being reclaimed by nature in keeping with Lovecraft's fear of the unknown. It's haunting how the family (who aren't the most harmonious but still loving people) one by one falls victim to the color in their own unique ways, and while some resist the effects for a time, none are spared (in keeping with my theory that the story is about radiation) save for the hydrologist who only occasionally visited the farm to check on the strange contents of the water supply. The adherence to Lovecraftian storytelling doesn't end with the fallibility of the human characters however, it also plays into the resolution of the film. After a transporting vision of alien realms and realities, the color departs, leaving no answers for the survivor or the audience, only the knowledge that we'll never understand or fully know what happened, and I really liked that.

Without the context of the situation, several shots from this film would be downright serene, but with context the beauty is somehow more frightening than standard horror elements.

Color Out of Space's biggest hurdle was translating what was described (or alluded) to the silver screen, and it's very impressive what was able to be done with post processing effects and other techniques. The color in particular is noteworthy, and while it's never clear if it's simply energy or an intelligent incorporeal being, the way it was handled is nothing short of genius. My roommate and I argued whether it was a mistake for the film to be in color, for black and white could make said color be truly vivid and crazy, but color film here works. The color in question is a single shade of nigh blindingly hot neon pink, a color that doesn't exist in nature, only in paints, and the way it overshadows and blocks out all the other colors is brilliant. It's also accompanied by a boneshaking drone of sound that practically overwhelms you, which I loved. We do get a little fake out after the Color leaves, and for a little bit it looks like its departure actually sucked the color out of the surrounding area, but alas, it is simply a choking layer of ash. The color palette of this film as well as the mutation of the surrounding flora and fauna is pretty reminiscent of Annihilation, so if you liked the visuals of that film you'll be sure to enjoy Color. There's a neat display of the passage of time in the film, with gradually more neon (or normally-shaded) pinks and purples showing up in shots, which added a nice creepy touch. The way that 'monsters' were filmed is also great, utilizing a lot of quick extreme closeups (reminiscent of The Thing) on parts of these abominations in order to convey how horrific and indescribable they are. It would have been better if we never got a full-body shot of them, because the CGI looked sort of bad, but it only happens at most three times, and only one of those could be called bad. The climax, at which the Color is at maximum power and when it leaves, gives us the most eye-catching post-processing effects I've seen in a good long while. There's this blur-and-stick effect that's used to show the force of the Color's pull, and it is (right now) totally unique to this film. To best describe it would be as a standard blur effect in a single direction, but at about three second intervals a frame would stick, making actions be feel disorienting in a truly novel way. Practical effects are also a highlight, and I would definitely recommend this film to special effects people as special effects (both post and practical) done right.

If you don't like body horror this film won't be a pleasant watch. Here you can also see in the background some of the Color's impact. The lawn is now pink.

So those are my thoughts on 2020's Color Out of Space, a very unique horror film in our era. I'd recommend it to both lovers of horror and experimental films. It's a good bit slower and artsy than most horror films, so that could hamper some peoples' enjoyment of the film, but I'd argue that that's one of its strengths. Its a film that tells the story of a truly alien entity, beyond the comprehension of humans, and it pulls no punches. No matter if you're looking for a unique film or a faithful adaptation of the source material in both plot and spirit, you won't be found wanting by watching Color Out of Space.