Media [Chaosium] The Call of Cthulhu movie to engulf both the Star and the Sun in Australia!

[Michael O'Brien]

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Horror fans and Call of Cthulhu players in Melbourne Australia are looking forwards to the 20th anniversary screening of Call of Cthulhu, the marvelous silent movie adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s seminal story made by our friends from the HP Lovecraft Historical Society. It’s screening at the Sun Theatre in Yarraville on Thursday 26 June at 9 PM, the evening before Chaosium Con Australia.

Director Andrew Leman and producer Sean Branney will present the film and making-of featurette, and host an entertaining Q+A afterwards.

But far away from Melbourne out in country Victoria where the nights are darker and the stars more numerous, local Call of Cthulhu author Mark Morrison thought to himself…

Why should Melbourne have all the doom?

So, we’re pleased and slightly alarmed to announce that a new Call of Cthulhu screening has been arranged in Bendigo on Tuesday 24 June at 7 PM, at the Star Cinema Eaglehawk. Tickets are now on sale.

You read that right: Cthulhu is engulfing both the Sun and the Star, on the same week!

Sean Branney will be in Bendigo for the Q+A. (Andrew Leman will be present for the Melbourne screening but sends his apologies to Bendigo fans, as he will be somewhere over the Pacific on Tuesday night, with strong hopes that he’ll actually land in Australia and not R’lyeh.)

The Star Cinema Eaglehawk is in the kind of place that your 1920s investigators may well have visited. It’s situated in the old Eaglehawk Town Hall, a magnificent two storey red brick building built in 1901 with a central clock tower. (And if Cthulhu rises on the night, the two cannons located out the front may come in handy; they were originally from the three-decker battleship HMVS Nelson, launched in 1814.)

The Star Cinema was established in the town hall in 2005 (the same year that Call of Cthulhu was made, weirdly enough). It’s a true community venue largely run by volunteers. Film-goers sit on large comfortable couches and enjoy locally-sourced beers, wines and snacks. In recent times Mark has attended screenings of The Thing and The Exorcist, so it’s clearly the right venue for mythos horror.

Both of these events herald the coming of Chaosium Con Australia on 27-29 June, where Sean and Andrew are international guests of honour. We invite you to join them for a full weekend of gaming for tabletop roleplaying fans in Melbourne. That is, assuming that Cthulhu has not risen first.

• Tickets for The Call of Cthulhu screening at the Star Theatre, Eaglehawk (June 24, 7pm) here.
• Tickets for The Call of Cthulhu screening at the Sun Theatre, Yarraville (June 26, 9pm) here.
• Find out more and get your Badge for Chaosium Con Australia, Moonee Valley Racing Club (June 27-29) here.

 

[Michael O'Brien]

June 26th, the night before Chaosium Con Australia there's a special 20th anniversary screening of The Call of Cthulhu at Melbourne's iconic Sun Theatre! Widely regarded as the greatest screened adaption of a Cthulhu Mythos tale, it will be introduced in person by the HPLHS's Andrew Leman and Sean Branney.

THE CALL OF CTHULHU – Sun Theatre

suntheatre.com.au

 

[Michael O'Brien]

Cthulhu doomed the Star Cinema on a rainswept and pitch black winter's night, with a special screening of the HPLHS adaptation of "Call of Cthulhu", followed by a Q+A with Sean Branney hosted by Chaosium writer Mark Morrison.

A dedicated crowd of Bendigo cinephiles, Call of Cthulhu players and Lovecraft fans braved the elements to hear tales of the filming, with the entire crowd staying to the last question to hear about Sean's favourite HPL story (and why wasn't it "Cats of Ulthar"), how the HPLHS decided on the right medium to adapt each story, how they have grown their creative community, and more.

It was an excellent night superby facilitated by projectionist James and front of house volunteer Vicky. We sincerely hope everyone made it home alive afterwards, but in a night so dark, nothing is guaranteed when Cthulhu comes to call.
Sean has been doomed to do it all again with his HPLHS colleague Andrew Leman at the Sun Theatre in Yarraville, Melbourne at 9pm on June 26th! Tickets for the special 20th Anniversary screening of The Call of Cthulhu here:

THE CALL OF CTHULHU – Sun Theatre

suntheatre.com.au

 

[Michael O'Brien]

A gathering of cultists at tonight's 20th anniversary screening of The Call of Cthulhu at The Sun Theatre in Melbourne, Australia. Chaosium Con Australia international guests of honour Sean Branney and Andrew Leman presented their movie and hosted a Q&A session afterwards. A brilliant evening!

Sean and Andrew will be at Chaosium Con Australia this weekend, taking place at Moonee Valley Racing Club:

Chaosium Con AU 2025

www.chaosium.com