Lately, there’s been a resurgence of Lovecraftian horror movies. Color Out of Space, The Deep Ones, and to some extent, Annihilation are recent examples. It makes sense. The world constantly feels like it’s spinning out of control, and Lovecraft is all about the chaos. The Quantum Terror is a super low-budget, and I mean really low-budget film, that follows the tradition of cosmic horror. Some of its schlocky one-liners and stiff dialogue will earn laughs, unintentional or not, but this film does have some really gnarly special effects fitting for Lovecraftian creatures.

Sam (Kristin Cochell) is on a mission to find her missing sister, a grad student named Sylvia. She’s joined by Lucy (Paula Marcenaro Solinger), Jacob (Matt Blackwell), and Noah (Jordan Michael Brinkman). Sylvia was obsessed with quantum physics and ideas about other dimensions. It apparently drove her mad until she disappeared. This is the plot of too many Lovecraft stories to count.  This leads the friends to tunnels where they discover strange drawings on the walls that may or may not have been drawn by Sylvia. Did she disappear into another dimension? Did she transcend time? Did aliens snatch her? That’s what the friends must find out. They’re also followed by the ever-so-earnest Detective Ritchie (Val Mayerik), who probably wishes he just stayed at home instead. I’m not quite sure he’s ready to have his mind blown, so to speak.

Yet, not everyone has noble intentions. Jacob is the villain of the bunch, leading the group further and further into the tunnels until their sense of reality warps. Oh, and they’re attacked by slimy tentacle monsters that look like something out of John Carpenter’s The Thing. In fact, when poor Noah is infected, to the point where his veins turn a purplish color, Jacob doesn’t seem to care much. In fact, prior to that, he makes gross comments about keeping the women in line. Noah has no backbone, according to Jacob, so who cares if he dies?

The deeper the group descends, the weirder things get. However, it takes a heck of a lot of patience to get to that point. The film’s shaky camera work and wooden performances leave a lot to be desired. In fact, the film’s only real highlight is the practical effects. This makes sense since writer/director Christopher Cooksey‘s background is in production design and practical effects. The tentacles look great. In fact, they’re the real star of the movie, to the point they should have been featured even more. Many of these effects were created by the Oscar-winning company studioADI, which worked on Tremors, Jumanji, and Starship Troopers, among other well-known movies. The aliens in this feature would undoubtedly make Lovecraft proud.

However, special effects alone don’t save this one. So much of the dialogue is poorly written, and that, coupled with the awkward performances, makes for a tough watch. That said, if you’re a fan of B-horror, and if you’re looking for something with solid old-school effects, then give The Quantum of Terror a try. Lovecraft fans may enjoy it, while others get a laugh or two.

4 Out of 10