Resident Evil 4 takes inspiration from several classic horror icons. The franchise as a whole has always been inspired by filmmakers like George A. Romero. Though Stuart Gordon's Dagon has never been mentioned by Capcom or anyone involved with the game, it's hard not to notice all the similarities. Finally, a feature-length take on corrupted cultists in a Spanish village.
The works of H. P. Lovecraft are influential in a way that very few other authors have achieved. He's one of those go-to names that people use as shorthand for an entire genre and anything that feels like it. With that in mind, of course a little bit of Lovecraft is in the Resident Evil franchise, but the more interesting comparison comes in the unique methods of adaptation.
What is Dagon about?
Director Stuart Gordon is known almost entirely for his work in the world of H. P. Lovecraft, but Dagon is at the bottom of his list. His 1985 film Re-Animator and its 1986 spiritual successor From Beyond are cult classics that established the director as a unique talent. In 2005, he returned to the Lovecraft well for an episode of the unfairly forgotten anthology series Masters of Horror, which he based on "Dreams In the Witch-House." Between those efforts, Stuart Gordon traveled to Spain to work with Estudios Picasso and Fantastic Factory on a film called Dagon.
Dagon loosely reinterprets Lovecraft's "Dagon" and "Shadow over Innsmouth," sticking to Gordon's preference for playing with the material.
Dagon follows Paul Marsh and his girlfriend Barbara, who wind up stranded in a deserted Spanish fishing village after a mysterious boat disaster. The village, known as Imboca, is immediately off-putting. After seeking the aid of the local priest, Paul and Barbara are forcefully separated. Paul keeps having the same bizarre nightmare about a mermaid with razor-sharp teeth. Paul discovers that the population is still in Imboca, but they're not human anymore. Almost every citizen of the village has been forcefully transformed into a disgusting fish creature. Sure enough, as Paul finds the last full-blooded resident of Imboca, he learns the horrible truth of this poor place's relationship to the malevolent deity Dagon. Paul will have to fight for survival, but every new secret he uncovers changes his fate forever. It's a bizarre horror film that plays fast and loose with the mythology, but it captures the spirit of Lovecraft's work well.
How does Dagon Relate to Resident Evil 4?
The starting point of these two works is extremely similar. Both follow an American man who is lost in a Spanish village full of dangerous cultists. Both men are looking for women who have been taken hostage by the cult. Both cults use deeply unpleasant means to alter the physical form of their victims. Both men find their way into the local church to meet the cult's charismatic leader. Both works feature large hoards of man-sized monsters and a handful of much larger and more powerful monsters. These similarities probably occur due to RE 4's similarities to Lovecraft's "Innsmouth." There are tons of stories about dangerous villages full of deluded hostile cultists, but the Spanish tinge added to both works brings them closer together. Though there are a lot of points of comparison, the works are interesting in the ways they differ.
Leon Scott Kennedy is a battle-hardened super soldier. When he arrives in Spain and meets Los Illuminados, he's a bit unsettled, but he's ready for action. Paul Marsh is not quite as qualified. He's not an action hero, he's a horror movie protagonist. The film partially depicts what might happen if a normal man were to wander into Resident Evil 4, armed with nothing but a quick wit and a creeping sense of hopelessness. However, as the film goes on, it becomes clear that Paul isn't just in Imboca to rescue his girlfriend. Paul has a connection to the dark secrets under the island's surface that threatens to unravel everything he once knew. Where RE 4 starts in a place of horror and builds towards greater action, Dagon has a couple of moments of fighting back before things really get dark. It's the pure horror answer to RE 4, but it still captures much of the outside-the-box silly elements.
Dagon is a solid adaptation of one of Lovecraft's best stories. It captures the dreamlike horror, the cosmic scale, and the drive to madness. For his part, Stuart Gordon didn't make a lot of films after Dagon, and he passed away in 2020. The film hasn't quite attained cult classic status like its older brothers, but it has its fans. Resident Evil 4, on the other hand, remains an unquestioned all-time masterpiece in its genre. As the remake hits shelves, take a look back at a film that seems to capture much of the same energy. Dagon is available now on Tubi and The Roku Channel.