Cthulhu (R)

synopsis

Russell Marsh, a young, gay Seattle history professor, receives a call from his sister that their mother has died; he must return home to settle the estate. Reacquainted with his boyhood chum Mike, and with his father, the charismatic leader of a New Age cult, Russ explores a creepy warehouse where hundreds of names are listed on the walls. Dreaming of a stone cudgel, he awakens to find it in his motel room. The town drunk warns it is an instrument of sacrifice. A young liquor store clerk enlists his help to find her brother, who she believes has been taken by the cult. Russ’ Aunt, who’s been locked up in an insane asylum, says that his mother left him a vital message, which is hidden in his mother’s house and in the warehouse. Russ embarks on a journey through the small town’s ancient, subterranean origins. They find the girl’s brother murdered, and Russ begins to believe preparations are underway for a mass sacrifice. He engages the attentions of sexy seductress Susan in order to gain information about the cult. On the eve of the May Festival, Susan rapes him and he is arrested for murder. Mixing horror, humor and bitter political commentary, "Cthulhu" offers a startling vision of the future of mankind.