Not an adaptation of Lovecraft’s “The Lurking Fear,” but a hybrid pastiche/homage to Lovecraft and Buster Keaton, with a hint of Indiana Jones in a few places

Part 1

Part 2

The Lurking Fear by Eric Koenig [Youtube]

It is a dimension of pure violence.

Two teams of nine men wage total war over a tiny patch of deserted land, shooting, stabbing, burning, exploding, and pummeling each other into paste. In this nightmare there is no death, only a blink of void before another clone is fed into the grinder. There is no rest, no ease, and no mercy. It is senseless. It is brutal. It is Team Fortress 2, and if you haven’t played it yet, you’re missing out on some of the best multiplayer FPS action ever conceived.

In this edition of Saturday Morning Cartoons, we examine the official Valve Software introductory movies for each class (except for the Pyro and Medic films, which haven’t been released yet). The first video, Meet the Heavy, was an animation test that Valve decided to release to the public, so it’s less complex than the ones that followed. Although the videos aren’t in chronological order of release, and I inserted a little break with Meet the Sandvich (reputedly a voice actor improv session someone caught on tape), I ended with what I feel is the most detailed and sophisticated TF2 film yet released, Meet the Spy. You can watch these twenty or thirty times and still be surprised at the detail, nuance, and humor. Make sure to turn on HD, and use headphones if possible.

As usual, Valve’s gone above and beyond in their characterization, artwork, and music–each video is a little wonder. As with all Valve films, they give you something so incredibly fun, that you don’t even realize you’re watching a tutorial. Each film is a solid introduction to the play style of each class, going so far as to (subtly) make specific suggestions of where to place traps, ambush enemy players, and how to aim your shots.

Each movie is filmed within an actual level of the game, using voice taunts and sound effects from the game itself. The immersion, detail, acting and art are stunning, but there is (or was, until recently) a complete dearth of backstory, leaving the players and fans to interpret the characters in any way they see fit. It was an experiment in character, sans context, and it is a triumph.

With TF2, Valve inspired one of the largest and most creative fandoms of any movie, television show, or game. I’ve included a couple fan videos at the end of this playlist, but the real stuff will have to wait until next week. This week, just familiarize yourself with the characters and style, and you’ll be primed to enjoy what’s coming next.

I hadn’t imagined the graveyard in this manner, but it works.

The Statement of Randolph Carter, by Eldritch Animation [Youtube]

Chris Lackey just posted these short cartoons of his on Youtube (unavailable for years after being hosted elsewhere). They include the efforts of others in the creative Cthulhu fandom clique (HPL Historical Society, the HPL Literary Podcast) including Chad Fifer and the distinctive voice work of Andrew Lehman. I detect a touch of influence from Mignola’s animated work such as The Amazing Screw On Head (EDIT: These films predate that comic and pilot) (which can be found in another Saturday Morning lineup), and of course a heaping dose of other inspiration (spoilers from the video). There is some genuine charm, and I love the recurring intro.

The Investigators by Christopher Lackey [Youtube]

Appropriate because I am in Berlin, notable because I cannot watch this video here without a proxy. How many other Nazi dinosaur-related documentaries are being suppressed by the German government?

[thanks to Steen for retrieving the embed code for me, as I was unable to do so, and thanks to the person who recommended this, whose name I have lost]

I’m running out of Saturday morning, it being near 11:30 here on the Best Coast, but I want to note my profound appreciation for the dadaist-queer-studies feel of every single of the Jiz clips, which reclaim an 80s backwater of shitty animation and terrible cultural values with the most offensive, nonsensical, and brutally funny redub to land online since the GI Joe PSAs.

“But remember this: One day, when you least expect it, you will shit on me.”

[thanks Jhonen!]