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Horror Cult Classic

An old dark house, a demon daughter, and college curiosity spark cosmic terror on campus.

THE UNNAMABLE

There are things on God's Earth that we can't explain and we can't describe. From the depths of Hell comes...

1988 · 1h 27m · R · Horror · IMDB TMDB

Back in the 1800's a lady gives birth to a monster. They decide that the baby is too ugly to name, therefore the monster is known as the "Unnamable". The creature brutally slaughters his family, and gets trapped in a vault. Go ahead to 1988, and some college students have heard the story about the unnamable and want to check out the vault.

Quick Answer

What is The Unnamable about?

The Unnamable is a 1988 American horror film directed by Jean-Paul Ouellette about college students investigating a haunted house where a monstrous creature, born in the 1800s, was once locked away.

Programmer's Pick

Where else can you get Lovecraft, a demon daughter, and a Necronomicon all in one bloody package? The Unnamable takes the old dark house setup and runs it through a splatter filter, complete with cosmic horror mood and a campus ghost story gone very wrong.

— SassyFlix Programmer

Overview

In The Unnamable, a chilling legend haunts the corridors of the Winthrop house, where something monstrous was locked away after a violent outburst in the late 18th century. Joshua Winthrop, the unfortunate patriarch, meets his end at the hands of his demon daughter, setting the stage for a tale of terror. Centuries later, Randolph Carter captivates his university friends with stories of the dreaded events, all while they sit in the graveyard surrounding the infamous house. What begins as a ghost story soon tempts the group to see if the horrors are real, blending university dare with Lovecraftian dread. Expect classic haunted house atmospherics, ancient curses, and a sense of ever-encroaching menace.

Details & Specs

Director
Jean-Paul Ouellette
Writers
Jean-Paul Ouellette, H.P. Lovecraft
Release
1988
Runtime
1h 27m
Country
United States of America
Language
English
Genres
Horror
Also Known As
Abominável Criatura, H.P. Lovecraft's The Unnamable, White Monster, H.P. Lovecraft's The White Monster, l'innommable

Why This Matters

This adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story features the recurring character Randolph Carter and is a 1988 horror film written, directed, and produced by Jean-Paul Ouellette, reflecting the continued influence of Lovecraft's works on American genre cinema.
— SassyFlix Curator

Cast & Crew

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Director: Jean-Paul Ouellette Writers: Jean-Paul Ouellette +1 more

Why Cult

Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror

Based on H.P. Lovecraft's mythos, the film delivers demonic creatures, the Necronomicon, and a genuinely unsettling sense of the unknown.

Demon Daughter Monster

A monstrous, nameless offspring with a taste for carnage drives the terror, making for a uniquely grotesque antagonist.

Old Dark House Atmosphere

Creaking corridors, graveyard chills, and thunderstorm-lit suspense evoke classic haunted house vibes with a bloodier twist.

Practical Gore Effects

Expect severed heads, torn flesh, and blood-spattered faces—this film leans into its R rating with practical effects and gruesome visuals.

Scene Gallery

Threat File

Trigger

College students investigate the haunted Winthrop house

Threat

Demon daughter 'The Unnamable'

Effect

Brutal killings and supernatural terror

Countermeasure

Use of a magic spell from the Necronomicon

Setting

Winthrop house and surrounding graveyard

Questions from the Vault

When was The Unnamable released? +

The Unnamable was released in 1988.

Who directed The Unnamable? +

Jean-Paul Ouellette directed The Unnamable.

How long is The Unnamable? +

The Unnamable has a runtime of 87 minutes.

What genre is The Unnamable? +

The Unnamable is a horror film.

Why is the creature called 'The Unnamable'? +

The creature is called 'The Unnamable' because her family deemed her too ugly to be given a name, leaving her as the nameless monster of the Winthrop house.

Trailers & Clips