Conor Timmis, the creative talent behind KREATING KARLOFF, brings H.P. Lovecraft's PICKMAN'S MODEL to the screen. It is an effective 20 minutes of cinema with terrific use of shadows and darkness to keep the atmosphere eerie and the viewer engrossed.

Justin Tacchi's adaptation stays true to Lovecraft's story. At first viewing, the ending may be a bit confusing, but the cast has assembled to provide a commentary (one of six special features included on the disc) and watching it a second time I saw how things fit together.

Another of the DVD's extra features is a 35 page scroll of the original tale.

My suggestion is to read Lovecraft's tale first then watch the film twice. Once without the commentary so you can get the first impression and then "academically" with the commentary so all the things you missed the first time are now evident!

As he did successfully with KREATING KARLOFF, Conor, along with the cast and crew, brings his enthusiasm and intelligence to the project. Lovecraft enthusiasts will be pleased.

• Timmis's "Pickman" makeup was inspired by both Lovecraft's description of the character and Chris Sarandon's "Curwen" makeup from The Resurrected (1992).