Tonight Seattle audiences can finally get a look at Dan Gildark and Grant Cogswell’s Cthulhu, the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired, gay-themed, set-in-Astoria crypto-zombie thriller, which has its official world premiere at the Neptune this evening.

Cogswell’s a friend, which is why I attended an early screening of Cthulhu, and I really dug it. As that aggresively hyphenated description above suggests, the film is twisty and mysterious and I’m happy to report that it’s all very confidently executed and quite spellbinding. Yes, Tori Spelling plays a supporting role, and she’s fine, but if we’re going to name-check participants beyond Gildark and Cogswell, it should be cinematographer Sean Kirby, the acclaimed shooter of Zoo who does equally lovely work here.

See the trailer and buy tickets for Cthulhu’s two SIFF screenings (one tonight, one Sunday afternoon) at the film’s glamorous official website.