This movie is also a remarkable achievement on a limited budget. He's supported by the terrific and colorful turns of a cast of accomplished character actors, including the avuncular Maurice McNicholas, fragile Edy Cullen, and the seething menace of Tom Lodewyck as fellow mad-artist Goodie Hines. His self-absorbed and socially awkward character could easily alienate the audience, but instead betrays glimpses of vulnerability, loss, and yearning that underlies his visionary drive and artistic obsessions. Key to the movie is the twitchy, introverted and hypnotic performance of Barret Walz. Beautiful cinematography and economic storytelling balance the claustrophobic environments of the artist's studio and the expansive mysteries of the abandoned church, while suggesting a darker and more malevolent cosmos lurking just beyond this false-front reality. Eschewing splashy gore effects, it focuses on building an ominous mood and revealing the slow decay of the main character's mental state as he glimpses "worlds unknown" and grinds his way down into violent madness. Lovecraft's short story "The Haunter of the Dark" is a visually striking and eerily effective blending of the author's elements, and one of the best HPL films I've seen. Dexter asks Richard for help with his surveillance of Pickman is extended to include additional back-story regarding Goodie Hines. Luckily, the Landlady appears at the open door, interrupting the argument. Dexter, Pickman has reached for a knife and intends on killing him. Dexter lets himself in to the apartment and has a look around - he discovers that Pickman's gruesome paintings have grown in number. Dexter goes to Pickman's apartment to confront him about his recent obsession with the Starry Wisdom Church. He discovers that another artist in the 1920's also committed a number of murders in the name of the Starry Wisdom Church.
Dexter goes to the library archives to research the history of the Starry Wisdom Church. After Pickman is confronted by his Landlady and the Police Detective regarding the dead dog, Dr. Much of the material was included as a special feature on the DVD. Ten minutes of material where trimmed for the 2010 DVD Release.
Pickman's Muse original running time for the 2009 Film Festival Circuit clocked in at 85 minutes.