Any H.P. Lovecraft Fans on Here?

used to play the Call of Cthulhu roll playing game in my teens, was fantastic as a player you never won, but was more about what you learnt as you slipped into madness, cracking stuff and much better than the AD&D that was very popular at that time, but then I have always been a sucker for horror.

Used to play that too, class game. No matter what you done you just ended dying anyways, usually to some f***ing cultists before you got anywhere near anything bigger.

Books are good as well, though not read any since I was a teenager many many years ago.
 


There's a card game called Arkham Horror and a board game Eldritch Horror based on Lovecraft's books.

There's lots of stuff like that, he's big business now. He was certain that he'd pass into complete obscurity on his death bed as well.
Second @cauldbairn recommendation of Arthur Machen. A much better writer than Lovecraft. The Great God Pan and The White People are excellent stories - the latter is one of my favourite bits of weird fiction of all time.

plus M.R. James and Algernon Blackwood ("The Willows" is spectacular).
 
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I know! Not sure it is worth it except for real completists. The Gou Tanabe version of Mountains of Madness is a treat if you haven't got it yet


I am enjoying the WID podcasts - did you hear the previous one - Case of Charles Dexter Ward?
You heard episode 9 of WID? There's got to be something in all of that static, surely?
 
There's lots of stuff like that, he's big business now. He was certain that he'd pass into complete obscurity on his death bed as well.

plus M.R. James and Algernon Blackwood ("The Willows" is spectacular).

Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror are produced by Fantasy Flight Games so are well produced.
 
My mate has been telling me for years that I should read some of his stuff but I've never got round to it. However, today I started listening to a BBC adaptation of The Whisperer in Darkness on the BBC Sounds app (which I would highly recommend) and I got instantly sucked in by the Elder Things/Gods mythos. I fancy giving his stuff a go, but would like to discover more about Nyarlathotep and Azathoth and the like after what I listened to today. Any recommendations on where I should start and stories I really shouldn't miss or stuff by other authors on the subject?

If you're getting into Lovecraft, I saw a new movie tonight based on one of his stories: Color Out Of Space (2019)

Made by the guy that made cult horror classics Hardware and Dust Devil and just as creepy.

Probably the best direct Lovecraft conversion I've seen, and the director is planning on doing two more. Next one he's doing is The Dulwich Horror. Can't wait!
I read a lot of his stories in my early twenties when I was in a weird fiction phase. Call of Cthulhu is probably the best entry into the mythos but for me his best stories focus less on all the blind idiot gods and just go for the atmosphere, such as Colour Out of Space or Music of Erich Zann.

Prior warning: there's a lot of racism.

See above.
Is that the one where the cat gives away his misdeed in the basement?

Nah, that's The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe.
My favs are The Shadow Out of Time and The Haunter of the Dark.

You should check out this movie too. ^^^
The Color out of space and the mountains of madness were his best works imho. However dreams in the witch house gets a close second. To this day when my dad and I stay in a hotel and we have something dodgy to eat, my dad says he has a touch of the 'Brown Jenkins'

...and you. :)
Yes. Big fan.

Before you jump in you probably need some background/context. He was born in Providence New England late C19th to an old New England family. As a young boy his father was detained in the Butler County Asylum with Syphillitic insanity, leaving HPL to look after his black labrador n*gg*r. His father never came home.

His mother (also insane with syphiliis) insisted that he was home schooled by his racist grandfather Whipple Van Buren Phillips, an obsessive bigot who believed that the emancipation of the slaves had been a bad thing, and so had the American Revolution, He wanted America to re-join the British Empire

His mother dressed him in his dead, mad father's clothes, and forebade him to have friends. He had lots of pen pals, including Robert Bloch who based the character of Norman Bates on HPL's relationship with his mad mother. His mother also died in the Butler County Asylum, which HPL used as the inspiration for Arkham Asylum

Any of this stories from his period will reflect HPL's racist upbringing

With his mother dead HPL moved to Red Hook in Brooklyn, where he married a Jewish immigrant. His views changed a lot in this period, and he becomes more conventionally liberal. Some of his books do still play on racist ideas of miscegenation - Horror of Red Hook, Shadow Over Innsmouth. If you want to understand how a nation of immigrants hates immigrants HPLs tales from this period are a good starting point

His marriage breaks down and he moves back to Providence, where he lives with a sickly aunt in poverty. He becomes increasingly critical of American Conservatism in this stage of life. His only longer work "Mountains of Madness" is published which earns him some money. One of this other pen pals Robert Howard (Author of Conan) wrote to him complaining of depression, HPLs return letter was so grim that Howard shot himself with a shotgun.

Both he and his aunt are diagnosed with cancer. The royalties for MofM were only enough to buy one course of treatment and he chose his aunt over himself. He died aged 46 of bowl cancer - the cancer destroyed his ability to absorb nutrition and he starved to death.

Have fun!


Mountains of Madness, Dreams in the WitchHouse, Rats in the Wall, Call of Cthulhu, Shadow Over Innsmouth

And you. :)
FFS Dunwich* not Dulwich. :lol:
 
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Yes. Big fan.

Before you jump in you probably need some background/context. He was born in Providence New England late C19th to an old New England family. As a young boy his father was detained in the Butler County Asylum with Syphillitic insanity, leaving HPL to look after his black labrador n*gg*r. His father never came home.

His mother (also insane with syphiliis) insisted that he was home schooled by his racist grandfather Whipple Van Buren Phillips, an obsessive bigot who believed that the emancipation of the slaves had been a bad thing, and so had the American Revolution, He wanted America to re-join the British Empire

His mother dressed him in his dead, mad father's clothes, and forebade him to have friends. He had lots of pen pals, including Robert Bloch who based the character of Norman Bates on HPL's relationship with his mad mother. His mother also died in the Butler County Asylum, which HPL used as the inspiration for Arkham Asylum

Any of this stories from his period will reflect HPL's racist upbringing

With his mother dead HPL moved to Red Hook in Brooklyn, where he married a Jewish immigrant. His views changed a lot in this period, and he becomes more conventionally liberal. Some of his books do still play on racist ideas of miscegenation - Horror of Red Hook, Shadow Over Innsmouth. If you want to understand how a nation of immigrants hates immigrants HPLs tales from this period are a good starting point

His marriage breaks down and he moves back to Providence, where he lives with a sickly aunt in poverty. He becomes increasingly critical of American Conservatism in this stage of life. His only longer work "Mountains of Madness" is published which earns him some money. One of this other pen pals Robert Howard (Author of Conan) wrote to him complaining of depression, HPLs return letter was so grim that Howard shot himself with a shotgun.

Both he and his aunt are diagnosed with cancer. The royalties for MofM were only enough to buy one course of treatment and he chose his aunt over himself. He died aged 46 of bowl cancer - the cancer destroyed his ability to absorb nutrition and he starved to death.

Have fun!


Mountains of Madness, Dreams in the WitchHouse, Rats in the Wall, Call of Cthulhu, Shadow Over Innsmouth
That's cheery. For a complete novice who's only vaguely aware of him through Live after Death where's the best starting point?
 
If you're getting into Lovecraft, I saw a new movie tonight based on one of his stories: Color Out Of Space (2019)

Made by the guy that made cult horror classics Hardware and Dust Devil and just as creepy.

Probably the best direct Lovecraft conversion I've seen, and the director is planning on doing two more. Next one he's doing is The Dulwich Horror. Can't wait!


See above.


Nah, that's The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe.


You should check out this movie too. ^^^


...and you. :)


And you. :)
FFS Dunwich* not Dulwich. :lol:
You should listen to The Whisperer in Darkness. It's on BBC Sounds and is very engaging. It's Lovecraft with other contemporary elements added on and I found it enthralling.
 
You should listen to The Whisperer in Darkness. It's on BBC Sounds and is very engaging. It's Lovecraft with other contemporary elements added on and I found it enthralling.

Have you listened to its predecessor, The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward? It's great, but WiD is better, I think.

I love what Julian Simpson's done with these though, yes, taking the Lovecraft mythos but also throwing in lots of other weird stuff/conspiracy theories like Rendlesham etc to stitch together a grand unified narrative. Total catnip to me.
 
Have you listened to its predecessor, The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward? It's great, but WiD is better, I think.

I love what Julian Simpson's done with these though, yes, taking the Lovecraft mythos but also throwing in lots of other weird stuff/conspiracy theories like Rendlesham etc to stitch together a grand unified narrative. Total catnip to me.
Yeah, both of them. He tweeted a picture of the Innsmouth script recently so hopefully we get more episodes in the near future.
 
You should listen to The Whisperer in Darkness. It's on BBC Sounds and is very engaging. It's Lovecraft with other contemporary elements added on and I found it enthralling.

I just watched the movie of The Whisperer In Darkness (2011) tonight. Absolutely flipping brilliant. Shot in black and white to make it look like a 1920's movie in the King Kong / Frankenstein vein, but with CGI effects and modern sound, and actually distributed by The Lovecraft Society. Very lovingly made by people that obviously adore Lovecraft's writing.

It's another one that I'd say is "must see" for any Lovecraft fan.

I've, ahem, acquired about 15 movies tonight based on Lovecraft stories. Working my way through them over the next few days. I'll keep you posted. :cool:
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Cthulhu (2007)
Based on The Shadow Over Innsmouth

Meh, if you're a hardcore Lovecraft fan you might like it but it's not in the same league as the previous two movies I mentioned on this thread.

One for the completists I reckon.

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The Call Of Cthulhu (2005)

Silent black-and-white featurette-length movie made by The Lovecraft Society in the style of very early cinema, complete with dodgy-looking stop-motion animation. Another one for big Lovecraft fans rather than your regular movie watching public. Lovecraft himself probably would have loved it if it had genuinely been made in the 20's like it looks.

At only about 45m long, it's probably about the right length to keep you gripped throughout. Much longer and the thrilling pace would be lost and the silent movie vibe might start to get a bit boring, but surprisingly enjoyable. The musical score is very apt for the vintage style of the movie and helps keep you on the edge of your seat.

I wouldn't watch it first, but I'd definitely say that a Lovecraft fan should add it to the list.
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Castle Freak (1995)

Based on The Outsider.

One of a number of Lovecraft adaptations starring Jeffrey Combs.

Reasonably creepy "video nasty" slasher/gore movie but with a decent slow pace to the build-up of horror moments. Also, boobs and bush!

Not your typical Lovecraft story. Pretty typical 80's/early 90's horror. Not part of the Cthulhu mythos, just a horror story.

Watch this is you enjoy films like The Howling. Otherwise, give it a miss.
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I just watched the movie of The Whisperer In Darkness (2011) tonight. Absolutely flipping brilliant. Shot in black and white to make it look like a 1920's movie in the King Kong / Frankenstein vein, but with CGI effects and modern sound, and actually distributed by The Lovecraft Society. Very lovingly made by people that obviously adore Lovecraft's writing.

It's another one that I'd say is "must see" for any Lovecraft fan.

I've, ahem, acquired about 15 movies tonight based on Lovecraft stories. Working my way through them over the next few days. I'll keep you posted. :cool:
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Cthulhu (2007)
Based on The Shadow Over Innsmouth

Meh, if you're a hardcore Lovecraft fan you might like it but it's not in the same league as the previous two movies I mentioned on this thread.

One for the completists I reckon.

-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
The Call Of Cthulhu (2005)

Silent black-and-white featurette-length movie made by The Lovecraft Society in the style of very early cinema, complete with dodgy-looking stop-motion animation. Another one for big Lovecraft fans rather than your regular movie watching public. Lovecraft himself probably would have loved it if it had genuinely been made in the 20's like it looks.

At only about 45m long, it's probably about the right length to keep you gripped throughout. Much longer and the thrilling pace would be lost and the silent movie vibe might start to get a bit boring, but surprisingly enjoyable. The musical score is very apt for the vintage style of the movie and helps keep you on the edge of your seat.

I wouldn't watch it first, but I'd definitely say that a Lovecraft fan should add it to the list.
-----------------------------------------
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Castle Freak (1995)

Based on The Outsider.

One of a number of Lovecraft adaptations starring Jeffrey Combs.

Reasonably creepy "video nasty" slasher/gore movie but with a decent slow pace to the build-up of horror moments. Also, boobs and bush!

Not your typical Lovecraft story. Pretty typical 80's/early 90's horror. Not part of the Cthulhu mythos, just a horror story.

Watch this is you enjoy films like The Howling. Otherwise, give it a miss.
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I remember getting Castle Freak out from Azad Video back in the good ol' days
 
I just watched the movie of The Whisperer In Darkness (2011) tonight. Absolutely flipping brilliant. Shot in black and white to make it look like a 1920's movie in the King Kong / Frankenstein vein, but with CGI effects and modern sound, and actually distributed by The Lovecraft Society. Very lovingly made by people that obviously adore Lovecraft's writing.

It's another one that I'd say is "must see" for any Lovecraft fan.

I've, ahem, acquired about 15 movies tonight based on Lovecraft stories. Working my way through them over the next few days. I'll keep you posted. :cool:
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Cthulhu (2007)
Based on The Shadow Over Innsmouth

Meh, if you're a hardcore Lovecraft fan you might like it but it's not in the same league as the previous two movies I mentioned on this thread.

One for the completists I reckon.

-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
The Call Of Cthulhu (2005)

Silent black-and-white featurette-length movie made by The Lovecraft Society in the style of very early cinema, complete with dodgy-looking stop-motion animation. Another one for big Lovecraft fans rather than your regular movie watching public. Lovecraft himself probably would have loved it if it had genuinely been made in the 20's like it looks.

At only about 45m long, it's probably about the right length to keep you gripped throughout. Much longer and the thrilling pace would be lost and the silent movie vibe might start to get a bit boring, but surprisingly enjoyable. The musical score is very apt for the vintage style of the movie and helps keep you on the edge of your seat.

I wouldn't watch it first, but I'd definitely say that a Lovecraft fan should add it to the list.
-----------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
Castle Freak (1995)

Based on The Outsider.

One of a number of Lovecraft adaptations starring Jeffrey Combs.

Reasonably creepy "video nasty" slasher/gore movie but with a decent slow pace to the build-up of horror moments. Also, boobs and bush!

Not your typical Lovecraft story. Pretty typical 80's/early 90's horror. Not part of the Cthulhu mythos, just a horror story.

Watch this is you enjoy films like The Howling. Otherwise, give it a miss.
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From Beyond (1986)

It's like the script writers tried to kill themselves through masturbation.

A mad scientist turns himself and his girlfriend into s&m obsessed freaks by stimulating his 'third eye' (pineal gland) with a special machine.

Following a classic 1980s just-below-acceptible (i.e disappointing) hour long escapade his 'gland' explodes from his forehead turning him into some sort of sex beast. Luckily his missus bites it off.

Classic Lovecraft.
 
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My mate has been telling me for years that I should read some of his stuff but I've never got round to it. However, today I started listening to a BBC adaptation of The Whisperer in Darkness on the BBC Sounds app (which I would highly recommend) and I got instantly sucked in by the Elder Things/Gods mythos. I fancy giving his stuff a go, but would like to discover more about Nyarlathotep and Azathoth and the like after what I listened to today. Any recommendations on where I should start and stories I really shouldn't miss or stuff by other authors on the subject?
chop or daddys sauce
 
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Necronomicon (1993)

Jeffrey Combs again, this time playing H.P. Lovecraft himself (back in the 30s) as he goes into a secret part of a library to read the Necronomicon. From there we get three short stories one after the other set in modern times, based on The Rats In The Walls (very loosely), Cool Air, and The Whisperer In Darkness.

Pretty good. Very "of the time" but an interesting collection of Lovecraft stories adapted into a more modern setting.

Some semi-famous 80's/90's faces like David Warner make appearances.
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The Resurrected (1991)

Modern-era retelling of The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward directed by Dan O'Bannon (who wrote the screenplay for Alien, Total Recall, Dark Star, Screamers and Lifeforce amongst many others, contributed computer animation for Star Wars, and wrote and directed The Return Of The Living Dead), starring a face or two that fans of 80's/90's horror might recognise, and also the actress that would later play Ross's ex-wife in Friends.

Very good! Well worth seeing. Very Lovecraftian in the mood, pace and storytelling while still being a fairly big budget horror movie of the time.
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The Last Lovecraft: Relic Of Cthulhu

Daft comedy geek buddy road-movie that probably has more in common with Dodgeball or Bill & Ted than any of the other movies in this list. Packed full of geeky Lovecraft references, as well as the main plot of a young bloke that finds out he's the last surviving ancestor of H.P. Lovecraft and has to prevent the rise of Cthulhu.

A fun change of pace to the creepy / gorey Lovecraft movies I've been watching, it just doesn't feel like Lovecraft's stories despite being wall-to-wall Lovecraft references, probably because it's a comedy. :lol:

Still worth watching if you're a Lovecraft geek, just don't expect a classic.
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(2009) ^
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The Unnamable (1988)

Modern retelling of the Lovecraft story of the same name. Fairly standard 80's horror flick. Don't bother with it unless you're into 80's B-movies.

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The Unnamable II: The Statement Of Randolph Carter (1992)

Loosely based on The Statement Of Randolph Carter, this sequel has a bit more credibility than its predecessor, chiefly due to the always-amazing John Rhys-Davies and a cameo from David Warner. It even feels a bit more Lovecrafty and features readings from the Necronomicon.

Actually worth a watch. Definitely better than the original, although to be fair the bar wasn't very high there. :)
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The Curse (1987) {also know internationally as The Farm}

Starring Will "Wesley Crusher" Wheaton! Another version of The Color Out Of Space.

Reasonable if unremarkable 80's horror flick. Feels a little bit Stephen Kingy, especially with the slide guitar / banjo elements to the soundtrack.

Not too bad, worth a watch I guess if you're bored. Not a patch on the new Nicolas Cage version, but one of the better 80's/early 90's Lovecraft adaptations.

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known*
 
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