The Power of Cthulhu
By: Dan Asad

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear. And the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” This immortal sentence comes from an essay by the late American writer H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), and it is one that every writer of macabre fiction and horror-oriented filmmaker should recall when the time to pick up a pen or uncap a camera’s lens arrives.

If there ever was a true genius when it comes to the horror genre, the ball would undoubtedly be in Lovecraft’s court. Here was a man who toiled in the genre we all know and love in virtual obscurity, yet managed to produce some of the most inventive and original (not to mention bizarre) tales of terror the world of dark film/fiction has ever seen. Not only have Lovecraft’s name and his plethora of works endured long after his untimely death at the age of 47, but his literary legacy has served as a source of inspiration for some of the most eminent names in horror film and literature, including such luminaries as Robert Bloch, Stephen King, Clive Barker, John Carpenter, and Stuart Gordon, as well as innumerable others.

What exactly is it about Lovecraft’s lurid body of work that has captured and enthralled the imaginations of so many creative minds? Is it perhaps his elegant and poetic prose? Unless we regard Lovecraft’s writing strictly from a literary perspective that seems unlikely. Is it his use of such obscure and unfamiliar words as “cyclopean” and “eldritch” to flavor his stories? Once again, this seems to be a Lovecraftian aspect which only literature aficionados can appreciate. No, the effectiveness and potency of Lovecraft has absolutely nothing to do with this horror lord’s extensive vocabulary or superb writing skills. The power of “The Call of Cthulhu”, “The Dunwich Horror”, “At the Mountains of Madness”, and many others, lies in their ability to transport the reader to a world brimful of madness, death, and wondrous terrors. In other words, Lovecraft’s fiction serves as a gateway into the very heart of horror for said genre’s virtuosos.

What horror-movie director wouldn’t revel in visiting (and shooting) such fantastic and frightening places as the Plains of Leng, doomed Sarnath, or cat-worshipping Ulthar? What horror writer’s heart does not leap at the written description of such portentous and, at the same time, mind-numbingly fearful beings as Great Cthulhu, the Crawling Chaos, Nyarlathotep, or the unfathomable cosmic entity that is Yog-Sothoth? Accursed Lovecraftian hamlets like Innsmouth, Dunwich, and witch-haunted Arkham, with their mysterious histories and their sometimes stranger denizens, are wonderful imaginary creations in the eyes of horror connoisseurs and, much like all the previously mentioned creatures/places/concepts, can also be a source of inspiration for them. There is also a certain mood which pervades Lovecraft’s fiction, one which artists in the genre undoubtedly find alluring and have often attempted to emulate. Virtually every one of this father of terror’s tales pulsate with a distinct atmosphere imbued with a mixture of dread, mystery, suspense, and darkness that permeates the entire narrative and helps perfectly set the stage for horrific supernatural occurrences. The ghastly conclusions to such Lovecraft classics as “The Haunter in the Dark” and “The Whisperer in Darkness”, for example, are each preceded by tenebrous, menacing atmospheric buildups that render them even more unsettling and intensify the overall effect of the story as a result.

It is clear that the modern horror maven’s fascination with Lovecraft and his nightmarish mythology is linked solely to what this venerable author’s work represents: horror that is complex, elaborate, and highly imaginative. A true fan of all things macabre and terrifying should be grateful for what H.P. Lovecraft has left behind. A true horror maestro who looks to Lovecraft for guidance (and there are many of these) should cherish Lovecraft’s works as if they were priceless ancient relics.

Though it’s safe to assume that the majority of horror fanatics are familiar with Lovecraft’s work and that of his many admirers, there is a multitude of movies and books which one can recommend to new fans of the man; John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness and Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator are only two examples of the myriad Lovecraft-themed films out there; also, the Del-Rey Lovecraft anthologies, which include The Best of H.P. Lovecraft, The Transition of H.P. Lovecraft, and The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft, among other titles, are an excellent introduction to (in Stephen King’s words) “the 20th century horror story’s dark and baroque prince”.

-Dan Asad (May 2007)