In the modern age,Lovecraftianor eldritch horror has become more and more popular, with increasing numbers of films representing this particular subgenre of scary movie. Named afterthe works of H.P. Lovecraft, Lovecraftian horror refers to stories that lean on the specific tropes emblematic of the writer’s work, including forbidden knowledge, cosmic dread, the insignificance of humanity, and creatures or entities that exist outside the boundaries of human perception. Also referred to as eldritch horror, this particular brand of scary movie has become incredibly popular in recent years.
The best Lovecraftian horror films delve heavily into the themes of Lovecraft’s original works, or at least have a superficial surface-level relation to them on the grounds of imagery like Cthulu, the cephalopod-like entity and famous horror antagonist. Some eldritch horror movies aredirect adaptations of Lovecraft’s stories, whereas others simply take heavy inspiration from the genre while still ultimately creating something new. Whatever the case,many of the best Lovecraftian horror movies are relatively recent films.
Besidesthe dreaming titan Cthuluwho rests beneath the waves, one of the most popular names in eldritch horror is none other than the similarly fishy Dagon.The 2001 film bearing the being’s likeness combines Lovecraft’s short story of the same name alongside one of his more famous novellas,The Shadow Over Innsmouth.The plot centers on a vacationing group of friends who are attacked by an aquatic monster, forcing them to take refuge in the mysterious town of Imboca, the Spanish equivalent of Innsmouth.
Imboca soon reveals itself to be deeply infested with the vengeful sea god Dagon’s presence, complete with bizarre fish-human hybrid citizens evoking Lovecraft’s original imagery.It’s hard to deny the author’s overt presence in the film, which represents not one, but two of his most fear-provoking stories.But even without this influence, the elements of mind loss, aquatic nightmares, and a downer ending that punctuates a horrific revelation all scream eldritch horror.
While adapting an actual Lovecraft story may be the surest route to successful eldritch horror,films likeThe Voidprove that originality can be just as chilling.The film is shocking from its very opening, which details a man seemingly murder a woman in cold blood, only to end up at a hospital before the body can be discovered due to his own exhaustion. Before he can be properly investigated for his supposed crime, a devious army of hooded cultists and strange tentacled creatures begin infiltrating the infirmary.
Emulating low-budget horror movies of the 80s,The Voidmanages to go far with a lean production value, teasing the appearance of its practically-created monsters with clever lighting and camera tricks.One of the most defining traits of Lovecraftian horror is the consistent way the author’s nightmarish creatures and situations defy all description,andThe Voidis able to capture this sensibility startlingly well with such a visual medium. Add in some generous body horror and mysticism, andThe Voidis a sterling representation of the subgenre.
In truth, most of the horror movies inJohn Carpenter’s filmographyowe Lovecraft some degree of inspiration, with famous pictures likeThe Thingabsolutely oozing with eldritch imagery. However,Carpenter’s actual adaptation of a Lovecraft story is by far his most prized example of true Lovecraftian terror, not disappointing withIn the Mouth of Madness.Loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft’s novelAt the Mountains of Madness,In the Mouth of Madnessposits Sam Niel as an insurance investor with a fraying sense of reality.
The movie has a clear grasp on Lovecraft’s more esoteric sense of dread he was able to sum up in his original story, confusing and confounding the audience with questions about what is and isn’t real.In the Mouth of Madnesseven leans on the fourth wall at times, with the final act in particular running the risk of being too silly while still being able to walk right up that line and stop before crossing it.Lovecraft isn’t just tentacles and fish people, but existential dread and the betrayal of the senses, and Carpenter’s interpretation captures these elements beautifully.
Perhaps the oldest film to faithfully portray true eldritch fear,The Haunted Palaceplanted the earliest cinematic seeds of Lovecraftian horror’s popularity with the first-ever adaptation of one of H.P. Lovecraft’s books.Inspired by the novellaThe Case of Charles Dexter Ward, the film describes a manor overlooking the infamous town of Arkham, Massachutesets (a recurring destination in Lovecraft’s work) which is inherited by an outsider, Dexter Ward. Ward quickly discovers the town of Arkham and its citizens are not what they seem, and his inheritance has a hefty price tag.
Despite being based on a Lovecraft story, the film takes its title from the works of Edgar Allan Poe, constantly refraining to lines written by the famed horror poet throughout. This is indicative of Lovecraft’s own inspiration by Poe’s work, playing on two generations of evolving horror storytelling.Vincent Price knocks it out of the park as Ward, and the fantastic art design of the sets and hideous mutant Arkham residents still holds up today.
Directed by the art director onThe Haunted Palace,The Dunwich Horroris a brilliant translation of Lovecraft’s short story of the same name.The film centers on a graduate student, Nancy, who comes into possession ofthe infamous Necronomicon, the same book of the dead name-dropped by theEvil Deadseries. Soon, Nancy is pursued by a disturbed man who hopes to use the book to summon nefarious beings, doing everything she can to prevent the artifact from falling into the wrong hands.
Admittedly, compared to many of the more recent forays into eldritch horror moviemaking,The Dunwich Horrorreads as dated today, with cheesy B-movie acting and special effects that can distract from the scares.However, the film is worth holding up as one of the earliest pop culture influences to represent Lovecraftian horror, increasing its popularity by a wide margin. Even if that wasn’t the case, the oppressive atmosphere and sheer sense of ominous anxiety the film is able to conjure is worth high praise.
Even if a great many eldritch horror films are directly inspired by the works of H.P.Lovecraft, if not outright adaptations of his work, a rare few are able to broach the category in a spetacularly unique manner. This is certainly the case for Paul W.S. Anderson’sEvent Horizon,which takes spacefaring horror to a whole new level. The film revolves around a spaceship crew sent on a rescue mission to Neptune in hopes of retrieving another ship. The crew soon learn that the cause of the disaster was far more sinister than they could’ve ever imagined.
Event Horizonthrives on the ambiguity of its unknown threat, a paranormal entity that seems capable of driving even the most stalwart of spaceship captains mad while dragging others to one of the scariest movie depictions of hell ever conceived. Eldritch horror thrives on scares too powerful for human conception, andEvent Horizoncertainly qualifies under this, implying the worst of its dark universe while giving the audience only glimpses.From the nightmarish visuals to the excellent performances,Event Horizonis an eldritch horror journey straight into hell.
Not every film wears its eldritch horror inspiration so proudly in its premise or advertising.On a surface level, 2020’sUnderwaterseems to be nothing more than a rip-off of Ridley Scott’sAlienwith slightly different set dressing, taking place in a submarine research station rather than a spaceship. However,Underwaterhas a secretly-Lovecraftian endingthat enhances the already tense sci-fi horror it’s able to generate, sprinkling its third act with a generous heap of cosmic dread.
Kristen Stewart stars as the protagonist amid the research mission’s crew, who are picked off one at a time by horrific alien creatures lurking just out of sight within the depths of the ocean.It isn’t long before Cthulu himself shows up, threatening to envelop the entire world with his influence.Combining Lovecraftian inspiration with climate change allegories and thalassaphobic visuals,Underwaterdeserves more credit as a truly original piece of eldritch horror fiction.
After the Academy Award-nominated screenplay ofEx Machina,writer and director Alex Garland decided to veer on the cosmic side of horror withAnnihilation.Based on a novel of the same name, the movie stars Natalie Portman as a scientist, Lena, tasked with leading an expedition into the mysterious “Shimmer”, an iridescent bubble of energy that several other groups had previously gone missing into, including Lena’s husband. Within the Shimmer, the very laws of physics and biology themselves seem to be mere playthings to the aura’s influence.
Annihilationis full of terrifying imagery evocative of eldritch horror, from the splayed corpses of former scientists growing into slime-mold-like organisms to the mutant bear that mimics the screams of its victims.The area also has a notable impact on the sanity of those that venture within, an important ingredient of any Lovecraftian horror story,and Lena’s group devolves into infighting and paranoia soon enough. Finally,Annihilationimbibes in some heady, almost philosophical horror beats that resonate with eldritch themes.
After making a name for himself with the dark, Brothers Grimm-style fairy tale that isThe Witch,a healthy dose of Lovecraftian terror was injected intoRobert Egger’s filmographywithThe Lighthouse.Like so many Lovecraftian horror stories,The Lighthousetakes place in sight of the ocean, with a sparse two-man cast of Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe playing a pair of lighthouse keepers. In their isolation, the two slowly succumb to madness as Pattinson’s Winslow reconciles with the horrid past he tried to escape from.
Of course, there are plenty of surface-level visual similarities to Lovecraft’s monsters, with tentacles and mermaids galore. However,it’s the cardsThe Lighthouseplays close to its chest that makes it a truly wonderful cinematic showing for eldritch horror,never letting the audience in on the full depths the depravity extends to by harrying their perception with odd purposeful continuity errors and timeline warping. Really, it’s the remarkable chemistry between Pattinson and Dafoe that sells the story above all else, highlighting the importance of acting skill in a Lovecraftian story.
A brilliant return to form by director Richard Stanely,Color Out of Spaceis a phenomenal interpretation of what was for a long time considered to be one of Lovecraft’s most difficult to adapt works.Following the same plot of the story it gets its name from,Color Out of Spacesees Nicolas Cage take the role of a farmer whose property is hit with a strange meteor. It isn’t long before the influence of the impact begins seeping through his property in more ways than one, transforming the people and the landscape itself.
A scary story about an impossible-to-picture new color may seem like a terrible idea for a film adaptation, butColor Out of Spacemanages to make it work, with psychedelic visuals that sell the awesome alien power of the asteroid. Cage does some of his best work grappling with the profoundly mind-altering effects of the meteorite, and the film is able to balance his slow burn into madness with dazzling special effects. A perfect summation ofLovecraftianelements,Color Out of Spaceis a phenomenal piece of eldritch horror.
