Willow
06-07-2008, 03:31 PM
ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ARAFEL
Since a number of people have stated that they aren’t familiar with Lovecraft’s work, I’d like to give a list of resources that I’ve found valuable.
There are numerous paperback collections of Lovecraft’s work. A very nice hardbound collection is offered by the Library of America. Nice paper, a large selection of stories. Even a bound-in ribbon marker.
But you don’t have to read *all* of Lovecraft’s works to get a feel for his brand of horror and the Cthulhu Mythos. Here are some suggestions for individual stories, many of which can be found on the Web:
“The Rats in the Walls” -- short, concise, and contains all of the “Lovecraftian” elements, though it’s not exactly a Mythos story. Theme: you are what your ancestors were, and there’s no escape.
“The Call of Cthulhu” -- medium length. Perhaps *the* Mythos story. Read this one and you’ll know pretty much all the basics.
“The Colour out of Space” -- longer, takes a while to build, but it’s worth it. This gets into Lovecraft’s concepts of distant reaches of space where “things aren’t as they are here”, which, of course, means that they aren’t as they should be at all. It touches on what Lovecraft saw as the inherent evil of those distant places, and the nasty things they can do if they make it to earth.
“At the Mountains of Madness” -- quite long. A full novel. And very Mythos related. The mood is enhanced by the fact that the explorers are at the south pole: horrible cold, complete isolation. The fright builds to a nice, double-whammy ending.
“The Shadow Out of Time” -- another long one. And another Mythos story: ancient races that lived on the earth long before humankind. There’s kind of a bittersweet element to the climax, though, that always makes me smile through the shudders.
So those are good ones to read. One, or a couple, or all of them. There are others, as I’m sure will be suggested, but I thought those would encapsulate the Lovecraft experience.
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Numerous films and dramas have been inspired by the Old Gentleman, either adaptations of his works, or homages to his themes.
Check out the H P Lovecraft Historical Society (www.cthulhulives.org). These guys, on what seems a shoestring budget, have put together some fantastic stuff:
“The Call of Cthulhu” -- on DVD. An adaptation, in 1925, silent-screen style, of the story. It really is done as a silent movie, and it’s done *extremely well*. A must have. You’ll love it.
“The Testimony of Randolph Carter” -- another film adaptation of the story of the same name, released on DVD. This one is amazing: it was originally shot with a home VHS tape deck and edited on an analog machine...probably with razor blades and splicing tape. Running time: an amazing 50 minutes. These guys are *dedicated*.
“At the Mountains of Madness” -- a radio drama done on CD. Another very good job. In about 74 minutes, they capture the essence of the novel. Done in 1920’s radio show style (think Orson Wells’ adaptation of “War of the Worlds”).
In addition to the above films, the HPLHS site offers props from the films, silly CDs, and other stuff.
Another resource is Lurker Films, whose works are available at www.arkhambazaar.com. There are three DVDs (some of which are available at amazon.com, too):
“Out of Mind” -- a wonderful fantasy that answers the question of what Mr. Lovecraft would say to one of his future fans if time travel allowed for their meeting (“Why is my face on your shirt?”), but combined with a plot similar to “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward” (another novel-length work by Lovecraft).
“Cool Air” -- great adaptation of the story of the same name. Well done!
“Rough Magic” -- a licensed American release of a BBC serial based on the Mythos. Alas, only one episode was filmed.
All three DVD’s contain the main feature and several shorts.
Possibly the strangest but most whimsical source is Guerrilla Productions (http://www.guerrilla-productions.org). They offer, among other merchandise, a 100 minute adaptation of Lovecraft’s “Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath”. This was originally drawn as a black and white comic book, and the DVD is pretty much taken directly from the artwork, meaning that there are lots of static shots, or static shots with only one figure being manipulated across it, and voices taking the different parts. Quite lovable (Lovecraft-able?). And there are flashes of humor as well: First Ghoul: “No eating the wounded!” Second Ghoul (whining): “But...they’re *almost* dead!” Very fun.
Not related directly to Lovecraft, but partaking of some of the same feel is “Dead Birds”. The DVD is available from amazon.com. It’s set during the Civil War. This one actually gave me nightmares, which is saying a lot: “Aliens” is my favorite movie and I watch it for pure enjoyment of the action.
Another brilliant film I just found is “Pan’s Labyrinth” (DVD, Spanish language, English subtitles). At present, this is only available in England as a PAL format, region 2 disc. There are indications that amazon.com will be carrying an American release eventually. Wonderful film. Incredible impact. Not exactly scary, but very strange and eerie. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about the film, though, is that the director, Guillermo Del Toro (“Hellboy”, “Blade II”), who put everything he had into PL, has written a script for Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness” and is presently pitching it to Warner Brothers. If PL is any indication, his adaptation of ATMOM will be nothing less than breathtaking. (More info at http://www.deltorofilms.com/ProjectPage.php?projectid=9)
=====
I’m sure other people will chime in with other stuff they like. For critical works, I suggest Joshi’s “The Weird Tale” and “The Modern Weird Tale” as well as his books on Lovecraft’s works in particular. Available at amazon.com. For pencil and paper “Call of Cthulhu” role-playing scenarios and information, try chaosium.com (their mammoth scenario “Beyond the Mountains of Madness” is particularly noteworthy...and a darned good read even if you don’t battle your way through the game.)
Since a number of people have stated that they aren’t familiar with Lovecraft’s work, I’d like to give a list of resources that I’ve found valuable.
There are numerous paperback collections of Lovecraft’s work. A very nice hardbound collection is offered by the Library of America. Nice paper, a large selection of stories. Even a bound-in ribbon marker.
But you don’t have to read *all* of Lovecraft’s works to get a feel for his brand of horror and the Cthulhu Mythos. Here are some suggestions for individual stories, many of which can be found on the Web:
“The Rats in the Walls” -- short, concise, and contains all of the “Lovecraftian” elements, though it’s not exactly a Mythos story. Theme: you are what your ancestors were, and there’s no escape.
“The Call of Cthulhu” -- medium length. Perhaps *the* Mythos story. Read this one and you’ll know pretty much all the basics.
“The Colour out of Space” -- longer, takes a while to build, but it’s worth it. This gets into Lovecraft’s concepts of distant reaches of space where “things aren’t as they are here”, which, of course, means that they aren’t as they should be at all. It touches on what Lovecraft saw as the inherent evil of those distant places, and the nasty things they can do if they make it to earth.
“At the Mountains of Madness” -- quite long. A full novel. And very Mythos related. The mood is enhanced by the fact that the explorers are at the south pole: horrible cold, complete isolation. The fright builds to a nice, double-whammy ending.
“The Shadow Out of Time” -- another long one. And another Mythos story: ancient races that lived on the earth long before humankind. There’s kind of a bittersweet element to the climax, though, that always makes me smile through the shudders.
So those are good ones to read. One, or a couple, or all of them. There are others, as I’m sure will be suggested, but I thought those would encapsulate the Lovecraft experience.
=====
Numerous films and dramas have been inspired by the Old Gentleman, either adaptations of his works, or homages to his themes.
Check out the H P Lovecraft Historical Society (www.cthulhulives.org). These guys, on what seems a shoestring budget, have put together some fantastic stuff:
“The Call of Cthulhu” -- on DVD. An adaptation, in 1925, silent-screen style, of the story. It really is done as a silent movie, and it’s done *extremely well*. A must have. You’ll love it.
“The Testimony of Randolph Carter” -- another film adaptation of the story of the same name, released on DVD. This one is amazing: it was originally shot with a home VHS tape deck and edited on an analog machine...probably with razor blades and splicing tape. Running time: an amazing 50 minutes. These guys are *dedicated*.
“At the Mountains of Madness” -- a radio drama done on CD. Another very good job. In about 74 minutes, they capture the essence of the novel. Done in 1920’s radio show style (think Orson Wells’ adaptation of “War of the Worlds”).
In addition to the above films, the HPLHS site offers props from the films, silly CDs, and other stuff.
Another resource is Lurker Films, whose works are available at www.arkhambazaar.com. There are three DVDs (some of which are available at amazon.com, too):
“Out of Mind” -- a wonderful fantasy that answers the question of what Mr. Lovecraft would say to one of his future fans if time travel allowed for their meeting (“Why is my face on your shirt?”), but combined with a plot similar to “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward” (another novel-length work by Lovecraft).
“Cool Air” -- great adaptation of the story of the same name. Well done!
“Rough Magic” -- a licensed American release of a BBC serial based on the Mythos. Alas, only one episode was filmed.
All three DVD’s contain the main feature and several shorts.
Possibly the strangest but most whimsical source is Guerrilla Productions (http://www.guerrilla-productions.org). They offer, among other merchandise, a 100 minute adaptation of Lovecraft’s “Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath”. This was originally drawn as a black and white comic book, and the DVD is pretty much taken directly from the artwork, meaning that there are lots of static shots, or static shots with only one figure being manipulated across it, and voices taking the different parts. Quite lovable (Lovecraft-able?). And there are flashes of humor as well: First Ghoul: “No eating the wounded!” Second Ghoul (whining): “But...they’re *almost* dead!” Very fun.
Not related directly to Lovecraft, but partaking of some of the same feel is “Dead Birds”. The DVD is available from amazon.com. It’s set during the Civil War. This one actually gave me nightmares, which is saying a lot: “Aliens” is my favorite movie and I watch it for pure enjoyment of the action.
Another brilliant film I just found is “Pan’s Labyrinth” (DVD, Spanish language, English subtitles). At present, this is only available in England as a PAL format, region 2 disc. There are indications that amazon.com will be carrying an American release eventually. Wonderful film. Incredible impact. Not exactly scary, but very strange and eerie. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about the film, though, is that the director, Guillermo Del Toro (“Hellboy”, “Blade II”), who put everything he had into PL, has written a script for Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness” and is presently pitching it to Warner Brothers. If PL is any indication, his adaptation of ATMOM will be nothing less than breathtaking. (More info at http://www.deltorofilms.com/ProjectPage.php?projectid=9)
=====
I’m sure other people will chime in with other stuff they like. For critical works, I suggest Joshi’s “The Weird Tale” and “The Modern Weird Tale” as well as his books on Lovecraft’s works in particular. Available at amazon.com. For pencil and paper “Call of Cthulhu” role-playing scenarios and information, try chaosium.com (their mammoth scenario “Beyond the Mountains of Madness” is particularly noteworthy...and a darned good read even if you don’t battle your way through the game.)