I'm trying to compile a list of all the Lovecraft / Cthulhu Mythos movies. One could be very general about H.P Lovecraft's influence and this list could be HUGE. But, what movies do you think are at their _core_ Cult of Cthulhu movies?
Thanks for any help. Here is my list so far:
Lurking Fear (1994)
Witch Hunt (HBO 1994)
Necronimocon (1993)
To Cast a Deadly Spell (HBO 1993)
The Resurrected (1991)
Cthulhu Mansion (1990)
Bride of Re-Animator (1990)
The UnNamable (1988)
The Relic (????)
The Curse (1987)
From Beyond (1986)
Re-Animator (1985)
The Music of Erich Zann (1980)
The Dunwich Horror (1970)
The Shuttered Room (1968)
Die, Monster, Die! (1965)
The Haunted Palace (1963)
In The Mouth of Madness (1994)
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Ug. There's been hundreds, and the vast majority are pretty horrible. Do yourself a favor and try to make a list of GOOD Mythos movies. It will be a much shorter list, but won't have you clawing at your eyeballs. A good first-round pick would be the ONLY good Lovecraft film adaptation that I can really think of:
But if you insist on the bigger list, I still have an issue with some of the ones you already have. Just because Lovecraft wrote something, that doesn't automatically make it Mythos...especially when something that's already non-Mythos is poorly adapted. Re-Animator would be a perfect example. That film (and indeed the story it is based upon) is not at all based in the Mythos.
As a side issue, I'm searching for a particular Lovecraft inspired movie from the 1980's or 1990's. This one also tied in Ragnarok.
What I remember: "A young boy was living with his grand father, and was taught all about some 'secret ragnarok' event. But, as he grew up and in his teen years the boy became rather upset, because he felt that everything he had been taught was useless in real life.
As the plot develops, a cop is looking into a crime at a museum. A "creature" has been discovered, and escapes, and this cop starts shooting the place to heck.
At the end, of course, the Ragnarok knowledge the boy thought was useless saves the day."
Can any one help me identify this movie???
You have given me a list of movies to find and watch... I'm not sure whether to thank or curse you... We will have to wait and see.
But if you insist on the bigger list, I still have an issue with some of the ones you already have. Just because Lovecraft wrote something, that doesn't automatically make it Mythos...especially when something that's already non-Mythos is poorly adapted. Re-Animator would be a perfect example. That film (and indeed the story it is based upon) is not at all based in the Mythos.
Feel free to be as exacting as you wish. However, allow others leeway in their inspired choices please.
Creative Director
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Check out Unfilmable for a nice, overwhelming glimpse into the vast gulfs of Lovecraftian film.
Apart from the various actual movies inspired by Lovecraft's stories, though (I note the OP's original list omits Dagon, which is a major one indeed, and also the silent film version of "The Call of Cthulhu" which is one of the BETTER Lovecraft adaptations to film), I would say that the two movies that have captured Lovecraftian elements the BEST would be "Alien" and "John Carpenter's The Thing."
And I also kinda think that "2001" is kinda Lovecraftian, but that's a little weird of me probably.
ALSO: Searching IMDB.com for "Lovecraft" is a good place to start, when it comes to movies inspired by HPL. Here's a link!
Dunwich Horror (2009)
Dagon (2001)
Ohh, I didn't know there was a film version of The Music of Erich Zann. I need to see that one.
The HPLHS's The Call of Cthulhu is easily the best out there. And the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society is working on The Whisperer in Darkness now. Hopefully to be released this year.
Trailer Here.
Something else to keep an eye on- The gibbering madmen that gave us the silent CoC movie are making progress on their adaptation of The Whisperer in Darkness. This time it's a talkie!
Wow- ninja'd.
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Before anyone subjects themselves to it, the only Lovecraftian element Cthulhu (2007) possessed was that it was mind-shatteringly awful. Both it and Dagon (2001) are loosely based on the The Shadow Over Innsmouth. Dagon is excellent and mostly pulls it off. Cthulhu fails at every opportunity and feels dreadfully long due to its plodding pace and repetitiveness.
Chill (2007) is also terrible. "Inspired" by Lovecraft's excellent "Cool Air," Chill is tacky, poorly acted and sophomoric. It's actually almost offensive how far they stray from the source material. The 50-minute short film Cool Air (1999,) on the other hand, is fantastic and should be enough to ensure any Lovecraft fan that good films can indeed be made out of H.P.L.'s work.
The Showtime horror anthology series Masters of Horror aired Dreams in the Witch House in 2005. It was directed by Stuart Gordon who is the man responsible for a few H.P.L. film adaptations including Herbert West, Re-Animator, From Beyond and Castle Freak (believe it or not, this was based on The Outsider.)
I really didn't enjoy The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (2003) as much as I wanted to. The artwork is nice, but this (in)animated film really didn't do it for me.
To close this post out, I will include two films not based on a Lovecraft story. Dean R. Koontz's Phantoms (1998) has the best example of a shoggoth ever put to celluloid. Also, Hellboy's (2004) Ogdru Jahad behemoth space god was based on the Great Old Ones.
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And I also kinda think that "2001" is kinda Lovecraftian, but that's a little weird of me probably.
I actually agreed with you on that, the Monolith aliens could be seen as akin to one of the more benign Lovecraftian entities. Hell, I think if we actually did find a Monolith-type item buried on the moon, it probably would drive a few people to insanity (not the least of which would be religious fundamentalists, who would have to find a place in their mythologies for not only an alien race, but an alien race that is obviously far more advanced that humanity).
Widening the search to Mythos-inspired, The Thing is probably the best example of a Mythos movie I can think of, as well as probably being the best movie period that will make the list.
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There are 2 more recent ones I have on my netflix queue
Dagon (2001)
Cthulhu (2007)While I haven't seen either of these yet, be warned - Cthulhu features Tori Spelling - yor sanity could be at risk.
I am a huge Lovecraft fan and I have to say, despite being very excited to see "Chulhu", it was terrible. More of a gay soft porn than anything else. Despite some really good sets and costumes and attempts at atmosphere, it was awful.
Please list the *BAD* movies too. I'm looking for all of them. Thanks for the help.
Can you remember any from the 1980's and 1990's ??
Wasn't the movie From Beyond Lovecraft inspired? I'm most certain it is....
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Wasn't the movie From Beyond Lovecraft inspired?
Yes. It's been mentioned a couple times now. The movie was based on the story of the same name though the original story never mentions anything about this scene.
Wasn't the movie From Beyond Lovecraft inspired?Yes. It's been mentioned a couple times now. The movie was based on the story of the same name though the original story never mentioned anything about this scene.
How could you forget that scene? :P
As a fan of Lovecraft, I disapprove of films based on his work resorting to such cheap and tawdry spectacles to attract viewers. However as a fan of cheap and tawdry spectacles, I approve of scream queens decked out in fetish wear. You just have to find a balance.
Which is about anything Misty Mundae shows up in.
As a fan of Lovecraft, I disapprove of films based on his work resorting to such cheap and tawdry spectacles to attract viewers. However as a fan of cheap and tawdry spectacles, I approve of scream queens decked out in fetish wear. You just have to find a balance.
Agreed.
Misty Mundae<3<3<3<3
So, tell me how you really feel? :P
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This list probably wouldn't be complete without The Evil Dead series. You can call the connection tenuous, but The Necronomicon is still a Mythos element.
I think The Descent (2005) deserves to be added as well. Not only are the subhuman Crawlers reminiscent of the degenerate Martense Kin of The Lurking Fear and Lovecraft's ghouls from Pickman's Model, the film presents an awesome portrayal of the protagonist's descent into madness. A sequel is due out this year.
I'd consider Event Horizon (1997) Lovecraftian (though never explicitly stated to be Mythos-related) as well.
Also, Alien vs. Predator's (2004) Antarctic pyramid was inspired by At the Mountains of Madness. I don't necessarily count this movie as Lovecraftian or Mythos-related, but it does have that.
I'd consider Event Horizon (1997) Lovecraftian (though never explicitly stated to be Mythos-related) as well.
Event Horizon is one of my all time favorite films.
Let me go off on a tangent here. It's based off of Clive Barker, but how would the Hellraiser genre fit into this? I'm thinking more of the first two films.
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Barker has stated he's a fan of H.P.L., but The Hellbound Heart (the story the Hellraiser films were drawn from) isn't tied into the Mythos at all. You've got supernatural artifacts and parallel worlds filled with immortal extraplanar beings, but Leviathan and the Cenobites aren't Mythos creatures. It's like some of the films myself and others have mentioned. There are common elements but whether they're to be considered part of the Mythos fold is going to be defined by your view of what that means. As much as I love the Hellraiser world, I don't consider the stories to be part of the Mythos.
Ah, so we're trying to put the list together specifically from the mythos, then. Okay, I'll have to think on that a bit more when I comb through my movie archives at home. Thanks for the clarification!
I am a huge Lovecraft fan and I have to say, despite being very excited to see "Chulhu", it was terrible. More of a gay soft porn than anything else. Despite some really good sets and costumes and attempts at atmosphere, it was awful.There are 2 more recent ones I have on my netflix queue
Dagon (2001)
Cthulhu (2007)
Dagon, on the other hand, is definitely worth a watch. I was at the UK premiere, which took place at the Leeds Film Festival a few years back. They had a horror day, featuring Re-Animator, From Beyond, a couple of shorts, and Dagon premiere as the feature presentation. Special guest was none other than director Stuart Gordon which was kind neat, and he did a Q&A session beforehand.
A grand day out, with the bizarre subplot that there was also supposed to be a showing of Necronomicon. It was cancelled (according to the organiser) because the studio where the copy they were due to show was being shipped from burned down in a mysterious fire the day before...
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I remembered another bad Lovecraft movie I saw a couple years ago. Beyond the Wall of Sleep, somehow based on the story of the same name, was pretty bad and really easy to forget.
And, while it also never makes any direct references to the Mythos, The Mist (2007) is another movie that I think has tinges of Lovecraft in it. Like The Relic, it just kind of feels like a Mythos movie.
I remembered another bad Lovecraft movie I saw a couple years ago. Beyond the Wall of Sleep, somehow based on the story of the same name, was pretty bad and really easy to forget.
It was so bad I couldn't even finish it. Severely disappointed.
Don't forget Beyond Re-animator (2003) - it grows on you :)
The first time I saw it, I thought it was terrible, now I like it more than Bride.
Cthulhu (2007) is really not very good - it's slow and boring. While it does have gay themes/characters etc. it's a stretch to call it "gay soft porn" though. If you hate that kind of thing, don't worry, there's not too much of it in the movie (there's far less sexuality of any kind than in many of the other movies mentioned). If you like that kind of thing, look elsewhere.
And I agree with everyone that Dagon should not be overlooked - it's great!
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Barker has stated he's a fan of H.P.L., but The Hellbound Heart (the story the Hellraiser films were drawn from) isn't tied into the Mythos at all. You've got supernatural artifacts and parallel worlds filled with immortal extraplanar beings, but Leviathan and the Cenobites aren't Mythos creatures.
I haven't read the story, but I've seen the movies. And Leviathan strikes me as being far more of a Mythos creature than Herbert West ever has been.
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If Clive Barker ever wanted to tie the cenobites into the Mythos, Leviathan would probably be considered an Elder God and not a Great Old One. The chaotic Great Old Ones, Outer Gods and their servants would be anathema to the cenobites and their complete and utter devotion to order. A war between the two factions would make a good Call of Cthulhu campaign. The Hellraiser movies could be considered Lovecraftian to some degree, but Barker never makes any mention of the Mythos so it's kind of like Event Horizon or The Relic in its connection.
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If Clive Barker ever wanted to tie the cenobites into the Mythos, Leviathan would probably be considered an Elder God and not a Great Old One. The chaotic Great Old Ones, Outer Gods and their servants would be anathema to the cenobites and their complete and utter devotion to order. A war between the two factions would make a good Call of Cthulhu campaign. The Hellraiser movies could be considered Lovecraftian to some degree, but Barker never makes any mention of the Mythos so it's kind of like Event Horizon or The Relic in its connection.
You do realize that for Lovecraft himself, there was never any true distinction between Great Old Ones, Elder Ones, Elder Gods, Outer Gods, Other Gods, etc? All the assigning them to camps of good and evil and categorizing them was done by other people after his death. Lovecraft himself has a small amount of entities who were somewhat benign (the Great Race of Yith and Nodens are two good examples), a decent number who, for whatever purposes, seemed to wish humanity harm (the Mi-Go with their experiments, the Deep Ones...other than Nyarlathotep these "evil" entities are mostly low on the power scale) and a whole metric ton of entities who really just didn't give a crap about humanity on the rare occasions that they bothered to notice it (Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth...most of the rest).
I find assigning D&D style alignments to them diminishes them. After all, is Azathoth really evil? He has no evil intent...he has no intent period.
To me, a story and/or movie that conveys the theme of the Mythos, that mankind is a tiny speck upon the cosmos, venturing into territories and concepts that he cannot hope to comprehend, is far more worthy of being called "Lovecraftian" than is a generic B-horror movie that happens to throw out the names of a Mythos entity or two, or flippantly shows a book that is said to be the Necronomicon.
Edit: I'm not trying to sabotage your thread, wizard, I swear. But I'm a bit of a amateur Lovecraft scholar as well as being a huge fan, and I have some strong, if somewhat less common, opinions when it comes to my favorite author. I hope you don't take offense, and if you would prefer, I'll just let you guys go ahead listing without throwing my opinions out there.
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I'm well aware of it, Kthulhu. I didn't make it clear but I was speaking of where Leviathan's place might be in the CoC game where the entities are broken up into such groups. I know creatures like the Great Old Ones and the Mi-go, etc. are beyond doing anything based on a good vs. evil mentality. Heck, most of the creatures considered to be gods in the Mythos are hardly aware of humanity's existence. Certain other authors (most notably August Derleth) brought in the whole White Hat Elder Gods vs. Black Hat Great Old Ones thing and that silly elemental system. Since Lovecraft didn't even coin the term "Cthulhu Mythos" and never claimed sole ownership of the ideas associated with it, I figure its okay to acknowledge other contributors. Personally, I'm not really into aligning the creatures or assigning motives to them either.
Please list the *BAD* movies too. I'm looking for all of them. Thanks for the help.
Can you remember any from the 1980's and 1990's ??
Rain Man (1988)
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Not mythos related, but Lon Chaney's Spider Baby most certainly seems like it could have been inspired by Lovecraft, in a campy sort of way.
I was going to mention "Dreams in the Witchhouse" from the Masters of Horror series but see its already been done.
And has anyone mentioned the very bad Cthulhu Mansion yet? (edit: I see I missed it on my first read through the original list)
Edit 2: IMDB also shows there have been four films titled "The Statement of Randolph Carter" on of which was "The Unnameable II" I know I've seen that last one but can't remember whether I liked it better than the first in the series.