The Lovecraft Thread

[OmegaZilla]

Dunno, it follows the description given in the story pretty faithfully, as far as I can remember.

Mind you that Lovecraft inspired directly and indirectly a tonload of novels, films and videogames so I wouldn't be surprised.

[AvatarIII]

If anything, Resident Evil is pretty heavily Lovecraft inspired, when it comes to mutations.

[DoomRulz]

Well there you go, maybe the author took ideas from both sources.

[AvatarIII]

What author?

[DoomRulz]

Er, artist

[AvatarIII]

I actually think it los a bit like tetsuo from Akira.

[KiramidHead]

Yes, that art is great. However, I'm sure DeviantArt also has more than a few depictions of the twins'... conception. :roll:

[Cvalda]

As I work my way through The Complete Fiction every night before bed, I think I shall start listing my ratings for the individual stories here as I go. Would be interesting if other users did the same and we could rank AVPGalaxy's top rated Lovecraft stories

Going in chronological order...

The Beast in the Cave 6/10
The Alchemist 6/10
The Tomb 5/10
Dagon 9/10
A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson 4/10
Polaris 6.5/10

[OmegaZilla]

Here's what I have read (excluding incomplete fragments like Azathoth) -- I generally don't give ratings as of lately but I'll give it a go. The ones with the - between two votes are to be decided. Alphabetical order (Cthulhu Cycle & non) --

The Call of Cthulhu - 10/10
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward - 9.5/10
The Color out of Space  - 10/10
The Crawling Chaos - 7/10
The Creature of the Loch - 7/10
The Curse of Yig - 7.5/10
Dagon - 9/10
The Diary of Alonzo Typer - 6/10
The Doom that came to Sarnath - 8.5-9/10
The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath - 7.5/10
The Dreams in the Witch House - 6/10
The Dunwich Horror  - 10/10
The Festival - 7.5/10
Fungi from Yuggoth  - 7/10
The Haunter of the Dark - 7/10
The Horror at Red Hook - 7/10
The Horror in the Museum - 9.5-10/10
The Hound - 8.5-9/10
The Man of Stone - 7.5/10
Medusa - 6/10
The Mound - 4/10 (I'm sorry)
At the Mountains of Madness - 10/10
The Nameless City - 9/10
Nyarlathotep - 8.5/10
Old Bugs -  5/10
Out of the Aeons - 9.5/10
Pickman's Model - 9/10
Rats in the Walls - 6/10
The Red Brain - 8/10
The Shadow out of Time - 10/10
The Shadow over Innsmouth - 10/10
The Silver Key - 7.5/10
The Statement of Randolph Carter - 7.5/10
The Thing on the Doorstep - 9/10
The Whisperer in Darkness - 10/10

[Cvalda]

At the Mountains of Madness - 10/10

I am really torn over ATMOM. I love it, but something about it just feels... off. I think it's the class subtext, which is typical eye-roll-inspiring Lovecraft bile. At least he doesn't directly drag racial stuff into it.

[KiramidHead]

At the Mountains of Madness - 10/10

I am really torn over ATMOM. I love it, but something about it just feels... off. I think it's the class subtext, which is typical eye-roll-inspiring Lovecraft bile. At least he doesn't directly drag racial stuff into it.

It's nowhere near Horror at Red Hook in terms of racism. Egad, that one was cringe inducing. So was The Street, which starts off nice and quaint, but the racism sneaks up on you and smacks you over the head.

[OmegaZilla]

I am really torn over ATMOM. I love it, but something about it just feels... off. I think it's the class subtext, which is typical eye-roll-inspiring Lovecraft bile. At least he doesn't directly drag racial stuff into it.

I don't remember it being so overwhelming to be honest, I should re-read the novel.
Then again I just... tekeli-li, tekeli-li, you know.

EDIT: OH, do you mean an allegorical reading of the relationship between the Elder Things and the Shoggoths (Creators and Creations, Masters and Slaves)? I can see where that key of lecture can come from, but you know -- sometimes a vegetaloid creature from outer space is just a vegetaloid creature from outer space.

[Cvalda]

EDIT: OH, do you mean an allegorical reading of the relationship between the Elder Things and the Shoggoths (Creators and Creations, Masters and Slaves)? I can see where that key of lecture can come from, but you know -- sometimes a vegetaloid creature from outer space is just a vegetaloid creature from outer space.

Not with Lovecraft! The whole thing is a protracted metaphor for Lovecraft's belief that the filthy unwashed working class (read: minorities) would eventually rise up and destroy their "superior", sophisticated masters (read: upper class white people). The whole thing is loose enough though that you can almost successfully pretend otherwise, so it doesn't effect the story too much.

[OmegaZilla]

Well, as said I can see where that key of lecture comes from -- I, personally, have always read it as a 'Rise of the Machines' kind of storyline device. The creation that overwhelmes its creator.

[DoomRulz]

Speaking of Lovecraft, any love around here for The Mouth of Madness, starring Sam Neill?