# Lovecraft adaptations and homages **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404 "2011-04-06T15:52:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/21 "2011-04-07T21:16:21Z")
The Charles Stross \*Laundry \*books, starting with _The Atrocity Archive_, are a lot of fun, especially if you work as or near a system administrator for a large institution. The backstory is basically Lovecraftian, even though the tone is much lighter. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/22 "2011-04-07T21:22:40Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > The Charles Stross \*Laundry \*books, starting with _The Atrocity Archive_, are a lot of fun, especially if you work as or near a system administrator for a large institution. The backstory is basically Lovecraftian, even though the tone is much lighter. Speaking of which … an even better homage along somewhat similar lines is _Resume With Monsters_. [Resume with Monsters: William Browning Spencer: 9781565049130: Amazon.com: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Resume-Monsters-William-Browning-Spencer/dp/1565049136) I thought it was hilarious. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/23 "2011-04-07T21:29:23Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > The Charles Stross \*Laundry \*books, starting with _The Atrocity Archive_, are a lot of fun, especially if you work as or near a system administrator for a large institution. The backstory is basically Lovecraftian, even though the tone is much lighter. The most recent novel in the series was decidedly darker, though - and suffered for it, I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/24 "2011-04-07T23:54:52Z")
Micheal Shea’s [The Color Out of Time](http://www.amazon.com/Color-out-Time-Michael-Shea/dp/0879979542/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_3) is written as a sequel to _The Colour Out of Space_ (recall how there was apparently something left behind at the end of the story - it _grew_). His [Nifft the Lean](http://www.amazon.com/Nifft-Lean-Michael-Shea/dp/0879977833) also has a Lovecraftian flavor in many places, and is better written I think. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/25 "2011-04-08T03:01:51Z")
> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#): > > **Justin Credible** , do you reckon it’s better to read \*\*N \*\*or watch the graphic shorts first? I’m not familiar with the graphic shorts, just the short story. King did say it was inspired by Machen’s _The Great God Pan_, but still, when a story is about other worldly gods trying to break through and has a guy writing things like “CTHUN!” it’s hard to not call it Lovecraftian. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/26 "2011-04-08T03:16:52Z")
Seemed to me that every monster in the first **Hellboy** movie was straight out of Lovecraft. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/27 "2011-04-08T05:15:43Z")
I rather enjoy the [Tintin covers by Murray Groat](http://muzski.darkfolio.com/gallery/508305). I would soooo buy any of those. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/28 "2011-04-08T12:43:33Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > I really enjoyed the “Call of Cthulhu” movie, as well! I’ve heard that people didn’t care for the stop-animation Cthulhu, but I thought it was perfectly in keeping with the era the film was set in, reminiscent of Willis O’Brien. But the shadows glimpsed moving across the structures of R’lyeh were creepier than the figure fully seen (as is often the case in horror movies). BTW, the same people who made this movie have just finished their adaptation of “A Whisperer in Darkness”–and it’s a talkie, done in the style of a 1930s Universal-type horror film. I’ve been looking forward to this since I first heard about it and can’t wait to see it. There’s a blog at [http://www.cthulhulives.org/Whisperer/twid-blog.html](http://www.cthulhulives.org/Whisperer/twid-blog.html). Scroll down a bit for photos and two trailers. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/29 "2011-04-08T17:56:57Z")
[Not an adaptation, but a damn good homage…](http://lovecraftismissing.com/?p=930) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/30 "2011-04-08T19:08:26Z")
In the Dresden Files universe, the “Outsiders” (the ones from beyond the Outer Gates, about which nothing has been explained except that the Senior Council has an official called the Gatekeeper and the Seventh Law of Magic is, “Thou shalt not seek beyond the Outer Gates”) are purest Cthulhomage. I hope we see more of them in future books. (The [next one](http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/ghost-story) comes out 07/26/11, BTW.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/31 "2011-04-09T02:48:17Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > I rather enjoy the [Tintin covers by Murray Groat](http://muzski.darkfolio.com/gallery/508305). I would soooo buy any of those. Those are GREAT! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/32 "2011-04-09T11:20:03Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > BTW, the same people who made this movie have just finished their adaptation of “A Whisperer in Darkness”–and it’s a talkie, done in the style of a 1930s Universal-type horror film. I’ve been looking forward to this since I first heard about it and can’t wait to see it. There’s a blog at [http://www.cthulhulives.org/Whisperer/twid-blog.html](http://www.cthulhulives.org/Whisperer/twid-blog.html). Scroll down a bit for photos and two trailers. Oh, it’s done? Brilliant! I had a (nameless, creeping…) fear that it might end up in development limbo forever, like so many similar projects seem to… ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/33 "2011-04-09T11:49:22Z")
Years ago I bought an anthology of fiction, poetry, and art called **The Starry Wisdom**. Half of the material in the book is Mythos, and half is “inspired by” or sharing the same “visions of cosmic alienation” as the Mythos. Unlike most other Mythos anthologies, this one contains more than just short stories. It was also published by an alternative / underground press, so the contents are also a little more “counter-culture”. The material is very hit-or-miss, with half of it again being excellent, and half being total crap. I’d say the book is worth the price of admission for Alan Moore’s story “The Courtyard”, and the graphic novel version of “The Call of Cthulhu” by John Coulthart. Simon Whitechapel’s story “Walpurgusnachtmuzik” was also suitably disturbing. > **[Cthulhu Mythos anthology | The Starry Wisdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starry_Wisdom#The_Starry_Wisdom)** > > The Starry Wisdom: A Tribute to H. P. Lovecraft was edited by D. M. Mitchell and published by Creation Books in 1994. Declaring that "Lovecraft has suffered much at the hands of unmindful critics and even more from uninspired and talentless imitators," Mitchell declares that the collection's goal is "to dig deeper, to bypass the superficial and access the subterranean channels of archetype and inspiration with which Lovecraft was connected.... \[Lovecraft\] crafted morbid and disturbing allegories ... ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/34 "2011-04-09T11:53:48Z")
And here’s the link to the **Heavy Metal** magazine tribute to H.P. Lovecraft from the thread the OP mentioned: > **[METAL+ | The Bleeding Edge of Horror and Science Fiction](https://www.heavymetal.com/index.php?catcont=backissuesearch&issue=October%201979)** > > Its groundbreaking art would change the face of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror forever. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/35 "2011-04-09T12:36:22Z")
Let us branch out from the literary arts and the cinematic arts, into the decorative arts: Cthulhu plush toys! > **[Cthulhu Toys - Toys & More - Troll And Toad](https://www.trollandtoad.com/Toy%20Vault%20HQ/1074-484p1n10.html)** > > Toy Vault plush dolls and figures from many lines, including Monty Python, Egyptian Gods, Cthulhu, Dork Tower, Farscape, KISS, Dice, The Princess Bride, Trigun, and many more cool and eccentric toys. Somehow, that just seems wrong. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/36 "2011-04-09T13:21:11Z")
The character of Illyria in _Angel_, and many other elements of that show, seem to be an homage if not a direct parallel of the Lovecraft mythos. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/37 "2011-04-09T13:50:26Z")
Welp, I’m now following the [HP Lovecraft Historical Society](http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119441938068660) on Facebook, so I’ll know when Whisperer in the Darkness is available on DVD, as well as other eldritch news. I also finished reading “N.” Damn, that is a cruel story to recommend to someone with OCD tendencies! But really, it was a very good read. I agree it is akin to Lovecraft, even if it wasn’t directly inspired by him. And I keep meaning to watch the continuation of Marble Hornets, but whenever the opportunity presents itself, I’m alone in the house, and suddenly it doesn’t seem so appealing! Oh, and thanks to a recent thread here, [The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu](http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_Last_Lovecraft_Relic_of_Cthulhu/70130146?trkid=496624) is in my Netflix queue (qhuehue?). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/38 "2011-04-09T13:54:41Z")
The primary villains in Grant Morrison’s early comic series Zenith are the Lloigor, generally Lovecraftian beings, whose name is taken from a specific type of creature from the expanded Mythos. Though they resemble the originals vaguely, at best. The first one we’re introduced to is Iok Sotot. (Unfortunately, the series is likely hard to find, as there’s some legal crap keeping the collections from being reprinted, or the last story from being collected.) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/39 "2011-04-09T15:54:00Z")
Oh, I forgot the animated Ghostbuster Cthulhu episode, _“The Collect Call of Cathulhu[sic]”_. Mark it under “not great” - for the resolution & for the cultist’s squid hats, especially. But chock-full of Mythos references, so someone did their research. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404/40 "2011-04-09T15:56:51Z")
I recently watched (via Netflix streaming) a schlocky, low-budget, Australian horror movie called [Primal](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1438534/) that has a Lovecraftian mythos about it. It’s about 6 friends who go camping in the Australian wilderness, and one of them begins to undergo horrifying changes and turns on the others. It’s not high art, but it’s a fun flick if you like low-budget horror. I suppose _The Ruins_ might be Lovecraft-inspired. I’ve only seen the movie–which was just okay–but I hear the book is pretty good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lovecraft-adaptations-and-homages/577404.md?page=3)