Editorials
Top Six Cthulhu Mythos Adaptations!
H.P. Lovecraft was without a doubt one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. His creation of the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared universe of scary stories featuring insanity-inducing elder beings and unfortunate protagonists, revolutionized fiction, and the author’s formula for cosmic horror can still be seen in media to this very day.
Despite this, the list of satisfying adaptations of Lovecraft’s work is remarkably small, with most talented fans of the author preferring to borrow elements from his tales instead of adapting them entirely. Some noteworthy directors have attempted to bring the Mythos to the big screen, but the nihilistic nature of the author’s particular brand of cosmic horror doesn’t sit very well with studio executives.
While it’s likely that we’ll never see big budget adaptations like Guillermo Del Toro’s vision for At The Mountains of Madness, there are still a few worthy translations of some of Lovecraft’s best stories. This, coupled with the Cthulhu Mythos’ 100th anniversary, is why I’ve compiled a list of the Top Six Cthulhu Mythos adaptations.
Of course, this is my personal opinion, so I’d love to hear about your favorite Lovecraft adaptations in the comments below! However, I’ll only be listing direct adaptations of Cthulhu Mythos stories, so no Re-Animator or John Carpenter films for now…
6: Necronomicon: Book of the Dead
As is, unfortunately, the case with many anthology films, Necronomicon: Book of the Dead is a hit or miss venture. The glaringly inadequate budget and perplexing script are what keep this movie on the last spot of the list, though it’s an otherwise entertaining B-Movie romp if you can stomach the cheesy shortcomings.
A collaboration between Brian Yuzna, Christophe Gans and Shusuke Kaneko, the film adapts three Lovecraftian tales, with a wrap-around segment featuring the always-excellent Jeffrey Combs as H.P. Lovecraft himself.
There isn’t a lot of substance to this schlocky collection, but it’s definitely a worthy entry in the sadly all-too-short list of Cthulhu Mythos adaptations.
5: Masters of Horror: Dreams in the Witch-House
Stuart Gordon became a horror legend due to his nearly exclusive work on Lovecraftian movies like Re-Animator and From Beyond. Hell, even his worst films manage to be amusing, though he’s directed quite a few classics as well. Dreams in the Witch-House was one of his contributions to the excellent Masters of Horror series, being one of the show’s more enjoyable episodes.
Adapted from the eponymous short story, Dreams in the Witch-House is a modern-day take on the classic tale of a Miskatonic University student who moves into an unconventionally haunted house. Despite the limited runtime and production value, the episode is a surprisingly faithful and entertaining recreation of the creepy story.
4: Cthulhu
Despite the name, Dan Gildark’s seaside thriller is actually an adaptation of The Shadow Over Innsmouth (which is something of a running theme with these movies). Though it takes quite a few liberties with the source material, Cthulhu is an unexpectedly subtle and heartfelt translation of one of Lovecraft’s most famous stories.
Low production value once again sabotages what might have been one of the most dramatic depictions of the Mythos in film, though a compelling protagonist and flawless atmosphere make Cthulhu a must-watch for fans of Lovecraftian tales.
3: Dagon
A misnomer, Stuart Gordon’s Dagon is yet another adaptation of The Shadow Over Innsmouth. Despite the altered setting and schlocky tendencies, this is arguably the most faithful adaptation of the story yet, though the small budget once again leaves a lot to be desired. Even something as simple as better digital effects could have greatly improved the film (not to mention the final reveal of the titular monster).
Nevertheless, Dagon is a legitimately thrilling experience, with suspenseful chase sequences and amazing practical effects. Despite its flaws, this remains my personal favorite Cthulhu-Mythos-inspired film.
2: The Call of Cthulhu
A risky experiment by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, The Call of Cthulhu is without a doubt the most faithful of all Lovecraft adaptations, not to mention one of the best. Directed by Andrew Leman, this peculiar feature was produced in the style of 1920s silent films, complete with Expressionist influences and clever Claymation effects.
While Lovecraft’s multilayered tale of madness and dreaming gods obviously holds up, the film is a genius attempt at replicating what might have been if The Call of Cthulhu had received the big-budget treatment back when the author was still alive. It’s definitely not for everyone, but film and literary buffs alike will surely enjoy this retro outing.
1: Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Admittedly, this entry isn’t a movie at all, but a first-person survival horror video game from 2005. Even so, the game is (in my personal opinion) the best Cthulhu Mythos adaptation to date. Taking elements from A Shadow Out Of Time, The Call of Cthulhu, Dagon and The Shadow Over Innsmouth, Dark Corners of the Earth is a grueling journey through Lovecraft’s twisted imagination.
Largely inspired by the eponymous Tabletop RPG, the game explores the mythos’ recurring themes of insanity and fear of the unknown better than any non-interactive adaptation so far. Featuring a haunting soundtrack, clever level design and scenes ripped straight from Lovecraft’s stories, there’s a lot to love about this disturbing experience.
While the Dark Corners of the Earth does have its fair share of issues (especially now that it’s over a decade old), there’s some solace to be had in the fact that there’s a new Call of Cthulhu game in the works, which is expected to drop later this year. Only time will tell if it can improve upon this terrifying vision of cosmic horror, but until then, this is a must-play for horror fanatics in general.
It’s been 75 years since The Thing From Another World first warned us to “watch the skies”, and filmgoers have done just that by showing up to multiple instances of extraterrestrial contact on the big screen. This makes sense, as a recent CBS news poll estimated that 63% of Americans believe in intelligent life on other planets, and the ongoing disclosure movement aims to raise that number with each passing day.
With Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day leaving many genre fans hungry for more alien footage (preferably of the spooky variety), today I’d like to share a list recommending six underrated alien invasion thrillers for your viewing pleasure. After all, regardless of whether or not you believe that we’re alone in the universe, it can be fun to dream about the worst-case scenario if our cosmic neighbors ever decide to visit.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be focusing on lesser-known invasion stories rather than the popular extraterrestrials of franchises like Alien and Close Encounters of the Third (or even Fourth) Kind. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own alien favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling movie.
While it won’t be featured in this article, I’d highly recommend checking out Dean Alioto’s UFO Abduction/The McPherson Tape if you’re up for some ufology-inspired found footage thrills.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. The Arrival (1996)
Not to be confused with Denis Villeneuve’s Academy Award-winning Amy Adams vehicle about learning to communicate peacefully with extraterrestrial life, David Twohy’s The Arrival is a much more straightforward (but no less entertaining) genre romp where Charlie Sheen faces a global conspiracy involving hostile alien invaders.
It’s not exactly up there with Close Encounters or even Independence Day, but Twohy’s conspiratorial thriller plays out like an exceptionally fun episode of The X-Files that I’d recommend to sci-fi/horror fans who don’t mind a little bit of wonky CGI and 90s excess alongside their alien thrills.
5. Extraterrestrial (2014)
The Vicious Brothers made a name for themselves with the success of 2011’s Grave Encounters, but that was far from the Canadian duo’s only collaboration. And while it’s not exactly a fan favorite, I always point out 2014’s Extraterrestrial as one of their most underrated projects simply because I agree with the filmmakers’ opinion that there aren’t enough ‘cool alien abduction movies’ out there.
Admittedly, the majority of the picture functions like a run-of-the-mill creature feature with paper-thin characters and familiar horror tropes, but I’d argue that the cosmically-terrifying final act elevates the experience to new and memorable heights. The movie also boasts great performances by both Michael Ironside and Emily Perkins – a combination that more than makes up for the occasionally janky CGI.
4. Alien Raiders (2008)
Director Ben Rock has gone on record lamenting how his John-Carpenter-inspired creature feature was forcefully renamed from Supermarket to the painfully obvious Alien Raiders (a change which likely resulted in many potential viewers skipping out on the experience), but the new title doesn’t change the fact that this single-location thriller is something of a hidden gem.
Taking place entirely within a supermarket, Alien Raiders tells the story of an ensemble of customers and employees who are taken hostage by a group of armed men looking for something far more dangerous than an easy payout. I won’t get into details in order to avoid spoiling the experience, but I’d highly recommend this criminally underseen flick to fans of John Carpenter and the Resident Evil games.
3. Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
You’d think that a Ridley-Scott-produced retelling of one of the most infamous real-life UFO sightings of all time would have a bigger following, but I rarely see Justin Barber’s Found Footage period piece brought up during discussions about extraterrestrial-focused horror movies.
This is a huge shame, as Phoenix Forgotten is just as spooky as it is convincing, with this well-researched dive into the Phoenix Lights incident benefiting from surprisingly believable special effects as well as an appropriately horrific finale.
2. Communion (1989)
I wouldn’t blame you for disregarding Whitley Strieber’s controversial book about his alleged close encounter as sensationalist slop, but I’d argue that Phillipe Mora’s 1989 adaptation of these events is much better than the source material. After all, the movie works as a standalone piece of speculative fiction while also benefiting from an incredible performance by the one and only Christopher Walken!
Mora’s take on Communion may not be particularly scary, but the film is still an unforgettable character study regardless of whether or not the abduction really happened. Not only that, but the flick also paved the way for plenty of future sci-fi stories where the extraterrestrial invaders aren’t as evil as they initially appear.
1. Altered (2006)
Originally envisioned as a Sam Raimi-style horror-comedy titled Probed, Eduardo Sánchez (of The Blair Witch Project fame) eventually realized that it would be much more interesting to turn the film into a serious exploration of the emotional aftermath of a traumatic abduction incident.
That’s how we got Altered, a clever inversion of the standard abduction narrative that follows a group of troubled friends as they capture and experiment on an alien in order to enact revenge for their own abduction years prior.
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