There are many literary stories and unique narratives that could be adapted into a cinematic experience, especially in horror. Enter H.P Lovecraft, a man who’s considered the forefather of a unique subgenre of horror through his writing of the Cthulhu mythos. Call of Cthulhu is one of the most popular stories written by Lovecraft that follows the mysteries of several artifacts connected to a cult and the ancient force they hope to awaken. The original story is split in three interconnected scenarios that follow the protagonists of the stories as they uncover and attempt to stop the horrific awakening of the ancient being called Cthulhu. The story is praised for being the archetype of cosmic horror and its focus on a group of protagonists getting involved with a crazy monster or abstract situation that leaves them helpless to the price of knowing too much. Call of Cthulhu is next to other major Lovecraft stories like Shadow of Innsmouth, Rats In the Walls, and Mountain of Madness to adapt into a cinematic experience.

The Nature Of Lovecraftian Horror

Lovecraft’s idea of horror isn’t just jump scares or building up to a scary monster that tears into an unsuspecting victim, it’s an existential dread. It’s the idea that humanity is just a small insignificant part of the universe and we aren’t meant to venture deep into its mysteries. Lovecraft’s anxieties when he looked into astronomy and cosmology fed into this aspect by giving his creatures and characters a sense of neutral standing. Our heroes are either indifferent to the human condition, reflect the flaws of curiosity, or stereotypical action heroes that get deconstructed in the face of the terrible truth.

Even the monsters of the Cthulhu mythos, named in honor of the most popular creature Lovecraft made, are generally treated with a sense of chaotic mystery. Whether they’re pure evil, good, or simply chaotic “things” with their own sense of being tends to never be clear. Cthulhu is a sleeping monster at the bottom of the ocean treated like deity, but by waking up, he can trigger horrific nightmares, disastrous cataclysms, and all manner of terrible things. Even worse, the stories always end with a sense of ambiguity. Monsters of Lovecraftian horror are never killed, only defeated, sealed away, or barely avoided. Their threat still exists and it’s a matter of not how they’ll return, but when.

Ways That Make The Film Adaptation Work

An adaptation of a Lovecraft story is tricky at best, almost downright impossible at worst. One thing to understand is the atmosphere of the story. The Cthulhu mythos is full of shadowy conflicts against cults and fearsome monsters with a sense of gritty realism supported by dreary townsfolk plagued by dark rumors and creepy atmosphere. It’s similar tone wise to Gothic Horror stories from Frankenstein to Dracula which is why many see Lovecraftian stories as an extension of Gothic Horror. The protagonists in these stories tend to dress in mostly Noir styles of clothing, and when it’s not treated as a pure creature feature, these stories tend to be a period piece of the times.