The most influential writer to the modern horror and science fiction genre can be argued as none other than H.P. Lovecraft. From his first work in 1908, until his death in 1937, Howard Lovecraft produced notable works including "At the Mountains of Madness," "The Shadow over Innsmouth," "The Color out of Space" and "The Call of Cthulhu."
Lovecraftian horror, named after the man himself, has become a distinct genre. This genre can be broken down into two core elements which make up Lovecraft's works: the fear of the unknown and the fear of insignificance. Lovecraft, who was a heavy materialist, believed mankind was an insignificant speck in the universe with no inherent purpose. Lovecraft was a prolific reader and writer, and submitted many stories to the magazine "Weird Tales." Despite having written fantastic literature, Lovecraft died unsuccessful. Years later, however, thanks to several of Lovecraft friends, his works were reprinted, and Lovecraft became one of America’s greatest writers. Lovecraftian horror has inspired directors, writers and game producers for several generations. Here is an examination of just some Lovecraft's influence on the realm of horror and science fiction.
Games:
Lovecraft's influence on video games is significant, most notably on FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series. Dark Souls one, two and three carry heavy Lovecraftian themes such as decaying landscapes, unimaginable lurking terrors and a sense of hopelessness within the game's characters. However, the heaviest influence of Lovecraft lies not with FromSoftware's Dark Souls, but with their recently released title Bloodborne. Bloodborne not only carries heavy Lovecraftian symbolism and themes but also has a beautifully constructed plot which would have made Lovecraft proud.
In an article for Eurogamer, Jeffrey Matulef states "Bloodborne has a sanity mechanic called Insight. The more insight you have, the more crazy, terrifying things you're able to see.” As the player progresses, their character struggles with overcoming the monsters at hand in a decaying world. After enough insight, the player discovers terrifying entities which transcend man's normal capacities. The Player discovers the "Old Ones" (which is also a Lovecraftian creation) who litter the landscape and wield powers which could crush men like ants. You discover that your human problems were insignificant. In the game’s reality, there lurks terrors far greater than your struggles. The discovery is tragic, depressing and horrifying. Every struggle before was meaningless, and there is nothing you can do to change the fate of the world.
Movies:
There have been many small-budget movies created in honor of Lovecraft. One higher-budget film, though, is Alien. Alien takes place in a small, dark, and condensed ship where a crew tries to survive against a newly discovered horror which lurks in the shadows. The Alien kills the crew one by one until a final showdown takes place between the last survivor and the seemingly indestructible terror. In the end, the Alien is launched out into outer space, slowly disappearing into a starry black void.
The crew was completely powerless to fight this horror, and a feeling of insignificance possesses the viewer, driving them into despair. The most terrifying scene, however, at least to me, was seeing the alien float into outer space. The whole movie was, like Bloodborne, a small struggle, a human struggle, in the middle of the infinite expanse of space. The universe did not care for the crew's survival. In the end, we discover the terrifying fact that no matter how great our dangers, passions or desires are, the infinite universe of stars cares little for us.
Many critics, including Mike Davis, have noted the influence of Lovecraft on several of Stephen King's Works. "He’s written several stories with Lovecraftian themes, most notably (in my opinion) 'Crouch End and N. Crouch End' was originally published in 'New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos' in 1980.” Like Lovecraftian films, there have been countless imitations and inspirations drawn from Lovecraft to produce many books. Some notable Lovecraftian authors include Caitlin R. Kiernan, Jonathan Hickman and Kig Johnson.
Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" was practically copied by John W. Campbell Jr.'s novella "Who Goes There"? This book was later made into the 1982 film "The Thing". In both stories, a group of explorers in Antarctica stumble upon an alien being. In their quest for knowledge, these explorers disregard their own safety, and are devoured by the creatures they wished to dissect. The explorers find out that these aliens are indifferent to them, and as the story progresses they find in their horror mankind is only a small creature in comparison to the vast universe of extraterrestrial beings who could wipe out mankind with ease. We are not even a pawn, only a small insect.
Conclusion:
Lovecraft's influence on the horror and science fiction genre is extensive. He was talented, and he birthed his own genre. In doing all this, he made us ask important questions about our worldviews. Human existence is meager, and if we are to be materialists like him, our place in the cosmos is insignificant and meaningless. This realization should make us reconsider our own worldview in regards to materialism, and our place in the cosmos.
