5 Movies Than Convey Lovecraftian Horror Perfectly
This horror subgenre is notoriously difficult to adapt to the screen, but some filmmakers manage to do it flawlessly.
"Lovecraftian" horror got its name from the works of H. P. Lovecraft, a famous American writer known for his unique approach to the genre, which relied more on the psychological aspect and the viscous, sticky atmosphere of horror.
His works mostly dealt with unspeakable cosmic horror without delving into much detail, which made them notoriously difficult to adapt to the big screen.
We've collected five movies that did the best job, even if not all of them are direct adaptations of the author's works.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
From legendary horror director John Carpenter and starring Sam Neill, this supernatural tale seems to be heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, as it has a lot of "evidence" in it, such as unspeakable cosmic horrors and the main character driven to the brink of madness.
It follows John Trent, an insurance investigator looking for a missing horror writer whose books are so good that they affect readers' minds.
Color Out of Space (2019)
Based on Lovecraft's story of the same name, this film revolves around a family that has a mysterious meteorite crash on their property.
Starring Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, and others, it is a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the original story, although it has some minor flaws, like the never-before-seen color is just neon purple, which is okay since it is impossible to recreate the original for obvious reasons.
The Void (2016)
Perhaps one of the most "Lovecraftian" movies on our list that is not based on the author's works, The Void explains very little and shows us the story of people who encounter grotesque creatures and mysterious cultists.
This Canadian horror is an absolute must for any fan of the author.
The Beach House (2019)
This film has gone unnoticed by the general public due to the lack of famous names behind it, but it has a great Lovecraftian vibe to it, especially considering the author's notorious fear of sea creatures.
The film has a slow start, following a couple who want to spend some time in the titular beach house, but then it turns into a tale of environmentalist horror with some pretty gross moments that might give you the creeps the next time you go to the beach.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Directed by Robert Eggers and starring Robert Pattinson with Willem Dafoe, this story of two lighthouse keepers slowly descending into madness is absolutely great.
But be prepared for a slow story, an unusual aspect ratio, and a black-and-white color palette.