Best H.P. Lovecraft Inspired Films
This list describes my personal favorite Lovecraft-inspired movies and short films. Some aren't specifically adapted from a Lovecraft story, but they have cited Lovecraft stories as an inspiration and all carry a certain flavor of Lovecraft.
Many Lovecraft stories were left off of this list because:
1. They didn't rate high enough on my personal system.
2. IMDB doesn't have an entry for them (some good ones!).
Many Lovecraft stories were left off of this list because:
1. They didn't rate high enough on my personal system.
2. IMDB doesn't have an entry for them (some good ones!).
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- DirectorStuart GordonStarsEzra GoddenFrancisco RabalRaquel MeroñoA boating accident runs a young man and woman ashore in a decrepit Spanish fishing town which they discover is in the grips of an ancient sea god and its monstrous half human offspring.This is the best (so far) adaptation of a specific Lovecraft story, based on the combination of 'Dagon' and 'Shadow Over Innsmouth'. Stuart Gordon is an experienced Lovecraft adapter, but this is his best effort to date.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellWilford BrimleyKeith DavidA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.The original 'The Thing' by John Carpenter. Wonderful stuff here. Not specifically based on a Lovecraft story, but indeed drew inspiration from a couple of different HP Lovecraft stories. Leagues better than the extremely mediocre modern remake.
- DirectorAndrew LemanStarsMatt FoyerJohn BolenRalph LucasWhile sorting the affairs of his late Uncle, a man accidentally stumbles across a series of dark secrets connected to an ancient horror waiting to be freed.Very loyal adaptation of the Lovecraft title with the same name. Acting is pretty good for what it is. The style is a unique tribute to the 1920's silent film era. It's a black&white, silent film with a nice appropriate musical score. Well done, we need more of these.
- DirectorSean BranneyStarsStephen BlackehartAutumn WendelP.J. KingBased on the H. P. Lovecraft story of the same name, a folklorist investigates reports of unusual creatures in Vermont only to uncover more than he bargained forHere's another loyal adaptation of another Lovecraft story. Very well done, with low-budget effects and an intriguing style which never gets boring. It suffers a little from the actors they had available, but for the most part I wasn't effected enough to not enjoy it.
- DirectorFrank H. WoodwardStarsRobin Atkin DownesNeil GaimanPeter StraubA chronicle of the life, work and mind that created the Cthulhu mythos.Wonderful documentary about Lovecraft and his work. Several modern horror icons contribute to this film, respectfully.
- DirectorDan GildarkStarsJason CottleCasey CurranEthan AtkinsonA Seattle history professor, drawn back to his estranged family on the Oregon coast to execute his late mother's estate, is reaquainted with his best friend from childhood, with whom he has a long-awaited tryst. Caught in an accelerating series of events, he discovers aspects of his father's New Age cult which take on a dangerous and apocalyptic significance.Very interesting adaptation of a few Lovecraft stories. This one has some serious reworkings which offending many Lovecraft die-hards (mainly the inclusion of homosexuality, which Lovecraft would have abhored). I, however, appreciate the reworking of this tale. The acting was very good for the most part, with a few over-acting exceptions. Nice story development.
- DirectorDavid PriorStarsEric LangeJohn BillingsleyRay WiseHaunted by recent events and on the run, a man finds himself the unwitting pawn of a possessed evangelical radio station and like his unfortunate predecessor must ask himself whether it is better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.Wonderful Lovecraft-inspired film. Incredible building of a very dark, eerie atmosphere. Not to mention the obvious Cthulhu mythos inspiration. Terrific acting as well for a short film...
- DirectorAdrián CardonaRafa DengráDavid MuñozStarsJosé María AngorrillaPep SaisMayka DengráMr Olivares has already recovered, but now he needs a vacation. To go to some heavenly place where he can relax and blithely enjoy himself.Don't miss this one if you're a fan of Bubba Ho-Tep/Army of Darkness comdy-horror style films. Hilarious foreign short that made a splash at the HPL films festivals.
- DirectorSteve DanielsStarsSean BlueKdawn BranhamJane BruttoIn this dark, whimsical fantasy, a man travels deep into the forest to stop a creature from creating cursed silverware that brings unhappiness to the world.Now this one really was terrific. Lovecraft film festival addition that had audiences talking. Wonderful effects, wonderful acting, great comedic/eerie plot structure. Light-hearted look at the origins of dirty silverware... Great short!
- DirectorJoseph NanniStarsAdam Kenneth WilsonJacques Cowan is what the French call "a runner of the woods." He may be a foreigner in the new world but Jacques quickly learned the ways of the native people, their language, their routes, and their skills. But he didn't leave his life in another land for adventure, freedom, and wealth - he had much more in mind than trading pelts and cheating death. Jacques had listened intently to the stories that had crossed the ocean, extraordinary tales of mystical creatures and unknown forces. Black Goat finds Jacques mid hunt, as he closes in on what others thought was a legend. What he doesn't realize is that the legend is on a hunt of its own.Wonderful short, eerie, Lovecraft film festival entry. Great effects for a short low-budget affair.
- DirectorHank FriedmannStarsAaron RefvemJacob KellarDaniel J. O'BrienWhen a group of bored suburban teens experiment with a mysterious new drug, they are thrust into a nightmare world where hallucinations kill.Nice short that is heavily inspired by Lovecraft's dream worlds, and it melds into a modern story seemlessly. The acting is pretty good for an amateur project, and the effects are a nice tribute to the Sinbad claymation...
- DirectorJovanka VuckovicStarsSkyler WexlerDarren BeatonRuby BeatonA darkly poetic fable that begins with a little girl drawing figures of people with chalk on the cement of a playground. She takes notice of an unusual crack in the pavement that is seeping a mysterious black fluid, which she follows to an ominous building. Inside, she encounters several bizarre phenomena, including walls that bleed black and tentacles that emerge from the ceiling to touch her. She then witnesses the birth of five terrifying supernatural beings that threaten the existence of her world.Guillermo del Toro produced this short film that really captures an eerie Lovecraftian atmosphere of extreme macabre with an ethereal beauty. This one is definitely a case of atmosphere over plot, similar to many Lovecraft stories.
- DirectorWilliam PrinceStarsFrancesca ParkerLucy HirdDaniel LeachAt the end of a long day, five children fill in the remaining hours of sunlight before they return home. Bored, and looking for a new playground, they enter an imposing, decaying building that has been abandoned for years. A warning to visitors the children should have noticed. Using classic horror motifs and contemporary characters, CLICK discovers why we are afraid of the dark. A discovery that the children make in possibly the last building they will ever enter.Dark, Lovecraft film festival entry, with great acting by 5 UK children. Worth seeing for certain.
- DirectorAurelio VoltaireStarsDanny ElfmanA mummified cat is tormented by the skeletons of past meals.Nice very short animated short film by Voltaire and Danny Elfmann. What a speaking voice Elfmann has! Not specifically adapted from Lovecraft, but has some obvious inspiration involved.
- DirectorNicolas SimoninStarsHubert BenhamdineAs he tries to help a woman asking for help, an anonymous man finds himself lost on the no man's land of the railways in a strange train station at night, in Paris.Lovecraft film festival entry. Nice, dark, disturbing tale of one man's night in the recesses of the public transportation system. Inspired by HPL but not specifically adapting anything.
- DirectorRussell ApplefordStarsConnor CatchpoleDominic CreaseyMichael SheldonA haunting tale of loss and regret, blending live action and stunning visual effects that culminate in a dramatic finale.A very nice, sentimental, film displayed at a few Lovecraft film festivals. Not specifically adapted from a Lovecraft story, but very well done amateur film.
- DirectorJared SkolnickStarsEllis GageColin AllenJacob MoonA young boy discovers a corpse while biking in the woods, then faces unexpected and macabre consequences when he tries to bury it.Really good short effort for HPLovecraft festivals. Very good acting for the most part, although the main child actor left something to be desired. Should have recast that role. But the story and development is sufficiently Lovecraftian and eerie to not notice very much.
- DirectorPaul CampionStarsJulia RoseEuan DempsyRobyn PatersonIn a secure military laboratory, a Scientist has become obsessed with the strange half-eel, half-human creature he's studying. When she beckons him to her, it's the call of a siren...What's not to enjoy? Scientific laboratory studying fishy-human creatures? Sign me up.
- DirectorJoseph NanniStarsJim BorwickDaniel HamblyIf you're suffering from an overwhelming sense of Lovecraftian cosmic dread, then Dr. N. Williams might have a cure for you based on an eons old technology.Nice. Very funny. Infomercial about Lovecraft's Elder Signs as a medical alternative...
- DirectorTed MarcusStarsGenevieve GauntGus LewisAngelica MandyMeet Jamie. He's your average London teenager: school, nagging parents, that girl down the road - he's got everything, but he's about to lose it all. It's Christmas, 2012 - the decorations are up, and there's a chill in the air. There's something wrong out in the streets, but Jamie ignores it. It's the biggest night of his year, the night that he's going to get with Frankie, the night it's all going to happen. Except his parents want him to stay home. And so Jamie has to get creative. He'll get his night out. Unfortunately for him, this night also happens to be the last date on the Mayan calendar. And that can mean only one thing: Apocalypse.Ted Marcus, amateur filmmaker, finally really succeeds with this new short film. Lovecraft Film Festival favorite, a London-based apocalyptic vision that is nicely constructed and acted.
- DirectorCan EvrenolStarsJacob FarmerAnna MalmkjaerMarcus WebbWhen Jimmy is left alone in his house he discovers an old mask and decides to scare his parents upon their arrival home. Hiding in their bedroom closet he could not expect what he would see and the terror that would overtake their lives.Wow. Dark. Disturbing. Weird. Demonic Child. Cthulhu!
- DirectorJack FeldsteinA surreal neon animation film by stream of consciousness neon filmmaker, Jack Feldstein of H.P. Lovecraft's prose poem Ex Oblivione about time and mortality.Nice 20-minute story of one man's dark history combining with his modern obsession for anal cleanliness.
- DirectorEugenio VillaniStarsRaffaele PalazzoValentina VieccaHaselwurm is a short fantasy/horror film inspired on the one hand by some mythical stories of the region of Trentino, Italy, on the other hand by the narrative literature of Howard Philip Lovecraft. The main characters are a woman and a man striving to unveil a mystery as old as the mountains where the story is set. With the recklessness of a rifle shot, they make the mistake of killing a creature unlike any other. The consequences of this reckless act will soon reveal themselves and the price will be high ...Yes! Spanish horror addition with some wonderful Lovecraft-inspired disturbing imagery. Acting superb.
- DirectorLarry FessendenStarsRon PerlmanJames Le GrosConnie BrittonSent to evaluate the environmental impact of oil drilling in the Arctic, James Hoffman clashes with the drilling crew's chief, who wants to get the job done.Overlooked icy horror movie with Ron Perlman. Similar to The Thing, but some serious alternative viewpoints. Nice acting, nice effects, it's a slow-moving affair which builds intensity slowly, just like many of Lovecraft's stories.
- DirectorMichael GranberryStarsMichael GranberryAn unsuspecting man falls into an otherworldly trap set by a psychotic genius in this spine-tingling animated film based on the short story by H.P.Lovecraft.Nice little fairly loyal adaptation in claymation.