Whispers echo from the dark corners of the page, tugging at your sanity and begging you to gaze into the impossible blackness of the cosmos. Eldritch entities whisper mind-breaking truths that unravel your sense of meaning and importance. Welcome to the world of Lovecraftian Horror, where human insignificance in the face of the universe is put on display for all to see. Follow me deeper. I dare you.
What is Lovecraftian Horror?
Gore and presentations of shock are often associated with horror, but these feature far less prominently in the Lovecraftian subgenre. Named for one of its earliest and most prominent authors, H.P. Lovecraft, this particular blend of horror draws its power from a focus on the weird, the incomprehensible, and the unfathomable. In Supernatural Horror in Literature, Lovecraft wrote, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” This particular brand of dread plays with some of our most primal evolutionary survival instincts, the very part of our brain that tells us to avoid the uncertainty of the darkness at night.
As such, Lovecraftian Horror delves into the unknowable and the unknown, dwelling at the edge of science and superstition. It will often feature educated and academic types that suddenly find themselves thrust into circumstances beyond any logical understanding. This dilemma might take the form of an eldritch entity or some alien invader, but it could equally be nothing but the machinations of the darkest recesses of the characters’ minds.
Common Tropes
Lovecraftian Horror can be identified by some of its most common tropes. These elements provide the feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness, and despair that often fill such stories.
- Eldritch entities: Everyone knows Cthulhu, but there are many other beings and creatures that dwell within the Lovecraft panoply. Azathoth, for example, created our entire existence in his dreams, and now the other entities sing soothing songs to him so that he will never awaken. Should he do so, our entire existence will end in an instant.
- Sanity and madness: Some concepts are simply too grand and too terrible for the human mind to process. Those exposed to these seeming impossibilities are inevitably driven mad, creating a sense of fear around the idea of pushing against this boundary of knowledge. The true fear comes in the idea that it’s impossible to know how far is too far. Once the line is crossed, it’s already too late.
- You are utterly alone: Isolation and insignificance feature prominently in Lovecraftian Horror. As characters come to know just how much they don’t know, an overwhelming sense of meaninglessness often overwhelms them. The creatures of the cosmos and beyond care nothing for our existence; in many cases, we’re so tiny and insignificant that they aren’t even aware we exist.
Why I Like Lovecraftian Horror
I’ve never been one to scare easily when it comes to horror, and slasher films in particular always come across as campy to me. However, the concepts in Lovecraftian Horror impact something deep within my mind because they toy with the foundations of what it means to be a living being. Our survival mechanisms are used to convince us of our own utter meaninglessness, and we are shown to be powerless before the forces of the void. This plays heavily with the predator/prey response in the basest parts of our minds, and for me this creates a horror that simply isn’t matched in other subgenres.
I also love the monsters and creatures that inhabit these universes, not to mention the incredible settings. Forbidden tomes and terrifying exploratory sites all promise to be the limits of our sanity, and I feel an urge to uncover the truth alongside the characters, even though I know well what the consequences will be.
I don’t only love reading about the eldritch entities, I also love to create them! There’s something fascinating to me about exploring creatures that dwell at the vaguest perceptions of human understanding, and then backtracking to see how these creatures would drive a narrative within a story. For me, there’s also a catharsis that comes from dwelling in these areas of the mind, but thankfully the story form allows me to put it down when I’ve had enough!
Why YOU Should Explore Lovecraftian Horror
Lovecraftian Horror provides a great opportunity to step outside the normal expectations of the horror genre. We usually expect to see at least part of the cast emerge unscathed from the terrors of the night, but this is almost never the case in the Lovecraftian subgenre. As a writer, this gives you the opportunity to step into the darkness of true despair and speculate on what it might look like to face something with the power of a god.
- Powerlessness: It’s easy to minimize the threat of an assailant that can be stopped with a good sword or gun. In Lovecraftian Horror, though, these are usually powerless to defeat the antagonist. The entities encountered are completely beyond humanity’s ability to stop, and it is often left at the end of the narrative that, though the protagonist escaped, a lingering dread reminds them that eventually this threat can prove fatal to us all. Working your characters out of tough situations becomes much harder when the threat is essentially omnipotent!
- Revelatory Plot Devices: One challenge in Lovecraftian Horror is figuring out how you’re going to get the relevant plot details across to your reader. There aren’t usually subject matter experts in the world, so this normally takes place through uncovered forbidden texts, brief mental brushes with the entities themselves, or the discovery of ancient evidence. In At the Mountains of Madness, the protagonist uncovers old wall carvings in an ancient city.
- Unique Atmosphere: The settings and moods within Lovecraftian Horror are usually grim and dark. There are also countless instances where characters find themselves in truly alien places that are different from anything on earth, such as impossible buildings with more space on the inside than could ever be contained by the outer walls. This is a fantastic opportunity to give the creative muscles a workout and concoct locations you would never experience in the real world!
Lovecraftian Horror That We Love
My favorite Lovecraft story is The Colour Out of Space. It features a family farm that is visited by an alien entity that is simply stopping in at earth for energy replenishment. It has no physical presence. The family is driven mad and begins withering away into husks before they even have an inkling of what’s happening. This piece truly explores what the idea of humans as insignificant prey looks like. We’re never even certain that the entity is aware of us at all. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the story, though, is how well it captures the unfathomable. How can one describe a color that has never been seen by human eyes?
Many of us may assume that Lovecraftian Horror is a footnote in the history of the horror genre, but I’m happy to say that it still thrives in the modern world. My favorite Neo-Lovecraftian work is a comic series called Witch Creek Road. Not only is the art style phenomenally haunting, but it also tackles the hallmarks of Lovecraftian Horror with dangerous precision. Consider the first arc of the story in which we learn that no matter how ingenuitive we are, we simply cannot win against the eldritch forces of darkness. This series travels through a wonderfully convoluted web of subplots that leave you gasping in fear every step of the way.
*Chapters can be read for free on Webtoon or the comic can be purchased directly from the creator’s website* (This is not an ad. I just really love this series and want to support indie creators.)
Stephen King’s IT has haunted me since I first watched it and read it probably way before I was supposed to. It masterfully blends horror with a deep exploration of childhood and the power of friendship. King’s rich character development brings the Losers’ Club to life, making readers deeply invested in their journey from vulnerable children to courageous adults. And with that investment, the fear of Pennywise becomes worse. King’s skillful use of supernatural elements personified in the terrifying Pennywise, taps into primal fears, while also addressing broader social issues such as bullying and abuse. Did I need to sleep with a light on for a bit? Maybe. But who wouldn’t if your fear would become real?
I’m not a big horror fan, so I actually haven’t read any Lovecraftian books to be honest. Doing this genre series has really made me look at books outside of my comfort zone and the book in this genre that I’m so excited to read is The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. It seems like it would be the quintessential Lovecraftian horror book–there is madness and there are strange creatures that grow stronger the more you fear them. When I was looking for a book to read for this blog post, this book was the one that caught my eye and I can’t wait to crack it open and flip through the pages.