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Post by kingstownted on Jun 10, 2012 22:04:23 GMT -5
"The oldest and strongest emotion in man is fear, and the oldest and strongest form of fear is of the unknown" H.P. Lovecraft may be considered one of the most important and influential American authors the genre has ever seen. A bold statement but it happens to be one we stand behind and because of that, we could think of no better subject to cover for our milestone episode 250. To properly discuss his works and their subsequent impact we brought in a Lovecraft specialist and listener to the podcast as a guest host. We did encounter post recording audio issues and as such we ask for understanding as the fidelity is lower than usual. The conversation though was a great one as we explored the man himself, the influences of the era he was active on his writing, the concept of 'cosmic horror', what the Cthulhu mythos is all about, and of course we take a look at many selected key stories including The Dunwich Horror, Herbert West: Reanimator, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, The Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness and many more. What would a HP Lovecraft show be without also looking at the multitude of film adaptations and discussing why they struggle to capture the essence of Lovecraft's written word. We also take a look at a roster of key genre films that owe a huge debt to Lovecraft where that influence that may not always be recognized. We hope you enjoy this spotlight on Lovecraft and encourage all to try out some original stories as the only true way to understand the mind shattering enormity of cosmic horror is to experience it (and huge thanks to our special guest for joining us). As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 |
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Post by hammerhead on Jun 11, 2012 4:00:13 GMT -5
Yaaaay! I've been waiting for this for so long, but I'm also very grateful that you guys took your time before embarking on it. You've said that you were not well-versed in Lovecraftiness, and he's not something you can just do. His writing is so dense, his world so vast, and his influence so deep that a cursory glance would be misleading.
I got into Lovecraft by accident. There are issues with his work, of course, but, even given his flaws, his world is so compulsive that it draws you in. It's interesting that even in his own time there were people who were convinced that his world was real and he was merely channelling it. Some have even speculated that works written by Lovecraft cultists may have inspired Erich von Daniken, and so originated the entire "alien gods" concept, which has itself created a number of new religions.
Oh and one more thing: now that you've read "At the Mountains of Madness" I highly reccommend, if you have access to the Alien Quadrilogy, going back and finding Dan O'Bannon's original script treatment for "Alien". It is, essentially, "At the Planet of Madness", and "Prometheus", even if it doesn't borrow from AtMoM directly, is obviously drawing from O'Bannon's original script concept (cf. pyramids, heiroglyphs). O'Bannon, of course, was a Lovecraft nerd to the core, and was very conscious of what he was doing. Giger too, is Lovecraft inspired- remember, the original lithograph from which the Alien was taken was called "Necronom IV"
PS. Might I suggest another Lovecraftian piece that has somewhat flown under the radar: "Event Horizon". For years I kept wondering why I connected with this movie when so many others despised it, and it wasn't until I started reading Lovecraft, and falling for his world, that I understood.
PPS. Odd fact: In Arabic Lovecraft translations, Abdul Alhazred's name has to be rewritten because it makes no sense in Arabic ("Abdul al" means "servant of the the"). Most Arabic translations either call him "Abdul Hazred" or "Abdullah al-Hazred"
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Post by boomstickbob on Jun 11, 2012 12:40:44 GMT -5
I always wondered if Lovecraft had a part to play in that whole 'ancient aliens' theory. I watched an episode of that show once, the History Channel one, and it didn't touch on anything Mythos-like but rather focused on world religions (though admittedly, in the Mythos all human religions stem from misremembered history) and modern UFO type aliens. Whether or not it was originally inspired by Lovecraft I don't know - either way it's nonsense! Lovecraft actually showed up in an episode of Stargate SG-1 I believe, though I havn't seen it. I had no idea Dan O'Banon had written an original draft of Alien taking so much from Lovecraft. That's really interesting and I look forward to seeing Prometheus to see if it plays out as I think it will. I think it's a testament to O'Banon's writing that Alien has such a Lovecraftian 'hangover'. Nor did I know that Giger was inspired by Lovecraft, I thought that was coincidence! Thanks for sharing this stuff Hammerhead!  Gillie was a Deep One! |
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Post by hammerhead on Jun 11, 2012 17:52:50 GMT -5
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Post by boomstickbob on Jun 12, 2012 6:12:58 GMT -5
I never really knew much about Giger except that he designed the alien and I'd seen a few pictures of his work in books, I'm definately going to have to investigate further.
That essay also looks like a very interesting read. I don't know Jason Colavito but his other books suggest he knows what he's talking about. I can't read these right now but I'm looking forward to it.
Thanks for sharing these, if you come across anything else about Lovecraft in pop culture definately get in touch with me.
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Post by jamtomorrow on Jun 12, 2012 18:29:06 GMT -5
Thought this was an excellent episode. I enjoy HPL, though I'm not any kind of an expert, and I think this episode will appeal to newbies and officionadoes alike. Really good work
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Post by fizzlenik on Jun 12, 2012 22:18:54 GMT -5
I already had a few collections of Lovecraft stories on my bookshelf but after today's episode I figured I'd see what was available on Kindle. You can get his entire collected works (all his novellas and short-stories and most of his collaborations) for less than $5 in eBook format!
If you're at all planning to check him out and have a Kindle it's well worth the minimal cost. There are other editions for $0.99 but I picked the one that seemed most complete.
If anyone sees "In Search of Lovecraft" available on Netflix, please save your time and don't watch it. It was really painful to sit through and very unsatisfying as well. Terrible effects and a story that really makes no sense (coupled with worse than amateur acting).
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Post by hammerhead on Jun 13, 2012 3:24:53 GMT -5
The BBC did a really good radio doc on Lovecraft a while back, but it was taken off Youtube. BTW, if you're not interested in wading through O'Bannon's entire original script, the final disc in the Alien Quadrilogy has a quick summation, complete with production art, in the laserdisc archive. He even uses the word "sqamous". Finally, I just wanted to point everyone to the coolest page ever: Lovecraft's favourite words: cthulhuchick.com/wordcount-lovecraft-favorite-words/"Squamous" only appears once. Who knew? |
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Post by alienfan79 on Jun 14, 2012 12:23:42 GMT -5
 This has been one of the best podcasts you have done. Excellent stuff, been a big Lovecraft fan for a long time though folk could find it an acquired taste. You mentioned Alien's Lovecraft influence. I put it that Prometheus is even more influenced. What do you think?
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Post by hammerhead on Jun 14, 2012 12:46:03 GMT -5
I think it may be Lovecraft influenced without realising it. It definitely draws heavily from Dan O'Bannon's original Alien script, which was VERY Lovecraft inspired.
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Post by jamtomorrow on Jun 14, 2012 16:41:44 GMT -5
A few more thoughts on HPL.
As a writer, he certainly has his faults (e.g. his tendency to prolix purple prose, his characters' constant fainting fits, the idea that people will carry on writing their diaries as the something climbs over the window sill and shambles towards them...), and even his most ardent fans acknowledge these, but somehow he's more than the sum of his parts. I think some of his greatest contributions to the literature of horror and the fantastic were these:
1) The breaking down of the supernatural/scientific barrier. Lovecraft posits "sciences" unimaginble to humans, with effects that we would see as supernatural.
2) The gradually-revealing mythos. The interconnectedness of his stories offer glimpses of a vast cosmos of creatures and horrors undreamt by human minds, one which he doesn't map out in advance, but leaves the reader to piece together (and other writers to add to).
3) A non-human perspective. If you look at an older Big Bad, like the Satan of the medieval Christian mythos, he's curiously fixated on humans. He's an overwhelming dark force in the universe, but for some reason he's all about winning dominion over human lives and ensnaring human souls. Cthulhu, though, cares not a jot for humans; he isn't our enemy in any real sense at all (although we can take it as read that when R'lyeh rises, the human race will be extinguished in short order). That idea of humans as irrelevant and insignificant is behind much of the power of Lovecraft's stories, and I think is perhaps his most profound and lasting legacy.
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Post by jamtomorrow on Jun 14, 2012 16:44:58 GMT -5
The BBC did a really good radio doc on Lovecraft a while back, but it was taken off Youtube. Yes, I remember hearing it ages ago. I think it was called "The Young Man of Providence". If anyone knows where it's to be found online, I'd love to have another lsiten. |
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yddy
Ghost in the Graveyard
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Post by yddy on Jun 15, 2012 14:05:47 GMT -5
If you're not sure whether or not you want to buy a Lovecraft book (like me), you can dip your toes into the water to see if he works for you. One of my students introduced me to this site ages ago, though I admit I've only read Reanimator so far. Enjoy! www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/ |
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Post by hammerhead on Jun 15, 2012 15:23:31 GMT -5
librivox.org has some nice vocal recordings too.
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bigmac
Revolting Revenant
You mean the movie lied!?!?!?
Posts: 1,508
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Post by bigmac on Jun 16, 2012 20:52:37 GMT -5
Great podcast on HP, guys. The discussion covered quite a bit about the man, his works and his legacy, though I agree you could have gone on for hours more. But it's one of the best two hour exploration I've heard.
And kudos for pointing out how how the film Re-Animator followed Lovecraft's Herbert West stories. I read that Gordon planned to shoot six episodes for television, a closer adaptation of Lovecraft's original work, but ended up combining into a feature length movie. A good move, I think, as I don't think television was ready to broadcast such a tale back then.
You mentioned The Whisper in the Dark, and though I have yet to see it, I suspect this film is an excellent adaptation, based upon The Call of Cthulhu, a short (about 40 minute) film produced by the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society.
Cthulhu is a silent film, as the Society wanted to give the film the feel of having been made when the tale was published. It's terrific, as the film treats the material with the respect and dignity it deserves, even if the stop motion Cthulhu might look a bit silly to those weaned on CGI effects.
As the HPLHS produced Whisper, filming it like a 30s talkie, I suspect the same care and love went into this production, though members of the society are willing to admit a few liberties were taken to fill up a feature running time. And the preview I saw last year looks terrific. It's on my must buy list, once I can scrape up the extra cash.
Speaking of films to avoid, stay away from The Last Lovecraft. The film is a blasphemous mix of Lovecraftian lore, Shaun of the Dead and Superbad-style humor. It makes In Search of Lovecraft look brilliant in comparison. And the less we speak of The Dunwich Horror remake, with it's giant turd monster, the better.
Congratulations on your 250th episode! You guys continue to turn out an interesting and informative podcast every week, and I can't thank you enough for that.
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