Research Paper

The literary works of H.P. Lovecraft revolutionized the horror genre. His creation of mythical monsters and gods created an alternate reality that we cannot even fathom. His creativity and originality have earned him a rightful place in the forerunners of horror and science fiction writing. Lovecraft's original short story "The Call of Cthulhu" has inspired countless new forms of media that expand and elaborate on his original monsters. "Cthulhu" in particular has been the most popular, thus earning the titular role in the name "Cthulhu Mythos." Lovecraft's stories revolve around an "alternate version of our reality where humanity is secretly overran by outer gods and alien powers, with either highly unconventional geometric shapes or features that defy univocal descriptions" (Guy, 2020, p.1). These "outer gods and alien powers" make up the Cthulhu mythos. From a simple reader's perspective, these stories may just serve as a simple addition to the horror genre. But a deeper dive can show that they have a much more significant social implication and that they have changed significantly throughout their existances. 

Lovecraft’s “The Curse of Yig’ and “Gyaru and Cthulhu" are important works of literature that expand the lore of the Cthulhu Mythos. Both of these stories have hidden meanings to what the works mean, that are not obvious when first reading. “The Curse of Yig” tells the story of migrants who move to Oklahoma where the half-snake-half-human God is well respected and feared. The migrant couple does not take the advice of the indigenous people, who at the time this piece was written were being slaughtered and removed from their homes, and end up paying the consequences when they disrespect the serpent-human God. This work teaches readers that not only is it important to learn the history of cultures or where you live, but to respect it and not try to erase its history. “Gyaru and Cthulhu” takes a much lighter take on the Gods, as Cthulhu is helping a Japanese idol achieve their dreams of being at the top using his powers. The Gods in “Gyaru and Cthulhu” are helpers towards the idols, competing against one another, and sometimes helping each other to defeat a common enemy. This story expands the lore in a different way that “The Curse of Yig'' does, as the Gods in the mythos have never been portrayed in this manner. “Gyaru and Cthulu” also has hidden meanings as it portrays sibling rivalry, mind rape, and adaptational heroism. The production respects the original work of Lovecraft and the traits he gave his characters, while expanding the possibilities of how the character can be used. 

H.P. Lovecraft's stories, "The Shadow over Innsmouth" and "The Dunwich Horror," are important parts of the Cthulhu Mythos, making the horror world he created more complex and interesting when it comes to figuring out the true message. The meaning of the stories go way beyond just scaring the reader, they show us a deeper interaction between humans and mysterious beings from beyond our world. For example, "The Shadow over Innsmouth," we're taken to a creepy town with a dark secret, that being that its people are mixed with ancient scary sea creatures called Deep Ones. Following this story, it makes us think about our own backgrounds, who we are, and how we can't escape our destiny.  To add on, "The Dunwich Horror", another story from the mythos,  tells us the consequences of learning about forbidden knowledge and how that leads to a human having a child with a creature from another dimension. This story does a great job mixing old-school gothic horror following the theme of terror of the unknown, by showing us the supernatural side of New England.

Both of these stories add a lot to the  Lovecraft universe. They show us more about how humans and the gods of the Cthulhu Mythos interact, making Lovecraft's world even more interesting and scary. Not only that, but he also helps us think about how small and fragile we are in the grand scheme of things. When looking at Lovecraft's work as a whole, we see that it's not just about adding to the horror genre. His stories make us face the scary reality that the universe doesn't care about us at all,  as we get to see more in Lovecraft's stories, we find not just tales of fear, but also get to see a deep look at society, religion, and what it means to be human.  

As Lovecraft continued to write and add new stories to the Cthulu mythos, the themes he focused on with each story and his way of tackling these themes evolved. At the Mountains of Madness was originally a novella written by Lovecraft in 1931. It primarily focuses on scientific progress and the moral conundrums that might arise when humans attempt to explore the unknown. The story is framed as a warning to scientists that over-ambitious research could lead to unintended consequences. The Haunter of the Dark was Lovecraft’s last independently written story and was written in 1936. An attempt to marry complex Lovecraftian ideas to the basics of horror storytelling, this story follows a couple of educated journalists investigating and uncovering a horrific reality. The story was well received by critics and has since been called "a terrific balance between his own incomprehensible creatures of inconceivably distant worlds and the most basic elements of an old-fashioned scary story" (Gambriel, 2021). The tragic and monstrous events that occur in this story seem almost fated to happen as they are implied to have happened before, and as if occurring in some sort of natural cycle, they will likely happen again. This is in stark contrast to Lovecraft’s earlier story where the events are spurred by scientists making rash decisions to investigate something which they should not. In the earlier story, something can be learned and tragedy can be prevented while in the the later story, nothing can be done.

While these things differ in the works, their similarities are striking. Despite being written half a decade apart from each other, both stories follow curious academics venturing into the darkest unknowns of the world. In both cases, what they find spans far beyond the limits of their understanding. They are forced to accept that there are limits to human knowledge and there are things that should not be known by man. Throughout the entirety of the Cthulu Mythos, this element remains fairly consistent and reoccurs in story after story. One of Lovecraft's great achievements was using humanity's natural fear of the unknown and expanding it to a fear of the unknowable.

In H.P. Lovecraft's tale “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”, we delve into the magical realm of dreams, however, things are not as they seem as the main character, Randolph Carter, comes face to face with cosmic horror. As he endures on a journey through the realm of dreams, otherwise referred to as “Dreamlands”, we learn that he is on a search for the city of Kadath, this so-called “sunset city” is a magical place that Carter experiences in his dreams but can never recall once he wakes up. Fed up of this he dives into his dream world full of determination. In this story the “dreamlands” serve as a sort of alternate reality or parallel universe, this reality is created through the inner fears and anxieties of the dreamers themselves. Using themes such as existential dread and forbidden knowledge we follow Carter as he discovers bizarre landscapes, and ancient spirits, and unfolds great truths about the world and reality around him. 

Through our modern-day society, Lovecraft’s narrative resonates with the human experience of having to grapple with the idea of the unknown and confronting universal uncertainty. The “Dream Quest” as a concept can be viewed as a metaphor for the general life quest in search of meaning and understanding of a world so overcome with confusion. With current technology, globalization, and societal complexities, people can feel lost, uneasy, and nervous to explore and discover realities in this constantly changing world. Lovecraft’s exploration of the subconscious mind helps to reflect the ongoing battle between humans and the overall complexities of existence. With this idealogy, we are reminded day after day that as the mysteries of the universe continue, we as a society will always be captivated and inspired by how we view the world on a day-to-day basis. 

In many of the films portraying Cthulhu and other monsters created by Lovecraft, Lovecraft himself is one of the main characters in the film. He leads the story as someone influencing the outcome of these monsters, one example being in Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) where a smooth, infamous version of Lovecraft follows the mystery of the Necronomicon. In this film he serves as a protagonist trying to find the “book of dead”, going through a variety of experiences due to the job he obtained. The addition of this character gives a different perspective of the story, as opposed to the more “problematic” version of Lovecraft in the film Necronomicon: Book of Dead (1993). In this movie, Lovecraft attempts to steal the book at the beginning of the movie, which causes a series of events led by Cthulhu after the book is “released”. Both versions provide different ends of the spectrum of how Lovecraft himself influences the story of Cthulhu. When working against these monsters by finding the book himself through an independent contractor, he is given more of the spotlight + the glory of “getting rid” of these beings. In Necronomicon: Book of Dead we see less of Lovecraft's story and more about how this influenced unknowing people. Examining different portrayals of these beings and characters adds a new depth to the Cthulhu Mythos as a whole that only gets wider the more you analyze these films and plays. 

An examination of H.P. Lovecraft's work can bring up a lot of sociological ideas. It has especially strong ties to Emile Durkheim's perspectives on religion. His original short story "The Call of Cthulhu" follows a man as his discovery of an old idol leads him to learn of an ancient God named Cthulhu who resides in a sunken city. A research paper titled Durkheim meets Cthulhu: The Impure Sacred in H. P. Lovecraft by Jean-Sébastien Guy highlights the weight that gods like Cthulhu hold. He says to "recall the relation between sacred and transcendence: experiencing the sacred is like finding oneself in circumstances unlike anything else. It is this acute cognitive dissonance, this deep disruption – the break-up with normal reality – that makes up for the sacred as effervescence" (Guy, 2020, p. 11). The existence of the Cthulhu mythos makes humanity seem small and insignificant. Simply looking at him is said to make one go insane. In this way, Lovecraft's monsters seem to encourage one to consider their place in the world and observe themselves from a much broader perspective. Lovecraft describes ancient races that existed long before humanity and will exist long after in his stories. Humans live incredibly short lives compared to the Earth itself, and Lovecraft invites us to tackle our own mortality and critique that of twisted religion. Of course, it's hard to discuss Lovecraftian sociology without mentioning his controversy. Guy also explains that "furthermore, since in almost all Lovecraft’s stories the climax of horror coincides with some monsters’ apparition, we can deduce that the said monsters are as many metaphors standing by for the feared non-[White Anglo-Saxen Protestant] individuals. Lovecraft wanted his reader to be horrified by Cthulhu and his kin in the same way he was horrified by nonwhite races" (Guy, 2020, p. 13). It's widely known that H.P. Lovecraft was a devout racist, and his horror stories could have served as an outlet for him and his own biases. However, it is more productive to consider his work from a broader perspective and acknowledge his shortcomings while still appreciating his work. The monsters of the Cthulhu Mythos serve as an excellent outlet for us humans to consider our insignificance, and acknowledge that there are greater powers than us. Lovecraft's tales spark echoes of a higher power and urge us to consider our place in this vast world.

The works of H.P. Lovecraft have inspired new media in television, literature, games, and live theater. The monsters that he created inspired many people to expand his universe and create their own monsters. He undoubtedly revolutionized the horror genre. Cthulhu started out as only a mere mention in Lovecraft's original story. But over the years it has evolved into not only a physical character, but a presence in video games, manga, cinema, theater, books, fanfiction, and so much more. The monsters of the Cthulhu mythos have become significantly more tangible since their original conception, and help expand Lovecraft's ideas of humanity, religion, and the universe.

Resources

“Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: The Curse of Yig by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, H.P. Lovecraft.” App.thestorygraph.com/app.thestorygraph.com/books/12b6c0bf-bea2-41b5-b148-4eb9b 3898fd6. 

Guy, Jean-Sébastien. “Durkheim Meets Cthulhu: The Impure Sacred in H. P. Lovecraft.” Journal for Cultural Research, vol. 24, no. 4, Dec. 2020, pp. 286–300. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.oca.ucsc.edu/10.1080/14797585.2020.1835443. 

“Gyaru and Cthulhu (Manga).” TV Tropes, tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/GyaruAndCthulhu.

“The Shadow over Innsmouth.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Dec. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_over_Innsmouth.

Gambrel, Berthold. “Book Review: ‘The Haunter of the Dark’ by H.P. Lovecraft.” A Ruined Chapel by Moonlight, 29 Apr. 2021, ruinedchapel.com/2021/04/30/book-review-the-haunter-of-the-dark-by-h-p-lovecraft/. Accessed Feb. 2024.