H.P. Lovecraft in Popular Culture: The Works and Their Adaptations in Film, Television, Comics, Music and Games

by Don G. Smith

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born late in the 19th century, but it was not until after his death in 1937 that he became a worldwide icon of horror and supernatural fiction. Influenced largely by Lord Dunsany and Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraft's stories are known for their unique assimilation of gothic themes into science fiction. Lovecraft's influence has stretched far beyond literary horror, as a number of his works have been adapted for feature films, television episodes, comic book tales and, in recent years, video games.

This scholarly study highlights Lovecraft's profound impact on 20th century popular culture. Early chapters introduce his complete writings, providing an annotated bibliography of the author's horror and science fiction tales. The works are discussed in the context of the Cthulhu Mythos, an invented mythology centering on ancient and alien beings interacting with the terrestrial world. Later chapters provide a filmography of motion pictures that credit Lovecraft or are identifiably adapted from his works, as well as a discussion of the works that have been adapted for television, comic books, role-playing video games, and music. The book concludes with a close examination of the Lovecraft legacy, commenting on his specific social and metaphysical ideologies and placing the author in context among such notable literary personalities as Mary Shelley, Nathanial Hawthorne, and Robert Louis Stevenson.

184 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

About the author

The late Don G. Smith was an associate professor in history and philosophy of education at Eastern Illinois University. He wrote for numerous publications, including Filmfax, Scarlet Street, Movie Collector’s World and Midnight Marquee.

Reviews

[Mikael Cerbing · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book read more like someone had printed their "I love Lovecraft" blogg in book form.

As a collection of Lovecraft inspired media it is decent, but I know of quite a bit of media that the authour dosent briing up. Both in games and in comics. And the music part is just bad and should have been removed from the book as the author neither know or care about it.

If you want a quick check up of what a certain story was about (and you dont have wikipedia for some reason) it is also alright. But as a book about the adaption and appropriation of Lovecraft, its quite bad.

For some reason Smith also give the different movie adaptions ratings. But he never says anything about how he rates them, or what the rating range is. I think its somewhere between 3 and 6, as I think 3 is the highest rating in the book. But it could be 10 for all I know.

I do not recomend this book as long as you have an internet connection. This is a better place to start in that case: http://www.hplovecraft.com/popcult/

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful little book for getting a glimpse at how H. P. Lovecraft has had a belated effect on the wider culture of the United States. Not a comprehensive study, it is nonetheless good to see an academic taking Lovecraft seriously. Further remarks may be found here: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.