"If I say that my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to the spirit of the thing. A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings... It represented a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind. This thing, which seemed instinct with a fearsome and unnatural malignancy, was of a somewhat bloated corpulence..."
H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"
For years, as a fan of horror films, I have hovered all around the name, H.P. Lovecraft. Ive had paperbacks, seen From Beyond and Reanimator. Even caught Dagon recently on DVD. All impressive, almost landmark pieces of work. For quite some time, I had seen the name Cthulhu in reviews and literature - referenced to in stories like The Dunwich Horror - listed in titles like Call of Cthulhu... How could such a mainstream character in horror be such an enigma to me - who is this creature that so many worship and uphold in cult communities? With Call of Cthulhu (2005), Cthulhu (2006), and the video game Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (Xbox) all becoming available in the past few months and beyond - its time to set the mysteries to rest. Who is this legend, and why is it so popular...
Who is Cthulhu: Cthulhu (alternate spellings: Tulu, Cthulu, Ktulu, and many others) is a fictional character in the Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. The name often includes the title Great or Dread. Cthulhu is arguably one of the least terrible creatures in the pantheon. It debuted in Lovecraft's short story "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928) though he makes minor appearances in a few other of Lovecraft's works. Much of what is now termed the "Cthulhu mythos" varies greatly from Lovecraft's original conception of a meaningless, value-less universe with no eternal struggle. Although the cycle of stories written by Lovecraft, his protιgιs, and his literary successors bear the label "Cthulhu mythos" (a term invented by August Derleth and never used by Lovecraft), the mythos lore that came after Lovecraft's death was mostly concocted by Derleth.
Pronounciation: Cthulhu's name is usually pronounced (K-thu-lu), however, according to Lovecraft, this may simply be the closest that human vocal cords can come to reproducing the syllables of an alien language. In fact, Lovecraft speculated that (K'lu-hlu) might be a better pronunciation.
The Size and Power of Cthulhu: Cthulhu is described as being colossal, but his exact size is not given. In Lovecraft's story, he was able to pursue a ship across the Pacific Ocean for some distance, albeit on some underwater portion of risen R'lyeh, yet still keep most of his body above water. Although he can communicate with "the fleshy mind of mammals" in their dreams, this contact is currently blocked by his present immersion in seawater. Cthulhu's body is essentially proof against damage by weapons of mortal design, being constructed of the material found in the empty spaces of the cosmos. Any damage will simply be replaced by dust and summoned material, as the Great One's will allows him to manifest a physical form across space. Attempts were made by the Old Ones at the disruption of his earthly form, however all yielded failure. The position of the stars alone disrupts his mental control so that he must remain sleeping in sunken R'lyeh.
Evil or Amoral: Cthulhu is sometimes regarded as "evil", but this is not how he is depicted in "The Call of Cthulhu" and other works. Instead, he is portrayed as amoral, with an ethic that transcends conventional notions of good and evil. Cthulhu's amorality might be compared to what S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz call the "anti-mythology" of Lovecraft's fiction. In most mythologies, man's significance in the universe is validated by his connection to divine agents with similar moral values. Lovecraft shattered this conceit by basing his stories on the "premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large... To achieve the essence of real externality, whether of space or time or dimension, one must forget that such things as organic life, good and evil, love and hate, and all such local attributes of a negligible and temporary race called mankind, have any existence at all... When we cross the line to the boundless and hideous unknownthe shadow haunted Outsidewe must remember to leave our humanity and terrestrialism at the threshold." Cthulhu's nature seems to be consistent with this view.
Cthulhu's Human Connection: Cthulhu currently lies in death-like sleep in the sunken city of R'lyeh somewhere in the Southeast Pacific Ocean. "When the stars are right", R'lyeh will rise from the sea, never to sink again, and Cthulhu will awaken and revel across the world, "ravening for delight". Though humans might worship Cthulhu as he lies sleeping, they are immaterial to his grand design (it is implied, however, that Cthulhu will ultimately require the assistance of his human cult to escape from his watery tomb in R'lyeh, but there are many other beings in the mythos that could fill this role, including the servants of Cthulhu himself). The tomb in which Cthulhu slumbers is locked with the great seal of the Old Ones however, which repels his spawn and that of other Great Ones. As a result, humans are almost assuredly required in his re-awakening.
Lovecraft is a very intelligent writer, and the depth of his knowledge lends to the acceptability of the Cthulhu legend. His books are sometimes hard to read - similar to medical journals. His film adaptations, especially by Stuart Gordon, are often dreamlike and freakishly fantastic - leaving images burnt into your mind for weeks to come. Moreso than what he presents at the forefront, Lovecraft is a master at making these stories stick to your subconscious - causing you to reflect upon them over and over again. Its no wonder that so many people choose to follow this antimythology. Its beauty is in its negativity - while the human race is exsistancially conceited, putting itself in relations with universal gods and higher orders - the insinuation of Cthulhu's philosophy is that human matters and emotions have nothing to do with an evolution of the soul. In fact, such qualities inhibit one from reacher a higher exsistance. With these factors in mind, and the information provided above, its easier to get a vision of Cthulhu and what it stands for - and why it has such a cult following.
With this in mind, we can now take a look at one of H.P. Lovecraft's most popular short stories...
"THE CALL OF CTHULHU"
The Call of Cthulhu is the only story penned by Lovecraft in which Cthulhu himself makes a major appearance. It is composed of two major narratives, linked by a third - the voice of the "author". The narrator pieces together the whole truth and significance of the information he possesses and recounts it to the reader in the way that he discovers it.
Set around 1925, it begins with Francis Wayland Thurston's account of the death his great-uncle, Professor Angell, a prominent professor at Brown University and a study of his papers. These papers include the account of a raid on a supposed cult. In this tale, "sensitive individuals" around the world are afflicted by horrid nightmares. Forbidden lore tells that the nightmares are the telepathically transmitted dreams of Great Cthulhu, an extra-dimensional creature who "cannot live" because "the stars are not right". Driven insane, they perform despicable, unholy rites and chant Cthulhu Fhtagn - "Cthulhu Dreams!" A study of the cultists brings to light clues about the hideous creature that they worship, Cthulhu. The Cthulhu creature, said to have come with his alien followers from the stars millions of years before the dawn of Man, now rests in a death-like sleep in their sunken city of R'lyeh.
The second part of the story continues with the log of Gustaf Johansen, second mate on the schooner Emma, which engages a cultist-manned yacht, the Alert. The battle leaves the Emma derelict, and the survivors move to the Alert after killing all the cultists. The crew discovers the sunken city, now risen to the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The city has resurfaced because "the stars are right" and the time for the awakening of Cthulhu and his spawn is at hand. Cthulhu emerges from his tomb and almost all of the crewmen are slain. But the stars are not quite right, after all, and Cthulhu and R'lyeh return to the deep after the second mate makes a harrowing escape. The story concludes with the death of the second mate under mysterious circumstances, and the author's fear that he, too, will perish by the hands of the Cthulhu cultists.
Several products are out now centered around the Cthulhu mythos, some of which are listed below - including a full length feature film called Cthulhu (2006), by first-time director Dan Gildark - which we will be covering in detail in the weeks to come. Take a look - everything from role-playing to video games, from short stories to movies - here's a sample of what's available now and in the near future....
Call of Cthulhu (2005)
Amazon.com Editorial: This 47 minutes silent film done in the form of early cinema is an absolute piece of horror artwork. Written in 1926, just before the advent of "talking" pictures, The Call of Cthulhu is one of the most famous and influential tales of H.P. Lovecraft, the father of gothic horror. Now the story is brought richly to life in the style of a classic 1920s silent movie, with a haunting original symphonic score. Using the "Mythoscope" process a mix of modern and vintage techniques, the HPLHS has worked to create the most authentic and faithful screen adaptation of a Lovecraft story yet attempted. From the cultists of the Louisana bayous to the man-eating non-euclidean geometry of R'lyeh, the HPLHS brings Cthulhu to the screen as it was meant to be seen. Eighteen months of production and a cast of more than 50 actors went into making this film a period spectacle that must seen to be believed. The DVD includes The Call of Cthulhu (47 minutes, black and white), the high-fidelity and "Mythophonic" soundtracks, a 25 minute "making-of" documentary featurette, two slide shows, deleted footage, a prop PDF of the Sydney Bulletin and more. To appeal to Lovecraft fans throughout across the globe, this DVD provides intertitles in 24 languages including: Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Euskera, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Lithuanian, Luxmbourgish, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and Welsh. These aren't just subtitles either they are the real title cards rendered tastefully in each language. If you thought the story was scary before, wait until you see it in Welsh!
Official Website
IMDB page
Click here to get it from Amazon.com
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (Xbox 2005)
Amazon.com Description: Set in the 1920s, you'll be thrown headfirst into the world of H.P. Lovecraft's famous Cthulu mythology. The storyline brings to life all the unthinkable evils, psychic possessions, and mythical worlds it pioneered. Draw upon your skills in exploration, investigation, and combat while battling evil incarnate.
Official Website
Trailer (windows media)
Trailer (quicktime)
Click here to het it from Amazon.com
Call Of Cthulhu: Horror Roleplaying In the Worlds Of H.P. Lovecraft (Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Series)
Role-playing game set in the world of H.P. Lovecraft? Yep. And its in its 6th edition and going strong. If you're interested in such recreation, you can click over to the Chaosium site listed below and get a better feel of the rules and talk to countless others obsessed with living the life.
Chaosium - role playing gamers and The Call of Cthulhu
Click here to get it from Amazon.com
Cthulhu (2006) - still in production
IMDB Plot Description: A 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.
This film is being done right now, by first time director Dan Gildark. HoH will be covering Cthulhu (2006) in detail, and is in the process of getting with Dan for some inside word on how its coming along. Stay tuned here for everything you need to know regarding the development of this much-anticipated retelling of the Lovecraft classic.
IMDB page
H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival (October 6th-8th, 2006) Portland, Oregon
