H.P. Lovecraft is inarguable one of the most influential horror writers of all-time. His depictions of the fragile human psyche and the immeasurable monsters that seek to destroy it are so unique and impactful a vision that Lovecraftian horror has become its own genre across all media, from books to films to games.
Like Poe before him and King after him, his work was picked through relentlessly by filmmakers hoping to translate some of the terror. Nearly every piece he wrote has been adapted, with some being adapted more than once over. Many of the adaptations have been ignored or lambasted for deviating too far, but some have found success in capturing the iconic cosmic dread. Here are the ten best Lovecraft adaptations based on IMDb score.
10 The Shuttered Room (1967) - 5.9
This short story by Lovecraft was the title story for an anthology book, but it still got a film adaptation, all the same, less than ten years after its release. It follows a woman trying to avoid her family curse, only to be drawn back to the house where the supernatural entity that terrorizes her presides.
It was a drive-in feature that has actually gotten more popular in retrospect than it was upon its release, and it is only loosely based on the story, taking a series of liberties with the story.
9 Castle Freak (1995) - 5.9
This schlocky slasher from Stuart Gordon is based loosely on Lovecraft's The Outsider. When a family inherits a 12th-century castle, they quickly find they are not the only occupants, and they must attempt to escape.
While the surreal psychological horror or the wildly gruesome beasts that most people think of when they hear "Lovecraftian horror" aren't present here, what is present is a tight splatter film about a deformed creature stalking and killing its targets in a large gothic castle, which is also good. Good news for fans of the cult classic, Castle Freak has a remake coming this summer from Fangoria.
8 Dagon (2001) - 6.2
Director Stuart Gordon was clearly the go-to for Lovecraft adaptations, having made five different films based on the author's works. Here, he outdoes even himself by adapting two stories at once, both Dagon and The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
The story of a small fishing village that is hiding a monstrous secret is one of Lovecraft's most well-known, and Gordon does an excellent job of bringing it to life. The cult of sea-humans is visually well-done, and the whole film's world-building is on point, giving the feeling that there could be hundreds of other creatures out there, just waiting to be uncovered.
7 Color Out Of Space (2019) - 6.2
This tale of strange things happening after a meteorite lands in a small town had been adapted before, but never in a way that appeased writer/director Richard Stanley. He teamed with SpectreVision under the promise that he was going to make the truest Lovecraft adaptation that had ever been made.
Whether he succeeded in such a massive feat is up to writers much more informed than this one, but the Nicolas Cage led film is a wild ride that captures cosmic horror in a truly unique way. It was a hit at festivals last year, and just found its way to a digital release a few months ago.
6 The Resurrected (1991) - 6.3
The first of two on this list to adapt The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, this film comes from Return of the Living Dead director Dan O'Bannon and is ripe with the practical effects and vicious personalities that his films commonly feature.
When a woman hires a detective to figure out what her husband is up to at a remote cabin, she learns that there is a horrifying secret, that is going to become a lot worse if it is not stopped.
5 The Whisperer In Darkness (2011) - 6.6
This adaptation comes straight from the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, so it can be assumed the first audience to be angered by deviations from the source material would be the filmmakers themselves. Created with a retro look, this film follows a man as he investigates reports of impossible creatures being seen in Vermont.
The film does an impeccable job of recreating a classic style, which fits the source material much better than a modern-set film would. The horror is here, if not a little vague, but the film is nothing if not an accurate attempt at adapting Lovecraft.
4 From Beyond (1987) - 6.7
The second on this list from Stuart Gordon is his attempt at adapting the vague cosmic terror that many think of as Lovecraftian horror's best quality. This idea of there being impossibly powerful forces at play that humanity can't fathom is terrifying but difficult to put to film.
Gordon's approach is a wild one that somehow works. He physically manifests the terrors as grotesque physical creatures and human distortion. The physical approach makes for a wild splatter film that manages to still capture the feeling of being a minuscule piece of a bigger puzzle that is ever-present in much of Lovecraft's work.
3 The Haunted Palace (1963) - 6.8
A true oddity of B-movie horror, this film was made by the king himself, Roger Corman, and is regarded as one of his best films. The film is titled after Edgar Allen Poe's poem of the same name but is actually a true adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
Corman's distributor American-International wasn't a fan of the filmmaker deviating from his popular adaptations of Poe's work, so they titled it after the poem, claiming it was based on it. Despite the title, the film is a great attempt at bringing Lovecraft's brand of haunting terror to life, carried in part by an excellent performance from Vincent Price.
2 The Call Of Cthulhu (2005) - 7.2
The most famous beast from Lovecraftian horror is the giant squid headed sea beast Cthulhu. The creature comes from the famous short story by Lovecraft, that many claimed, and still claim, is unadaptable. However, the challenge did not scare the H.P Lovecraft Historical Society away from trying.
The group funded this film, filmed as a silent film in Black and White, about a man losing his mind as he learns of the existence of other forces in our world. The film is generally lauded as the most accurate Lovecraft adaptation of all-time.
1 Re-Animator (1985) - 7.2
Lovecraft's take on Frankenstein exchanges gothic castles with the bright whites of hospital halls. Quirky medical student Herbert West's obsessive commitment to his discovery is less evil than the general portrayal of a mad scientist. West is likable in his eccentricity, creating a rare character that isn't seen much in horror.
Stuart Gordon's film is a tonal rollercoaster of the best possible variety. It features multiple sequences of gore and body mutilation that are done with impressive practical effects, laugh-out-loud humor that manages to feel natural in such a wild story, and genuine horror in its finale when the chaos reaches its peak.
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