Tribute article: The top 7 horror stories by H.P. Lovecraft

People like horror stories. Just take a look at all those horror movies and books on the market. The world is essentially filled with fictional books and movies about the supernatural, and unexplained phenomena. Why is horror such a popular genre? Perhaps, it is because human beings are eternally fearful of, and fascinated by the unknowns. The genre of horror fiction, appeals to our imagination, allowing us to briefly encounter the supernatural, exposing us to the full extent of its wonders and fears which haunt our minds.

There have been many practitioners in the genre of horror fiction, such as Edgar Allan Poe, Clark Ashton Smith, and Stephen King. These authors,  crafted horror stories out of "spiritual horrors": vampires, ghosts, werewolves, aliens, demons, zombies and mysterious entities of all sorts and kinds. However, there was one horror author in 1920s, whose horror stories were inspired by his atheistic ideology. This author, is none other than H.P Lovecraft.

Lovecraft is most renowned by his Cthulhu mythos. He is often regarded as one of the masters of horror fictions. Almost 90 years after his death, his works are still gaining popularity. Lovecraft did not write about "spiritual horrors". The uniqueness of Lovecraftian horror is, these stories are often centered around the idea of "coming to term with our insignificant and meaningless existence in a cruel universe". This is referred to as "Cosmic Horror". It is not difficult to observe that Lovecraftian horror originated from atheism. In many ways, perhaps HP Lovecraft was one of the earliest person to introduce neo-atheism to a greater audience, by writing horror stories revolving around neo-atheistic ideas.

I often find it strange, within the Christian community, not many people have ever heard of H.P Lovecraft. Even less Christians have read his works. But it is not surprising, since the Christian community often shun away from horror fictions anyway. It is a shame, because reading Lovecraft's stories is one of the easiest ways to understand the origin, and the background worldview of neo-atheism. Furthermore, Lovecraft is a marvelous writer, and his horror stories are nothing short of being compelling and spine chilling.

Perhaps it is just me, but I find it thought provoking, in Lovecraftian/cosmic horror, people should find the idea of "coming to term with existence" horrifying. Is it because such an idea eradicates all human hope for a meaningful existence in the universe? Why would such an idea bring terror and despair? Perhaps "human hope and meaning" are more than just a coping mechanism and a product of evolution? Maybe asking such a question, is merely scratching the tip of the iceberg leading to a more profound, underlying reality.

I am somewhat a fan of H.P Lovecraft. I enjoy his atmospheric horror stories, I also take great pleasures in thinking through the ideologies he embedded in his stories. I have picked 7 of my favorite horror stories by H.P Lovecraft as a recommendation for those who might be interested:

7) At the Mountain of Madness (Published in Feburary 1931)

At the Mountain of Madness, is perhaps the earliest fiction story to use the ancient astronaut theory. This story also inspired John Carpenter's famous movie, The Thing (1982). Apparently, director Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) is currently working on a movie adaptation of this story. This story forms a part of Lovecraft's "Cthulhu mythos". The plot revolves around a research team, and their exploration at the Antarctica  The exploration took the most unexpected turn when researchers discovered an ancient grave, containing bodies of unidentified specimens. The finding led the researchers to discover forgotten and shocking cyclopean horrors, concealed within the frosty mountains of madness.

6) The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (Published in 1927)

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, is probably the longest horror story written by Lovecraft. The pace at the beginning of the story is a bit slow, but gradually quickens to a dramatic, twisting finale. The story recounts the life of a young man, Charles Dexter Ward, and his obsession with studying his family history. Ward's obsessive study of his family genealogy eventually led him down a path of no return, therefore sealing his own doom. In this story, Lovecraft masterfully weaved a web of atmosphere full of mystery, suspense and dread. It is a truly creepy tale and a real page turner.

5) The Music of Erich Zann (Published in March 1922)

  In this short story, Lovecraft successfully created an absolutely demented terror by using the abstract. In The Music of Erich Zann, a young man moved into a rundown apartment complex. Where he met a socially withdrawn violin player named Erich Zann. Very soon, he discovered the sinister horror lying under Erich Zann's bizarre and attractive music is something out of this world.

The crux of the story, its climax and its style of horror, is almost inconceivable in its abstractness. Its terrifying, formless definition is a real marvel to behold. Let's just say, after reading this short story, I was afraid to look out of my window for a few nights.

4) The Shadow Over Innsmouth (Published in April 1936)

In this moody, suspenseful story, Lovecraft told a story about a young man's tour at a certain degenerated, rundown port town called "Innsmouth".  Upon his arrival, this young man discovered a certain peculiar trait about the local residents at Innsmouth... it's in their looks. But soon, he realized the horrible reality about the town of Innsmouth and its folks, is more than just the "Innsmouth look". It goes back in history, way back in time... A maddening truth to be revealed, and this young man's life would never be the same again.

3) The Color out of Space (Published in March 1927)

At the final frontier of your imagination, can you conceive the color of fear and decay? In The Color out of Space, the story narrates the events of a meteorite falling down from the sky, landing on a farm in a remote country town. The family residing at the farm soon discovered the meteorite is more than just a rock. Their lives were impacted by this mysterious meteor. As a series of tragic, horrendous events struck at the lives of ordinary country folks, none can avoid the abominable fate weaved by the glowing meteorite, forever glowing with an unimaginable color, the color out of space.

Lovecraft said, The Color out of Space is his personal favorite. It is not a surprise, because this story rightfully belongs to the hall of fame in the horror fiction genre.

2) The Dunwich Horror (Published in April 1929)

The Dunwich Horror is an atmospheric horror story. The story took place in a shadowy country town, where locals have always been haunted by strange creatures. The shroud of mystery thickened, when a local farmer's daughter mysteriously gave birth to a baby boy. The boy grew up at abnormal rate, and eventually seek to gain access to an ancient, forbidden knowledge shunned by all that is good.

This story is rich in atmosphere, and the plot is full of suspense  It is also different to other Lovecraft stories, in that it features a final showdown between heroes and the villain, this is something that doesn't occurs in Lovecraft's stories very often.

1) The Call of Cthulhu (Published in summer 1926)

Some 18 months ago, on a cold night, I read this story. Later that night, during my sleep, I had the most vivid nightmare, where the concentration of chaos and fear was at the highest order. Indeed, the most famous and terrifying Lovecraftian horror story, is none other than his quintessential master piece: The Call of Cthulhu. A story showcasing the idea of "cosmic horror", written with unparalleled atmosphere of suspense, dread, and detailed descriptions on the occult knowledge.

This story has inspired many books, movies, games, and even songs. It has one of the most thought provoking opening paragraphs, reflecting Lovecraft's message of "coming to term with existence". An idea eagerly promoted by neo-atheism.

So here you have it, my top 7 horror stories written by H.P Lovecraft. I would like to use this opportunity to say, it is such a shame to see atheistic ideology being popularized through successful horror fictions (a very popular genre), while Christian authors (for the past 90 years) remain silent on the front of writing horror fictions. Perhaps what we need, is Christian authors to join the game, and start writing horror stories. Not the kind of horror inspiring fear, despair and hopelessness; but the kind of horror that will provoke people to realize, that in a seemingly meaningless universe which terrorizes us all, beyond vistas of black infinities where death is the end, hope and meaning can be found in God.