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Awix (3310 KP) rated The King in Yellow in Books
Aug 12, 2019 (Updated Aug 12, 2019)
Much-mentioned but seemingly little-read collection of short stories by Robert Chambers. The anthology owes most of its fame to the fact that HP Lovecraft was sufficiently impressed by some of the stories to retroactively incorporate them into his own mythology, something Lovecraft's disciples built upon with more energy than finesse.
The best of these stories do have a sense of subliminal encroaching madness and unease, as symbolised by the mysterious play mentioned in the title and its associated motifs, which is very impressively created. However, much of the remainder is a set of essentially interchangeable tales of rich young Americans studying art in Paris and swooning over beautiful young mademoiselles; they are quite heavy going and possibly not worth the effort of reading. The opening few fantasy stories are very good, on the whole; the rest not so much.
The best of these stories do have a sense of subliminal encroaching madness and unease, as symbolised by the mysterious play mentioned in the title and its associated motifs, which is very impressively created. However, much of the remainder is a set of essentially interchangeable tales of rich young Americans studying art in Paris and swooning over beautiful young mademoiselles; they are quite heavy going and possibly not worth the effort of reading. The opening few fantasy stories are very good, on the whole; the rest not so much.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Red Turtle (2016) in Movies
Jun 16, 2019 (Updated Jun 16, 2019)
Animated Belgo-Japanese allegorical fantasy is nice to look at and relaxing to watch. A man is washed up on a desert island after a storm, finds his attempts to leave are frustrated by a large crimson chelonian; after an attempt to kill the creature, he resolves to make friends, successfully bringing the turtle out of her shell (thanks, I'm here all week) - the two of them fall in love and have a family together.
As you can see, not short on the traditional 'WTF?!?!?' element of Studio Ghibli films, but it also possesses the typical virtues of being a really, really beautiful and well-told story. Maybe a touch under-powered story-wise, and it doesn't feel rushed even at only about 80 minutes long, but a finely-crafted and very pleasant film. The romance that HP Lovecraft never got around to writing.
As you can see, not short on the traditional 'WTF?!?!?' element of Studio Ghibli films, but it also possesses the typical virtues of being a really, really beautiful and well-told story. Maybe a touch under-powered story-wise, and it doesn't feel rushed even at only about 80 minutes long, but a finely-crafted and very pleasant film. The romance that HP Lovecraft never got around to writing.
Sawyer (231 KP) rated The call of cthulhu (2005) in Movies
Feb 11, 2018
Plays great tribute to the silent era of films (1 more)
Great stop motion Cthulhu
Experienced the madness like never before
The Call of Cthulhu 2005 was developed by the HP Lovecraft Historical Society celebrating the classic short story by the famed Gothic horror writer it was created purposely to correctly portray what a movie would be like if made during the time of the stories publication which is a silent era movie because of this the movie uses practical effects such as miniature toy sets and a stop motion Cthulhu monster
The movie follows the story of a researcher who is trying to learn the secrets of an ancient cult but soon realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew when he comes across their God
The movie follows the story of a researcher who is trying to learn the secrets of an ancient cult but soon realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew when he comes across their God
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Lighthouse (2019) in Movies
Jan 31, 2020
Distinctively weird period horror movie. Two men are posted to operate a remote lighthouse off the New England coast. One of them is young and inexperienced; the other is old and annoying. Isolation, terrible weather, and perhaps something else all take their toll; there is madness in the air.
Another one of those really peculiar art-house takes on a genre movie that Robert Pattinson seems to enjoy doing: God knows what his take on Batman is going to end up like. I imagine that not many stranger films than this will get a major release this year, but it is still an impressive piece of film-making: well-played, very atmospheric, with strong performances. In the end it's kind of up to the viewer to work out what's really going on in this movie, but the challenge is worth the effort. In the end this resembles Steptoe and Son as written by H. P. Lovecraft; not quite as awesome as that sounds, but still very watchable.
Another one of those really peculiar art-house takes on a genre movie that Robert Pattinson seems to enjoy doing: God knows what his take on Batman is going to end up like. I imagine that not many stranger films than this will get a major release this year, but it is still an impressive piece of film-making: well-played, very atmospheric, with strong performances. In the end it's kind of up to the viewer to work out what's really going on in this movie, but the challenge is worth the effort. In the end this resembles Steptoe and Son as written by H. P. Lovecraft; not quite as awesome as that sounds, but still very watchable.
Jessika McDonald (39 KP) rated Mansions of Madness (Second Edition) in Tabletop Games
Jan 4, 2020
Story changes based on your timing and choices (3 more)
Several storylines
Same storyline is slightly varied between plays
Monsters! HP Lovecraft monsters!
Long set up time (2 more)
Takes awhile to understand the game
Price
What a horror game
Wow wow wow!! This game is like DnD, but the dungeon master is through the app. The app tells the story, tells what monsters appear, and keeps track of the story line. It is really nice because everyone playing can work together to finish the story and no one has to read aloud! The app details set up and where clues are.
The mystery is real. Going into the game no one knows anything. Monsters jump out at you, you have to figure out real puzzles and codebreakers to find clues. This game is pricey but one story takes an afternoon and is thrilling! By the end we were yelling at the TV trying to beat all the monsters! This game is amazing!
The mystery is real. Going into the game no one knows anything. Monsters jump out at you, you have to figure out real puzzles and codebreakers to find clues. This game is pricey but one story takes an afternoon and is thrilling! By the end we were yelling at the TV trying to beat all the monsters! This game is amazing!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Die, Monster, Die! (1965) in Movies
Jul 5, 2020
Rather annoyingly not-quite-there horror movie based on an H.P. Lovecraft short story ('based on' in the sense of 'almost entirely different from'). Guy goes to see his girl in the remote English countryside, discovers surly locals, finds her father has been up to experiments into Things Which Man Was Not Meant To Know. Includes the obligatory badly-done Lovecraftian squid-monsters.
Interesting cast, and you can tell Karloff in particular is doing his best with the material, but there's an awful lot of wandering about with not much happening, especially for a film only about an hour and a quarter long. Obviously done on the cheap, and too invested in its standard Gothic tropes - creepy old mansion, spooky domestics, cursed family heritage, etc - to make the most of the potential in the short story it's supposed to be based on. All in all, less interesting than it has any right to be in the circumstances.
Interesting cast, and you can tell Karloff in particular is doing his best with the material, but there's an awful lot of wandering about with not much happening, especially for a film only about an hour and a quarter long. Obviously done on the cheap, and too invested in its standard Gothic tropes - creepy old mansion, spooky domestics, cursed family heritage, etc - to make the most of the potential in the short story it's supposed to be based on. All in all, less interesting than it has any right to be in the circumstances.
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows (The Cthulhu Casebooks, #1) in Books
Nov 30, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
I finished reading the book today, or perhaps I should say I skimmed the last 18% or so!
I found the book up until then to be a favorable Holmes-Lovecraft mashup. Lovegrove's characterizations felt spot on, especially his [Spoiler Alert] Moriarty. I was especially taken with his reworking of Holmes and Watson's first meeting.
However, as I alluded to in the beginning of my review, as I coasted into the last 18% of it on my Kindle Fire, I found myself beginning to feel sleepy, my eyelids slowly easing their way down. It was at that point that I found myself skimming to get myself to the end.
The ending did not feel as strong as the book started. It felt like it went on too long. By the last page, I was just, "Whew! Glad that's over!". I will most likely check out the other two books in THE CTHULHU CASEBOOKS trilogy, but no rush on that.
I found the book up until then to be a favorable Holmes-Lovecraft mashup. Lovegrove's characterizations felt spot on, especially his [Spoiler Alert] Moriarty. I was especially taken with his reworking of Holmes and Watson's first meeting.
However, as I alluded to in the beginning of my review, as I coasted into the last 18% of it on my Kindle Fire, I found myself beginning to feel sleepy, my eyelids slowly easing their way down. It was at that point that I found myself skimming to get myself to the end.
The ending did not feel as strong as the book started. It felt like it went on too long. By the last page, I was just, "Whew! Glad that's over!". I will most likely check out the other two books in THE CTHULHU CASEBOOKS trilogy, but no rush on that.
Andrew Rich (36 KP) rated Welcome to Night Vale in Podcasts
Jun 24, 2019
Welcome to the bizarre (3 more)
Great backstory to work through (also listed in the bad)
Cecil's incredibly soothing voice
The Weather (are we still waiting for the bus in the rain?)
Long, LONG backstory to slog through (also listed in the good) (1 more)
A bit of a format change, part way through (I preferred the original flavor)
Oh, where to begin? I loved this podcast from the first episode, it's weird in the best ways. Think of an banana split sundae; one scoop of Lovecraft, one scoop of Stephen King, on scoop of various mythologies, a banana of Dadaism, some sprinkles of your local independent music scene, generous dollops of LGBTQ+ acceptance and support, and a single, solitary maraschino cherry of optimism in the face of overwhelming anxiety and depression.
All of this, of course, coming together as the public local news station for a small town, somewhere int he desert.
It's fun. I recommend it. Just make sure the locals don't notice that you're an interloper.
All of this, of course, coming together as the public local news station for a small town, somewhere int he desert.
It's fun. I recommend it. Just make sure the locals don't notice that you're an interloper.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Mar 17, 2018 (Updated Mar 17, 2018)
Visually striking, cerebral SF-horror movie, notable for being released via Netflix rather than cinemas in most of the world. Ex-soldier-turned-biologist Natalie Portman joins a mission into a mysterious zone where the laws of reality seem to be breaking down.
You can kind of see why Paramount got cold feet and requested changes to the ending in particular, for it is weird and wilfully enigmatic (rather beautiful too, of course), but then the whole movie spurns the obvious elements of outlandish splatter the premise suggests in favour of a weird and unsettling atmosphere (the director has suggested it was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft as much as the stated source novel). Kind of derivative, but not necessarily in a bad way; probably a bit too chilly and intellectual for its own good. Obviously the work of the same director as Ex Machina; one day Garland will figure out how to make an SF movie that doesn't just play with ideas in a rather sterile way, and then he may produce something really exceptional.
You can kind of see why Paramount got cold feet and requested changes to the ending in particular, for it is weird and wilfully enigmatic (rather beautiful too, of course), but then the whole movie spurns the obvious elements of outlandish splatter the premise suggests in favour of a weird and unsettling atmosphere (the director has suggested it was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft as much as the stated source novel). Kind of derivative, but not necessarily in a bad way; probably a bit too chilly and intellectual for its own good. Obviously the work of the same director as Ex Machina; one day Garland will figure out how to make an SF movie that doesn't just play with ideas in a rather sterile way, and then he may produce something really exceptional.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Thing on the Doorstep in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Wow. I wasn't sure what to I was going to think of this, as several state it's not his best of stories, but as I'm a new reader of Lovecraft, I have nothing to compare this to, so I enjoyed it hugely!
The opening line of this story, <b><i>It is true that I have sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer,"</b></i> is enough to completely suck you in to the story. You'll find yourself getting lost in this piece of fiction, coming out the other side of it dazed, horrified and delighted.
This story has some of the best tension building, leaving you to decide what is happening to the ever changing Edward and his mysterious wife Asenath.
The hints to black magic and the occult make this story really ominous, dark and brooding. This is really a terrific horror story. If this isn't one of his best, I'm excited to see what his other stories bring!
The opening line of this story, <b><i>It is true that I have sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer,"</b></i> is enough to completely suck you in to the story. You'll find yourself getting lost in this piece of fiction, coming out the other side of it dazed, horrified and delighted.
This story has some of the best tension building, leaving you to decide what is happening to the ever changing Edward and his mysterious wife Asenath.
The hints to black magic and the occult make this story really ominous, dark and brooding. This is really a terrific horror story. If this isn't one of his best, I'm excited to see what his other stories bring!