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Published: 2008-08-25 20:53:47 +0000 UTC; Views: 24259; Favourites: 474; Downloads: 2376
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I've always been a big reader / fan of H.P. Lovecraft's fiction. Love his crazy, cosmically horrifying imagination, his wordy, luxurious writing voice, and his dark, unswerving certainty regarding the unavoidable, miserable future for the pathetic little human race.So I've been struck by the urge to do a series of illustrations based on his work.
Here's my illustration for: "The Call of Cthulhu".
This seemed like the ideal Lovecraft story to start with, since it is one of his most famous stories... and because Cthulhu himself is the trademark monster of Lovecraft's fiction.
Of course, in "The Call of Cthulhu" you only learn vague facts about the monster from the perspective of confused, skeptical, or mentally deranged people, who know almost nothing about him, and are simply horrified upon finally witnessing his appearance.
You have to dig a bit deeper, and read the much longer novella "At The Mountains of Madness" to learn the whole history of where Cthulhu came from, and his place in the family of monsters who ruled our earth long before man existed... and who have been hibernating ever since, waiting for the perfect moment to return and take the planet back from us...
But that's the fun thing about Lovecraft's fiction - the way all his stories intersect and tie into each other. Cthulhu is mentioned or discussed in other Lovecraft stories as well, and not just the ones that fall into the "Cthulhu Mythos" series. It seems like a very confusing mythology until you read "At The Mountains of Madness" and then it all kinda makes sense.
But personally, as a horror fan, I find the mysterious, less detailed story "The Call of Cthulhu", with its explosive ending, much more fun, scary, and entertaining. So here's my rendition of it.
I've made up a list of my top 10 favorite Lovecraft stories and plan to slowly, gradually noodle them out, one by one. Now let's see if my kindergarten level attention span lasts long enough for me to get through the rest of them!
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Comments: 157
Cytotec In reply to ??? [2008-08-27 23:59:28 +0000 UTC]
you've made very valid points. Though I do do think the few people that have moderately succeded would be stuart gordan with his piece from masters of horror series and dan o'bannon. Though its always hard to mimic the atmosphere from lovecraft stories. (for every good one there are at least twenty God awful out there.) Did you do an illustration of the hound?
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BryanBaugh In reply to Cytotec [2008-08-28 00:10:14 +0000 UTC]
You'll just have to wait and see!
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SmartCookie1035 In reply to ??? [2008-08-26 01:28:53 +0000 UTC]
No Way!
It's ironic, because not three hours ago, I finally completed this awesome videogame that I came across- Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened. Basically, crazy Cthulhu cultists have been kidnapping & murdering people in grisly ways in order to use them for sacrifices to awaken Cthulhu, and you have to stop them & solve a few puzzles along the way.
A little off topic, maybe, but this picture is sickness, anyway.
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Jaguaro In reply to ??? [2008-08-26 01:19:41 +0000 UTC]
So that's what it looks like...
Jag
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tranimation-art [2008-08-26 00:56:27 +0000 UTC]
I can't wait to see the others!
My favourites are "Whisperer in the Darkness", "The Dunwich Horror", and "Nyarlathotep" (or as my friends and I call petnamed him "Uncle Nyarly" -- I know, he'll rip our insides out and force us to join his hellish cults, but I still like to call him that!).
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BryanBaugh In reply to tranimation-art [2008-08-26 05:23:48 +0000 UTC]
One of those you mentioned is on my list of future Lovecraft illos.
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MajorKiz [2008-08-26 00:27:35 +0000 UTC]
A very nice start to the series. Love the inhuman eyes.
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BryanBaugh In reply to MajorKiz [2008-08-26 00:30:57 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! I think ya kinda have to start with this story if you're gonna do something like this!
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MajorKiz In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-26 06:14:58 +0000 UTC]
Certainly easier than doing "The Colour out of Space," anyway.
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BryanBaugh In reply to MajorKiz [2008-08-26 07:52:23 +0000 UTC]
Heh-heh-heh! Stay tuned!
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Noah13 In reply to ??? [2008-08-26 00:19:56 +0000 UTC]
Cool can't wait for all the illustrations, coolness
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ShadowthShapeShifter In reply to ??? [2008-08-25 23:52:26 +0000 UTC]
WOAH! That's gotta be one of the best I've ever seen!!!
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BryanBaugh In reply to ShadowthShapeShifter [2008-08-26 00:00:17 +0000 UTC]
Awesome, thank you for those very kind words!
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Reekzilla In reply to ??? [2008-08-25 23:46:29 +0000 UTC]
i worked with a guy a while back that told me about
the whole cthulhu thing, and i was amazed
that something like that could escape my geek-dar
i'm just happy this awesome pic didnt
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BryanBaugh In reply to Reekzilla [2008-08-25 23:47:36 +0000 UTC]
Haha, awesome! Thanks!
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justintcoons In reply to ??? [2008-08-25 23:45:52 +0000 UTC]
Awesome work! Is this all ink? I was actually considering doing an illustration for "The Outsider" sometime soon, is that on your list?
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BryanBaugh In reply to justintcoons [2008-08-25 23:48:21 +0000 UTC]
Thanks for that! Yes it's all pen and ink! No "The Outsider" is not on my list.
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justintcoons In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-25 23:52:08 +0000 UTC]
Keep it up, I'd love to see some more.
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BryanBaugh In reply to justintcoons [2008-08-25 23:58:53 +0000 UTC]
You will, I promise!
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balzac617 In reply to ??? [2008-08-25 23:01:59 +0000 UTC]
Mr Lovecraft would be happy,
Amazing work I must fav it
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Abde [2008-08-25 23:00:22 +0000 UTC]
"PhΒ΄nglui mglwΒ΄nafh Cthulhu RΒ΄lyeh wghaΒ΄nagl fhtagn"
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APBarr In reply to ??? [2008-08-25 22:44:34 +0000 UTC]
probably one of the best big "C"s I've seen in a while.
have you seen the movie?
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BryanBaugh In reply to APBarr [2008-08-25 23:28:11 +0000 UTC]
Hey, man, long time no speak!
Yeah, I saw the recent 1920's-silent-film-style adaptation of the Call of Cthulhu. Here's my thoughts on it.
On the positive side: It's a wonderful concept - to show what it might have looked like, if a movie adaptation of this story had been made around the time the story was actually written. That's a brilliant idea, and the filmmakers deserve tons of respect for going to so much trouble, effort, work, and expense to make it, and to give it the genuine look of a real silent film from that era. Obviously it was a labor of love and it shows. And visually speaking, it's superb!
On the negative side - and I'm saying this as a Lovecraft fan and a fiction fan who prefers to see movie adaptations made as faithful to the source material as possible... but this film is perfect evidence for why Lovecraft's fiction is nearly impossible to adapt faithfully to cinema and maintain a clear, coherent story. The fact that the filmmakers (God bless 'em, their hearts were in the right place!) made the film totally faithful to Lovecraft's written text, ends up displaying exactly why Lovecraft SHOULDN'T be handled that way. If you've read the original story before hand, it's obvious what is going on. The story explains everything very clearly in prose form. But I can't imagine someone who had never read the original story first, trying to watch this film, and being able to keep track of all the different characters, criss-crossing story threads, and endless flashbacks-within-flashbacks, and not being totally confused. If ever there was a writer whose work really DOES need to be edited and simplified for cinematic adaptation - if only for the sake of clarity - it's Lovecraft.
Just my opinion!
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APBarr In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-26 00:42:15 +0000 UTC]
interesting. and strangely I agree and disagree with you at the same time. I loved the movie specifically because of how insanely faithful to the source it was. My woman dug it too, she seemed to keep up with what was going on, I don't think she's read the story (she finds lovecraft too wordy). and then again she is pretty clever.
have you seen their second lovecraft flick? their radio drama version of at the mountains of madness is pretty cool.
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BryanBaugh In reply to APBarr [2008-08-26 05:18:52 +0000 UTC]
No I wasn't aware that they had done other projects. If they have, I would love to check it out. Especially if it's anything Lovecraft. Don't get me wrong of course I loved that movie. I just think it needed to be a little more... adapted, so as to make better sense to the uninitiated. Nice to hear your lady got into it, though!
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APBarr In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-26 11:42:31 +0000 UTC]
yeah I can't see an actual lovecraft fan not liking that movie. you really should try to find the mountains of madness radio show.
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BryanBaugh In reply to APBarr [2008-08-26 18:12:23 +0000 UTC]
Well I'm definitely a long-time Lovecraft fan, but I guess, to me, the "real Lovecraft" is always the written stories first and foremost. That's the material I always return to when I want a Lovecraft fix. I don't mean to sound dismissive, but every Lovecraft-inspired thing after that (good or bad) is of secondary interest, far as I'm concerned.
As for the radio show of ATMOM, I'll have to look for it! Perhaps you could provide a link? I'd really like to see the same group do another film, though!
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APBarr In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-26 18:52:00 +0000 UTC]
[link]
I see they've just completed a dunwitch horror radio show. I also own one of their Miskatonic university Antarctic expidition sweatshirts.
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BryanBaugh In reply to APBarr [2008-08-26 19:16:33 +0000 UTC]
I'll have to check out their radio shows but I wish they'd deliver another movie!
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BryanBaugh In reply to APBarr [2008-08-26 19:17:03 +0000 UTC]
Now yer just bein' silly.
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APBarr In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-26 19:30:40 +0000 UTC]
ghostbusters is one of the best lovecraftian movies everr made, that's not based on a story by H.P.
My favorite of those types of movies is, of course, The Thing .
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APBarr In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-26 22:04:07 +0000 UTC]
what you don't think the thing or ghostbusters is lovecraftian?
or are you shocked by my love of the thing?
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BryanBaugh In reply to APBarr [2008-08-26 22:23:36 +0000 UTC]
Obviously The Thing bears a touch of Lovecraft influence... the morphing fleshy monster from space that can mimic other organic life forms is very like the Shuggoths in Lovecraft's fiction, and the Antarctic environment is like "At The Mountains of Madness"... I've got no quarrel with ya there!
But... Ghostbusters????? I don't know if I can add enough question marks to express how perplexed I am by this suggestion!
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APBarr In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-27 12:13:14 +0000 UTC]
Lets break it down to the basic elements of Lovecraftian fiction. that being the rational versus the supernatural, god like monsters from other dimensions, weird architecture, cults, its all there in Ghostbusters.
Ghostbusters deals with a group of scientists who are forced to save the world from a transdimensional creature named zuul. people are transformed into other non human shapes (the hell hound versions of the gatekeeper and the keymaster). The building Dana lives in was built to be a giant radio anntenae to summon forth zuul, the arcetect was head of a strange cult who worshipped zuul. the only thing that's not in ghostbusters is people dreaming about the coming of zuul.
think about that stuff next time you watch it its pretty interesting.
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BryanBaugh In reply to APBarr [2008-08-27 18:39:09 +0000 UTC]
I have a feeling Mr. Lovecraft (who by all accounts took himself way too seriously) would find your argument pretty insulting! I think he would say you are totally missing the point of the overall intent of his writing. He would just find a fancy way to say it with a lot more adjectives!
Okay, I assume you must be joking, but here's my response, just in case you are even crazier than I am and actually trying to be serious (or even semi-serious) about this...
If your only concern is story elements, you could figure out a way to find connections between any number of unrelated stories from unrelated genres that have nothing to do with each other. If you tried hard enough I'm sure it would be possible to find similar story elements between Saving Private Ryan and The Muppet Movie. But obviously the comparison is ludicrous, because the tone and intent of the two things is completely opposite.
The thing that makes Lovecraft Lovecraft, is his deadly serious intent to creep the living shit out of the reader, and his apocalyptic, doom-and-gloom atmosphere and tone. He could use any myriad number of different subject matter to create that "Lovecraft effect" (and he did, remember not ALL of his stories are about cosmic monsters from outer space...).
But I don't remember Lovecraft ever using his fiction as a vehicle for goofy-doofy jokes about Twinkies and Marshmallow Men.
Okay, I think that's about as much time as I can spend on this debate!
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APBarr In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-27 18:46:43 +0000 UTC]
yeah H.P. didn't have a lot of humor in his stories but I'm sure he found some things funny. I know he would have hated the movie versions of Re-Animator and From Beyond. I don't want to throw this into a big debate thing. but try watching ghostbusters without the jokes. pay attention to the actual underlying plot ignore the funny, ignore the marshmallow men just imagine a deadly serious version of the film. you'll see how lovecraftian the movie really is.
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BradRigney In reply to ??? [2008-08-25 22:15:58 +0000 UTC]
Huge HP fan myself - just got through "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" for the 3rd time.
Love this imagining of Cthulhu.
I just may have to do an HP inspired piece here in the future myself.
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SeanRM In reply to ??? [2008-08-25 21:18:11 +0000 UTC]
I'd love to see your take on "Pickman's Model".
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BryanBaugh In reply to SeanRM [2008-08-25 23:50:45 +0000 UTC]
Thanks for your interest in my work, but "Pickman's Model", fine story though it is, is not on my list of future Lovecraft illos.
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SeanRM In reply to BryanBaugh [2008-08-25 23:57:16 +0000 UTC]
Oh well, I'm still looking forward to seeing more of these.
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BryanBaugh In reply to SeanRM [2008-08-25 23:59:53 +0000 UTC]
Haha, thanks! Even if I don't draw your favorite Lovecraft tale, I promise the future entries in this little series will not disappoint.
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ProphetEKA In reply to ??? [2008-08-25 21:08:10 +0000 UTC]
Very cool.
I could just imagine this as a movie poster or an old illustrated book. Plus, you can't go wrong with Lovecraft. Such great imagery in his stories. = )
A damn fine job, indeed.
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