Unofficial FAQ Thread
Well, 8 years later, I guess I should go back and do some editing in certain places.
The Library
Question: What's the deal with the monks?
Answer: Well, interestingly enough, the monks themselves aren't human, or are no longer fully human. This is evidenced several times in the movie. The first key note you'll catch is when the abbot is asked by one of the monks if Lovecraft would be 'brainless enough to try' to which the abbot responds, 'Of course, he's only human.' This is further evidenced in the last part of the segment when the abbot stretches his body through the bars (to which no normal human could do), and the fact that he does not die even after his face is ripped off.
Question: What is the creature in the water below Lovecraft?
Answer: From the looks of it, it is a star vampire. Star vampires are somewhat larger than men, but, not enormously big like say Cthulhu or Father Dagon, and a Star Vampire has many tentacles to its body, which would make sense. Likewise, Star Vampires are rather fragile when compared to say a being like a Shoggoth or Dagon, which would explain why Lovecraft subdues (or kills) it so easily. The only other possibility could be a servitor of the gods, except they're immune to physical attacks, and Lovecraft's sword isn't magical.
Question: Why don't the monks follow Lovecraft when he leaves the monastery?
Answer: This is pretty much similar to the way that Lovecraft's stories deal with the cultists in the Call of Cthulhu. It is implied that the cultists have intent on killing the one who knows any information (for after all, cultists kill anyone who has any knowledge of the elder ones whatsoever); though just like the cultists from the story, there is no public attempt of violence.
Question: What is the creature that consumes the abbot?
Answer: After looking over the information a few times, I've come to the conclusion that it could be none other than a small Dhole. There is simply no other creature in Lovecraft's works who is long enough to go all the way down that tunnel, and consume a victim whole.
Question: Why does Lovecraft keep notes, if he's going to take the Necronomicon anyway?
Answer: Originally he didn't intend on doing that. It was only the attack by the abbot that inspired him to take the book. Of course, the other monks weren't too keen with his choice, but, they had already lost one of their own that night, so it seemed they had little appetite to fight.
The Drowned
Question: What story is this based on?
Answer: The Rats in the Walls by H.P. Lovecraft.
Question: What resemblance does this story have to the story it is based on or inspired by?
Answer: Very little, almost none really. The only true similarities are the name De La Poer, the Hotel, and that there's something under the Hotel (although originally it was a city).
Question: What is the creature under the hotel?
Answer: A common misconception by many is that this was Cthulhu, or that it's supposed to be Cthulhu. The actual name of the creature under the hotel is Cyaegha, who was created by one the Lovecraft circle (other authors who worked with Lovecraft on creating the combined stories), Eddy C. Bertin, in the story Darkness, My Name Is.
Question: What's the deal with the resurrection spell making everyone turn out so wrong?
Answer: Anyone's guess. Although, one could say it's merely the Necronomicon's ability to corrupt all it touches. Cyaegha himself may or may not play a role in the warping of the Necronomicon's spells, as after all, no one knows just how long he's been down there.
The Cold
Question: What story is this based on?
Answer: Cold Air by H.P. Lovecraft.
Question: What resemblance does this story have to the story it is based on or inspired by?
Answer: It has more than the other stories, I will give credit for that. Dr Madden keeping himself alive by staying in the cold? Makes sense, follows the plot of the original story (though different names) to a point. Needing spinal fluid and murdering people is completely original on the other hand, and makes little sense.
In the original story Cool Air, the protagonist does meet a strange doctor who can reanimate the dead, but, there was never any killings or murders. In the end, it is a heat wave combined with a power outage that does the doctor in, rather than a lab fire.
Question: Why would someone so stupid go to the murderer's house alone?
Answer: If you read some of the other tales of Lovecraft's universe, you'll find that even smart individuals make stupid and rash decisions.
Whispers
Question: What story is this based on?
Answer: The Whisperer in Darkness by H.P. Lovecraft.
Question: What resemblance does this story have to the story it is based on or inspired by?
Answer: Very little. This story portrays the Mi-Go as sloth-like extra terrestrial creatures who eat bone marrow and take brains to reproduce. The Mi-Go don't look like they are shown in the movie, firstly. Secondly, they are all about scientific research, rather than killing and maiming. Thirdly, while the Mi-Go can remove brains, they do so to place them into a receptacle to allow humans to travel through space. And Mi-Go queens simply don't exist.
I'll just say this, The Whisperer in the Darkness is way better than this movie makes it out to be.
Question: If the Mi-Go are so self-sufficient, what do they need the butcher for?
Answer: This falls back to the whole movie showing them off to be slothful thing. The Mi-Go simply aren't like that. They wouldn't require some guy to do their work for them, they could easily do the killing themselves.
Other
Question: How do you know so much about Lovecraft's works?
Answer: I'm a cultist, of course, and the secrets of the Necronomicon don't come cheap, reading this thread will cost you your life! Obviously not. To be honest, I don't know as much about the Lovecraftian universe as this thread would make it seem. Simply put, I have reference materials which help me keep track of things. Having illustrations of creatures helps too, because it's a lot easier to identify Cyaegha if you know what he looks like, for example.
Question: Why would you go to all the trouble of writing up this thread?
Answer: I'm currently ill with a cold, and thus I've been in bed longer than most people usually are. As a result, I've had extra time on my hands, time which I'm pretty much focusing into this thread and some other stuff. Also, this thread was not written all at once, cause I get pretty tired from being sick. I've actually plugged away at this a little bit every few hours.
Question: Can we ask any further questions?
Answer: Absolutely. If you need an answer to a question regarding this movie, or Lovecraft's works in general, I can assist if I know enough about the topic at hand.
Question: Are there any other Lovecraftian titles you can suggest?
Answer: Absolutely. At the original time of writing this, I hadn't really seen any (other than the HPLHS production). Now here in 2015, I can expand upon this with a few more titles that I either missed back then, or hadn't yet seen. I'll try and keep this updated with new stuff if I can remember.
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478988/ - The Call of Cthulhu
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091083/ - From Beyond
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089885/ - Re-Animator
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0643104/ - Dreams in the Witch-House
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0660793/ - Pickman's Model
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204950/ - Pickman's Model
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065669/ - The Dunwich Horror
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1498878/ - The Whisperer in Darkness
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/ - The Evil Dead
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092991/ - The Evil Dead II
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106308/ - Army of Darkness
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2011276/ - The Banshee Chapter
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119081/ - Event Horizon
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113409/ - In The Mouth of Madness
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884328/ - The Mist
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093777/ - Prince of Darkness
* http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/ - The Thing
I'm aware there are other titles that I could be suggesting, but, I want to avoid suggesting something I've not seen for myself (because otherwise one could see a movie with a misleading title).
Question: Where else could I see more about Lovecraft's works?
Answer: Well, you could get them from all kinds of places. But my suggestion is to give a visit to http://dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/index.html and check it out, read some of the original tales.
Question: Are there any related works to Lovecraft's?
Answer: Yes there are. Back when he was alive, Lovecraft formed a group of friends via correspondence (back then that was the equivalent of email, as it were). The group consisted of Robert Bloch, Ramsey Campbell, Lin Carter, David Conyers, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Brian Lumley, and Clark Ashton Smith. There is another author who is attached to said group August Derleth, however this author I would personally advise AGAINST.
Question: What's wrong with August Derleth?
Answer: August Derleth is known for his "posthumous collaborating" (read: publishing his own stories under the name of) Lovecraft. Further Derleth tried to use this as a vehicle to reinvent the Lovecraft universe, coining the term Cthulhu Mythos and establishing Azathoth, Cthulhu, etc. as "the outter gods" and Nodens, etc as "the elder gods" in an evil vs good pantheon with humanity's fate in the balance. That's not to say Derleth was entirely bad -- if not for Derleth, most of Lovecraft's works would probably have been lost.
He was a co-founder of Arkham house, the publishing company which continues to publish horror writers (including Lovecraft) to this day, although they've not had any new publications since 2006. Interestingly enough, the highest price publication in Arkham House is entitled IN LOVECRAFT'S SHADOW: THE CTHULHU MYTHOS STORIES OF AUGUST DERLETH (as I said -- the man exploited Lovecraft's name).
Question: Are there any Lovecraftian games you would suggest?
Answer: This question I definitely have a 'yes' for you. Originally when I wrote this back in 07, there were only 4 games I could think of, but in 2015, there's a greater scale of games.
* Alone in the Dark 1 & 2 - Some of the first survival horror games ever made.
* Sweet Home - Old survival horror for the Nintendo.
* Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth - A little buggy but really satisfying.
* Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - Best damn Gamecube game I ever played.
* Demon's Souls - Atmospheric game with an obvious Lovecraft inspiration.
* Folklore - Great spooky mystery/thriller game.
* Quake - Sandy Petersen in his prime with one of the most Lovecraftian games ever made.
* Shadow of the Comet - Great text adventure game.
* Silent Hill - Surreal survival horror set in an alternate dimension.
* Sherlock Holmes and the Awakened - A Cthulhu cult intends on releasing Cthulhu, but not if Sherlock Holmes has anything to say about it!
* Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet - A graphical adventure remake of the above game of the same name.
* Call of Cthulhu: The Prisoner of Ice - Another graphical adventure remake of a text adventure.
* The Last Door - A graphical adventure.
* The Sunless Sea - Heavily inspired by the Call of Cthulhu, features island-sized creatures inspired by monsters from Lovecraft's written works.
I'll try to keep this one updated as well. share