Summary

• Lovecraft's influence on horror is so vast that many iconic movies and TV shows owe their existence to his cosmic horror themes.
• Even if viewers aren't familiar with Lovecraft's work, they've likely encountered his aesthetic in popular media like Stranger Things.
• Classic horror films like The Thing and modern series like Stranger Things showcase Lovecraft's enduring impact on pop culture.

The influence of writer H.P. Lovecraft was so far-reaching that many of the best horror movies and television shows would not exist without him. With writings based around cosmic horror, the unknowable terror of the universe, and the potential for madness hidden just below the surface of human psychology, Lovecraft was active during the early 1900s, but his themes are as relevant today as they ever were. While there have been countless adaptations of Lovecraft's work, there were many movies and TV shows that were not directly adapted from him but still owed a massive debt to his influence.

From terrifying monster movies to grand explorations of hidden realms, Lovecraft has come to represent an entire genre of Lovecraftian horror that delved into the cosmic concepts and supernatural stories of his work. From classic horror movies, such as The Thing, to popular Netflix series, like Stranger Things, H.P. Lovecraft’s signature style has cast a shadow across all pop culture to the point that even if viewers were not familiar with his writing, they have surely come across his aesthetic without even realizing it. There were so many great movies and TV shows that would not have existed without Lovecraft.

10 Cloverfield (2008)

Directed by Matt Reeves

A dark and frightful concept, the case designated Cloverfield has a lot in common with Lovecraft’s Cthulhu.

The found-footage horror genre may initially appear very far removed from the early 1900s writing of H.P. Lovecraft, but, underneath the surface, the 2008 monster movie Cloverfield owed a lot to Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J.J. Abrams, Cloverfield counted as a Lovecraftian horror as it highlighted the unknowable terror of the creature tormenting the area “formerly known as Central Park” and its foreboding sense of fear was primarily driven by the dark potential of the unknown. A dark and frightful concept, the case designated Cloverfield has a lot in common with Lovecraft’s Cthulhu.

9 The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

Directed by Drew Goddard

This mesh of Lovecraftian themes with modern horror filmmaking expectations made The Cabin in the Woods a clever Lovecraftian tale with a twist.

The main concept of the Ancient Ones at the heart of The Cabin in the Woods was a reference to H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos and the common horror movie stereotype of the final girl. This mesh of Lovecraftian themes with modern horror filmmaking expectations made The Cabin in the Woods a clever Lovecraftian tale with a twist.

8 The Thing (1982)

Directed by John Carpenter

John Carpenter’s The Thing has been ranked among the greatest horror movies ever made, and with good reason as it recalled the unknowable otherworldly forces seen in the best writing of H.P. Lovecraft. The first in Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Trilogy” all of which tackled Lovecraftian themes, The Thing dealt with a shapeshifting alien creature that attacked a crew at an Antarctica station and slowly drove them mad and paranoid. The mix of unspeakable horrors, being driven to insanity, and watching the character’s sense of reality crumble made The Thing an excellent film that would not have existed without Lovecraft’s influence.

7 The X-Files (1993 – 2002, 2016 – 2018)

Created by Chris Carter

Some episodes even directly referenced Lovecraft.

At its heart, The X-Files had a supernatural, Lovecraftian feeling and explored the unknown aspects of the universe that were quietly lurking just out of sight. As FBI agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully were drawn into complex conspiracies of aliens, ongoing mysteries, and complex villains, the cosmic themes of H.P. Lovecraft would often burst onto the forefront as the two would be confronted with vast unknowable mysteries of existence. Some episodes even directly referenced Lovecraft, such as the Season 6 two-parter “Dreamland” which featured a case of body swapping similar to Lovecraft’s story “The Thing on the Doorstep.”

6 The Mist (2007)

Directed by Frank Darabont

The Mist told the story of a town enveloped by an unnatural mist as well as bloodthirsty Lovecraftian creatures in a dark and tense story of survival and fear.

The Mist was based on a novella by Stephen King and featured strong Lovecraftian themes of untold horrors and a cosmic situation that turned regular people utterly insane. The Mist told the story of a town enveloped by an unnatural mist as well as bloodthirsty Lovecraftian creatures in a dark and tense story of survival and fear. Highly influenced by writing of H.P. Lovecraft, The Mist expertly explored all of Lovecraft’s most common themes of unknowable terror, madness in the face of unspeakable horror, and humanity pushing back against certain doom.

5 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy (2001 – 2007)

Created by Maxwell Atoms

The cosmic adventures explored in the series, which followed two children who have befriended the Grim Reaper even made direct references to the work of Lovecraft.

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy showcased that not even children’s entertainment was safe from the influence of H.P. Lovecraft. The cosmic adventures explored in the series, which followed two children who have befriended the Grim Reaper even made direct references to the work of Lovecraft, such as in the Season 5 episode “Prank Call of Cthulhu” which satirized the cosmic entity seen in Lovecraft’s novel The Call of Cthulhu. While Billy & Mandy was more child-friendly and humorous than much of the work of Lovecraft, it certainly could not have existed if not for the writer.

4 Event Horizon (1997)

Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson

Event Horizon was a Lovecraftian space nightmare set in the year 2047 and which followed a group of astronauts tasked with recovering a ship that had been lost seven years before. When the ship reappeared, the new crew was tasked with discovering what happened to them, and what occurred was a terrifying cosmic hellscape of epic proportions. Filled with supernatural possessions and menacing unknowable otherworldly threats, Event Horizon was a slow-burn, cosmic terror that was highly influenced by the writing of H.P. Lovecraft.

3 The Evil Dead (1981)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Both a modern take and an homage to the themes of Lovecraft, later entries explored the more comical side of cosmic horror.

The feature debut of director Sam Raimi, The Evil Dead was highly influenced by the work of H.P. Lovecraft and even featured a direct reference to his work through the characters' discovery of the Necronomicon, the Book of the Dead that appeared throughout Lovecraft’s writing. This discovery unleashed a Lovecraftian demonic entity and the unspeakable horrors that ensued throughout the film and the rest of The Evil Dead franchise could not have existed without Lovecraft’s influence. Both a modern take and an homage to the themes of Lovecraft, later entries explored the more comical side of cosmic horror.

2 Stranger Things (2016 – Present)

Created by The Duffer Brothers

Initially, the most obvious influence on Netflix’s Stranger Things was its homages to 1980s culture and media, however, the world of the series also owed a lot to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. In particular, the alternate dimension of the Upside Down felt like something straight out of a Lovecraft story and its unknowable sense of dread and dark, sinister, inversion of the real world makes it quintessentially Lovecraftian in its execution. The terrifying creatures who have wreaked havoc over the residents of Hawkins throughout Stranger Things owed their origins to cosmic unknowable fears often associated with Lovecraft.

1 Alien (1979)

The unflinching, unstoppable horror of the Xenomorph felt like it came directly from the mind of Lovecraft.

Alien was one of the most iconic horror movies of all time and if was not for the work of H.P. Lovecraft it would surely have looked a lot different. In particular, the design by Swiss artist H.R. Giger of the antagonistic alien Xenomorph that hunted the crew of the Nostromo in Alien was highly inspired by Lovecraft, with Giger even naming his artbook that included the design for the alien Necronomicon (via BFI), a reference to Lovecraft. Adding to this, the unflinching, unstoppable horror of the Xenomorph felt like it came directly from the mind of Lovecraft.

Source: BFI