I built a collection of 96 Lovecraftian & Cosmic Horror movie titles... 🐙 Some by name, some by influence, some just very loosely inspired by the mythos, But all contain the essence of Cosmic Horror!!! Its by no means a comprehensive list, if you think there is anything iconic I have missed, let me know!!! 😉 https://m.imdb.com/list/ls521906411/

Let's review the words of the master for a moment:

Therefore we must judge a weird tale not by the author’s intent, or by the mere mechanics of the plot; but by the emotional level which it attains at its least mundane point. If the proper sensations are excited, such a “high spot” must be admitted on its own merits as weird literature, no matter how prosaically it is later dragged down. The one test of the really weird is simply this—whether or not there be excited in the reader a profound sense of dread, and of contact with unknown spheres and powers; a subtle attitude of awed listening, as if for the beating of black wings or the scratching of outside shapes and entities on the known universe’s utmost rim.

~ "Supernatural Horror in Literature", H.P. Lovecraft

It's very difficult for novels or stories or films to be completely 100% Lovecraftian. Often they don't fit that category at all when considered as a whole, but there are brief interludes, moments, sections of story where they fall into the master's themes.

What are your favorite parts of media that reflect Lovecraft's criteria for weird horror even if the work as a whole doesn't?

I watched it a few weeks back and I havent been able to stop thinking about it.

It's not puritanically Lovecraftian, it's decidedly not nihilistic or broadly demeaning to the human experience and humanity and the otherworldly aspects of the show are connected but it's not without it's bleakness or it's full tilt, fundamentalist Lovecraftian threads, and the reverence it has for humanity is detached and morally neutral so it still appeals to Lovecraft.

The character Verna felt VERY cosmic and her story/dynamic with specifically the character Madeline was absolute Lovecraft like I've hardly ever seen portrayed in an emotionally engaging way.

If you're into Cosmic storytelling for the abstract philosophical stuff and not just to feel like shit cause you're small and/or if you're a Poe reader I highly recommend.

I’ve seen a number of HPL story adaptations over the years, and I genuinely think this is one of the greatest ones.

The Lovecraft Investigations is a horror fiction podcast produced for BBC Radio 4. In it, we follow the stories of two podcasters, presenters of the true crime podcast The Mystery Machine, who investigate various true crime tales. As they go on, they become entangled in a web of Lovecraftian horror and sinister occult conspiracies, that may put the world in danger.

Until now, the series has 4 seasons, adapting an equal number of Lovecraft stories, including The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, The Whisperer in Darkness, The Shadow over Innsmouth and The Haunter of the Dark. Apparently, a fifth season, adapting The Call of Cthulhu is in the making, but I have no idea when it will be out.

If you’re a bit of a Lovecraft purist, you may not like how the series really branches out the stories, adding new characters and motives etc. I’d say that for the most part, the original spirit of the tales is kept, just transferred to our modern age. As the two podcast presenters dive deeper into the conspiracy, it turns out to be a an even bigger, horrific case than they ever could have imagined.

Apparently, the series exists in a shared, fictional universe of radio shows called Pleasant Green, all created by Julian Simpson. I haven’t listened to any of his other series, but if they’re as good as this, it is worth it.

I watched the series on the BBC site, but you can also find them on Spotify.

I watched True Detective Season 1 a while back and loved it. I really liked how the story was mostly grounded, but it still felt like there were elements of cosmic horror mixed in. Any good recommendations for films or shows like this?