The Top 10 Best Lovecraftian Horror Movies
These Lovecraftian Horror Movies Will Blow Your Mind!
*Updated: October 2020*
Stephen King once said, “Nothing is so frightening as what’s behind the closed door.” That fear of the unknown or even unknowable is the subject of this week’s list, the Top 10 Best Lovecraftian Horror Movies. Named for the author H. P. Lovecraft, who was brilliant but also a terrible racist, this list of movies focuses on the terrifying aspect of facing a truth that is often far beyond our human scope of understanding. That dread that comes from looking into the void and never knowing if it is looking back at you. Lots of these movies include interdimensional beings or cosmic entities that look down on us like we’re little more than ants. The fragility of sanity is also a common theme in a lot of these Lovecraftian horror movies and you’ll see plenty of crazy people running around in them. It might sound like a niche genre, but there are numerous movies that fall into it. Narrowing it down proved to be a difficult task that threatened my own sanity at times. Not to worry though, because I’ve never been entirely stable anyways. The end result is a collection of films that live up to the twisted mind of Lovecraft.
10. The Void
Fans of 80s horror will love this 2016 homage to the creature effects of yesteryear. The film follows a group of people trapped inside a hospital by a mysterious cult that has its sights set on conquering life and death. Of course, messing with the natural order of things is a big no-no and soon the hospital is crawling with all sorts of hideous creatures. To make matters worse, an interdimensional portal opens in the basement and reveals that the leader of the cult has gone quite insane from his discoveries. The Void features some of the most memorable monsters I’ve seen in years and really leans into the Lovecraftian horror concept of the unknowable as the survivors are faced with the impossible task of defeating someone with powers that they can never hope to comprehend.
9. In the Mouth of Madness
John Carpenter has always had a thing for Lovecraftian horror and a lot of his movies would have been welcomed additions to this list. However, of his apocalypse trilogy (including The Thing and Prince of Darkness), I feel like In the Mouth of Madness is the closest you can get to an H.P. Lovecraft story without it actually being written by the man himself. Sam Neil plays a detective sent to investigate the whereabouts of a reclusive, but incredibly successful, writer. His investigation leads him to a small town that doesn’t exactly follow the rules of reality. He’s tormented by visions and encounters that threaten his very sanity. However, it’s his terrifying discovery at the end of the film that solidifies this as one of the best Lovecraftian horror movies of all time.
8. From Beyond
What better way to make Lovecraftian horror movies than to base them on the actual works of H.P. Lovecraft? From Beyond features Jeffrey Combs (who you’ll see more of on this list) as a scientist meddling with things he can’t possibly understand. When he has second thoughts, he’s forced to continue his work by a fellow scientist. Their work results in the side-effect of giving them the ability to perceive beings from another dimension. This is a two-way street though and soon they are tormented by strange creatures. The stakes escalate when a being in this other dimension sets its malevolent sights on the pair. It turns out their scientific breakthrough is actually a terrible discovery that threatens not only their lives but the entire world.
7. Annihilation
The most recent entry on this list of Lovecraftian horror movies is the 2018 sci-fi thriller, Annihilation. The film follows a team of scientists, lead by Natalie Portman, to investigate an area being affected by an extraterrestrial element that crash-landed on Earth. Inside the anomalous zone (known as “The Shimmer”) they find that the flora and fauna have undergone incredible transformations, evolving into bizarre and even monstrous versions of what they once were. Things become more ominous as it turns out there is a presence responsible for “refracting” the genetic code of everything within “The Shimmer,” a being with incomprehensible power from beyond the stars.
6. The Mist
The Mist is not only one of my favorite Stephen King movies but a perfect addition to this list of Lovecraftian horror movies. In a small town, something goes wrong at a military base and a thick mist rolls over the land. Now, the mist itself might not seem like that big of a deal, but what lurks within it is the stuff of nightmares. All sorts of terrifying creatures emerge ranging from deadly insects to lumbering behemoths. A group of survivors trapped in a store tries to come together to survive this strange new world. However, not knowing when it will end or if help will ever come proves to be too much for some of them to bear as their minds slowly break. The ending of The Mist split audiences down the middle with some loving it and some hating it. Stephen King was a big fan of the changes though, and I have to agree with him.