Your Favorite Horror [Archive]

readyeddy?

12/26/2007, 16:24

So what do you like in Horror? I confess this is a genre I don't tread in as much. I'm getting caught up with my H. P. Lovecraft (Though I can't figure out where I put a bunch of paperbacks I have by him that I've had since the Seventies). I've read several early Stephen King novels, Ghost Story by Peter Straub and the first three Anne Rice vampire novels.

I should have listed Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in my top ten list of novels. Even when I was little I found that fascinating.

Other then that I've got nothin'. I have Dracula to read later on but I have yet to see a good Werewolf novel.

Fritz Leiber wrote a good novel about witches called "Conjure Wife" but it was more suspenseful then it was horrific.

Darkseid Sr.

12/26/2007, 17:28

Dracula by Brom Stoker is most likely my favorite.

theanalogkid

12/26/2007, 18:13

Wolfen or the Howling aren't bad Werewolf stories.

Boosnickerty

12/27/2007, 22:03

Pet Semetary-Probably one of Kings darkest books.

SeekerMuadib

01/11/2008, 12:58

Rokk_Krinn

01/11/2008, 14:10

It is written by the same guy who wrote the Zombie Survivial Guide Max Brooks.

Who also happens to be the son of Mel Brooks. :laugh:

I saw one of my favourite horrour books of the last couple years - "The Ruins" - is being turned into a movie. Hurray! (What can I say - the "monster" in it is one of my favourite types). Unfortunately the previews make it appear as if they went with the "vacation gone bad a'la Hostel, Touriste, etc."-style. :( Ah well, I still recommend the book.

charlesx

01/11/2008, 14:14

I recommend "The Terror", by Dan Simmons, which was recommended to me by Rokk_Krinn. Other than that, I am a big HPL/Neil Gaiman/Old School Stephen King fan.

charlesx

01/11/2008, 14:16

Pet Semetary-Probably one of Kings darkest books.

Good movie, too. It had a proper "bad" ending, not like those sugared-up endings that Hollywood gives to most King's stories.

MattPetersen

01/11/2008, 14:52

Has any one read World War Z yet?

It's not much of a horror book. As in it is not scary. But it is a great telling of what would happen in the world if a plague of Zombies got loose.

It is written by the same guy who wrote the Zombie Survivial Guide Max Brooks.

if you like zombies you should check it out.

I've read it 5 times!!!!!
I love that book! It may not be a horror novel, but MAN the descriptions and situations really can get your imagination going and SCARE YOU just the same!!!!
My favorite parts are the one about The Blind Gardener in Japan, The Dogs who helped fight back, and the woman in the plane who crashed in the bayou!

GREAT Book, I highly recommend it to any horror buff or zombie fan!!!

MattPetersen

01/11/2008, 15:33

I can really spook myself with the unknown in some of H.P. Lovecraft's writings!
It's funny but I really can't think of anything in particular that would be considered my favorite. I mostly enjoy Horror Anthologies featuring short stories and I almost never pay attention to the author's name when I start to read the stories (which I need to get into the habit of doing).

charlesdward

01/12/2008, 05:53

Good movie, too. It had a proper "bad" ending, not like those sugared-up endings that Hollywood gives to most King's stories.
You mean like in Cujo. Man, that (film) ending irritated me. What a spineless copout on the part of the filmmakers.

But anyways anything written by Lovecraft is, obviously, worth its weight in gold to me. Especially the "Dream Cycle" stories.
Ditto for most of Robert E. Howard's horror-related stuff - The Horror From The Mound stands out, as do his Solomon Kane stories.
In a similar vein, I've grown extremely fond of the stories of Brian Lumley, who references characters and events from the above two, plus from other favourites of mine such as Richard Matheson, H.G. Wells, and Clark Ashton Smith as part of his own unique style. Most especially fun are his Titus Crow stories.

Since I mentioned him, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson remains one of the most important horror stories ever written, imo. Still waiting for a decent film version. The Vincent Price one was the closest, but still off the mark regarding the ending and certain darker aspects of the story (specifically Neville's battle with alcoholism and struggle with sexual urges).
EDIT - Almost forgot to mention: well worth checking out is the graphic novel adaptation of I Am Legend, by Steve Niles. Extremely accurate and faithful to the original, and highly recommended.

I also read many, many short story anthologies - in fact, I'd have to say the short story is my favourite form of literature. Standouts off the top of my head include The Horla by Guy de Maupassant, Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, and The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood.

Yes, I tend to gravitate towards older, more classic reading material...

MAXIMUM

01/14/2008, 18:47

i would not recomend the ruins. check out other reviews for it on amazon. It is depressing and pointless. It,salems Lot and the Stand by King are great horror novels. Prestons and Childs The Relic is very good. I am Legned is a great novel and is far superior to the movie out now. Brian Lumleys Necroscope is a great horror novel.

charlesdward

01/17/2008, 06:59

Brian Lumleys Necroscope is a great horror novel.

The whole series does get a tad repetitive after a while (but then, it is thirteen novels + a couple of short stories), but after Necroscope's savage bloodthirsty monsters, I can never go back to Anne Rice's angsty, hand-wringing, gothed-out vampires again (I was going to say they pale in comparison, but that would be too obvious).
And his Psychomech trilogy is pretty good, too. Also his short story anthologies.
Actually, there's nothing yet that I don't like from Lumley.

Boosnickerty

01/17/2008, 14:16

Check out Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door. You'll be glad you did...well, maybe not, but it's a good book.

CustomCreator

02/13/2008, 10:59

To me the original master of horror is Edgar Allen Poe. In the early 19th Century nobody else was thinking of stuff like a heart that kept beating after death, or a man kept "alive" but slowly decaying after his own death. The man was a genius and a trailblazer.

Like many on this thread I also consider H.P. Lovecraft to be a master. Sadly unappreciated in his own lifetime.

I liked some of Graham Masterton's early novels; his later stuff seemed to deteriorate into shock value and gore, not my cuppa.

Truffle Shuffle

05/07/2008, 20:45

I have a collection of Poe stories. Yes, the Tell-Tale Heart is excellent.

I've enjoyed Stephen King's older stuff. One of my favorite scenes in almost any book was in Misery, where she is severing his foot (in the movie she simply hobbles him). The description gave me shivers and actually made me cringe. I'll never forget it. I had to put it down for a while. That was some incredible writing.

I've also read Dean Koontz. Not as good, but still enjoyable.

Darkseid Sr.

05/07/2008, 21:24

Anything by Edgar Allen Poe is an instant classic. I have literally read through my Complete Poe collection about 8 times.

readyeddy?

05/07/2008, 23:30

machineman

05/12/2008, 05:04

For the most part, I like King. The Cell and Duma Key are some of his more recent books I enjoyed. The Koontz Frankenstien books were good, the third one due out soon. But as far as enjoying the read, Richard Layman is just downright fun. Not "scare you to death" or anything, but the books are fun. I am missing him tremendously. He was like King with a libido.

As far as classic, yep I'll have to go with Poe as well. But I have admittedly never read any Lovecraft. Just never seemed my type of thing. But I will check him out. Anyone wanna suggest what I should track down for my first Lovecraftian nightmare?

Also, whatever happened to Clive Barker, I enjoyed his books years ago.

AlienFlanders

05/12/2008, 08:17

As far as classic, yep I'll have to go with Poe as well. But I have admittedly never read any Lovecraft. Just never seemed my type of thing. But I will check him out. Anyone wanna suggest what I should track down for my first Lovecraftian nightmare?

I would suggest The Tomb and Other Tales or maybe try Dagon (http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/dagon.htm)

viciousbuddha

05/12/2008, 22:39

Some of my favorites are -

Salems Lot
The Stand
The Shining
World War Z
The Ruins
Heart Shapped Box
The Lost
Girl Next Door
Interview With A Vampire

good stuff to go to sleep to lol

batfink

08/22/2008, 16:20

Everyone's Lovecraft suggestions led me to Strange Eons by Robert Bloch. Its the Mythos in the modern day and alot of fun.
I'm quite surprised it was only published once in 1978.

Of course, given that one of the sub plots involves all of Lovecraft's books dissapearing because, as it turns out Lovecraft was writting non-fiction, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised but even more frightened.

readyeddy?

10/26/2008, 13:40

I just finished reading Bram Stoker's Dracula. I found it interesting that he gets stabbed through the heart with a Bowie knife rather then a wooden stake.

Gargantua

12/13/2008, 14:15

Shirley Jackson did some good atmospheric ghost stories. The haunting of Hill House is a classic.

darthbaugh

01/06/2009, 20:02

I love just about every thing Clive Barker has ever done, of course he is Lovecraft inspired. I also like Dean Koontz for light reading. He isn't the greatest, but I do tend to read him fast and enjoy them. I use to love Stephen King, but haven't liked anything recently. I would suggest the Books of Blood by Clive Barker if you enjoy short stories. I am actually finishing up the last book I own that has not been read. Any good suggestions for when I am done?

phantalien

01/06/2009, 21:20

I cannot say that I have read a book that has creeped me out or scared me, but there are still some good books out there.

I greatly enjoyed Cujo. The book hooks you from the beginning and it is hard to put it down.

I have read Lovecraft back in high school and did not appreciate it until now when I was thinking back to the stories. I need to read it again.

I hear author James Herbert is good and is the "British Stephen King". Take it how you want.

readyeddy?

11/28/2009, 07:46

readyeddy?

01/01/2010, 15:10

I just read The Lurker At The Threshold by August Derleth though H.P. Lovecraft gets top billing. Supposedly a portion of the book is supposed to be written by Lovecraft but I didn't sense his style anywhere.
It was an okay read, useful more as a reference to the Lovecraft mythos heirarchy then to actually give you chills. Derleth was clearly no match for Lovecraft in bringing the shudders.

Every time I try to think of the title I keep thinking of "The Lurker in the Labyrinth" which is; I believe, a Robert E. Howard story.

CustomCreator

01/01/2010, 18:22

I hear author James Herbert is good and is the "British Stephen King". Take it how you want.

The two statements seem self-contradictory.

hanzoslash

01/04/2010, 14:45

Norb

01/07/2010, 04:37

For me I'll take a heapen helpin of Lovecraft. "Some things have learned to walk that aught to crawl." Beat that quote for creepiness.:laugh:

CustomCreator

01/07/2010, 09:32

"Some things have learned to walk that aught to crawl." Beat that quote for creepiness.

"Read my lips: no new taxes."

DarqFeonix

01/07/2010, 18:38

Koontz has been mentioned a few times, and I feel he's just as good as King in many respects... at least old school Koontz. The last decade , he's gotten a too preachy.

That being said, the scariest reading experience I ever had was Koontz's Phantoms. Absolutely horrifying book, that I imagine many new-Koontz readers may ignore because of the horrendous adaptation with Affleck (though, it is true... he is Da Bomb in it :laugh:)

DocDoom187

01/07/2010, 19:35

Every Koontz book I've read in the past few years is progressively worse than the previous one. His writing is preachy and VERY immature, utilizing cliches and unrealistic turns of events that you'd expect to see in children's books.

That said, I like his earlier works A LOT. He's probably my favorite modern thriller/horror writer, mainly becuase I've only read a few of Stephen King's works and I find them a bit overrated.

I also love Anne Rice. Classic Stoker-esque vampire's never get old. NEVER.

charlesdward

01/09/2010, 18:20

I just finished reading a special edition of The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson.

This edition gave us that and included 9 short stories that include Duel, Nightmare At 20,000 Feet and Button, Button which was recently made into the movie The Box.

The guy's good at his craft.
Remember the old movie Trilogy of Terror, starring Karen Black (Mother Firefly) as three separate characters in three separate stories...? The last one was an adaptation of Matheson's "Prey", which is one of a few stories tacked onto the end of the current printing of "I Am Legend". Come to think of it, Dance Of The Dead is in there too, which was done (not very well, unfortunately) as part of the Masters Of Horror series, with Robert Englund as the MC. Decent casting, but not as good as it could have been, imo.

3Gsniper

07/28/2010, 12:44

Would you consider the Quirk Classics line Horror? If so then "Pride, Prejudice and Zombies", "Dawn of the Dreadfuls" (the prequel), "Sense and Sensibilities and Sea Monsters"(Currently reading), are good. My wife said that "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" was quite good. Also I just got "Little Women and Warewolves", but have not yet read it.

Truffle Shuffle

07/28/2010, 14:27

Anyone reading Under the Dome (Stephen King)? I'm slowly making my way through it. Slowly not because it's not good, but I don't read nearly as much as I used to. Just wondering about other people's thoughts on it.

DocDoom187

07/28/2010, 23:41

Bought it last week and keep meaning to get to it, but I have an intimidating stack of books to read, and I figure best save this thousand page monstrosity for the end.

Hellfire117

08/01/2010, 01:59

Geralds Game by Stephen King is a really creepy read. Cell by Stephen King was also pretty darn good.

Gargantua

08/01/2010, 08:03

Remember the old movie Trilogy of Terror, starring Karen Black (Mother Firefly) as three separate characters in three separate stories...? The last one was an adaptation of Matheson's "Prey",

I was just telling some people about this segment last night. It's funny. No one ever asks "Remember that second story in Trilogy of Terror?" Probably no one does remember the other two. I couldn't tell you what they were about. But even if they saw the movie once, 25 years ago, no one forgets that creepy doll.

I'm sorry, I know this is a book thread; I shouldn't be discussing movies, but I just had to comment.

evilgenius2345

08/01/2010, 11:03

Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill is the best horror novel I have read in a long time. Hill is the son of Stephen King and has chops of his own, to be sure.

readyeddy?

11/01/2010, 06:37

I just finished reading a collection of stories about cats called A Twist Of The Tale - An Anthology Of Cat Horror edited by Ellen Datlow.

Contributors include: Gahan Wilson, William Burroughs, Stephen King, Tanith Lee and others. That's the first thing I've read by King in over twenty years.

SeekerMuadib

11/01/2010, 11:58

I am currently reading Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.

So far I am about 100 pages into it, it is roughly a 500 page book. For me it is kind of weird, it is a book for teen agers. Much in the line of like Harry Potter and other books like that. So for me it is weird to be reading book like this from Maberry. Particularly after reading his Joe Ledger books.

But basically it is a story of two brothers growing up and living in a world during the zombie apocalypse. The time of it is kinda neat. It takes place during the zombie uprising and others not infected are doing what they can to survive and live. The brothers live in a walled off community. The rule so far is that every kid when they reach the age of 15 have to get a job or they get their food rations cut in half. So far the younger brother has tried jobs like look out, fence tester, cadaver chucker and a bunch of other odd jobs that really weren't jobs until the zombies risen. The older brother is a zombie hunter who gets contracted to help clear out villages of zombies so that humans can occupy it or to scavenge in it. Or the hunters are set out to try and find people who are zombies and they hunt them down and take them down so the living can have closure on relatives. As Maberry has stated in some reviews and interviews the story is very touching and heart felt.

It is just to weird to read something like this in a zombie apocalypse uprising.

So for now I gotta say I am sort of enjoying. Not saying the wrtiing is bad or any thing. It is just sort of weird to read a heart felt story in such a setting.

d_knight7

11/02/2010, 17:40

Name any horror writer of the last 80 years and they're standing on the shoulders of H.P. Lovecraft.

His writing style is clunky and dated, but his concepts!

Purely for influencing the style and ideas of modern horror writers, I'd put him above Poe. That's how influential the guy's work is, yet my college head librarian didn't know who he was.

d_knight7

11/02/2010, 17:42

It is written by the same guy who wrote the Zombie Survivial Guide Max Brooks.

People RAVE about this stuff, and I'm a massive nerd and zombie buff; yet when trapped waiting in a book store I looked through the Zombie survival guide and put it back on the shelf.

SeekerMuadib

11/02/2010, 21:27

People RAVE about this stuff, and I'm a massive nerd and zombie buff; yet when trapped waiting in a book store I looked through the Zombie survival guide and put it back on the shelf.

Well you know the Zombie Survival Guide is what it is. It is set up as entertainment purposes only. But there is some words of wisodm in there you just gotta look for it. Oh believe me I have seen far worse in the venue where I run Clix. The owner there truly caters to his clients. I have seen of course Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Haikus for Zombies, a book on how to be a better Zombie, an anthology book with short stories on Zombie romance stories and a few other dozen varieties of zombie stories.

But do not let the hokieness of the Zombie Survival Guide steer you away from reading World War Z. It is a great book.

And oh yeah I am a huge nerdy zombie geek as well.

MaxFortune

11/03/2010, 08:21

H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and Robert E. Howard.

That's pretty much it.

People who are "into" zombies must read R.E.H.'s "Pigeons from Hell". Everything else pales in comparison.

Malakai

11/03/2010, 20:03

I've got both the Survival Guide and World War Z. I think both of them are great. I'd recommend the audiobook of WWZ. It sjust seems to fit, giving how the entire book is in interview form.
I had to clean an entire warehouse by myself at my old job during the overnight shift. I would be listening to that on my headphones and some of the machines would move or make noises on their own. Scared the hell outta me everytime. I'd keep looking around for potential weapons/escape routes.

PhoenixFire

12/03/2010, 21:50

Some older Stephen King...I like to compare the movies and books...Just picked up Thinner...Liked the movie so I wanted to see what might be different in the book. *stares at bookcase* Yep that's it for horror :cheeky:

readyeddy?

06/14/2011, 01:00

I just finished reading The Witch Of The Indies a novel of Black Vulmea which touted Robert E. Howard but in finer print shows it was written by David C. Smith.

I've owned the book since the late 70s but I just finally got around to reading it.

It's really more adventure then horror but the prevalence of voodoo and the classic version of zombies lends it horror credentials.

The book is pretty well written. Black Vulmea is a Howard pirate character who is depicted as ruthless but fair.

The cover copy is misleading because it suggests that the title character is Vulmea's enemy when she's actually his ally and occasional lover. She's also a witch/pirate from Ireland.

A rival witch teams with someone who has reason to hate Vulmea and the two sides eventually confront each other.

DocDoom187

06/14/2011, 01:42

Palahniuck's Ghost is cute, though gimmicky, if no one's mentioned it yet.

Thrumble Funk

06/14/2011, 10:14

In terms of the actual horror genre? World War Z, hands down.

In terms of a book that actually horrified me? American Psycho. Haven't been able to finish it.

victorsage

06/14/2011, 11:20

brain dead also known as dead alive from New Zealand in 1982 goriest movie ever

Mistico

06/14/2011, 13:02

brain dead also known as dead alive from New Zealand in 1982 goriest movie ever

Also, it was directed by Peter Jackson. And it is superb.

Add my name to the list of H.P. devotees. I just picked up his "Fungi from Yuggoth" series of poems, which I'd never read. They're really good, and you can see where Alan Moore got a lot of material for The Courtyard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore%27s_The_Courtyard), which is also great.

Has anyone ever read any Thomas Ligotti? He's the most "Lovecraftian" of modern horror writers that I've read. If that's even a word.

Thrumble Funk

06/14/2011, 13:42

Ah, Lovecraft - God bless that creepy, sallow old racist.

charlesx

06/14/2011, 14:18

Has anyone ever read any Thomas Ligotti? He's the most "Lovecraftian" of modern horror writers that I've read. If that's even a word.

Yes, indeed. I recommend Ligotti's "Grimscribe", a collection of short stories - of which "The Last Feast of Harlequin" is dedicated to HPL. Very cool! :cool:

charlesx

06/14/2011, 14:20

Ah, Lovecraft - God bless that creepy, sallow old racist.

True dat. I have always found it ironic that as much as I love his writing, he'd probably not want much to do with me. :laugh:

(BTW, my sister-in-law lived in Providence for the longest time and never came across any Miskatonic U. gear. Can you believe it???)

Mistico

06/14/2011, 16:30

Yes, indeed. I recommend Ligotti's "Grimscribe", a collection of short stories - of which "The Last Feast of Harlequin" is dedicated to HPL. Very cool! :cool:

Exactly what I was thinking of, and creepy as hell. He also wrote the non-fiction book "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race", which is the most depressing thing I've ever read (in a good way), and includes a lot about Lovecraft.

Ah, Lovecraft - God bless that creepy, sallow old racist.

Indeed. Did you ever read the Planetary/Authority cross-over featuring H.P.L.? "Mr. Snow, I believe these to be negro eggs".

readyeddy?

06/14/2011, 16:41

Exactly what I was thinking of, and creepy as hell. He also wrote the non-fiction book "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race", which is the most depressing thing I've ever read (in a good way), and includes a lot about Lovecraft.

Indeed. Did you ever read the Planetary/Authority cross-over featuring H.P.L.? "Mr. Snow, I believe these to be negro eggs".

That was Warren Ellis saying that. Lovecraft may have been racist but I doubt if he believed in negro eggs.

Thrumble Funk

06/14/2011, 16:47

Indeed. Did you ever read the Planetary/Authority cross-over featuring H.P.L.? "Mr. Snow, I believe these to be negro eggs".

Heh! Yep. "NO NUBIAN PLANET!"

That was Warren Ellis saying that. Lovecraft may have been racist but I doubt if he believed in negro eggs.

I don't think Mistico was saying that. Ellis is more than capable of taking the insane and making it insaner.

Mistico

06/14/2011, 16:52

That was Warren Ellis saying that. Lovecraft may have been racist but I doubt if he believed in negro eggs.

Oh, I know. But I thought it captured the strangely intense racism that appears in his stories pretty well. I just re-read "Herbert West, Re-Animator", and some of the descriptions in there are pretty appalling.

Thrumble Funk

06/14/2011, 16:52

Palahniuck's Ghost is cute, though gimmicky, if no one's mentioned it yet.

Palahniuk's stuff tends to be gimmicky as a rule, I've found. Enjoyable for the most part, though!

readyeddy?

10/24/2011, 07:16

Just read Shadows Bend by David Barbour & Richard Raleigh. In this book H.P. Lovecraft obtains an artifact that sends him to Robert E. Howard's home to enlist his help on a quest to dispose of it. It turns out that Lovecraft's stories are all sent to him as dreams and that Cthulhu and the rest actually exist.

They travel to Clark Ashton Smith's home because he's obtained a copy of the Necronomicon. On the way they pick up a woman who gets drafted into their quest.

The authors seem to be hell bent on emphasizing the two authors character flaws without making sure that they're completely familiar with their body of work. At least, I get that impression when R.E.H and H.P.L. make references to Red Sonja as the female counterpart to Conan. since Red Sonja didn't get created until about 50 years after Howard died that was a glaring mistake to me.

The story itself was ok as an adventure but didn't quite measure up overall, especially since at least two things happen that should have had a serious impact on the two authors lives after the adventure ends. Instead it leaps to a two part epilogue which describes the two authors final moments.

It also suggests that Howard and Lovecraft were more important friends then I think they actually were.

It's alright if you just need to pass the time I guess.

ben138

10/24/2011, 09:10

Ah, Lovecraft - God bless that creepy, sallow old racist.

I think he knew, deep down, that all men are equal when they dissolve within the entrails of the Great Old Ones.

The Bog Man

11/26/2011, 23:38

When it comes to horror I can name hundreds of movies but not that many novels. I happen to think the scariest stories revolve around broken logic; the universe no longer making sense. Short stories work best for that as it's hard to maintain such a feeling across the span of a whole novel. Marvin Kaye's anthologies usually have a great selection.

Honestly the scariest books I own are the old Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark collections. The stories you can read in less than a minute, the pictures give you screaming nightmares for the rest of your life.

vamroc

11/28/2011, 00:24

soxolas

11/29/2011, 00:45

I'm currently reading H.P. Lovecraft's Favorite Weird Tales

It's a collection of what he considered the best horror stories according to his letters and notes.

It contains Poe's Fall of the House of Usher and several other authors including Ambrose Bierce and Algernon Blackwood.

As far as classic, yep I'll have to go with Poe as well. But I have admittedly never read any Lovecraft. Just never seemed my type of thing. But I will check him out. Anyone wanna suggest what I should track down for my first Lovecraftian nightmare?
The first thing I read by Lovecraft was "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and it scared the daylights out of me, resulting in a couple good nightmares.

Whew...:confused:

commandercool

11/29/2011, 01:12

I think he knew, deep down, that all men are equal when they dissolve within the entrails of the Great Old Ones.

The first thing I read by Lovecraft was "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and it scared the daylights out of me, resulting in a couple good nightmares.

Whew...:confused:

I've been doing a lot of reading up on Lovecraft recently, and I'm particularly fascinated by the way his racism changes, disappears, reappears, and persists throughout his writing. Some people took Shaow Over Innsmouth as a sign that he was growing soft in his old age-The protagonist is, after all, basically a product of interracial breeding (spoiler alert;)).

Others have countered that it marks an even deeper racism, as the message is essentially that getting too close to other races will turn you into one of them. The deep ones seem to be completely evil, or at least completely unfriendly to the human world as we know it, and the protagonist seems to have become unapologetically a deep one by the end.

I think that by that point in his work Lovecraft's racism had evolved to isolationism and plain old xenophobia, and I think he knew it. At a certain point it becomes possibly clear that he has some respect for other races and cultures, but he's terrified of his English ideal being taken over by them.

[/largely groundless pontification]

vlad3theimpaler

11/29/2011, 03:05

I've been doing a lot of reading up on Lovecraft recently, and I'm particularly fascinated by the way his racism changes, disappears, reappears, and persists throughout his writing. Some people took Shaow Over Innsmouth as a sign that he was growing soft in his old age-The protagonist is, after all, basically a product of interracial breeding (spoiler alert;)).

Others have countered that it marks an even deeper racism, as the message is essentially that getting too close to other races will turn you into one of them. The deep ones seem to be completely evil, or at least completely unfriendly to the human world as we know it, and the protagonist seems to have become unapologetically a deep one by the end.

I think that by that point in his work Lovecraft's racism had evolved to isolationism and plain old xenophobia, and I think he knew it. At a certain point it becomes possibly clear that he has some respect for other races and cultures, but he's terrified of his English ideal being taken over by them.

[/largely groundless pontification]

That reminds me, I just got my Lovecraft collection back recently from a girl I had lent it to, so I should resume reading it. After I get some more reading in, I'll see if I agree or disagree with you on his racism. (Not whether it existed, as that's fairly clear, but if it did change later, and how so.)