As we’ve posted about before, a few days ago was the 75th anniversary of the death of H.P.Lovecraft, the author of Call of Cthulhu. Wired did a review of our game to mark that day.
H.P.Lovecraft dedication from the loading sequence of Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land
There are also been a few other articles on the same subject worth a read (and thanks to all those who sent us links!). This article on the BBC is interesting:
…during the last years of his life he believed that almost all his tales were failures, not even worth preserving in book form. But since then he has emerged as the most influential horror writer of the 20th Century. In 1935 he wrote “Nothing is really typical of my efforts . . . I’m simply casting about for better ways to crystallise and capture certain strong impressions (involving the elements of time, the unknown, cause and effect, fear, scenic and architectural beauty, and other seemingly ill-assorted things) which persist in clamouring for expression.”
Yet here we are, 75 years later still talking about his work! There is a longer article looking a him and his work from a much more literary angle – warts and all, and after a robust discussion of the man and his attitudes, concludes:
And when you raise a glass in his memory, remember that yes, H. P. Lovecraft invented the brain-thirsty marauding zombie as we know it, and for that alone he deserves our undying, nay ever-undead, love.
There is also the lighter side of the issue thanks to the Daily Mash:
Horror fan Roy Hobbs said: “I’ve got Lovecraft to thank for opening my eyes to the utter meaninglessness of human existence in a vast, cold universe full of dread. So naturally I wanted to pay my respects by driving myself temporarily mad with fear.
He added: “It was mid-morning at the time, and a strange shadow fell across my desk.
“I looked up and saw… a thing beyond description, a thing of such pronounced hideousness as to mock almighty God by its very being, a being that no human tongue could name nor mortal syllable describe”
“Rubbing my eyes, I realised it was actually my line manager, Richard, telling me to stop staring like a mentalist and do some work.”
