Howard Philip Lovecraft knew madness from a young age. As a young boy, he saw his father committed to a mental institution, while his own life was plagued by frequent bouts of childhood illness and severe anxiety that accompanied him into adulthood. The only saving grace in his life was his interest in the craft of storytelling, a talent that would not bring him much financial reward during his lifetime but would continue to shape the world of horror writing forever after his death.
Today, the well-known HP Lovecraft is recognized as one of the true giants of all literature, whose work has inspired generations of aspiring writers, filmmakers, and other creative talents to explore the darkest corners of existence. The insightful documentary Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown lovingly pays tribute to the great writer’s enduring legacy with the support of many important artists who are still inspired by him today.
According to filmmaker and interviewee Guillermo del Toro, Lovecraft’s unique work created “a very complex myth of inbreeding.” “The reason may be that things much older than humans and the earth look at us with indifference and cruelty.” Other notable panelists included filmmakers John Carpenter and Stuart Gordon, as well as author Peter Straub and Neil Gaiman, who also made invaluable contributions to portraying Lovecraft as a person and an artist.
Lovecraft, immensely gifted but deeply uncertain about his own ability to write, earned himself a unique place among the writers of his day. His work is characterized by an almost ethereal expression of atmosphere and mood as well as entirely new mythologies of his own creation. Behind his otherworldly scenes, mythical beasts and monsters, and characters unable to escape the darkness of their past, is the living portrait of himself.
Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown explores these depths and beyond. Ultimately, however, Lovecraft’s enduring appeal comes down to one major factor. “It was really scary,” admits filmmaker John Carpenter. “It literally gets under your skin.”
