The last post highlighting unique Cthulhu merchandise was so much fun it just couldn’t stop there. It just couldn’t. Looking to support fans and their (usually) homemade merchandise? Then etsy.com is the place for you. For example, a Cthulhu Button made by an artisan who is obviously a fan of both Lovecraft and LOL cats.
What? The great old one doesn’t like cheeseburgers?
Or if you’re the devout type, how about a Cthulhu Pocket Idol. Although at $50, I would have thought the seller could have found a greener stone, perhaps with a few gold flecks.
After some eighty plus years, Ol’ Squid Face has seeped into pop culture in many different forms. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
But first, did you know what other popular character was introduced in 1928? Mickey Mouse. That’s right Steamboat Willie was released in theaters the same time that “Call of Cthulhu” was freaking people out in print. Makes you wonder what the world would be like had the Big C been as popular as the Mouse. Steam Boat Cthulhu? The Cthulhu Club? Cthulhuteers?
Perhaps not.
1. Music
Call of Ktuluby Metallica – Yeah, this song has been mentioned on this blog before, but it bears repeating. It introduced a lot of black-shirted, long-haired teens to Lovecraft’s most famous creation.
And Metallica didn’t stop there. On their next album, Master of Puppets, they had another Cthulhu inspired song, “The Thing that Should Not Be.”
2. Animation
The Collect Call of Cthulhu – On TV’s animated seriesThe Real Ghostbusters, the big guy was the subject of his very own episode of The Real Ghostbusters cartoon. Lovecraft and Saturday morning cartoons, a match made in Ryleh? Hey, it was the ’80s and the Ghostbusters were up to the challenge, taking Cthulhu on with the help of a roller coaster and lightning. Science! All the episode needed was Elizabeth Hurley.
This episode has a couple classic lines about the Dread Cthulhu:
WINSTON: Cthulhu…I’ve heard of him. He’s bad news, right?
EGON: He makes Gozer look like Little Mary Sunshine. [Gozer was the destructive god in the first film. - DJH]
and
PETER: [referring to Cthulhu's appearance] Anything that looks like Godzilla wearing an octopus hat shouldn’t be hard to find.
3. Games
The Call of Cowthulu – Munchkin Cthulhu. Even Cthulhu isn’t safe from the satirical barbs of the Munchkin game series. In this wacky card game, Cthulhu is spoofed as a giant winged cow, udders and all, with a face covered in feelers. Just don’t drink the milk.
Scribblenauts – In this game for the Nintendo DS, you solve puzzles by writing the names of objects, be it “jetpack,” “laser” or even Cthulhu. That’s right, you can summon the big guy just by writing his name. It’s all fun and games until someone lets loose an Elder God.
4. Comics
The Last Christmas – Penny Arcade. The Great Lord Cthulhu was the star of his very own Christmas tale thanks to the guys at Penny Arcade. He shows up and eats…well, everything and everyone. Who’s the nut-job that asked Santa for an Elder God?
Hello Cthulhu- You know something has reached the peak of pop culture when it is paired up with the likes of Hello Kitty. It boggles the mind.
There are but a few examples of how Cthulhu has worked his way into popular culture–what are some of your favorite examples? Feel free to share in the comments.
It is amusing how Cthulhu, a character that embodies destruction, death and insanity, has reached the point where he is used as a comedic device or portrayed as a lovable, happy cartoon character.
“The Necronomicon? No man, it’s a real book. I own it. See?”
Yes, I see. Of course, I then proceed to try and explain to the individual that what he owns is in fact a book published during the 80′s, written by someone named “Simon” who was trying to exploit the name and cash in on the Lovecraftian legend. The individual receiving this explanation usually looks at me with pity for my ignorance, or demands proof. Eventually they see the light.
What is more significant to me is how the mythology of The Necronomicon has taken a life separate from the work of its creator. Even folk unfamiliar with Lovecraft (yes, a few of them are out there) may have heard of the book in question, even if only through popular culture references such as Raimi’s Evil Dead, where the main protagonist, Ash, finds a book bound in human flesh and written in blood, containing information for creating a rift between worlds.
Perhaps the greatest confusion regarding the existence of The Necronomicon is its name suggests a connection with the very real Egyptian Book of the Dead, primarily funereal rites and hymns recorded for the entombment of people of distinction. Then, there’s something which has come to be known as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a primarily religious tract dealing with religious concepts and states of existence. Nowhere in the above two volumes will one find any reference to Cthulhu or even Yog-Sothoth. Go figure.
Perhaps the allure of The Necronomicon is the promise of hidden knowledge. It’s the same allure that has fueled interest in the occult for generations.
Still, separating fact from fancy is never an honest cure for the romantic. Even knowing the true origin of The Necronomicon, there isn’t one of us who hasn’t found something curious in a used bookstore somewhere, and flipped through musty pages, hoping and wondering. And fearing.
Dark Heritage: The Final Descent Cornerstone Films
Released in 1989
Starring Mark LaCour, Clint Harrison, Tim Verkaik, Eddie Moore and Joan Parmelee
DVD Review by Chris Welch
So, when I stumble across a 21 year-old low-budget horror movie that I have never heard of, on DVD, and the back of the case says “An uncredited adaption of H. P. Lovecraft’s ‘The Lurking Fear,’” I just have to buy it immediately.
And watch it immediately.
And then take my time to think through what I actually want to say in this review.
Dark Heritage: The Final Descent came out in 1989, the same year that Batman, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Field of Dreams, Born on the Fourth of July, Star Trek V and of course, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were all released. It got lost in the shuffle, so to speak.
The movie is a very low budget horror movie, and it follows the basis of “The Lurking Fear,” but it also wraps a modern (well, 1989) frame around it to extend the tale to a feature length film. It also changes the setting to Louisiana, which is where I assume the filmmakers lived. To quote the DVD case: “After a violent thunderstorm, mutilated bodies are found at a Louisiana campground. Investigative reporter Clint Harrison uncovers a dark local legend about the reclusive Dansen clan, who may be connected with the murders. Determined to dig up the truth, Clint and his buddies decide to spend a stormy night at the seemingly abandoned Dansen mansion.”
After the initial murders, most of the movie is set-up for the final scene, when the protagonists finally meet the Martense-inspired Dansen clan. The acting is pretty stiff, the dialog is at times painful, and the whole budget seems to have gone into the old-fashion special effects of make-up and gore; though it should be noted this is not a “gore-fest” type of movie. The movie does, however, get a few things right along the way, in terms of the revealing mystery of the cannibals.
It comes across — and this is just speculation on my part — as if it were the final project for a film student. If that is the case, then that explains a lot about the acting quality.
But — and this is part I took my time to think about — the movie has an absolutely wonderful payoff if you are a fan of “The Lurking Fear.” The final scene when the clan crawls out of the mansion during a storm is right out of Lovecraft’s manuscript. And the “Dansen” clan fits the Martense clan in every way, including the eyes.
And the scene a few moments before the payoff, during the “reveal,” the part where we as viewers get our first real good look at the inbred cannibals, is downright frightening. All I’ll say is it happens in an underground tunnel.
These two scenes are worth suffering through the rest of the movie. That part of the movie is, simply, phenomenal. If this is indeed a student film (I found the DVD in a used bookstore, and there was no booklet inside the case, and there is not a lot of info on IMDb) then that student deserved an A+ for those scenes alone. It’s like digging in a coal tunnel and finding a diamond at the end.
In some ways, this movie anticipates The Blair Witch Project, which was released a whole decade later. In other ways, it seems like every other 1980s low budget horror movie that got lost in the crowd.
Dark Heritage: The Final Descent is an interesting artifact, and one worth watching if you have the time, or want to be a completist in your Lovecraft-inspired DVD collection.
As Cthulhu Month winds down, I think it is important to pay respects to one of the Great One’s most important chroniclers, Abdul Alharazed. It is he, who after all, penned the profane Necronomicon, that all-important cookbook sought after by any self-respecting cultist.
Who was Mr. Alharazed? Strangely, there isn’t much information about the individual available to the serious scholar, although many brave souls around the internet have tried digging up dirt about the man. H.P. Lovecraft himself, in 1927, offered this:
“[Al-Harazed] was a mad poet of Sanaa’, in Yemen, who is said to have flourished during the period of the Ommiade caliphs, circa 700 A.D. He visited the ruins of Babylon and the subterranean secret of Memphis and spent ten years alone in the great southern desert of Arabia–the Roba El Khaliyeh or “Empty Space” of the ancients—and “Dahna” or “Crimson” desert of the modern Arabs, which is held to be inhabited by protective evil spirits and monsters of death. Of this desert many strange and unbelievable marvels are told by those who pretend to have penetrated it. In his last years Alhazred dwelt in Damascus.”
The poet allegedly was consumed in full view of a crowd by an invisible monster, which begs the question as to whether or not Alharazed spent his final years as a mime in white-face. We may not want to imagine the mad poet doing the old “Help-I’m-Trapped-In-A-Box” routine (Marcel Marceau would swear the routine never got old), but it’s important to keep an open mind about such things.
So here’s to Alharazed. We loved The Necronomicon and look forward to the sequel. P.S….the cat? We just know Lovecraft would have appreciated it.
When searching for all things Cthulhu, what never ceases to amaze is the amount of items one finds. For a monsterous creature whose arrival heralds the end of humanity, He-Who-Lies-Dead-But-Dreaming, sure has an enormous product line. For instance?
Or if you’re bored some night, and you’re looking for a way to impress your friends around the gaming table—why not a pair of Cthulhu Plushy Gloves? In our tight economy, all I can ask is—why not?
And how about a Cthulhu Bobble Head? To be honest, I can see myself getting this one. Which is why I’m never, honest. And why my wife keeps cutting the allowance
We could go on, and on…and on…but what’s your favorite Cthulhu themed toy, gadget, or unique article of clothing?
A good fake can sometimes be as much fun as the real thing. Below is a “copy” of a 1933 WPA interview with H.P. Lovecraft. It was allegedly uploaded by an SGToshi. The submitter alone should be enough to raise the skeptical eyebrow of anyone familiar with names associated with Lovecraft over the last few years. Another thing which should spark skepticism is the date of the alleged interview. The WPA wasn’t established until 1935. If you watch it to the end, you’ll see it appears to be little more than a creative trailer for Cthulhu (2oo7), a film which only enjoyed limited release and was bashed by critics and fans alike.
It’s amazing how much debate this video seems to have sparked. A search for the video throughout the internet will find it featured on numerous blogs, with people arguing for and against its authenticity. Real? Fake? Who cares. It’s a few minutes of fun.
Cthulhu Month continues with this review of China Miéville’s nod to Lovecraft’s universe. Told in his unique style, although one won’t see R’yleh rising or hear the chanting of the Deep Ones off of Innsmouth, Lovecraft’s influence is plainly felt.
Kraken
By China Miéville
Del Rey Hard Cover/509 pages
$26.00
ISBN: 9780345497499
Release Date: June 2010
The end of the world is coming. Again. But Billy Harrow, a museum curator, is blissfully unaware that the trouble is brewing in the city of London. While conducting a tour of the Darwin Center, his first clue that something is terribly wrong comes when he finds his treasured giant-squid, an enormous specimen which he preserved himself, is missing–glass container and all.
Investigating its disappearance, Billy becomes entangled in the affairs of hidden London: a cult of squid-worshippers, sentient golems that can travel between statues, animal familiars, a talking tattoo, and a liquid madman. Soon, he finds his missing squid is the center of a world-ending prophecy, and it is up to him and an excommunicated squid cultist, Dane, to stop the apocalypse.
Miéville’s novel is part mystery, part Lovecraftian fantasy, and part the sort of weirdness readers have come to associate with ChinaMiéville. Fans of the Bas-Lag novels are sure to enjoy this latest creation. It’s wonderfully complex and abstract, with plot threads expertly woven to maintain pacing and keep the reader engaged. Like most of the author’s work, there is also a good deal of literary experimentation, with unexpected turns and perspectives which may take a reader by surprise.
One thing which the Miéville faithful may find in Kraken is a more playful tone. Although still influenced by Miéville’s left-leaning ideology, Kraken is almost whimsical at times, incorporating light-hearted punwork (squid-pro-quo?) and amusing characters, such as a group of men who have hands where their heads should be, and are known as Knuckleheads.
Ambitious world-building illuminates an unknown London tucked alongside the modern metropolis. This is Miéville letting his imagination loose and giving us a delightfully entertaining, if intellectually challenging, read in the process. The strange and beautiful viewMiéville has of the world should never leave readers feeling the work is tiresome, even at over 500 pages.
Fans of Lovecraft have always given a knowing nod to the naming of Arkham Asylum in the Batman universe. When the video-game Arkham Asylum was released for gaming consoles, gamers who were also dark fiction fans weren’t disappointed by the dark environment and disturbing images. Arkham Asylum became one of last year’s largest hits, and it looks as if the sequel is poised to hit another one out of the park, if I may lapse into baseball phraseology.
High Seas Cthulhu offers dark fiction on the open seas—or as the editor describes it, “Swashbuckling Adventure meeting Mythos.” Some of the tales are historical, and some more modern. Ferrel Moore’s contribution to the anthology, “The Bedlamite,” was set in the 1800′s. Heavy in atmosphere, the tale works hard to build suspense until the the terrific climax. It’s characters are a creepy, and dysfunctional lot.
“Consider what I have already told you. Each time in the past that this has occurred,” continued Dr. Trempski, “the ships were left behind untouched, just as now. Only the men were taken or driven mad. Remember the Sirens of the ancient Greek Mariners? There are many such legends from many traditions. But in the strange tales concerning the Deep Ones, we hear such narratives at their most terrifying.
Remember, when the Eye of Dagon rose, but did not see the sign that it sought, madness and death descended on anyone that it looked upon. The Secretary’s son perhaps saved his life by putting out his own eyes.”
SS) What is the allure of writing dark fiction?
FM) Dark fiction’s primary interest to me is an exercise in creating mood. I find word usage incredibly interesting, which is why I love genre work. It requires that I learn a whole new way of meeting readers expectations.
SS)Your story was set in the 1800′s. Did you choose to write a piece about that era for any particular reason? Does it strike a romantic note for you?
FM)I chose the 1800’s because I consider it a terrifying period in American history showcasing the barbaric horrors and insanity redolent with self-indulgence, cruelty, bad hygiene.
SS)
FM) Okay, I chose the 1800’s because it resonated well with Lovecraft’s well-known love of the period, and his themes of insanity and chaos. That’s
why I centered the story around a madman (known to some as a “bedlamite” after the most infamous asylum for the insane). In this story, my goal was to be true to Lovecraft’s beliefs about the origin of madness, wherein they come from “beyond.”
Poe, of course, saw the origins of madness within the individual. “The Imp of the Perverse” is hardly an exception in this regard as the imp is simply a metaphor for one aspect of human psychology.
SS)What is the hardest thing for you about writing a mythos story?
FM)Mythos stories are great to write. My favorite genre is mystery and suspense, but I have to admit that the Mythos makes me work harder as a writer. Whereas mystery and suspense are boundaried at the very least by semi-reasonable expectations , the Mythos allows us to take questions of “what if” to a fantastic level.
What To Do When You Meet Cthulhu: Fall 2010
Blood and Ice: Fall 2010
The Ravening: Fall 2010
The Spawning: Summer 2010
Ancient Shadows: Spring/Summer 2010
The Best of All Flesh
Pallid Light
Dark Wisdom
The Sleep That Rescues
