10 Prolific Figures Heavily Influenced By H.P. Lovecraft

10. Mike Mignola

Ever since the introduction of the character Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics in 1993, the heavy influence of H.P. Lovecraft in Mike Mignola’s work has been readily apparent.

The opening story, Seed of Destruction, is host to the tentacled monstrosity of Ogdru Jahad, who greatly resembles one of the Great Old Ones of Lovecraftian horror in both appearance and in world-devastating power.

Mignola has cited Lovecraft as not just an artistic influence, but the one who influenced his consistent implementation of cosmic horror. So it seemed to be a perfect combination when Mexican filmmaker and all-around Lovecraftian buff, Guillermo del Toro, joined Mignola in making the 2004 film adaptation of Hellboy.

Del Toro is no stranger to Lovecraft’s influence on the horror genre, noting similarities between Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness and Ridley Scott’s Alien during his attempt at making a film adaptation of the former (a movie that, unfortunately for fans, looks unlikely to happen in the near future).

Even after the success of 2004’s Hellboy film, Mignola continued to go back to his Lovecraftian roots with 2001’s Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, a Batman story reimagined as if written by Lovecraft.

With recent news of an R-rated Hellboy reboot helmed by Neil Marshall coming from Mignola on his Twitter, one can hope more of the horror author’s influence will appear as massive and awe-inspiring as Cthulhu himself - on the big screen.