10 Prolific Figures Heavily Influenced By H.P. Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft’s legacy outlives the books he's written: an entire subgenre of fiction is dedicated to his name. Lovecraftian horror is described as a subset of cosmic horror that emphasizes the fear of the unknown, something Lovecraft was certainly known for implementing in his spine-tingling tales.

Whether you recognize the image of Cthulhu or other Eldritch horrors, Lovecraft's influences have subconsciously pervaded popular culture to its core. With cosmically significant figures appearing all over like the race of Engineers and monstrous black goo in 2012's Prometheus and 2017's Alien: Covenant (or that godforsaken baby-faced sun abomination on Teletubbies), and subtler Lovecraftian nods like insanity meters in videogames and appearances of Cthulhu or Yog-Sogthoth on television, his works couldn't be more apparent nor important in the 21st century.

Indeed, Mr. Lovecraft has affected the development of literary horror (and more) beyond face value; many concepts like forbidden knowledge and cosmic insignificance have permeated works since his time, and continue to be apparent today, having been thematically important to generations of authors and creators.

In case you don't know some of them, here are just a few figures influenced by the master of Eldritch horror and his expansive works.

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.