You’d be hard-pressed to find an author more influential on the horror cannon than
the singular Howard Phillips Lovecraft. So many tried and true horror tropes, themes,
and tales took root in his roster of terrifying stories.
In fact, some were so effective that people just seem to label any story containing these
elements “Lovecraftian”. How many times have we seen a person stumble
across a mysterious disappearance, follow the breadcrumbs to discover a cult, then lose
their mortal mind to the void? It’s pretty wild how important and well-referenced
his tales are. It’s also wild how most of his stories are
quickly heading towards the 100 year mark, and remain as puzzling as ever.
Some mysteries have been solved, others left to our imaginations to fester and spread over
the course of a century. Hello horror heads, and welcome back to the
scariest channel on YouTube: Top5ScaryVideos. I’m your horror host, Keegan Hughes, and
today we’re counting down the Top 5 Scariest Mysteries in Lovecraftian Literature.
Put on a blindfold, and write a pile of cryptic letters for your distant relatives to find,
because this is a rabbit hole most protagonists don’t make it out of.
Before we get started, make sure to give this video a big thumbs up, and subscribe for more
cosmic chaos! Phenomenal, let’s begin.
NUMBER FIVE: THE CALL OF CTHULHU One of Lovecraft’s most well-known stories,
this one has been adapted, tweaked, restyled, transformed, modified, and customized in all
sorts of ways. There are videogames based on the subject
matter, there are countless short films loosely adapted from the source material.
It’s the classic Lovecraftian tale of a poor sap and the dangerous pursuit of knowledge.
We follow Francis Wayland Thurston as he unearths a veritable pile of information about Cthulhu.
Through notes left behind by his grandfather, he finds out that many people across the world
feel some sort of connection to the dreaming demon, tethered to it through The Call of
Cthulhu. Split into three chapters, each exploring
a different event connected to the deep-sea slumberer.
First, some sculptures and effigies are discovered, along with strange, hysterical events taking
place around the world. We’re introduced to some classic H.P. imagery
here as well, with a student describing a fever dream influenced by the call: “great
Cyclopean cities of titanic blocks and sky-flung monoliths, all dripping with green ooze and
sinister with latent horror.” Next we find out about a police investigation
that uncovered an undying cult, hundreds of people chanting incantations while sacrificing
women and children. These cultists want to liberate Cthulhu as
he sleeps. Finally, Thurston comes across an article
detailing the exploits of the lone survivor of some odd events at sea.
After being attacked by a strange yacht and discovering a Cthulhu idol, the crew of the
Emma accidentally stumble upon the nightmare corpse-city of R’lyeh.
As they slog through the non-euclidean geometry of the unworldly city, somehow Cthulhu is
released, killing most of the crew. Two remained, but after their narrow escape,
both men went mad and eventually died. The mystery embedded here is multi-layered.
What happened to Thurston’s grandfather? How did he become aware of the cultish activities?
Did the cult allow this information to escape to lure more people in?
Does Thurston know too much? What will happen to him next?
Mysteries that will never truly be solved. NUMBER FOUR: THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS
The ever-present Miskatonic University makes an appearance in this one, employing our literary
professor protagonist Albert Wilmarth. He becomes embroiled in a controversy about
some extraterrestrial sightings after a historic flood.
Wilmarth stands staunchly on the side of science, and therefore sides with the skeptics.
With this viewpoint, he declares that these sightings must have originated from local
legends, and people were just imagining things. However, he soon receives a mysterious letter
from his colleague Wentworth Akeley, who claims to have unique insight into the occult.
In the series of letters that follows, Akeley describes being set upon by agents in robes,
exchanging gunfire, and seeing some bleed green.
In an unprecedented change of heart, Akeley then claims that the beings are actually friendly,
and that Wilmarth should come visit. Intrigued and disturbed by the prospect of
learning unknowable things, our Miskatonic man heads out to the farmhouse where Akeley
lives. There he finds him in terrible condition,
rambling about all the things that could happen. The emaciated man explains that he will have
his brain extracted and placed into a canister that will let him live forever and withstand
space travel. This all seems like a little much for Wilmarth,
who then heads to bed. Now the real mystery kicks in.
In the middle of the night, Wilmarth creeps down the stairs and finds a pile of discarded
robes, seemingly belonging to his friend. Upon further inspection, though, it appears
that he never really spoke to his friend at all.
Inside the robes are Akeley’s face and hands. So who was sending those letters? And who
did Wilmarth speak with that night? Was Akeley already in a brain-tube, blasting off into
space? We may never know, as when Akeley returned
with the police, the house was empty, and his letters gone.
NUMBER THREE: THE RATS IN THE WALLS A descent into madness with an unreliable
narrator always makes for a fascinating puzzle to piece together.
Delapore, our man from Massachusetts, moves to England to take residence in his ancestral
home, much to the chagrin of the locals. Already, a mystery. Why are they so upset
about someone moving in? Well, as it turns out, the Delapores of England
had maintained an underground city for centuries. Inside this subterranean complex? Generations
of HUMAN CATTLE. Yes, they raised and harvested humans for
their flesh. Apparently this all ended when one particular
Delapore decided he’d had enough of madness and killed everyone before disappearing.
This left a great deal of livestock, along with one surviving family member, to live
among the ruins, and eventually be eaten by the rats down below.
All of this proves to be too much for our narrator, who promptly goes mad.
Or was he mad to begin with? He attacks a friend in the darkness, and begins
to eat him while making awful, animal noises. This lands him in a mental institution, where
it is revealed that another investigator into the family home has gone mad.
In the end, Exham Priory is destroyed, and the existence of the underground city is hidden.
Delapore maintains his innocence, claiming that the rats did everything.
The rats, the rats in the walls… Does he mean that the rats ate his friend?
Or that the rats made the city, and enslaved the human cattle?
Or maybe, he’s just too far gone, only focused on the rats.
NUMBER TWO: THE STATEMENT OF RANDOLPH CARTER Mr. Carter is a regular customer in the world
of Lovecraft, appearing in multiple Dream Cycle stories.
However, here he is just a regular man, who found himself in irregular circumstances.
It’s told in the form of a first-person testimony given to police after the disappearance
of Carter’s friend Harley Warren. And that’s the big mystery here: what happened
to Harley Warren? The two men were exploring an ancient graveyard
in Big Cypress Swamp, after discovering that there are doors and stairways to the underworld
through which demons can enter our world. Warren, being the braver of the two, descends
into a tomb while communicating with Carter via telephone line.
Soon, we hear some classic Lovecraftian phrases like ‘God! If you could only see what I’m
seeing” and “Carter, it’s terrible - monstrous - unbelievable!”
A classic peek behind the veil. But of course, this doesn’t last long. After
an extended period of silence, Warren tries to get Carter to run away.
Actually, he tells him to drop the slab and beat it.
Carter, ever the vigilant friend, sticks it out a little longer, trying to figure out
what the hell was going on. Shouting into the line, trying to get Harley
to respond, Carter hears something that he probably wishes he didn’t.
A voice, deep; hollow; gelatinous; remote; unearthly; inhuman; disembodied.
YOU FOOL, WARREN IS DEAD. What happened to Warren? Who was communicating
with Carter? Will he be blamed for the death of his friend?
NUMBER ONE: THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH Ah, Innsmouth. The legendary, imaginary place
where so many Lovecraftian horrors reside. Kind of like Derry, Maine in the Stephen King
universe. Here, we meet Robert Olmstead, who is fascinated
by this little, mysterious town. As he strolls the cobblestone streets, he
notices that the townsfolk are a little odd. They walk a bit like zombies; shambling, fisheyed.
This is strange to him, so he takes it upon himself to ask around about it.
Enter Zadok Allen, an eccentric figure with knowledge of the locals.
Allen explains that the folks of Innsmouth have devoted themselves to a race of terrible
fish-people known as the Deep Ones. They forced humans to breed, creating the
offspring that Olmstead saw shuffling through the shops.
Eventually these human-esque figures will become full-on fish folk, and join their progenitors
in the sea. Olmstead chalks this story up as bunk, and
decides to look for answers elsewhere. This strategy proves to be worrisome, as Allen
disappears, compounding the mystery, as well as the panic in Olmstead’s heart.
Is it really monsters causing all of this? Or is it just a cult who thinks they’re
worshipping monsters? I guess you’ll have to head down to the
library to find out! This story is famous for introducing the Deep
Ones to the Lovecraftian universe, as well as bringing up the Esoteric Order of Dagon.
Very influential, very mysterious, very fishy. This is probably a beginner Lovecraft reader’s
best bet for all of the stuff that makes him famous.
OUTRO Grab your monocles and pipes, and do your
best to work through some of these conundrums. What did you think of the list?
I stuck to strictly HP himself, are there any in the extended canon you would add?
Make sure you let me know, down in the comments. Speaking of comments, let’s have a quick
look at some of your more squishy ones from TOP 5 SCARIEST MONSTERS FROM DANTE’S INFERNO
- PART 2: The Horned King says “I’m pretty sure
I’m gonna end up in Lust. The Internet is one hell of a drug.”
Your name is The Horned King. If that doesn’t say LUST, I don’t know what does.
Lessa M. says “Hellish fart will now be my new favourite insult”
Could you please use it in a sentence? I want to know what context it’ll be used in.
Ben trimble says “Limbo isn’t a pagan afterlife - it’s a party game (not literally;
it’s meant as a lame joke)” Lame joke achieved! Now somebody bring over
the boom pole so I can show off my limbo skills. HJHJ690 asks “So what happens to someone
who does all sins?” They have a really, really good time.
NightmarePete says “If I had to choose I’d go with Limbo because it’s rather chill
and you can just chat forever.” Imagine the inside jokes those guys have down
there. All of eternity to work on dumb bits with eachother. Classic.
And that’s all the time we have for today! Before I enter a helium baloon and breathe
real deep, make sure you give this video a big thumbs up, and subscribe for more terrifying
tales! Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next
time!