Pr. Henry Armitage (Hero Against the Forces of Darkness)

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I am blogging again about H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft peopled his universe of many, many evil entities and nasty critters, as well as barking madmen, but he also sometimes gave us a few heroes who actually fought the forces of darkness. One of them is Professor Henry Armitage, from Miskatonic University, Arkham. Both university and city are fictitious of course. The portrait you see here is from the fifth edition of the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu. Pr. Armitage is featured in The Dunwich Horror and he is a Van Helsing figure, an academic who figures out the presence of the supernatural and knows how to fight it. He is far more bland than Van Helsing (Lovecraft wasn't the best giving much character to his good guys), but he deserves a mention in this blog. Horror has plenty of villains, we must remember that the genre also has heroes.

Cthulhu by Gaslight

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, a bit more of H.P. Lovecraft and a bit of the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, inspired as you probably know by his writing. I spent a few afternoons and evenings of my teenage and young adulthood playing it, at times I enjoyed it even more than D&Dr. There were three time period you could play it in: the 1920s, so Lovecraft’s own time, the contemporary time period, to play in modern time, and the 19th century, which was called and is still called Cthulhu by Gaslight. It could give the game a more Gothic, old fashioned horror feel. Sadly, I never took the time to develop a campaign set in the Victorian era. I think it would be really fitting for Halloween. Are there anyone among you who played CofC in this specific module? Or indeed any other. Let me know in the comments.

Dagon (H.P. Lovecraft)

I have a lot to blog about this month, so you may forgive me to write another post for the countdown to Halloween. I would like to give a reading suggestion for your spooky nights, as well as sharing a memory with you. You know I love reading H.P. Lovecraft, I always include some of his stories in my Halloween reads. I started reading him to get myself inspiration for the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu. I blogged in 2022 about the first story I read of him. The second story I read of him was Dagon, on Halloween night 1993. Right before bed, in fact. It's still one of my favourite. It's about a mariner in World War 1, escaping capture from the Germans on a lifeboat, who finds a strange island and a monolith, and witnesses a sea creature getting out of the water and hugging the monolith. The apparition terrifies the mariner, who goes back to his boat and turns mad. I don't want to give more away, but the ending is just so perfect. You can read it here. I suggest you do it during daytime perhaps, because you might not sleep so well afterwards.

H.P. Lovecraft and Cosmic Horror

Today is an important date in my countdown to Halloween. Because yes, it has started. It's a benchmark, because it is the birthday of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. I discovered him thanks to the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, inspired by his writing. I used to play it a lot, and read Lovecraft so I could draw inspiration for the campaign I was doing. You can read about my first reading experience of Lovecraft in this post. Today, I will try to make time to revisit some of his stories and maybe discover new ones. And you, do you know Lovecraft? Have you played Call of Cthulhu?

Herbert West, Reanimator

What you see here is a portrait of Dr. Herbert West taken from the RPG game Call of Cthulhu. Horror fans will know him as the villainous protagonist from H.P. Lovecraft's aptly titled Herbert West-Reanimator. The not so good doctor is a disciple if Frankenstein and he reanimates dead bodies. Except he is far more ruthless and cynical about it. Frankly, he is utterly amoral and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The short story is not very well written, Lovecraft considered it an old shame, yet it's very entertaining and genuinely scary. I am blogging about it today because they are filming a new adaptation. I'm carefully optimistic. They made a Re-Animator back in 1985, which was followed by sequels, but the film was very loosely adapted from the source material and turned into a gory horror comedy. Still fun to watch, but I think, I hope, that the new adaptation will be suitably dark. Anyway, I am in my countdown to the countdown to Halloween, so always nice to keep myself in a spooky mood and look forward to new horror movies.

Lovecraft

Today is an important date in my personal countdown to Halloween calendar: it is the birthday of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. The father of modern and of cosmic horror. I first discovered him via the role playing game Call of Cthulhu, based on his work. I will try to read him today and in the upcoming weeks, it's one of my reading rituals in the months leading to Halloween.

Les Nuits de l'Épouvante et Lovecraft

 Lors de mon retour au Québec, j'ai eu le plaisir de me retaper Les Nuits de l'Épouvante pour la première fois depuis au moins trente ans. Mon frère PJ me l'avait laissé à l'appart. J'ai été heureusement surpris de découvrir des éléments lovecraftiens explicites. Ici, Sir Leo, le héros (britannique, bien entendu) de certaines des histoires consulte le Necronomicon. Ah oui, et jolie ambiance, avec le bras reptilien que l'on voit à droite, juste parce que. Je regrette ne pas avoir pris plus de photos pour le blogue. Durant l'Halloween, c'est la bédé parfaite.

Horror on the Orient Express

Decades ago, I used to be a game master for  Call of Cthulhu,the role playing game based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft. Sadly never round Halloween time. It's a shame: it would have been perfect for the season, one more way to enjoy its spooky aspects. I always try to put a bit of Lovecraft flavouring on my Halloween. Anyway, there is one module I have always wanted to try: Horror on the Orient Express. I love trains any time of year and it's no different round Halloween. I blogged very often (and recently) how much they suit the horror genre, having modernity and technology clash with the supernatural. A classic train like the Orient Express is just the perfect horror setting, with the comfort and the cosy atmosphere disturbed by paranormal dangers. Apparently, it's an excellent game, although a highly risky one for the characters. But then again, I would expect no less. Anyway, I hope I can get my hands on it one day and find a few players. For those who enjoyed it, please leave a comment.

Cosmic Horror Day

 Today is the birthday of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.Not a very pleasant man as a person, but the father of cosmic horror and maybe the father of modern horror, period. His work was also the primary source of inspiration for the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, which I always loved to play this time of year, for the kick of it, but also to get myself into a Halloween mood during summertime. It is part of the countdown before the countdown, so to speak. I would love to play a game now, just for fun. I am in a spooky mood.

Playing against Cthulhu

Maybe it is because it feels like autumn is coming these days, maybe because I'm already in a pre Halloween mood, maybe it's because it will be H.P. Lovecraft's birthday soon, but I am so very much in the mood to play a game of Call of Cthulhu, the role-playing game based on his work. We mainly used to play it this time of year. Our last session dates back to something like twenty-five yars ago or so. Maybe more. But to start the officious countdown to Halloween (which is now), a game playing an investigator fighting cosmic horror would be very fitting.

Bookworm Problem (and Lovecraft)

I found this on one of the Facebook pages I follow. I thought it was funny. On a side note, it is the right time to read H.P. Lovecraft if you are in an early Halloween mode. Which of course I am.

Un Temple de Cthulhu à Paris

 La nouvelle franchouillarde et horrifique du jour: il y aurait un Temple de Chtulhu à Paris. Ou peut-être pas. C'est un mystère, mais il y a en tout cas un panneau qui indique son existence. Avez que ça donne la chair de poule. Le panneau a été ou sera enlevé et je trouve ça dommage. Bon, c'est pas comme si Paris était avare d'attractions touristiques, mais j'aime les attractions sinistres et Paris a son côté sombre (bien qu'assez peu lovecraftien). Dans tous les cas, pour les fans d'horreur littéraire comme moi, c'est le genre de nouvelles qui m'aide à patienter jusqu'à l'Halloween.

The Whisperer in Darkness

For today's (first?) countdown to Halloween post, a reading suggestion. For horror fans like myself, it can never be fully Halloween without a dose of H.P. Lovecraft. I haven't read his whole work as of yet (too many horror writers to discover and rediscover), but do consider myself a fan and I enjoy a lot of them. Lovecraft helped me make my enjoyment of Halloween reach adulthood, when I got too old for trick or treat, but still loved the dark and scary atmosphere of the holiday. Reading him became a classic. I have a few favourite Lovecratian stories, including The Whisperer in Darkness, which I recommend today. It is a story between science-fiction and supernatural, like many Lovecraft stories. I generally prefer "pure" supernatural horror, but this one stands out merely for the perfectly paranoid atmosphere. On a cold, dark October night, it is a perfect read. Heck, the title alone should give you shivers. If you haven't read it yet, you can do it online here, among other places. Enjoy. If you have read it, please leave a comment telling me what you thought of it.

Time for Cosmic Horror

 I mention it every year on this blog, or at least I try to, but anyway, here it is: today is the birthday of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Not only is he an unavoidable writer for whoever loves horror stories (whether cosmic horror is your thing or not), but his work also inspired the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, also a favourite of mine. This time of year, a few decades ago, being a game master at Call of Cthulhu was one of my greatest source of fun and it constantly fuelled my imagination. I consider Lovecraft's birthday one of major the milestones of the countdown to Halloween. And I have been wanting to play a game of Call of Cthulhu again since I last did.

A Time to Harvest

 Earlier this year, searching for topics for my posts for the countdown to Halloween, I stumbled upon an image for a campaign of the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu. Based on the horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft. It was aptly called A Time to Harvest and it has such a cool cover. I haven't played Call of Cthulhu in more than twenty years, but I have always wanted to play a Halloween-centered campaign, on top of my other rituals (mostly binge reading and binge watching horror). I know nothing about this campaign, apart from its title and the image, but it struck me that it would be perfect to play in the weeks leading to Halloween. Mainly because the holiday is closely associated with harvest. In any case, I think it would be fun role play in our own horror story in October.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (Discovering Lovecraft)

For today's (first?) countdown to Halloween post, a trip down nostalgia lane and a bit of a reading suggestion. You know that I like reading H.P. Lovecraft. His stories are often part of my spooky reads for the months leading to Halloween. I first discovered it when I was a teenager, learning about the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu. But before I started playing it, I wanted to discover the source material as inspiration, so I borrowed in the library The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. The very version you see here, with the psychedelic cover. The same way I discovered other great horror stories, come to think of it. I thought Lovecraft was a lesser writer than Stoker or Stevenson, but I enjoyed the story and the atmosphere tremendously. I haven't reread it in years, but I might revisit it one day during one of the countdowns to Halloween. You can find it online for free here. It has a Jekyll and Hyde feel to it, even the title is a call back, but in spite of the influences it is very much its own thing, with notions of a vast arcane conspiracy of necromancers that can threaten human civilisation. This is horror on a grand scale. So if you haven't read it, I suggest you make time in the coming weeks.

Monstrum on the Cthulhu Mytho

They are a little bit behind, but I thought I needed to share this video from Monstrum at some point. As you know, it was the birthday of H.P. Lovecraft a week ago. So Monstrum made a video on him three days after, showing why his work is important. They even mentioned the RPG. Well, we can't get enough Lovecraft in the months and weeks leading to Halloween, so here it is:

Tarte cthulienne

Mon frère PJ a fait hier une tarte aux bleuets en l'honneur de l'anniversaire d'H.P. Lovecraft. La tarte aux bleuets était le dessert préféré de l'auteur. C'est donc une tarte aux bleuets cthulienne. Pouvez-vous reconnaître le Grand Ancien?

Cosmic Horror Mood

 Today is the birthday of H.P. Lovecraft. The father of cosmic horror, a whole sub-genre of horror I used to be very fond of when I was a teenager. I prefer smaller scale horror now, but I always loved Lovecraft nevertheless and still enjoy his universe, whether I read his original stories or the one of his continuators. But how I truly enjoyed Lovecraft some more than twenty years ago is via the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, based on his work. I had read fairly little of him when I bought the game around 1994. You can see here the cover of the French translation of the 5th edition. I only have good memories of it. As Halloween is slowly approaching, I wish I could play a few games to get myself in the right mood. I think Halloween always needs a bit of Lovecraft.

Time for Lovecraft

I mention it on this blog every year: today is the birthday of H.P. Lovecraft. Maybe THE most important horror writer of the last century. For me, his birthday marks one important date in the countdown to the countdown to Halloween. I try to read at least one of his stories before my favourite holiday, generally around his birthday. Lovecraft also wrote great horror to read during summertime, not sure why but this is how I feel reading it. This year, I am not sure if I will read one of his original stories, but I am currently reading Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff. Which I bought at £6.66.When I have finished this book, I will hopefully find time to watch the whole TV series adaptation, maybe even in time for Halloween. But I digress. One good thing about Lovecraft is that, in spite of his many flaws, among them his gross racism, antisemitism and homophobia, he nevertheless influenced a lot of writers, some of them capable of writing great horror based on the mythos he created.