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To: alt.horror.cthulhu From: drusmith@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dru A Smith) Subject: FAQ, Part 3: General (v. 6/9/94) Date: 8 Jun 1994 22:18:15 GMT The alt.horror.cthulhu Frequently Asked Questions List (general) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Version: 06/09/94 Organizer: Dru Smith (drusmith@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU) ---> Q. What is this newsgroup about? A. The group is specifically about the creatures, people, places and legends of the Cthulhu Mythos (or Cthulhu Cycle) as reported in the fiction of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and numerous other authors. More generally, the newsgroup also covers other aspects of H. P. Lovecraft's life and work, works by other authors of related style and content, and Mythos-related organizations and products (real or fictional) such as Miskatonic University, music, games, tee shirts, posters, and which cities have the best sanitariums. ---> Q. How is that name pronounced? A. According to H. P. Lovecraft: "The actual sound - as nearly as human organs could imitate it or human letters record it - may be taken as something like Khlul'-hloo, with the first syllable pronounced gutturally and very thickly." Also "The best approximation one can make is to grunt, bark, or cough the imperfectly formed syllables Cluh-Luh with the tip of the tongue firmly affixed to the roof of the mouth. That is, if one is a human being. Directions for other entities are naturally different." An adequate and common substitute for persons lacking facial tentacles is "Kuh-thoo-loo". ---> Q. What's a Cthulhu? A. The best answer to this question is found in Lovecraft's tale "The Call of Cthulhu". Cthulhu is a monstrous entity who lies "dead but dreaming" in the city of R'lyeh, a place of non-Euclidean madness presently (and mercifully) sunken below the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Cthulhu appears in various monstrous and demonic forms in early myths of the human race. Racial memory preserves Him as humanity's most basic nightmare. Cthulhu is the high priest of the Great Old Ones, unnatural alien beings who ruled the Earth before humanity formed, worshipped as gods by some misguided people. It is said that They will return, causing worldwide insanity and mindless violence before finally displacing humanity forever. ---> Q. What does Cthulhu (as an acronym) stand for? A. Nothing that is known. Cthulhu is the English spelling of the sounds which represent the name of a Great Old One. ---> Q. Where can I find Cthulhu Mythos fiction and articles? A. The definitive versions of H. P. Lovecraft's stories, along with Mythos fiction by other authors, are available in hardback from: Arkham House Publishers, Inc. PO box 546 Sauk City, WI 53583 USA Paperback anthologies from other publishers can be found in many bookstores. Other small but important publishers of Lovecraftiana are: a) Necronomicon Press 101 Lockwood Street West Warwick, RI 02893 USA b) Pagan Publishing 1910 N. 49th Street Seattle, WA 98103 USA (206) 632-3471 e-mail: paganpub@aol.com c) Fedogan & Bremer 700 Washington Avenue, S.E. Suite 50 Minneapolis, MN 55414 d) Borgo Press POBox 2845 San Bernardino, CA 92406-2845 For Mac users, the "Nightwatch" hyperzine can be found at mac.archive.umich.edu in the mac/hypercard/fun directory. There is also a periodical called "Lovecraft Studies" (available from Necronomicon Press). The "Call of Cthulhu" role-playing game, supplements, and merchandise (Miskatonic University mugs, Tee-shirts and diplomas) are published by: Chaosium Inc. 950-A 56th Street Oakland, CA 94608-3129 USA phone: 1 (800) 213-1493. e-mail: chaosium@netcom.com CoC players may also be interested in the "Chaosium Digest", an email newsletter concerning Chaosium's games in general; contact Shannon Appel (Internet: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu). Additional info for the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game is provided by Pagan Publishing, as well as various other companies. (See the Games section of this FAQ for details) Also, currently underway is the Lovecraft Transcription Project. It is an effort to get all of Lovecraft's writings down in electronic form. Currently being done by David Schultz and S.T. Joshi. This is for the purpose of both scholarship as well as publication. If you are interested in this (especially if you're volunteering to help), e-mail David at: dschultz@SOLARIA.MIL.WI.US Also, a very interesting book which might be of some help: "A Catalog of Lovecraftiana: The Grill/Binkin Collection", cataloged and annotated by Mark Owings and Irving Binkin. It catalogs the collection of Philip Jack Grill, "acknowledged champion HPL collector of all time.". It is 71 pp, and contains 668 items, ranging from the books HPL wrote (and edited and revised and so on) all the way to photographs and letters written to and by HPL. It lists the publications where many of HPL's stories originally appeared (the pulps). More interestingly, it lists "Anthologies, Novels, and Author Collections with HPL material" as well as "Books about Lovecraft"... One humorous entry in the book is cataloged as "Photo: HPL, looking fat and Hitlerian" ---> Q. Where does August Derleth stand in all this? A. August Derleth was one of H. P. Lovecraft's friends and fans. He was directly responsible for preventing Lovecraft's works from falling into oblivion, and co-founded Arkham House for that purpose; for this we owe him a zillion kudos. He wrote many tales within the Cthulhu Mythos; some of these are based on outlines or fragments by Lovecraft, such as "The Lurker at the Threshold". The controversy over Derleth is that in his tales he adds a number of concepts to the Cthulhu Mythos which appear to be at odds with Lovecraft's conception. He introduced the Elder Gods, ultra-powerful beings who had imprisoned the Great Old Ones and who protect the human race from their machinations. He also turned the Great Old Ones into elemental beings, contrary to Lovecraft's concept of them as unnatural alien invaders, and raising awkward questions such as "If Cthulhu is a water elemental, why is he imprisoned by the sea?" Whereas Lovecraft depicted the Mythos creatures as horrible, alien, and incomprehensible, Derleth sometimes made them understandable and almost likeable - contrast Lovecraft's "The Shadow over Innsmouth" with Derleth's "The Seal of R'lyeh". Although Derleth's ideas are anathema to many Lovecraft purists, his contribution to and influence over the development of the Cthulhu Mythos has been immense and ongoing. ---> Q. What towns did Lovecraft base his locations on? A. Four major towns and suggested real-life equivalents are: Arkham: Salem (with a pinch of Providence, RI) Kingsport: Marblehead Dunwich: Wilbraham/Springfield/Monson/Hampden Innsmouth: Gloucester or Newburyport It is probably wrong to take these equivalents too literally, since Lovecraft was never averse to using real-life locations in his tales (e.g. "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" is set mainly in Providence, RI), and would have had good reason for making his fictional towns significantly different from real locations. A 2nd opinion: On the other hand, I always thought that Dunwich was based on Plasitow, Mass/NH, a few miles North of where Dunwich was supposed to be located. I visited there once or twice, and it looked pretty inbred to me. A 3rd opinion: Well, i always thought it was based on dunstable, mass. dunstable is in north-central massachusetts (actually a little east of central), is at least 50 years older than all the towns around it (dunstable founded in ~1650, most of the others around it ~1700), and there are lots of atmospheric areas in the town--old houses in various states of disrepair, huge gnarly (dude!) trees overhanging the roads, hilly old graveyards, swamps, that kind of stuff. finally, there's the name: DUNstable <--> DUNwich? ---> Q. Where is the Plateau of Leng? A. There are three suggested locations. The first, described extensively in Lovecraft's "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath", is in the far north of the Dreamlands and inhabited by unpleasant, cloven-hooved, horned men, and by an ancient monastery which contains "the high priest not to be described, which wears a yellow silken mask over its face" (Celephais, HPL). The second, described in Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness", is in Antarctica near the South Geomagnetic Pole, once inhabited by the Elder Things but now reserved for giant penguins and the occasional shoggoth. The third location, referred to in Lovecraft's "The Hound" and seemingly the most popular location with other authors, is in the Himalayas and inhabited by a cult of cannibals. The three locations could be related through some quirk of space-time. According to Tierney's "House of the Toad", the Plateau may be found in China's Xinjain (I think that's right) Province. This is notable, because in Discovery magazine a month or two ago, there was an article about some Caucasian mummies bearing items like those found in the Ukraine found here. I seem to recall the Necronomicon saying something like "Leng is connected with many different times and places" (that quote's Lin Carter's invention, and I don't have it right here). Interesting stuff, though. ---> Q. Where is Irem? A. Lovecraft mentions an "Irem, City of Pillars" in some stories. This probably has a Koranic source, as suggested by the following magazine item about an archeological discovery: "The Koran describes how the earth swallowed up a sumptuous but decadent `city of towers' called Iram....diggers can already see that the city center collapsed--as told in the Koran--because it was built over a limestone cavern used to store water." Identified with Ubar, frankincense-trading city in the Arabian Nights. (Jeanne Gordon & Fiona Gleizes, "The `Atlantis of the Sands'," Newsweek, 119:7, Feb. 17, 1992, p. 38.) --Donald Davis Here's some information I remember from the last time I looked up Iram. There were once two brothers, Shaddid and Shaddad, who ruled a city somewhere in Arabia. Shaddid died, and Shaddad became arrogant and cruel. He decided that he would build a garden on Earth imitating the celestial paradise. When the garden was completed, Shaddad and all his retainers rode out in a procession to visit it. Before they could reach it, however, a great "noise from heaven" destroyed all of them, and the location of Iram has never been discovered. I wasn't familiar with that Arabian Nights reference; I'll have to look that up. - Daniel Harms ---> Q. What various manifestation has Nyarlathotep taken? A. An exhaustive list in the making, here is the foundation: AHTU (worshiped in Congo) In this form, Nyarlathotep appears as a huge mound of viscous material, with several golden tentacles sprouting from its central mass. Ahtu's worshipers are usually deformed or mutilated natives. He is called by using a golden bracelet usually separated innto two parts, to prevent Ahtu from being summoned by accident. ("Than Curse the Darkness," Drake; "Dead of Night," Herber (C).) THE BEAST (Egypt) This form manifests itself only at one particular place in Egypt. It was the focus of a revolutionary cult in the Fourteenth Dynesty. (Fungi from Yuggoth, Herber (C).) THE BLACK DEMON (Nowhere?) This is a black-furred, snouted monster which is destroyed by light. The being may be controlled by a summoner using certain talismans, though the user runs the risk of being attacked herself. ("One in Darkness," Isinwyll and Lyons (C).) BLACK PHARAOH, (Egypt) A hairless man with dead black skin and hooves for feet. He is connected with the witch-cults of Western Europe. ("The Dreams in the Witch-House," Lovecraft.) BLACK WIND (Africa?) At times, Nyarlathotep takes the form of the Black Wind, a great storm that can destroy crops, forest, and houses for miles around when he manifests. ("Kenya," DiTillio and Willis (C).) BLOATED WOMAN (China) In this form, N. appears as a huge, obese woman with five mouths and many tentacles. It carries the mystical Black Fan, with which it hides its unseemly builk from humans until it has ensnared them. ("Shanghai," DiTillio and Willis (C).) BRINGER OF PESTS (Egypt) Worshiped in Egypt's Twelfth Dynasty, this manifestation can only be described as a horde of huge spitting supernatural locusts. It is worshiped today by a group known as the Knights of the Silver Twilight. ("The Ten Commandments of Cthulhu Hunting," Monroe and Petersen (C). ) DARK DEMON A form of Nyarlathotep that occasionally manifests itself through a contactee. It appears much as the Black Demon, but is larger and more cunning. It sometimes calls to those steeped in studies of black magic, promising them glory if they will allow him to enter their bodies. Of course, no reward comes to those possessed by this form of Nyarlathotep. ("The Dark Demon," Bloch.) EFFIGY OF HATE (Africa) The Mighty Messenger was worshiped by one African tribe, to which he manifested himself through their war totems. This form is known to have some control over time. ("Regiment of Dread," Gillan. (C).) THE FACELESS GOD (Egypt) In the elder days of the Egyptian civilization, Nyarlathotep was worshiped in the form of a winged sphinx with a featureless head which bore the triple crown of a god. The Faceless God was known to manifest itself through its idols. This cult was later suppressed by the other priesthoods, becoming nearly forgotten in the millennia following its dissolution. ("The Faceless God," Bloch.) THE FLOATING HORROR (Haiti) This form of N. must manifest itself through the body of a specially prepared host. It appears as a red veined jellyfish-like floating organism of a bluish color. This avatar is connected with certain fringe voodoo cults. ("The Star-Pools," Attansio.) HAUNTER OF THE DARK. See Lovecraft's story of the same name. SHUGORON (Malaysia) A black humanoid figure represented as playing a sort of horn. This being is revered by the Tcho-tcho people of Malaysia. ("Black Man with a Horn," Klein; Escape from Innsmouth, Ross (C).) SKINLESS ONE (Mesoamerica) In the guise of a flayed, skinless corpse, Nyarlathotep was worshiped among the Aztecs, to whom he was known as Xipe Totec. (?) SMALL CRAWLER (India) A dwarfed human figure, with four arms and three tentacles for legs. Little else is known of him, except that he is mentioned in the Cthaat Aquadingen. ("Kenya," DiTillio and Willis (C).) TALL, SWARTHY EGYPTIAN MYSTIC (USA) Spreads madness and chaos. (Nyarlathotep, Lovecraft) THING IN THE YELLOW MASK (Dreamlands) An entity draped in yellow silk, its only known manifestation occurred within the abandoned city of 'Ygiroth on Mount Lerion. (Possible link to the King in Yellow?) ("In 'Ygiroth," DeBill.) WAILING WRITHER, a column of whirling black tentacles and screaming mouths, it is alluded to in some Hindu tales. (Escape from Innsmouth, Ross (C).) ---> Q. Where was H. P. Lovecraft buried? A. Swan Point Cemetary, Providence, R.I., close to the road that runs along the back. In the "Lovecraft" plot. Look for the quote "I am Providence" on the stone. ---> Q. Where does HPL or the Mythos (in general) pop up in miscellaneous stories, movies, tv, magazines, etc? A. There are a few cases that fit into no particular category. I've listed them below: 1) "Eaters of the Dead", by Michael Crichton, refers to the Necronomicon in the bibliography. This is a good example of an idea that Lovecraft was fond of -- intermix real world people/places/things with imaginary ones. 2) "Dark Doorway of the Beast", by Gareth Hewitson-May (1992, 250p, New World Publ, Harworth, Doncaster, S. Yorks, DN11 8EW) There was a GREAT picture of Cthulhu in a review of this book. "... the book ranges widely though mythology, tantra, sigils, and the occultism of Aleister Crowley." 3) "H.P. Lovecraft in Full Color" comic series. At least 3 issues were made (#3 was 'The Tomb'). Produced by Adventure Comics. 4) "Strange" magazine, issue #11. It's a big Lovecraft issue and has a great article in it about his "irrational rationalism" and his neo-Zen approach. Check it out and spew, if you will, about it all. 5) "Heavy Metal" (the movie) - The monster's name was 'uhluhtc' (Cthulhu spelled backwards) 6) "The Real Ghostbusters" COMIC BOOK - (From NOW comics, issue #7) : - A dumb issue, but dealt with Deep Ones who were kidnapping people and feeding them to "The Deepest One" (Dagon????) - The tunnel of love in the amusement park was called "The tunnel of Lovecraft" 7) "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (Book, by Mirage, issue???) - Title: "Men of Shadows" - Story centers around a cult of Deep Ones who are trying to summon and Old One. Also mentions the "Whateleys". 8) Some obscure horror author by the name of Stephen King (I think that's right) made a few references to the Cthulhu mythos in some stories: - "Jerusalem's Lot" (in Night Shift) has De Vermis Mysteriis - "I Know What You Need" (in Night Shift) has the Necronomicon - "Gramma" (in Skeleton Crew) has a spell using 'Hastur' in it. - "Needful Things" has 'Yog-Sothoth' in graffiti on a wall - "Crouch End" (in Needful Things) is a complete Cthulhu Mythos story - "The House on Maple Street" completely ruins the ending of the story "The Colour Out of Space" by having the house become overrun with light and then shoot into the air. [SK has said this was his favorite HPL story] ---> Q. What is the history, and future of the universe, and specifically the planet "Earth" as described in the fiction of HPL (et al), and how does it intersperse with 'strange, but true' actual events? A. Earth's prehistory is given in considerable detail in Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness", as well as in "The Shadow Out of Time" *** Ed. Notes *** - Throughout this history, the crinoid/barrel shaped creatures found in the Antarctic (At the Mountains of Madness, HPL) will be referred to as "Elder Things" rather than their other occasional name "Old Ones" to avoid confusion with the use of "Old Ones" in reference to the "Great Old Ones". - Much of this info was taken from Karl Kluge's timeline, but I believe that much of it may be considered irrelevant... Thus I expect much feedback on this timeline, and expect it to be revised and polished a few times before we see the end product. - Very few references were given for any of this information... I could really use some input from folks as to where this info comes from (I know I've read much of this history, but would be hard pressed to remember EXACTLY where) 18-10 bil BC : Somewhere in this range our Universe began (Big Bang) (Real) 4.5 bil BC : Earth formed (real) ^^^ 2 bil BC : Elder Things arrive (crinoid Old Ones from AtMoM) (AtMoM, by HPL) : Possibly the Antarctic was already inhabited by 'Something Nasty' at the time, but the record is unclear. (No ref.) ??????????? : The people of K'n-yan, who reputedly brought "Tulu" who migrated to the surface when the land was fit to live on. (No Ref.) 600 mil BC : Flying Polyps arrive, and build basalt cities with windowless towers (in Australia) (No Ref) : Archaean slate preserves striated triangular footprints of Elder Things (No Ref) 200 mil BC : Pangea broke up (real) ???????????? : R'lyeh emerges(?)/is built(?) (No Ref) : Spawn of Cthulhu arrive, and war with the Elder Things and drive them into the sea (No Ref) 150 mil BC : Permian age (real) : Marine Elder Things re-subjugate Shoggoths (No Ref) : Elder Things war with Great Race (No Ref) ???????????? : Great Race of Yith (minds only) came forward and inhabited the bodies of the indiginous Australian conical entities. (No Ref) ????????????? : Jurassic (real) : Mi-go arrive from Yuggoth (Pluto) and drive Elder Things from Northern Hemisphere (No Ref) 100 mil BC : Rifts seperate Africa from Europe/Valusia and Asia (No Ref) 50 mil BC : City founded in Mts of Madness to replace older city on site of first arrival, by Elder Things (No Ref) : Land bridge to Americas through Iceland ends, seperating the flora/fauna evolution of America from Europe (Real) 30-25 mil BC : Development of CircumAntarctic current, essentially isolating Antarctica from the rest of the continents, and beginning the establishment of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (Real) : Pliocene map (Real) ??????????? : No sea cities of Elder Things north of 50deg S; no land cities outside of Antarctica and tip of South America (No Ref) 3.5 mil BC : Pliocene epoch (Real) : Uplift of Panama, seperating Atlantic and Pacific oceans (Real) 50,000 BC : Civilization of great-headed brown people of South Africa (No Ref) 35,000 BC : Earth's Ice sheets show a nearby star exploded (Ref: New York Times, Dec 14, 1991).[Abstract: Scientists say that traces of a rare element, beryllium-10, found deep in Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets indicate a nearby star blew up 35,000 years ago, bathing the Earth in radiation that could have speeded evolution. The exploding star was only 150 light-years, or 880 trillion miles, from Earth.] 24,000 BC : Hair cannibal Gnophkehs overcame many-templed Olathoe and slay all the heros of the land of Lomar (inside 80 deg N). (No Ref) : Pnakotic Manuscripts taken to Ulthar in the Dreamlands (No Ref) : Hyperborean copy of PM preserved by same cult which wrote the Book of Eibon (No Ref) 2697-2597 BC : Reign of Yellow Emperor -- "In those days the world of mirrors and the world of men were not, as they are now, cut off from each other. They were, besides, quite different; neither beings nor colors nor shapes were the same. Both kingdoms, the spectacular and the human, lived in harmony; you could come and go through mirrors. One night the mirror people invaded the Earth. Their power was great, but at the end of a bloody warfare the magic arts of the Yellow Emperor prevailed. He repulsed the invaders, imprisoned them in their mirrors, and forced on them the task of repeating, as though in a kind of dream, all the actions of men." (Ref: Borges, "Book of Imaginary Being") -- The theory that this is a reference to the imprisoning of the Great Old Ones has been forwarded. Opinions would be most welcome 1515 BC : Victory of Zeus over the Titans (Ref: Graves??). From Plutarch's "On The Apparant Face In The Moon's Orb", xxvi : "...But when the star of Kronos...comes into the sign of the Bull every 30 years, they having got ready beforehand all the things required...they send out people appointed by lot in the same number of ships, furnished with provisions and stores necessary for persons intending to cross so vast a sea by dint of rowing, as well as to live a long time in a foreign land....Those who escape from the sea, first of all, touch at the foremost islands, which are inhabited by Greeks also, and see the sun setting for less than one hour for 30 days in a succession....For wonderful are both the island and the mildness of the climate; whilst the deity himself has been an obstacle to some when contemplating departure....For Kronos himself is imprisoned in a vast cavern, sleeping upon a rock overlaid with gold; for his sleep has been contrived by Zeus for his chaining...." (Kronos = Cthulhu? imprisoned sleeping in a cave) 1472 BC : Tuatha de Danaan arrive in British Isles. Later defeat Irish Firbolgs at Battle of Moytura (Graves) [link to _Danuna_ people in Kartepe bilingual, _Dananian_ tribe listed as a "people of the sea" defeated by Ramses III?] 1268 BC : Milesians defeat Tuatha at Battle of Tailtenn c. 1200 BC : Zabulon writes his grimoire. "Beginning in the XIIth century, medieval writers transformed Augustus' court poet, the mild and harmless Publius Vergilius Maro, into a mighty magician who built Naples on a foundation of eggs, owned a prophetic brazen head, built a whirling castle, and kept an army of robots to trounce his foes....Virgil's book had belonged to the magician Zabulon, who, of Jewish-heathen descent, had practiced his art around 1200 BC. He died on the Magnetic Isle, in a sea surrounded by gryphons, sirens, and crocodiles, having left orders for the book to be buried under a stone at his feet. Shipwrecked on the Magnetic Isle, Virgil discovered a demon imprisoned in a glass by the seal of Solomon. Virgil released the devil in return for the latter's promise to lead him to the book. The demon taught Virgil to read the Chaldean characters in which the book was written. Then Virgil, mistrusting his tutor, tricked the devil into reentering the phial and stoppered him up again. A sorcerous pupil of Virgil was 'Melino' who is simply the Arthurian Merlin as adapted by Aliprandi, the historian of Mantua, about AD 1414. Once, in Naples, Virgil sent Melino to Rome to fetch his book. Melino disobediently opened the book, whereupon a cloud of devils assailed him. He got rid of them by commanding them to build a road from Rome to Naples....A plausible suggestion by Prof. E. K. Chambers is that Merlin was an eponym of Carmarthan....At last, Geoffrey of Monmouth or one of his sources assumed that this name meant 'Myrddin's Town' and invented a Myrrdin or Merlin to play the role of this supposed local hero." [12/72 _Sci Fi & Fantasy_, "Books that Never Were" by L. Sprague de Camp] 356 BCE: Birth of Alexander the Great. 331 BCE defeats Darius at Gaugamela; May 330 burns Persepolis; 327 marries Roxanna, invades Punjab; Autumn, 324 Hephaestion dies at Ecbatana; June 323 Alexander dies. [332 BCE Alexander founded Alexandria: From Appendix III of Minoo Southgate's translation of the ISKANDARANAMAH: "In his account of the building of Alexandria (I:410- 21), al-Mas`udi records an episode reminiscent of Alexander's submarine adventures in the diving bell found in Talmudic literature. According to al-Mas`udi, when Alexandria was under construction, strange creatures came from the sea and caused much damage. Alexander and two men descended into the sea inside a chest. Through the windows of the chest, they saw the animals who had interfered with the building of the city and the two men drew their picture. Alexander ordered craftsmen to build images of those animals from the pictures and placed the images on the shore. When the animals came from the water and saw those images, they went back to sea, never to return." -- conflict with Deep Ones?] 3rd cent. BCE: Kleitarchos (quoted 9/1/87 NYT): "Out of reverence for Kronos, the Phoenicians, and especially the Carthagians, whenever they seek some great favor, vow one of their children, burning it as a sacrifice to the deity, if they are especially eager to gain success. There stands in their midst a bronze statue of Kronos, its hands extended over a bronze brazier, the flames of which engulf the child." (Yep, Kronos sounds pretty Cthulhu- like) 264 - 241 BCE: First Punic War. Shortly after, "the river that runs through the country of Picenum was seen flowing with blood; there was a report that three moons had been seen at Ariminum" [Plutarch's "Life of Marcellus"] Oct 15, 70 BCE: Birth of Publius Vergilius Maro (Virgil) mear Mantua. Died Sept. 20, 19 BCE. Found book of Zabulon on the Magnetic Isle (see 1200 BCE) 30 BCE: Ubar/Irem "a many-columned city...whose like has never been built in the whole land" [Koran] vanishes in sandstorm. [1984 Challenger mission spots buried roadway stretching for 60 miles in desert north of Oman's Dhofar province] [Mankato Free Press, 7/16/1990] [Hitti, HIST.ARABS: "A recently discovered Nabataean site, 'RM, 25 miles east of al-Aqabah, is Kornaic Iram (sur. 89:6)"][2/5/92 NYT "Archeologists and explorers in Oman have uncovered the ruins of eight towers and adjoining walls and deposits of pottery dating to Roman times and as far back as 2,000 BC. The explorers are virtually sure it is UBAR, the fabled entrepot of the rich frankincense trade thousands of years ago."] 3rd - 4th cent. CE: Lead Greek love spell: "Now now quickly quickly. I am Barbadonaiai Barbadonai who conceals the stars, who preserves the heavens, who establishes the cosmos in truth. Iattheoun, iatreoun, salbiouth aoth aoth sabathiouth iat'therath Adonaiai isar suria bibibe bibiouth nattho Sabaoth aianapha amourachthe satama Zeus atheresphilauo." 642 CE: Record of Sibyl of Erythraea destoryed in burning of Library of Alexandria -- foretold that city of Rome would finally be destroyed by Perytons. [Erythraean Sea == Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean] 700: Wurzburg Codex gives fragmentary history of Tuatha c. 730: _Al Azif_ written at Damascus by Abdul Alhazred, who claimed to have visited Irem and an even older city; worshipped Yog-Sothoth and Cthulhu. 738: Alhazred dies or disappears under terrible circumstances. Said by Ebn Khiallikan to have been seized in broad daylight and devoured by an invisible monster before a horrified crowd. 950: _Al Azif_ translated into Greek as _Necronomicon_ by Theodorus Philetas 1050: Greek text of _Necronomicon_ burnt by Michael, Patriarch of Constantinople (Arabic text lost at this point) 1228: Olaus translates _Necronomicon_ into Latin. 1232: Pope Gregory IX places _Necronomicon_ on _Index Expurgatorius_ 15th century: Black letter edition of Latin _Necronomicon_ printed in Germany. Copy rumored to exist in the British Museum. 1500 - 1550: Greek text of _Necronomicon_ printed in Italy. Last known copy vanished in burning of a certain Salem man's library in 1692. Copy kept by Pickman family of Salem? If so, vanished with R. U. Pickman in 1926. 16th cent. CE: rabbi from Fez (Jacob Ben Chaim?) quotes now lost work of Greek scholiast on Perytons "The Perytons had their original dwelling in Atlantis and are half bird, half deer....Its strangest trait is that when the sun strikes it, instead of casting a shadow of its own body, it casts the shadow of a man....and those who crossed the sea with Scipio to conquer Carthage came close to failure, for during the passage a formation of Perytons swooped down on the ships, killing and mangling many....Although our weapons have no effect against it, the animal -- if such it be -- can kill no more than a single man....in Ravenna, where they were last seen, telling of their plumage which they described as light blue in color, which greatly surprised me for all that is known of their dark green feathers." [Borges, _Book of Imaginary Being_; rabbi's book lost in bombing of Dresden at Univ. library; the Perytons sounds like servitors of the Great Old Ones to me.] c. 1630: M. O'Cleary writes _Book of Invasions_, which gives history of Tuatha 17th cent: Spanish printing (in Latin?) of _Necronomicon_ (copies at Biblio- theque National in Paris, Widener Library at Harvard, Miskatonic U. library at Arkham, library of Buenos Aires). 1839: _Unaussprechlichen Kulten_ published in Dusseldorf. Written by Fvindvuf Von Junzt (1795-1840) [read _Necronomicon_ in Greek translation]. Von Junzt dies six months after returning from trip to Mongolia while working on second book. Less than a dozen copies exist of this edition. ["Von Junzt relates many stories of the survivals of cults worshipping pre-human entities or prehistoric gods, such as Ghatanothoa, Bran, and others. The principle obscurity of the book is in Von Junzt's use of the term 'keys' -- phrase used many times by him, in various relations, such as descriptions of the infamous Black Stone in Hungary and the legendary Temple of the Toad in Honduras."] 1845: Bridewell, London publisher, does a pirated translation of _Unauss. Kulten_. "...full of grotesque woodcuts, and riddled with misspellings, faulty translations, and the usual errors of a cheap and unscholarly printing...." 1859: Bulwer-Lytton's "The Haunted and the Haunter": "Let me describe what I mean from an experiment which Paracelsus describes as not difficult, and which the author of the _Curiousities of Literature_ cites as credible :- a flower perishes; you burn it. Whatever were the elements of that flower while it lived are gone, dispersed, you know not whither...But you can, by chemistry, out of the burnt dust of that flower, raise a speculum of the flower, just as it seemed in life. It may be the same with a man." 1865: E. A. Hitchcock, _Remarks on Alchemy_ "...the now unattainable secrets of the Aklo tablets." June 1882: meteorite lands west of Arkham "The Colour Out of Space" 1888: Publication of _The Secret Doctrine_ by Blavatsky 1888: Stanislas de Guaita founds Ordre Kabbalistique de la Rose-Croix. Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn founded in England, with eleven degrees, from neophyte to ipsissimus. Its imperator is McGregor Mathers, whose sister marries Bergson. 1889: Mathers uses 7 codices from Br Mus (1 16th cent Latin, 1 Italian, 5 French) to publish _Clavicle of Solomon_. Expurgated, but restored Hebrew in diagrams. 1890: Joseph Peladan, called Josephin, leaves Guaita and founds the Rose-Croix Catholique du Temple et du Graal, proclaiming himself Sar Merodak. Conflict between Rosicrusians of Guaita's order and those of Peladan's is called the War of the Two Roses. 1891: Papus publishes his _Traite methodique de science occulte_. 1892: Body exhumed, heart burned in Exeter, RI (mentioned "The Shunned House") 11 Aug 1892: Dracula attacks Lucy at Whitby (full Moon) 1898: Aleister Crowley initiated into Golden Dawn. Later founds Order of Thelema. Feb 22, 1901: Climax of "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" Nov 1, 1907: raid near New Orleans captures Cthulhu cultists 1907: Jorg Linz founds Order of New Templars 1907: From the Golden Dawn is born the Stella Matutina, which Yeats joins. 1908 - 1913: Wingate Peaslee's amnesia 1909: Golden Goblin Press, New York. Expurgated edition of _Unauss. Kulten_ (fully one quarter of work cut), handsomely bound, illustrated by Diego Vasquez. Approx. 30 known to still exist. 1909: In the United States, H. Spencer Lewis "reawakens" the Anticus Mysticus Ordo Rosae Crucis and in 1916, in a hotel, successfully transforms a piece of zinc into gold. Max Heindel founds the Rosicrucian Fellowship. At uncertain dates follow Lectorium Rosicrucianum, Freres Aines de la Rose-Croix, Fraternitas Hermetica, Templum Rosae-Crucis. Jan 1910: Houdini is "Imprisioned With the Pharaohs" 1912: Annie Besant, disciple of Madame Blavatsky, founds, in London, Order of the Temple of the Rose-Cross May 1912: List founds Germanen Orden. Thule Society is Munich lodge of G. O. Aug 3, 1913: Box delivered to A. Jermyn 1914: _Emden_ sinks ship whose survivor encounters Dagon? [Refs from the Times: OCTOBER-DECEMBER, 1914 Supply ships captured by *Yarmouth*, Oct 16, 8e; Officers of captured British vessels: reports to owners, 17, 5e; 4 British ships and dredger sunk; *Exford* captured, 22, 6e; *Emden*'s list of captures, 22, 6e; *Emden* sinks *Kanasata Maru*, 29, 7c; Number of vessels sunk by the *Emden* 30, 7c, *Emden* sinks Russian cruiser *Zhemchug* and French destroyer at Penang (reported to have rigged dummy funnel and hoisted Japanese flag), 31, 8d (and l.e.); Iron crosses conferred on *Emden* crew, 6, 6d; Emperor William's message to burgomaster of *Emden*, 11, 6c; *Emden* sunk at Cocos Island by *Sydney*, 11, 9f; 12, 8d (e.e.); *Emden*'s history of exploits, 11, 9f; Table of vessels captured and sunk by *Emden*: estimated value, 11, 10a; Capt. von Muller's report, 28, 7b; [Ed. note: The above reference sounds *very* interesting.] *Emden* officer's letter quoted, Dec. 15, 6c; *Emden* landing party landed at Rangoon, 21, 6d] Aug 20, 1917: "The Temple" 20 N, 35 W 1918: Thule Society is born in Germany. Aug 17, 1918: 30 members initiated into revived Thule Soc. in Munich; Sebottendorff lectures on divining rods (_pendeln_) Aug 25, 1919: exploration of the Shunned House 1919: List (b. 1848) dies in Berlin. Linz replaces him -- Theo-zoology. Aug 1921: Reporter encounters "The Lurking Fear" Jan 1922: "The Attic Window" published in _Whispers_ (see "The Unnameable") July 16, 1923: Delapore moves into Exham Priory 1923: HPL writes "The Festival" ("...they included old Morryster's wild _Marvells of Science_, the terrible _Saducismus Triumphatus_ of Joseph Glanvil, published in 1681, the shocking _Daemonolatreia_ of Remigius, printed in 1595 at Lyons, and worst of all, the unmentionable _Necronomicon_ of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, in Olaus Wormius' forbidden Latin translation..." ["The Nameless City" written 1921; "The Hound" 1922] July, 1924: "New and revised" edition of Yeat's Essays. ["Magic" in IDEAS OF GOOD AND EVIL: "I sat with my acquaintance in the middle of the room, and the evoker of spirits on the dais, and his wife between us and him. He held a wooden mace in his hand, and turning to a tablet of many-coloured squares, with a number on each of the squares, that stood near him on a chair, he repeated a form of words." "I find another record, though made some time after the event, of having imagined over the head of a person, who was a little of a seer, a combined symbol of elemental air and elemental water. This person, who did not know what symbol I was using, saw a pigeon flying with a lobster in his bill....In those days I used symbols made with some ingenuity instead of merely imagining them. I used to give them to the person I was experimenting with, and tell him to hold them to his forehead without looking at them; and sometimes I made a mistake. I learned from these mistakes that if I did not myself imagine the symbol, in which case he would have a mixed vision, it was the symbol I gave by mistake that produced the vision." HPL was fond of Yeats -- influenced by Yeats' account of his Golden Dawn activities?] Mar 23 to Apr 2, 1925: R'lyeh emerges from ocean Oct 9, 1925: Letter 197, vol 2, HPL to CAS: "I bedeck my tale [Horror at Red Hook] with incantations copied from the 'Magic' article in the 9th edition of the _Britannica_, but I'd like to draw on less obvious sources if I knew of the right reservoirs to tap." Recommends _Witchcraft in Western Europe_ to CAS. 1926: R. U. Pickman disappears. Good Friday, 1927: Chas. Dexter Ward revives Joseph Curwen July 6, 1927: "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" Feb 1928: Raid on Innsmouth Aug 1928: The Dunwich Horror Oct 7, 1928: Randolph Carter goes through the Gate of the Silver Key [Aug 30, 1932 letter "Dear Abdul...And for each plane of cutting, we get a different 3 dimensional solid. Thus from an original, unchangeable 4th dimensional SOMETHING, we get a (sic) infinity of seemingly different 3 dimensional forms; as by varying the angle at which a plane cuts a cone... All of which is the thesis accounting for Carter's scrambled affairs."] Jan 22, 1931: Plane spots the Mountains of Madness 76 deg 15' S, 113 deg 10' E March 1931: Gale wrecks roof of the Witch House Late 1933: Rudolf von Sebottendorf publishes _Before Hitler_, dedicated to the seven members of Thule killed by Reds in Munich Apr. 30, 1919 March 1, 1934: Bavarian police ban _Before Hitler_, inform publisher June 3, 1935: First blocks found by Peaslee's Australian expedition Night July 17-18, 1935: Peaslee explores ruins 1953: "_Sir!_ magazine publishes an article by Arthur Scott implying a real copy [of the _Necronomicon_] exists bound in human flesh." ---> Q. What is the historical veracity of the various beings/tomes/ places/people which HPL(et al) supposedly 'invented'? A. 1) Nodens: During the Roman occupancy of Britain, he was a god of fishermen (on the River Severn - Ramsey Campbell territory) and healing, and closely associated with dogs. No resemblance to HPL's version. The remains of a temple can be found near Lydney, Gloucestershire, UK, along with a small museum full of relics from the site, plus various papers including one by J. R. R. Tolkien on the derivation of the name "Nodens" from its Celtic predecessors. ---> Q. Does anyone actually take HPL/Mythos fiction as fact? A. This is a loaded question. To answer it, I will assume that HPL (et al) created the core of the Mythos, as well as numerous tomes, but mixed in a generous helping of real-life people/places/ things. As an example, "The Golden Bough" is a real book (in fact I own a copy of this, IMHO, boring text), but "Necronomicon" is not. So, though HPL (et al) used "The Golden Bough" in their stories, this answer has nothing to do with whether or not anyone believes that the book exists. It *DOES* deal with those who believe that things like "Necronomicon" exist, (as well as any ficticious race/place/tome, etc). To move on to the answer: Yes. Some folks take this fiction as 'fact'. Here are the examples we have thus far: 1) The Church of Satan - Although they don't proclaim to believe in "The Old Ones" (per se), they do believe in the symbology of "Cthulhu" as something worth basing two of their rituals upon. Said rituals are found in "The Satanic Rituals", by Anton Szandor Lavey (Avon Books). 2) Necronomicon FAQ by Colin Low - This FAQ is found at ftp.lysator.liu.se - Directory is /pub/magick/Necronomicon - Although I'd call if fiction, the existance of this data in a Usenet FAQ points to someone believing that it is true. I feel that this 'FAQ' is done in the spirit of Lovecraft's "History of the Necronomicon", but with much greater detail. It's at least worth a read-through for it's application to the game Call of Cthulhu (see games.faq) 3) "The Oldest History of the World" by Benny Evangelist (1936) - "The author of this book was found decapitated in his Detroit home on July 3, 1929, near the murdered remains of his family. Investigation revealed that Benny was the leader of a secretive cult, and had left behind a manuscript which he claimed to have been divinely inspired. The first part of this manuscript was later published. Yes, it sounds like your standard Mythos story, but this one really happened. "Anyway, the book above actually has little to do with the Mythos. I am noting it because at three points in the text, a book of black magic which is titled "Necromicon" or "Necronemicon" turns up. I haven't read it, so I can't say whether it's any good. I got that last bit of information from Colin Wilson's novel _The Philosopher's Stone_. Since Wilson claims not to make anything up, and since _History_ wasn't his invention, I don't think it would hurt to tell you about this one, too." - Randall Flagg 4) "Secrets of Atlantis" by Gabriel Guenon (1941) - "Secrets was written shortly before its author's death. According to Wilson, it attempts to prove that Lovecraft was writing about things which really existed. Unfortunately, a brief check down at the ol' library has turned up the following information: a) It's not in print. b) It's not available through inter-library loan. c) The British Museum Library doesn't have it. My guess is that it was published in a limited edition in England, and never reached our shores. Or maybe all copies were destroyed by an evil cult. Take your choice." - Randall Flagg 5) "The Satanic Lays" by ???????? - Contain 2 ceremonies to raise the Great Old Ones - The German ritual on electricity seems to allude to HPL's quotes about the Old Ones, as well as to the Hounds of Tindalos. 6) Kenneth Grant: 6a) "Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God" by Kenneth Grant - Nothing further 6b) "Man, Myth and Magic" by ? - Kenneth Grant's 2 page article in the appendices - "Grant believes that HPL was in touch with Cthulhu & Co., who prompted him to write his stories. He then cites other cross-cultural influences which seem to point toward this conclusion. Unfortunately, the man's an awful Lovecraftian scholar, and his stuff's filled with mistakes" - Daniel Harms 7) The Esoteric Order of Dagon: The following is the last public announcement I am aware of by the Esoteric Order of Dagon. It is posted with the permission of Ms. Crummett. STATEMENT OF THE YADDITH LODGE The Yaddith Lodge is at this time the only genuine and active Lodge of the Esoteric Order of Dagon (E.'.O.'.D.'.) and is entrusted to protect the reputation and integrity of the EOD during its present Period of Silence. The only members of the Yaddith Lodgeare the three former Directors of the EOD. Any person not a member of the Yaddith Lodge claiming to be a member, to represent a Lodge, or to be the Director of the EOD is either self-deluded or consciously misleading and manipulating the uninformed. When the Period of Silence has ended the Yaddith Lodge will appoint a new Director and this person will then be authorized to open other authentic Lodges and confirm membership in the EOD. Issued by the Yaddith Lodge, Vernal Equinox, 1993 e.v. (Signed) Steven Greenwood, Nina Crummett, Peter Smith The Esoteric Order of Dagon is therefore inactive at this time. I must stress that this organization is not to be confused with the amateur press association of the same name. 8) Miskatonick Society: There is another group called the Miskatonick (sic) Society which has some overlap with the above group but is not a "magick" group. They publish a journal called 'The Silver Key' which is free to members. There are no dues or fees to belong to the Miskatonick Society but membership is by invitation only and limited. There is a branch in England as well as the U.S. The U.S. address is: The Miskatonick Society, P.O. Box 5301 Eugene, Oregon 97405. I am not a member of this group but know many of the american members. They do not engage in graverobbing or acts of violence and only want to correspond with sane, rational, literate scholars of Lovecraftian/fringe subjects. These include Lovecraft, Machen, Kenneth Grant's books and theories, UFO cults and cranks, especially in relationship to Lovecraftian themes, the Jungian transpersonal forces of the unconscious as the "Great Old Ones', etc. Writers and artists interested in joining should enquire and perhaps in- clude an example of their work (with SASE if they want it returned.) Path: portal!portal.com!sdd.hp.com!math.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!drusmith From: drusmith@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dru A Smith) Newsgroups: alt.horror.cthulhu Subject: FAQ, Part 4: Movies (v. 6/9/94) Date: 8 Jun 1994 22:18:54 GMT Organization: The Ohio State University Lines: 439 Message-ID: <2t5g4e$sc0@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: beauty.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu The alt.horror.cthulhu Frequently Asked Questions List (movies) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Version: 06/09/94 Organizer: Dru Smith (drusmith@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU) ---> Q. What Mythos movies have been made? A. The following list shows you movies that fall under any of the following categories: 1) Screenplay based upon an existing HPL(or HPL-related) story 2) Original Screenplay, using the names/places/tomes/monsters found in HPL (et al) fiction. 3) Original Screenplay, making vague references to HPL (et al) or their mythos-related fiction. The following are *NOT* included (because their inclusion can be both questionable, and the list could grow out of proportion): 1) Movies with a "Lovecraftian" tone, but which make no actual mention of HPL (et al) nor his fiction/mythos. This list is chronological. Year Movie Based Upon* 1963 The Haunted Palace The Case of Charles Dexter Ward 1965 Die, Monster, Die The Colour Out of Space x 1965 Monster of Terror The Colour Out of Space 1966 The Shuttered Room ???????????????????????? 1970 The Curse of the Crimson Altar Dreams in the Witch House x 1970 The Crimson Cult Dreams in the Witch House 1970 The Dunwich Horror The Dunwich Horror 1985 Re-Animator Herbert West: Re-Animator 1986 From Beyond From Beyond 1987 The Curse The Colour Out of Space x 1987 The Farm The Colour Out of Space 1987 Evil Dead 2:Dead By Dawn1989 Bride of Re-Animator 1991 Cast a Deadly Spell 199? Cthulhu Mansion 1988 The Unnamable The Unnamable 1993 The Unnamable 2: The Statement... The Statement of Randolph Carter 199? The Curse 2 199? The Curse 3 199? Army of Darkness 1993 The Resurrected (1991??) The Case of Charles Dexter Ward 1994 H.P. Lovecraft's: The Necronomicon Cool Air, The Rats in the Walls, The Whisperer in Darkness * => N.B. means "Not Based" upon an existing HPL(or HPL-related) story x => These movies are identical to others in the list, but are released under different titles for various reasons. There are quite possibly a few items missing from this list. The original FAQ has the following, but I can find NO information about them: Call of Cthulhu (b&w) The Shuttered Room (based on one of Derleth's stories) In addition, there are rumors about "Shadow over Innsmouth" and "Mountains of Madness", but they are only rumors. Definitive info would be appreciated. Notes: The Haunted Palace (1963) Producer: James H. Nicholson & Samuel Z. Arkoff Director: Roger Corman Company : American-International? Stars : Vincent Price, Debra Paget, Lon Chaney Jr, Frank Maxwell, Leo Gordon - Quite possibly the first HPL movie made. Anyone know of an earlier one? - Originally realeased as "Edger Allen Poe's Haunted Palace" - "I've seen it. It's one of a number of movies Corman and Price made in the 60s, most of them based on Edgar Allen Poe stories; this one, though, kept nothing from Poe's poem of the same title (although some lines from the poem are quoted), and was based on Lovecraft's _The Case of Charles Dexter Ward_ instead. Actually, "based on" is too strong a term; it's recognisably inspired by TCoCDW, but there isn't much similarity in plot (less than there is between, say, Lovecraft's "Herbert West, Re-Animator" and that movie). However, given that it's "inspired by" rather than "based on", it's a pretty good movie on its own merits -- most of the Corman/Price/Poe series were good, and this is one of the better ones." - Ross Smith - "Synopsis: Price plays the dual roles of Charles Dexter Ward and Joseph Curwen. In an 18th Century prologue, Curwen and his assistant(Lon Chaney Jr.) are attacked by angry villagers who are tired of having their women abducted and bred with the Great Old Ones. The sorcerer is burned at the stake, although not before uttering the standard curse, which dooms the future generations of Arkham. When Ward and his wife(Debra Paget) come to Arkham 200 years later, Ward is promptly enslaved by his ancestor's pernicious spirit, and before you can say "Yog-Sothoth" he is quoting from the Necronomicon, opening foul pits, and just behaving abominably in general. Though hardly faithful to its true source. Haunted Palace does incorporate many Lovecraftian elements." - Rory Millard Die, Monster, Die (1965) Producer: Director: Daniel Haller Company : American-International Stars : Boris Karloff, Nick Adams, Freda Jackson, Suzan Farmer, Terence de Marney, Patrick Magee - "..brought to screen for the first time the work of H.P. Lovecraft..." - The above quote from 'The Ghouls' (see lower in the FAQ)... obviously wrong, as "The Haunted Palace", above, is first. - "Synopsis: The film was based on one of Lovecraft's favorites, "The Colour Out of Space." Unfortunately HPL's carefully constructed tale concerning the loss of humanity, family decay, and other-worldly colors was mostly discarded by rookie director Daniel Haller. In the rewritten plot, Adams rescues his girlfriend from the sinister Karloff and the elder statesman'sprone wife, who are succumbing to madness induced by an unearthed meteorite kept in their greenhouse, where the space stone compels outrageous plant growth. The film degenerates into a monster-on-the-loose fiasco, when Karloff rages out of control after receiving an overdose of radiation." - Rory Millard Monster of Terror (1965) Producer: Director: Daniel Haller Company : American-International (with Hammer Films, U.K.) Stars : Boris Karloff, Nick Adams, Freda Jackson, Suzan Farmer, Terence de Marney, Patrick Magee - This is the U.K. version of "Die, Monster, Die" (see above) - No further info available, as nobody has admitted to seeing it. The Shuttered Room (1966) Producer: Director: Company : Stars : Carol Lynley, Gig Young - Based on a work by August Derleth, with mixings of "The Dunwich Horror" - Some suspense The Curse of the Crimson Altar (1970) Producer: Director: Company: Tigon Films (UK) Stars: Boris Karloff(his last film),Barbara Steele,Christopher Lee, Michael Gough - "Ostensibly it was based on Dreams of the Witch House, but Tigon Films of England made the HPL elements almost unrecognizable. Karloff plays an occult expert called in to investigate strange goings-on at an English countryside mansion. It's just not very good." - Rory Millard - Also titled "The Crimson Cult" -- can anyone verify that these two are the same movie with 2 different titles? The Crimson Cult (1970) Producer: Director: Company: Tigon Films (UK) Stars: Mark Eden, Barbara Steele - Different title, but this is "The Curse of the Crimson Altar" - Can anyone verify that these 2 movies are the same? The Dunwich Horror (1970) Producer: James H. Nicholson & Samuel Z. Arkoff Director: Daniel Haller Company : American International Stars : Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Joanne Moore Jordan - A poor adaptation of the original story. Although some of the elements of the movie (mood, music) are highly Lovecraftian, the plot is slow and plodding. One viewing is usually enough; the second time around this becomes a real snoozer. Re-Animator (1985) Producer: Brian Yuzna Director: Stuart Gordon Company : Re-animator Productions / Empire Pictures Stars : Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale, Robert Sampson, Gerry Block - There seems to be some controversy about whether or not this story bears much resemblance to the original. Apparantly, some parts do, while others have been made for the screen version only. - There exists 2 video versions of this film. One has been cut significantly to remove the gore/sex scenes. The other is intact. - Whether or not you agree with the screenplay's closeness to the original story, there is little doubt that the gruesome end of Herbert West and the head of Dr. Hill both should prevent them from appearing in a sequel, which (unfortunately) they do. - Note that the music that opens the film is identical to that which opens Hitchcock's 'Psycho'. From Beyond (1986) Producer: Brian Yuzna Director: Stuart Gordon Company : Taryn Productions / Empire Pictures Stars : Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ken Foree, Ted Sorel, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (I wonder who she's married to???) - This screenplay, while fairly Lovecraftian in it's tone, bears only mediocre resemblance to the original story (of about 8 pages). Again, controversy rages over whether this film is "good", "Lovecraftian", etc.... The Curse (1987) Producer: Ovidio G. Assonitis Director: David Keith Company : Trans World Entertainment Stars : Wil Wheaton, Claude Akins, Malcolm Danare, Cooper Huckabee, John Schneider, Amy Wheaton - Well, I had been watching ST:TNG when I first saw this, so hated seeing that little 'Crusher' kid in the movie, but after watching it again, I really did like it. Few folks hate this one, though it has been referred to as "a chore to sit through" - Also released under the name "The Farm" The Farm (1987) Producer: Ovidio G. Assonitis Director: David Keith Company : Trans World Entertainment Stars : Wil Wheaton, Claude Akins, Malcolm Danare, Cooper Huckabee, John Schneider, Amy Wheaton - A different title, but this is "The Curse" Evil Dead 2:Dead By Dawn (1987) Producer: Director: Sam Raimi Company : Rosebud Releasing Corp. Stars : Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Cassie Wesley, Rick Francis - Controversy surrounds this movie (as well as it's predecessor Evil Dead, and it's sequel Army of Darkness) as to whether or not it 'belongs' on this list. - On one hand i've had people say "take them off the list" without any consideration - Others say "Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness have the Necronomicon as SUCH a CENTRAL role in them, that they definitely belong in this list. - For now, they stay. Their future status remains in question. Bride of Re-Animator (1989) Producer: Brian Yuzna Director: Brian Yuzna Company : Re-Animator II Productions, Inc. Stars : Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Claude Earl Jones, Fabiana Udenio, David Gale, Kathleen Kinmount, Mel Stewart - Billed as "H.P. Lovecraft's Bride of Re-Animator" even though no such story exists. (Later in credits they say "based upon the story Herbert West: Re-Animator" , which rectifies the error) - This film (once again) falls under the controversy which seems to surround HPL films. Some say "great" some say "awful". Basically, this flick seems to re-introduce some of the good elements of the original, but is really cheesy in a LOT of places. I'd recommend this only to die-hard Re-Animator fans. Cast A Deadly Spell (1991) Producer: Gale Anne Hurd Director: Martin Campbell Company : HBO Stars : Fred Ward, David Warner, Julianne Moore, Clancy Brown, Alexandra Powers, Charles Hallahan - This is (unanimously, so far) one of the best HPL films ever made, and it isn't even based upon an original story of the Mythos! - The opening header sets the mood: "Los Angeles, 1948... everybody used magic". The flick surrounds a detective names H. Phillip Lovecraft, who is caught up in an investigation concerning magic, the old ones, etc.... Basically, the guest monster at the end of the flick makes it all come together nicely! Cthulhu Mansion (199?) Producer: Jose G. Maesso & J.P. Simon Director: J.P. Simon Company : Filmagic / Golden Pictures Stars : Frank Finlay, Marcia Layton, Brad Fisher, Melanie Shatner, Paul Birchard, Kaethe Cherney, Luis Fernando Alves, Frank Brana, Emil Linder - Although the opening credits say "inspired by the work of HP Lovecraft", this film is a cheap rip off of the big guy's name in the title. Essentially this film has NO connection to the Mythos at all. The only mention is a book titled "Cthulhu", but that is more of a demonic text than an obscure mythos tome. - For those die-hard occultists out there, you'll hate the confusing symbols of Black and White magic (a goat head superimposed over an up-pointing pentagram??? with an inverted burning cross over that??) The Unnamable (1988) Producer: Director: Jean-Paul Ouelette Company : Stars : Mark Kinsey Stephenson - Really no info on this movie, except that (yes, once again) nobody can agree as to it's sticking to the original story, and as to whether or not it is "good" or "Lovecraftian" - "The first movie opens well, expanding the premise of the short piece into a toungue in cheek look at modern student life in Arkham. Alas, it quickly degenerates into a "hack\slash\naked bimbo" flick. The ending almost redeems the premise. In essence, the ancient wizard who shut up his mutant offspring (the unnamable of the title) cast a spell to keep it in that's wearing off. But Randolph Carter can save the day. Silly movie, on the whole." - Christopher Wade Skinner - "Synopsis: This is one of the weaker HPL adaptions. The director allows Carter to speak in "Lovecraftese"- certainly not an accurate barameter of modern parlance. Thus, the Carter character puts the film at odds with most viewers inside of five minutes. Lovecrafts's original story, basically a discource on literary definitions is ignored in favor of the standard haunted house spook show, laced with periodic gobs of gore and with a monster that is most definately identifiable. To be fair, the creature is quite well done, but it's a far cry from Lovecraft's gelatinous being that was "everywhere at once."" - Rory Millard The Unnamable 2: The Statement of Randolph Carter (1993) Producer: Director: Company : Stars : Mark Kinsey Stephenson, David Warner, John Rys-Davies - Info on this film is even more elusive than it's predecessor. - Rated higher than the first movie by everyone who sent in a review of this film. One reviewer even went so far as to call it the *BEST* HPL/Mythos movie made yet. - "This is a little better than the first one. Taking the second half of it's title from another minor Lovecraft story, PartII brings back the creature from the first film, along with Carter (Stephenson again). The cast also includes a slumming David Warner (who receives top billing for a single scene) and John Rys-Davies as Carter's companion Dr. Warren, who uses the spell from the Necronomicon to untangle the beast from it's human host" - Rory Millard The Curse 2 (199?) Producer: Director: Company : Stars : - Included only because it is a sequel to The Curse. - No further info available, as nobody has admitted to seeing it. The Curse 3 (199?) Producer: Director: Company : Stars : - Included only because it is a sequel to The Curse 2. - No further info available, as nobody has admitted to seeing it. Army of Darkness (199?) Producer: Director: Company : Stars : - See comments for Evil Dead 2 The Resurected (1991? 1993? ) Producer: Director: Dan O'Bannon Company : Stars : Chris Sarandon, John Terry, Wilfred Brimley??? - This made-for-tv film has had above average ratings (as to it being both "good" and "Lovecraftian" as well as sticking to the original story line. No further info is currently available. - Sarandon plays Ward/Curwin - It's been updated to 1990s Massachucetts, and is not bad at all. - Cheesy special effects, but good atmosphere is still maintained. - "Synopsis: Although their version is far more true to Lovecraft than the Haunted Palace, the film seems to bear out Brian Yuzna's contention that "very true adaptions can miss the whole damn point." The film suffers from a total lack of atmosphere due to indifferent location shooting. The real problem is the plot itself. Despite being relatively faithful to the events of the novella, the film is utterly banal when stripped of the cosmic menace underlying Lovecraft's tale. Without the Cthulhu Mythos we are left with a simple bogey story about a private eye chasing after a necromancer." - Rory Millard H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon (1994) Producer: Samuel Hadida and Brian Yuzna Director: Company : August Entertainment Stars : David Warner, Richard Lynch, Bruce Payne, Belinda Bauer, Maria Ford, Don Calfa, Signy Colemen and Jeffrey Combs as HPL - No domestic date for release has been set. both "good" and "Lovecraftian" as well as sticking to the original - The names of the stories, within the movie are: The Drowned, The Cold, and Whispers. - "Synopsis: Apparently there are three shorts one each from Japan(Sho Kaneko),France(Christophe Gans) and Yuzna's from the USA. They are reportedly taken from Lovecraft's "Cool Air" "Rats in the Walls" and "The Whisperer in Darkness" " - Rory Millard ---> Q. What books/magazines have detailed descriptions of HPL (et al) movies (besides the short 1-2 paragraphs in general video/movie anthologies)? A. Books: 1) "The Ghouls" by Peter Haining. Stein and Day, New York, 1971. This is a great collection of 18 of the best horror movies from 1896 to 1970. The HPL entry is for Monster of Terror/Die, Monster, Die. That entry is 27 pages long, but is just a re-print of the story "The Colour Out of Space". Still, the 1st page gives lots of details about the movie itself. I'd recommend this book to hardcore horror movie buffs just because of it's information about old, old films. 2) "Horror" by Leonard Wolf. Bills itself as "A Conoisseur's Guide to Literature and Film" in the genre of horror. Includes reviews of some HPL films and stories. Magazines: 1) Scarlet Street (Winter 1994) Contains one article concerning the HPL/Mythos movies 2) Imagi-Movies (Spring 1994 , H.R. Geiger on cover). Three articles about HPL's work, and it's transference to the big screen: p. 8-11 - Filming "Necronomicon" by Dennis Fischer and Steve Biodrowski - "A trilogy of terror, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos" p.26-29 - Jeffrey Combs Re-Animator, by Bruse Hallenbeck - "The actor who brought Herbert West to life describes being a modern horror star" p.50-53 - Cthul-who? by Randy Palmer - "A look at how Hollywood's treatment of Lovecraft fails to reveal a mythos to the madness" This magazine may be ordered from them by calling 1 800 798-6515. Ask for Vol1, Number 3 of Imagi-Movies. Path: portal!portal.com!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!drusmith From: drusmith@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dru A Smith) Newsgroups: alt.horror.cthulhu Subject: FAQ, Part 7: Internet (v. 6/9/94) Date: 8 Jun 1994 22:20:47 GMT Organization: The Ohio State University Lines: 112 Message-ID: <2t5g7v$sc5@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: beauty.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu The alt.horror.cthulhu Frequently Asked Questions List (internet) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Version: 06/09/94 Organizer: Dru Smith (drusmith@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU) ---> Q. What internet Usenet groups might be of interest to HPL fans? A. alt.horror.cthulhu alt.necromicon [sic] alt.horror.shub-internet alt.fan.shub-internet alt.magick alt.satanism alt.evil alt.gothic alt.vampyres alt.horror alt.pulp rec.arts.sf-lovers rec.arts.books rec.arts.comics rec.games.frp.misc rec.games.frp.archives alt.sex.cthulhu ---> Q. What HPL info/stuff is available via internet (i.e. ftp, etc)? A. List follows: 1) The H.P. Lovecraft Image Gallery - Located on the World Wide Web - The URL is: http://daneel.acns.nwu.edu:8082/lovecraft/lovecraft.html - Maintained by Jack Graham - I haven't been on this yet, so no info is available. 2) Chaosium Digest - Weekly digest about the Call of Cthulhu game - e-mail to subscribe: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu - Maintained by Shannon Appel 3) Call of Cthulhu at Berkeley - Anonymous ftp site for supplements to the Call of Cthulhu game - address: soda.berkeley.edu (128.32.149.19) - directories: /pub/chaosium/cthulhu /pub/chaosium/paganpub - Maintained by Shannon Appel - Availablity includes: Back issues of The Unspeakable Oath, Catalogs, etc. 3a) Back issues of The Unspeakable Oath are available to those who don't have FTP access by doing the following: Send mail to: almanac@erzo.berkeley.edu The body of the message (not the subject) must contain the command: send paganpub tuo1 4) Necronomicon 'history' at LIU in Sweden - Anonymous ftp site for a Necronomicon 'historical' FAQ - address: ftp.lysator.liu.se (130.236.254.153) - directory: /pub/magick/Necronomicon - The FAQ in this directory is for those who take the existance of the "Necronomicon" a little too seriously. 5) Cthulhu Gif at Wuarchive - address: wuarchive.wustl.edu (128.252.135.4) - directory: /multimedia/images/gif/c OR (still! in question): /graphics/gif/c - Same graphic as is found at ftp.rfhsm.ac.uk 6) Nightwatch hyperzine (for Mac Users) - address: mac.archive.umich.edu - directory: mac/hypercard/fun 7) Original GIF of Cthulhu, by Joe Bay - in the alt.binaries.pictures.misc group 8) Cthulhu GIF at ftp.rfhsm.ac.uk - address: ftp.rfhsm.ac.uk - directory: /pub/rpg/cthulhu/gifs - Cthulhu.gif is same as found at Wuarchive ---> Q. Are any Call of Cthulhu games available via the internet (PBEM, MOO, MUSH, etc)? A. First, there is always the possibility of someone runing an informal Play-By-E-Mail (PBEM) game. These come and go, and will not be listed here. MOO: 1) There is a Call of Cthulhu MOO running on the LambdaMOO 1.7.1 server and db. The game is set in 1926-27 in 'Lovecraft Country'. MUSH: 1) address: ganymede.ics.uci.edu 1927 details, e-mail to: devin@BEAMLAB.PS.UCI.EDU MUD: 1) CthulhuMUD, zen.btc.uwe.ac.uk (164.11.2.18) 2) Cthulhu_Mud, leaoibm2.epfl.ch (128.178.152.15) EOF
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