Can a style of monsters and creatures be important and significant enough to represent an entire subgenre of films? It’s probably the question that first came to your mind when you saw we had put together an entire list of films with Cthulhu themes. But H.P. Lovecraft’s concept, presented in his short storyThe Call of Cthulhu,is substantial and interesting.
Let us remind you that the story portrays Lovecraft’s creation of the ancient deity known as Cthulhu, a huge organism that’s famously adored by cultists, and whose physical features are what allow it to be usually identified as Lovecraftian. Chances are you saw one of them in some movie or TV show, and made the association, without knowing there’s a whole universe it derives from.
Horror andscience fictionare usually where you’ll find the creatures indulging in submitting humankind to eternal nightmares, unspeakable violence and surefire oblivion. These are our picks for Cthulhu-themed films. We made sure to add where you can see them today.
10From Beyond (1986)
From Beyond
Stuart Gordon’sFrom Beyondis a thing of beauty. Based on Lovecraft’s short story of the same name, it tells the story of a couple of scientists who have created the Resonator, a device that can stimulate the pineal gland beyond your wildest dreams. Yeah, the endocrine gland is associated with a sixth sense. The Resonator opens a door to other dimensions where Cthulhu-like creatures reside, and they take Dr. Pretorious. What comes back is a bloodthirsty monster that reeks of ’80s creature effects.
Gordon has always been associated with body horror and his capacity to bring to life Lovecraftian themes.From Beyondis a solid interpretation of the novel that merely takes a look at the world where the deity has been installed and proudly spawns the most horrible creations. This one goes on a great double bill with Gordon’s ownRe-Animator.
Stream on Tubi
9Color out of Space (2019)
Color Out of Space
Color Out of Spaceis a relatively recent film on this list, directed by the director who fell from grace, Richard Stanley. Regardless, it’s a very original science fiction and horror story about a family forced to deal with something they can’t comprehend: a meteorite that has brought something with it, and which intends to grow in the farmland surrounding their home. The Cthulhu association is inevitable, as the creatures come from another planet where tentacled aliens live.
Also based on a Lovecraft story,Color Out of Spacewill hypnotize you with its great use of color. It’s the first thing you think of when seeing the film, and not necessarily Nicolas Cage’s performance as the dad trying to save his family from the organism that ultimately enters the home. The result is a mutated organism that has fused the wife Theresa and their youngest son Jack into one living lump of flesh, spit, and suffering. But then, thetwist involving Lavinia, Theresa and Nathan’s daughter, takes the film to a whole other level of crazy.
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8Underwater (2020)
Underwater
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This one is a bit of a stretch considering it turns into a Lovecraftian only in the end, but 2020’sUnderwateris just too cool to leave out of any modern sci-fi list. It tells the story of workers in an underwater facility who must deal with the ordeal of an earthquake that has opened a door into a deeper chamber where things live. We won’t spoil it for you, because it’s better if you see them in all their glory.
Led by Kristen Stewart, thefilm’s reception was lukewarmbecause critics and audiences compared it too much to previous entries likeThe Abyss, and lesser-known films likeDeep RisingandLeviathan. But who cares if it looks like others?Underwatersucceeds in building tension in claustrophobic spaces where the surface only feels theoretical and is just too far away. Also, when the creature finally shows up, its size and will to kill will satisfy fans of the genre.
Stream on Hulu
7In The Mouth of Madness (1995)
In the Mouth of Madness
In the Mouth of Madnessplays by suggestion and doesn’t feature a lot of monsters. However, when it enters horror territory, it does so in a chaotic fashion and makes it pretty obvious that this is a creature feature without the usual special effects. Even though it’s similarly titled to one of Lovecraft’s most prominent works, it’s not based on any of his stories. This is John Carpenter’s direct association with the creature underworld that’s often discarded because of thefar superiorfilm that isThe Thing.
It tells the story of investigators who turn up in Hobb’s End, a fictional location where the works of a horror author take place, and where supposedly he has gone missing. Of course, there’s a portal that leads to another dimension, and John Trent and Linda Styles become witness to Sutter Cane’s ability to open doors for monsters to enter our world and conquer it.
6The Mist (2007)
Stephen King’s The Mist
Also known as Stephen King’sThe Mist, the Frank Darabont film tells the story of a town that one day falls prey to a lingering fog. Many survivors are left trapped in a supermarket. The problem isn’t exactly the creatures that reside in the fog and resemble horrific mutations of normal animals. It’s the dynamics that develop out of the isolation in this place, where a woman has made sure toincorporate a religious elementinto the catastrophe.
Chaos ensues very quickly when creatures make their appearance, and Darabont fully reveals the world that King had barely described in his novella. It goes full Cthulhu when it reveals the final monster, a huge tentacled creature with countless legs that just looks missing.
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5The Ritual (2017)
The Ritual
David Bruckner’sThe Ritualfeatures a group of friends taking a trip to Sweden to bond after a tragedy strikes, and they decide to grieve together and reconnect. Much of the film revolves around this conflict. So, how does it turn into a Cthulhu feature, you may ask?
Enter the third act, where the true nature of the town they visit is revealed. After they get chased by a mysterious creature, they find out they’re subjects of a sacrifice the locals will make to an old deity. This one is better seen than described. But just know that the conclusion is creature-based, and features a great design that will forever haunt your dreams. This is a very, very underrated film by one of today’s most important filmmakers.
Stream on Netflix
4Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror classicAlienfollows a group of space explorers who are forced to attend a distress call coming from an unknown planet. Everything looks dead when they arrive, but rest assured, there’s something alive and breathing. When a creature emerges from an egg, and attaches itself to a crew member, they decide to take him and try to save him from the “face-hugger”. As it turns out, he just became a host for breeding something otherworldly.
Alienis not the first film you would think of when discussing the Cthulhu themes, but that’s only because the obvious inspiration is H.R. Giger’smagnificent workof art direction and design. Nevertheless, the squirming creatures, the eggs holding the babies, and the spider-like “face-hugger”, can’t come from anywhere else that’s not the Cthulhu Mythos.
3Annihilation (2018)
Annihilation
Annihilation, by Alex Garland, doesn’t feature as many monsters as you would think. Instead, it goes for mutations, and an alien-like creature unlike anything else you’ve ever seen: slick, delicate, and almost elegant. However,Garland’s underrated filmfeatures interdimensional portals that have access to unimaginable worlds where these creatures live and from where they hold all the power to modify our world.
It tells the story of scientists taking a leap of faith, and exploring an area humans have categorized as the Shimmer. Alien entities have arrived on Earth, and have installed themselves there. Of course, dumb humans decide it’s for the best to explore the area. What the scientists find ranges from the nightmarish to the beautiful.
Stream on Paramount+
12 Best Creature Films That Are Seriously Underrated
In horror films, the focus is usually on masked killers, and the monsters fade to the back. Here are ten creature features that deserve the spotlight.
2The Void (2016)
Canadian importThe Voidis the greatest sci-fi horror film you’ve never seen. The spooky season seems like a great opportunity to dive deep into this story about a police officer who joins hospital staff and patients when they become trapped by a weirdly dressed people who are members of a cult. Of course, creatures show up, andThe Voidturns Lovecraftian in a matter of minutes.
If you’re intopractical effects, this 2016 film will be right up your alley. Directors Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie used an Indiegogo campaign to gather money for the special effects, and considering they’re both experts, they came out pretty great. It also helps that they were part of the crew ofSuicide Squadduring the shooting of their film.
1Spring (2014)
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’sSpringis a lovely sci-fi and horror film that features the best of both worlds to help compose a romantic story. InSpring, Evan travels to Italy in order to grieve his mother’s death and to help with his depression. There he meets Louise, a mysterious girl whom he falls deeply in love with. The problem is that Louise isn’t exactly a regular young woman. She’s a 2000-year-old monster with the ability to mutate. However, things change when Louise also falls for Evan.
Lovecraftian in regards to its story element, but deeply sentimental like all of Benson and Moorehead’s filmography,Springis a fascinating exploration of the romance genre that really makes you ask the question: How far would you go for unconditional love?
