Favourite Lovecraftian Films
by Aspivaara | created - 21 Mar 2023 | updated - 3 months ago | PublicSome of the greatest movie adaptations of Lovecraft novellas and stories inspired by them, in my opinion.
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1. The Thing (1982)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur
Votes: 466,898 | Gross: $13.78M
Story is heavily inspired and influenced by "At The Mountains Of Madness", with a very unique perspective by John Carpenter.
2. Alien (1979)
R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 951,365 | Gross: $78.90M
Story is heavily inspired and influenced by "At The Mountains Of Madness".
3. Event Horizon (1997)
R | 96 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A rescue crew is tasked with investigating the mysterious reappearance of a spaceship that had been lost for seven years.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson
Votes: 197,260 | Gross: $26.67M
Unique piece of cosmic horror in all of its glory.
4. Re-Animator (1985)
Unrated | 84 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
After an odd new medical student arrives on campus, a dedicated local and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue.
Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
Votes: 71,532 | Gross: $2.02M
Direct adaptation from a novella of the same name, but unlike many movie adaptations, actually brings additional value to the original story.
5. From Beyond (1986)
R | 85 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A group of scientists have developed the Resonator, a machine which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality. But when the experiment succeeds, they are immediately attacked by terrible life forms.
Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ted Sorel, Ken Foree
Votes: 30,777 | Gross: $1.26M
Amazing adaptation of a novella of the same name. This is what we need more!
6. Bride of Re-Animator (1990)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Doctors Herbert West and Dan Cain discover the secret to creating human life and proceed to create a perfect woman from dead tissue.
Director: Brian Yuzna | Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Claude Earl Jones, Fabiana Udenio
Votes: 17,590
Again goes against the stereotype by being a sequel to a goofy horror adaptation, that doesn't disappoint, but actually is very entertaining and adds to the original piece.
7. Beyond Re-Animator (2003)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
After 13 years in prison, the mad scientist from Re-Animator (1985) gets a new chance to experiment with the arrival of a young prison doctor, who secretly hopes to learn to reanimate dead people. Good intentions turn to horror.
Director: Brian Yuzna | Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Tommy Dean Musset, Jason Barry, Bárbara Elorrieta
Votes: 13,033
Very goofy and self-aware finale to the trilogy, which mocks sequels of the same time period in a tongue-in-cheek way. Great stuff.
8. Color Out of Space (2019)
Unrated | 111 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.
Director: Richard Stanley | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine Arthur, Elliot Knight
Votes: 56,271
Probably the best direct adaptation of a novella in many years, which also succeeds in adding new things to the story in a creative way. Visuals are just amazing.
9. The Mist (2007)
R | 126 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher
Votes: 340,602 | Gross: $25.59M
10. In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
R | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Sam Neill, Jürgen Prochnow, Julie Carmen, David Warner
Votes: 79,364 | Gross: $8.95M
11. Banshee Chapter (2013)
R | 87 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Journalist Anne Roland explores the disturbing links behind her friend's sudden disappearance, an ominous government research chemical, and a disturbing radio broadcast of unknown origin.
Director: Blair Erickson | Stars: Katia Winter, Ted Levine, Michael McMillian, Corey Moosa
Votes: 10,888
12. The Void (I) (2016)
Not Rated | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Shortly after delivering a patient to an understaffed hospital, a police officer experiences strange and violent occurrences seemingly linked to a group of mysterious hooded figures.
Directors: Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski | Stars: Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Ellen Wong, Kathleen Munroe
Votes: 41,696 | Gross: $0.15M
13. Dagon (2001)
R | 98 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A boating accident runs a young man and woman ashore in a decrepit Spanish fishing town which they discover is in the grips of an ancient sea god and its monstrous half human offspring.
Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Ezra Godden, Francisco Rabal, Raquel Meroño, Macarena Gómez
Votes: 21,049
Directly adapts the stories from a few novellas from the Cthulhu mythos and spins it into a new approach. Great for any fan of the stories, but wouldn't recommend watching without at least some knowledge of the mythos.
14. Bird Box (2018)
R | 124 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a mother and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.
Director: Susanne Bier | Stars: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson
Votes: 386,460
Clearly Lovecraftian themes and concepts, but doesn't deliver it all too well. Cosmic horror is very much present in this movie.
15. Pandorum (2009)
R | 108 min | Action, Horror, Mystery
Two crew members of a spaceship wake up from hypersleep to discover that all their colleagues are missing. Despite this, it appears that they are not alone.
Director: Christian Alvart | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue
Votes: 159,578 | Gross: $10.33M
Loosely Lovecraftian in the sense of cosmic horror and takes influence from other movies that adapt the same kind of themes.
16. Black Mountain Side (2014)
Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
At a cold, desolate, northmost outpost in Canada, an archaeological discovery is made. A specialist arrives Nov. 1. Strange things happen. All contact with the outside world is down.
Director: Nick Szostakiwskyj | Stars: Shane Twerdun, Michael Dickson, Carl Toftfelt, Marc Anthony Williams
Votes: 6,207
Great original story. Heavily inspired by "At The Mountains Of Madness", which might be the most adapted story of all. A real sense of something unknown, incomprehensible and ancient is looming all over this one.
17. The Happening (2008)
R | 91 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
A science teacher, his wife, and a young girl struggle to survive a plague that causes those infected to commit suicide.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez
Votes: 216,549 | Gross: $64.51M
Seeing Bird Box made me remember this one and I had to watch it again. Great potential, but it all kind of falls apart at some point.
18. Necronomicon: Book of Dead (1993)
R | 96 min | Horror
Lovecraft visualizes 3 stories in Necronomicon: The Drowned, The Cold and Whispers, about bringing a dead wife and child back to life, extending life and aliens.
Directors: Christophe Gans, Shûsuke Kaneko, Brian Yuzna | Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Tony Azito, Juan Fernández, Brian Yuzna
Votes: 6,956
Weird. Not entirely in a bad way. Still made the list.
19. Hellboy (2004)
PG-13 | 122 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A demon raised from infancy after being conjured by and rescued from the Nazis, grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Selma Blair, John Hurt
Votes: 350,180 | Gross: $59.62M
Honorable mention for being heavily influenced by the works of HPLC. Awesome movie for its time! This was the time of comic book noir movies.
20. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A prince of the mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth. Hellboy and his team must fight to stop him from locating the all-powerful Golden Army.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, John Alexander
Votes: 286,023 | Gross: $75.75M
Honorable mention for being heavily influenced by the works of HPLC. Offers more of the same comic book noir greatness as the first one did.
21. Hellboy (2019)
R | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, Hellboy battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane
Votes: 98,795 | Gross: $21.90M
Honorable mention for being heavily influenced by the works of HPLC. Kind of a sad attempt at trying to re-animate the franchise though.
22. Pacific Rim (2013)
PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day
Votes: 531,050 | Gross: $101.80M
Guillermo del Toro delivers something fresh with a clear Lovecraftian undertone. This was different for its time and combines Kaiju themes with a underlying cosmic sense of dread.
23. Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, reunites with Mako Mori to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots, including rival Lambert and 15-year-old hacker Amara, against a new Kaiju threat.
Director: Steven S. DeKnight | Stars: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Burn Gorman
Votes: 127,343 | Gross: $59.87M
Most people disliked the sequel, but I loved how it added more direct Lovecraftian things. Still a bit too much silly action movie stuff in it.
24. Possession (1981)
R | 124 min | Drama, Horror
A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.
Director: Andrzej Zulawski | Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen, Heinz Bennent
Votes: 42,899 | Gross: $1.11M
25. The Fly (1986)
R | 96 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Joy Boushel
Votes: 202,016 | Gross: $40.46M
26. It (I) (2017)
R | 135 min | Fantasy, Horror
In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.
Director: Andy Muschietti | Stars: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis
Votes: 606,532 | Gross: $327.48M
27. Cloverfield (2008)
PG-13 | 85 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.
Director: Matt Reeves | Stars: Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller
Votes: 420,832 | Gross: $80.05M
28. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A young woman is held in an underground bunker by a man who insists that a hostile event has left the surface of the Earth uninhabitable.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg | Stars: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr., Douglas M. Griffin
Votes: 354,915 | Gross: $72.08M
29. The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
PG-13 | 102 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Orbiting a planet on the brink of war, scientists test a device to solve an energy crisis, and end up face-to-face with a dark alternate reality.
Director: Julius Onah | Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl, John Ortiz
Votes: 113,049
30. Europa Report (2013)
PG-13 | 90 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
An international crew of astronauts undertakes a privately funded mission to search for life on Jupiter's fourth largest moon.
Director: Sebastián Cordero | Stars: Sharlto Copley, Michael Nyqvist, Christian Camargo, Embeth Davidtz
Votes: 75,530 | Gross: $0.13M
31. Life (I) (2017)
R | 104 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A team of scientists aboard the International Space Station discover a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars and now threatens all life on Earth.
Director: Daniel Espinosa | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada
Votes: 254,018 | Gross: $30.23M
32. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Five college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.
Director: Drew Goddard | Stars: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz
Votes: 450,920 | Gross: $42.07M
33. Get Out (I) (2017)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.
Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener
Votes: 697,372 | Gross: $176.04M
34. Evolution (2015)
Not Rated | 81 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
The only residents of young Nicholas' sea-side town are women and boys. When he sees a corpse in the ocean one day, he begins to question his existence and surroundings. Why must he, and all the other boys, be hospitalised?
Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic | Stars: Max Brebant, Roxane Duran, Julie-Marie Parmentier, Mathieu Goldfeld
Votes: 7,606
35. Marebito (2004)
R | 92 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A fear-obsessed freelance cameraman (Shinya Tsukamoto) investigates an urban legend involving mysterious spirits that haunt the subways of Tokyo.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Tomomi Miyashita, Kazuhiro Nakahara, Miho Ninagawa
Votes: 5,700 | Gross: $0.01M
36. The Endless (I) (2017)
Not Rated | 111 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
As kids, they escaped a UFO death cult. Now, two adult brothers seek answers after an old videotape surfaces and brings them back to where they began.
Directors: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead | Stars: Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington
Votes: 49,432 | Gross: $0.27M
37. Annihilation (I) (2018)
R | 115 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.
Director: Alex Garland | Stars: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Benedict Wong
Votes: 361,754 | Gross: $32.73M
38. Coherence (2013)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Strange things begin to happen when a group of friends gather for a dinner party on an evening when a comet is passing overhead.
Director: James Ward Byrkit | Stars: Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Elizabeth Gracen
Votes: 146,181 | Gross: $0.07M
39. The Lighthouse (I) (2019)
R | 109 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
Director: Robert Eggers | Stars: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman, Logan Hawkes
Votes: 255,170 | Gross: $0.43M
40. Smile (V) (2022)
R | 115 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, a psychiatrist becomes increasingly convinced she is being threatened by an uncanny entity.
Director: Parker Finn | Stars: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert
Votes: 161,512
41. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,107,241 | Gross: $44.02M
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