Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown

"Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown" is a nice documentary about author Howard Philips Lovecraft's life. And this particular documentary is a great introduction to the force behind some of the most influential horror writings in the 20th century.

As an avid fan of Lovecraft's writing, and finding many of the films based on his work interesting as well, I sat down to watch this documentary and found it to be quite good. You were given bits and pieces of the author's past and history, bits and pieces which you may or may not already have been familiar with. But regardless, "Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown" is a great introduction for new fans of his timeless works.

The documentary has appearances by some of the more influential horror writers and movie directors of the 21st century, giving their input and adding to the story. Which I found to be a nice touch.

Of course, "Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown" is a piece that is intended for fans of H. P. Lovecraft, and if you sit down to watch this documentary without knowing what it is, you might be sorely disappointed, because this is not for everyone to enjoy.

"Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown" also delves into the Cthulhu mythos to stir up enough interest for new audiences to spark a flame of interest. And for us well-read fans, the documentary does bring about some interesting facts.

As a fan of Lovecraft, I found "Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown" to be a good supplement to the books on my bookshelves. And if you enjoy Lovecraft's works, then watch this documentary. And if you are a fledgling fan in the works, then "Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown" is a good introduction to the fabulous works of one of the greatest authors in the horror genre.

Unfortunately, if you've ever read anything about Lovecraft's life, this documentary will probably end up leaving you wanting something a bit more in depth. For one thing, the Wikipedia entry on Lovecraft is actually quite good. It covers everything that this documentary covers, and you get the benefit of seeing citations. The interviews aren't really all that great, but you do get to hear some interesting people talk about a subject that interests them. If you're watching this documentary, then you probably share that same interest.

Unlike some other reviewers, I'm not sure that this is a good introduction to Lovecraft. The documentary assumes that you have at least passing familiarity with each story, though it usually does give a very brief synopsis. I would have preferred that they had either gone much more in depth, with actual literary criticism (they had S.T. Joshi there, after all) or done more of a beginner's introduction.

In the end, I can't really recommend this for either beginners or fanatics. It occupies an awkward middle ground: those who have read the stories but don't really know much about Lovecraft. Thus, I recommend it mostly for the interviews. One of the interviewees is a complete ass, going on some rant about "islamofascism" in the middle of the documentary. I can't believe they left that in, yet they barely got any comments at all from John Carpenter. And this is right after going on about the Lovecraft's xenophobia and racism. Amazing.

Well made look at the icon with the standard construction of talking heads. For what it is, it's fine and the people talking are good fits. Nothing superlative, but nothing bad either. Probably more for fans as I'm not sure this would convert anyone.

(*H.P. Lovecraft quote*) - "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear."

Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) is widely considered to be the forefather of modern-day horror-fiction.

Through interviews and stills - This "Fear of the Unknown" bio-documentary not only looks at the life and times of Lovecraft - But, it also discusses (in fair detail) the overall influence and impact that his "tales-of-the-weird" have had on horror fiction and fright films of today.

I think it's interesting to note that during his lifetime (as a writer) Lovecraft was not recognized for his work, at all, and he inevitably died in literal poverty.

Not sure seasoned fans will gain much here, but newcomers will surely get a good grasp on what drove Lovecraft to write. Was nice listening to modern authors and filmmakers give their views on him and some of the shared illustrations are the doc's highlights.