Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown

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.

(*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.

I saw this movie on Fantaspoa/2009. I was anxious to see it, as I am a Lovecraft fan, but I have to admit I got disappointed with this movie. Little information on it was new to me. In my opinion, this was a shallow documentary. It gives only an overview on the works that influenced him, and it covers a bit of his work. It tells more about his life and his career, even though not complete, and missing some points that I consider important. And it gives you some notion of his influence in other artists (writers, musicians, painters), with some testimonials. This really is a documentary for people who know nothing or very little of the author. But you should have read some of his stories, so that you know what this film is talking about when it mentions some characters/monsters. Considering that the books I've already read always tell a bit about his life, assuming those who read Lovecraft also read a little about his life/work/career, I guess this documentary doesn't add much.

On the good side, technically this documentary is very good. It doesn't get boring. Displaying places, narrating his life, and mixing that with the testimonials and images of his monsters as imagined by different artists, it keeps a good flow. It really is a professional work.

"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.