Horror Stories by Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

Horror Stories by Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

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Horror Stories by Howard Phillips Lovecraft. episodes

  • 55 - The Dunwich Horror, Parts 1 - 4.
    The Dunwich Horror, Parts 1 - 4.  
    The Dunwich Horror is a seminal cosmic horror short story written by American author H. P. Lovecraft in 1928 and first published in the April 1929 issue of the pulp magazine Weird Tales. Set in the isolated, decaying fictional town of Dunwich in rural Massachusetts, the narrative explores themes of forbidden knowledge, ancient occult rituals, and the intrusion of incomprehensible otherworldly entities into human existence.  
    The story centers on the reclusive Whateley family, particularly the grandfather Old Whateley and his daughter Lavinia, whose unholy experiments with the Necronomicon—a fictional grimoire of eldritch lore—lead to the birth of Wilbur Whateley, a hybrid being who matures at an unnatural pace and exhibits grotesque, inhuman traits. Seeking to expand his occult pursuits, Wilbur attempts to steal a rare edition of the Necronomicon from the library of Miskatonic University in nearby Arkham, but he is killed by a guard dog during the attempt. This event unleashes the story's titular horror: an enormous, invisible, tentacled abomination sired by the cosmic entity Yog-Sothoth, which rampages through Dunwich, devouring livestock and humans alike before being exorcised by a trio of university scholars—Dr. Henry Armitage, Professor Rice, and Dr. Morgan—using incantations from the forbidden book.  
    As a cornerstone of Lovecraft's shared fictional universe known as the Cthulhu Mythos, The Dunwich Horror exemplifies his philosophy of cosmicism, emphasizing humanity's insignificance in the face of vast, indifferent forces beyond rational comprehension. The tale's vivid depictions of rural degeneracy, supernatural mutation, and sensory dread—such as foul odors signaling otherworldly presence—have influenced generations of horror writers and filmmakers, cementing its status as one of Lovecraft's most iconic and adapted works, including in films, comics, and role-playing games.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    41 min
  • 54 - The Call of Cthulhu. The Madness from the Sea.
    The Call of Cthulhu. The Madness from the Sea.  
    The Call of Cthulhu is a seminal horror short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written during the summer of 1926 and first published in the February 1928 issue of Weird Tales magazine. Presented as a posthumous manuscript compiled by Francis Wayland Thurston from the papers of his deceased grand-uncle, Professor George Gammell Angell, the narrative unfolds through three interconnected sections detailing an investigation into disturbing dreams, a bizarre clay bas-relief, a suppressed cult ritual in Louisiana, and a harrowing maritime encounter with an impossible non-human city risen from the Pacific. The story introduces the cosmic entity Cthulhu—a vast, octopus-like being of extraterrestrial origin that lies dreaming in the sunken cyclopean metropolis of R'lyeh—along with the associated cult worshiping "Great Old Ones" who await the stars' realignment for their return, and it famously opens with a meditation on the fragility of human sanity in the face of incomprehensible truths.  
    Lovecraft's tale exemplifies his philosophy of cosmicism, which posits humanity's ultimate insignificance within an indifferent and vast universe devoid of divine purpose or anthropocentric meaning. The fragmented, documentary-style structure—built from notes, interviews, newspaper clippings, police reports, and a sailor's account—creates a sense of authenticity while disorienting the reader through ambiguity, nonlinear revelations, and descriptions that resist full comprehension, mirroring the limited capacity of the human mind to process forbidden knowledge. This approach, combined with recurring motifs of madness, existential dread, and the psychological toll of glimpsing cosmic reality, has established the work as a cornerstone of the Cthulhu Mythos and a defining example of weird fiction.  
    Although initially published in a pulp magazine with limited circulation and not immediately recognized as a sensation, the story gained enduring influence through later reprints in major collections and its role in shaping modern horror, popular culture, and the broader mythos that Lovecraft and his correspondents developed. The manuscript is preserved at Brown University, underscoring its scholarly value within Lovecraft's oeuvre.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    33 min
  • 53 - The Call of Cthulhu. The Tale of Inspector Legrasse.
    The Call of Cthulhu. The Tale of Inspector Legrasse.  
    The Call of Cthulhu is a seminal horror short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written during the summer of 1926 and first published in the February 1928 issue of Weird Tales magazine. Presented as a posthumous manuscript compiled by Francis Wayland Thurston from the papers of his deceased grand-uncle, Professor George Gammell Angell, the narrative unfolds through three interconnected sections detailing an investigation into disturbing dreams, a bizarre clay bas-relief, a suppressed cult ritual in Louisiana, and a harrowing maritime encounter with an impossible non-human city risen from the Pacific. The story introduces the cosmic entity Cthulhu—a vast, octopus-like being of extraterrestrial origin that lies dreaming in the sunken cyclopean metropolis of R'lyeh—along with the associated cult worshiping "Great Old Ones" who await the stars' realignment for their return, and it famously opens with a meditation on the fragility of human sanity in the face of incomprehensible truths.  
    Lovecraft's tale exemplifies his philosophy of cosmicism, which posits humanity's ultimate insignificance within an indifferent and vast universe devoid of divine purpose or anthropocentric meaning. The fragmented, documentary-style structure—built from notes, interviews, newspaper clippings, police reports, and a sailor's account—creates a sense of authenticity while disorienting the reader through ambiguity, nonlinear revelations, and descriptions that resist full comprehension, mirroring the limited capacity of the human mind to process forbidden knowledge. This approach, combined with recurring motifs of madness, existential dread, and the psychological toll of glimpsing cosmic reality, has established the work as a cornerstone of the Cthulhu Mythos and a defining example of weird fiction.  
    Although initially published in a pulp magazine with limited circulation and not immediately recognized as a sensation, the story gained enduring influence through later reprints in major collections and its role in shaping modern horror, popular culture, and the broader mythos that Lovecraft and his correspondents developed. The manuscript is preserved at Brown University, underscoring its scholarly value within Lovecraft's oeuvre.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    38 min
  • 52 - The Call of Cthulhu. The Horror in Clay.
    The Call of Cthulhu. The Horror in Clay.  
    The Call of Cthulhu is a seminal horror short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written during the summer of 1926 and first published in the February 1928 issue of Weird Tales magazine. Presented as a posthumous manuscript compiled by Francis Wayland Thurston from the papers of his deceased grand-uncle, Professor George Gammell Angell, the narrative unfolds through three interconnected sections detailing an investigation into disturbing dreams, a bizarre clay bas-relief, a suppressed cult ritual in Louisiana, and a harrowing maritime encounter with an impossible non-human city risen from the Pacific. The story introduces the cosmic entity Cthulhu—a vast, octopus-like being of extraterrestrial origin that lies dreaming in the sunken cyclopean metropolis of R'lyeh—along with the associated cult worshiping "Great Old Ones" who await the stars' realignment for their return, and it famously opens with a meditation on the fragility of human sanity in the face of incomprehensible truths.  
    Lovecraft's tale exemplifies his philosophy of cosmicism, which posits humanity's ultimate insignificance within an indifferent and vast universe devoid of divine purpose or anthropocentric meaning. The fragmented, documentary-style structure—built from notes, interviews, newspaper clippings, police reports, and a sailor's account—creates a sense of authenticity while disorienting the reader through ambiguity, nonlinear revelations, and descriptions that resist full comprehension, mirroring the limited capacity of the human mind to process forbidden knowledge. This approach, combined with recurring motifs of madness, existential dread, and the psychological toll of glimpsing cosmic reality, has established the work as a cornerstone of the Cthulhu Mythos and a defining example of weird fiction.  
    Although initially published in a pulp magazine with limited circulation and not immediately recognized as a sensation, the story gained enduring influence through later reprints in major collections and its role in shaping modern horror, popular culture, and the broader mythos that Lovecraft and his correspondents developed. The manuscript is preserved at Brown University, underscoring its scholarly value within Lovecraft's oeuvre.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    23 min
  • 51 - At the Mountains of Madness, Part 12.
    At the Mountains of Madness, Part 12.  
    At the Mountains of Madness is a science fiction and cosmic horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in February and March 1931 and first published in serialized form across the February, March, and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories magazine. The narrative takes the form of a first-person account by William Dyer, a geologist from the fictional Miskatonic University, who seeks to warn against a planned new Antarctic expedition by revealing suppressed details of his own disastrous 1930–1931 expedition. During that expedition, scientists discover anomalous fossils and the perfectly preserved bodies of barrel-shaped, star-headed extraterrestrial beings dubbed the Elder Things, then encounter the ruins of a vast, cyclopean city on a high Antarctic plateau, where intricate bas-reliefs chronicle the history of an ancient alien civilization that arrived on Earth eons ago, engineered life forms including protoplasmic servants called shoggoths, and eventually declined amid geological changes and conflicts with other cosmic entities. The explorers' findings culminate in terrifying evidence of the ancient Elder Things and an active shoggoth threat, reinforcing Lovecraft's signature themes of cosmic insignificance, the fragility of human rationality, and the horror inherent in forbidden knowledge of humanity's peripheral place in an indifferent universe.  
    The novella stands as one of Lovecraft's longest and most ambitious works, notable for its meticulous pseudo-scientific detail—drawing on contemporary Antarctic exploration accounts, geology, and biology—combined with atmospheric horror and elements of his interconnected Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's anti-anthropocentric philosophy, which rejects human centrality and emphasizes the terror of vast, unknowable cosmic forces, finds particularly vivid expression here through descriptions of tentacular, non-mimetic monsters and the implications of ancient alien precedence over earthly life. Written during the height of Lovecraft's creative period after his return to Providence in 1926, the story reflects his broader literary project of crafting a materialist, post-Enlightenment form of supernatural horror that avoids traditional ghosts or demons in favor of existential dread rooted in scientific plausibility.
    H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) produced most of his fiction for pulp magazines such as Weird Tales, receiving limited recognition during his lifetime but achieving posthumous influence through publications by Arkham House and later scholarly editions. At the Mountains of Madness exemplifies his mature style and has been widely regarded as a pinnacle of weird fiction for its ambitious scope, detailed world-building, and profound unsettling of anthropocentric assumptions. The work has inspired numerous adaptations, analyses, and continuations in horror and science fiction, underscoring its enduring impact on the genre. 

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    11 min
  • 50 - At the Mountains of Madness, Part 11.
    At the Mountains of Madness, Part 11.  
    At the Mountains of Madness is a science fiction and cosmic horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in February and March 1931 and first published in serialized form across the February, March, and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories magazine. The narrative takes the form of a first-person account by William Dyer, a geologist from the fictional Miskatonic University, who seeks to warn against a planned new Antarctic expedition by revealing suppressed details of his own disastrous 1930–1931 expedition. During that expedition, scientists discover anomalous fossils and the perfectly preserved bodies of barrel-shaped, star-headed extraterrestrial beings dubbed the Elder Things, then encounter the ruins of a vast, cyclopean city on a high Antarctic plateau, where intricate bas-reliefs chronicle the history of an ancient alien civilization that arrived on Earth eons ago, engineered life forms including protoplasmic servants called shoggoths, and eventually declined amid geological changes and conflicts with other cosmic entities. The explorers' findings culminate in terrifying evidence of the ancient Elder Things and an active shoggoth threat, reinforcing Lovecraft's signature themes of cosmic insignificance, the fragility of human rationality, and the horror inherent in forbidden knowledge of humanity's peripheral place in an indifferent universe.  
    The novella stands as one of Lovecraft's longest and most ambitious works, notable for its meticulous pseudo-scientific detail—drawing on contemporary Antarctic exploration accounts, geology, and biology—combined with atmospheric horror and elements of his interconnected Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's anti-anthropocentric philosophy, which rejects human centrality and emphasizes the terror of vast, unknowable cosmic forces, finds particularly vivid expression here through descriptions of tentacular, non-mimetic monsters and the implications of ancient alien precedence over earthly life. Written during the height of Lovecraft's creative period after his return to Providence in 1926, the story reflects his broader literary project of crafting a materialist, post-Enlightenment form of supernatural horror that avoids traditional ghosts or demons in favor of existential dread rooted in scientific plausibility.
    H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) produced most of his fiction for pulp magazines such as Weird Tales, receiving limited recognition during his lifetime but achieving posthumous influence through publications by Arkham House and later scholarly editions. At the Mountains of Madness exemplifies his mature style and has been widely regarded as a pinnacle of weird fiction for its ambitious scope, detailed world-building, and profound unsettling of anthropocentric assumptions. The work has inspired numerous adaptations, analyses, and continuations in horror and science fiction, underscoring its enduring impact on the genre. 

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    22 min
  • 49 - At the Mountains of Madness, Part 10.
    At the Mountains of Madness, Part 10.  
    At the Mountains of Madness is a science fiction and cosmic horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in February and March 1931 and first published in serialized form across the February, March, and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories magazine. The narrative takes the form of a first-person account by William Dyer, a geologist from the fictional Miskatonic University, who seeks to warn against a planned new Antarctic expedition by revealing suppressed details of his own disastrous 1930–1931 expedition. During that expedition, scientists discover anomalous fossils and the perfectly preserved bodies of barrel-shaped, star-headed extraterrestrial beings dubbed the Elder Things, then encounter the ruins of a vast, cyclopean city on a high Antarctic plateau, where intricate bas-reliefs chronicle the history of an ancient alien civilization that arrived on Earth eons ago, engineered life forms including protoplasmic servants called shoggoths, and eventually declined amid geological changes and conflicts with other cosmic entities. The explorers' findings culminate in terrifying evidence of the ancient Elder Things and an active shoggoth threat, reinforcing Lovecraft's signature themes of cosmic insignificance, the fragility of human rationality, and the horror inherent in forbidden knowledge of humanity's peripheral place in an indifferent universe.  
    The novella stands as one of Lovecraft's longest and most ambitious works, notable for its meticulous pseudo-scientific detail—drawing on contemporary Antarctic exploration accounts, geology, and biology—combined with atmospheric horror and elements of his interconnected Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's anti-anthropocentric philosophy, which rejects human centrality and emphasizes the terror of vast, unknowable cosmic forces, finds particularly vivid expression here through descriptions of tentacular, non-mimetic monsters and the implications of ancient alien precedence over earthly life. Written during the height of Lovecraft's creative period after his return to Providence in 1926, the story reflects his broader literary project of crafting a materialist, post-Enlightenment form of supernatural horror that avoids traditional ghosts or demons in favor of existential dread rooted in scientific plausibility.
    H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) produced most of his fiction for pulp magazines such as Weird Tales, receiving limited recognition during his lifetime but achieving posthumous influence through publications by Arkham House and later scholarly editions. At the Mountains of Madness exemplifies his mature style and has been widely regarded as a pinnacle of weird fiction for its ambitious scope, detailed world-building, and profound unsettling of anthropocentric assumptions. The work has inspired numerous adaptations, analyses, and continuations in horror and science fiction, underscoring its enduring impact on the genre. 

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    17 min
  • 48 - At the Mountains of Madness, Part 9.
    At the Mountains of Madness, Part 9.  
    At the Mountains of Madness is a science fiction and cosmic horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in February and March 1931 and first published in serialized form across the February, March, and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories magazine. The narrative takes the form of a first-person account by William Dyer, a geologist from the fictional Miskatonic University, who seeks to warn against a planned new Antarctic expedition by revealing suppressed details of his own disastrous 1930–1931 expedition. During that expedition, scientists discover anomalous fossils and the perfectly preserved bodies of barrel-shaped, star-headed extraterrestrial beings dubbed the Elder Things, then encounter the ruins of a vast, cyclopean city on a high Antarctic plateau, where intricate bas-reliefs chronicle the history of an ancient alien civilization that arrived on Earth eons ago, engineered life forms including protoplasmic servants called shoggoths, and eventually declined amid geological changes and conflicts with other cosmic entities. The explorers' findings culminate in terrifying evidence of the ancient Elder Things and an active shoggoth threat, reinforcing Lovecraft's signature themes of cosmic insignificance, the fragility of human rationality, and the horror inherent in forbidden knowledge of humanity's peripheral place in an indifferent universe.  
    The novella stands as one of Lovecraft's longest and most ambitious works, notable for its meticulous pseudo-scientific detail—drawing on contemporary Antarctic exploration accounts, geology, and biology—combined with atmospheric horror and elements of his interconnected Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's anti-anthropocentric philosophy, which rejects human centrality and emphasizes the terror of vast, unknowable cosmic forces, finds particularly vivid expression here through descriptions of tentacular, non-mimetic monsters and the implications of ancient alien precedence over earthly life. Written during the height of Lovecraft's creative period after his return to Providence in 1926, the story reflects his broader literary project of crafting a materialist, post-Enlightenment form of supernatural horror that avoids traditional ghosts or demons in favor of existential dread rooted in scientific plausibility.
    H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) produced most of his fiction for pulp magazines such as Weird Tales, receiving limited recognition during his lifetime but achieving posthumous influence through publications by Arkham House and later scholarly editions. At the Mountains of Madness exemplifies his mature style and has been widely regarded as a pinnacle of weird fiction for its ambitious scope, detailed world-building, and profound unsettling of anthropocentric assumptions. The work has inspired numerous adaptations, analyses, and continuations in horror and science fiction, underscoring its enduring impact on the genre. 

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    23 min
  • 47 - At the Mountains of Madness, Part 8.
    At the Mountains of Madness, Part 8.  
    At the Mountains of Madness is a science fiction and cosmic horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in February and March 1931 and first published in serialized form across the February, March, and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories magazine. The narrative takes the form of a first-person account by William Dyer, a geologist from the fictional Miskatonic University, who seeks to warn against a planned new Antarctic expedition by revealing suppressed details of his own disastrous 1930–1931 expedition. During that expedition, scientists discover anomalous fossils and the perfectly preserved bodies of barrel-shaped, star-headed extraterrestrial beings dubbed the Elder Things, then encounter the ruins of a vast, cyclopean city on a high Antarctic plateau, where intricate bas-reliefs chronicle the history of an ancient alien civilization that arrived on Earth eons ago, engineered life forms including protoplasmic servants called shoggoths, and eventually declined amid geological changes and conflicts with other cosmic entities. The explorers' findings culminate in terrifying evidence of the ancient Elder Things and an active shoggoth threat, reinforcing Lovecraft's signature themes of cosmic insignificance, the fragility of human rationality, and the horror inherent in forbidden knowledge of humanity's peripheral place in an indifferent universe.  
    The novella stands as one of Lovecraft's longest and most ambitious works, notable for its meticulous pseudo-scientific detail—drawing on contemporary Antarctic exploration accounts, geology, and biology—combined with atmospheric horror and elements of his interconnected Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's anti-anthropocentric philosophy, which rejects human centrality and emphasizes the terror of vast, unknowable cosmic forces, finds particularly vivid expression here through descriptions of tentacular, non-mimetic monsters and the implications of ancient alien precedence over earthly life. Written during the height of Lovecraft's creative period after his return to Providence in 1926, the story reflects his broader literary project of crafting a materialist, post-Enlightenment form of supernatural horror that avoids traditional ghosts or demons in favor of existential dread rooted in scientific plausibility.
    H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) produced most of his fiction for pulp magazines such as Weird Tales, receiving limited recognition during his lifetime but achieving posthumous influence through publications by Arkham House and later scholarly editions. At the Mountains of Madness exemplifies his mature style and has been widely regarded as a pinnacle of weird fiction for its ambitious scope, detailed world-building, and profound unsettling of anthropocentric assumptions. The work has inspired numerous adaptations, analyses, and continuations in horror and science fiction, underscoring its enduring impact on the genre. 

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    19 min
  • 46 - At the Mountains of Madness, Part 7.
    At the Mountains of Madness, Part 7.  
    At the Mountains of Madness is a science fiction and cosmic horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in February and March 1931 and first published in serialized form across the February, March, and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories magazine. The narrative takes the form of a first-person account by William Dyer, a geologist from the fictional Miskatonic University, who seeks to warn against a planned new Antarctic expedition by revealing suppressed details of his own disastrous 1930–1931 expedition. During that expedition, scientists discover anomalous fossils and the perfectly preserved bodies of barrel-shaped, star-headed extraterrestrial beings dubbed the Elder Things, then encounter the ruins of a vast, cyclopean city on a high Antarctic plateau, where intricate bas-reliefs chronicle the history of an ancient alien civilization that arrived on Earth eons ago, engineered life forms including protoplasmic servants called shoggoths, and eventually declined amid geological changes and conflicts with other cosmic entities. The explorers' findings culminate in terrifying evidence of the ancient Elder Things and an active shoggoth threat, reinforcing Lovecraft's signature themes of cosmic insignificance, the fragility of human rationality, and the horror inherent in forbidden knowledge of humanity's peripheral place in an indifferent universe.  
    The novella stands as one of Lovecraft's longest and most ambitious works, notable for its meticulous pseudo-scientific detail—drawing on contemporary Antarctic exploration accounts, geology, and biology—combined with atmospheric horror and elements of his interconnected Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's anti-anthropocentric philosophy, which rejects human centrality and emphasizes the terror of vast, unknowable cosmic forces, finds particularly vivid expression here through descriptions of tentacular, non-mimetic monsters and the implications of ancient alien precedence over earthly life. Written during the height of Lovecraft's creative period after his return to Providence in 1926, the story reflects his broader literary project of crafting a materialist, post-Enlightenment form of supernatural horror that avoids traditional ghosts or demons in favor of existential dread rooted in scientific plausibility.
    H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) produced most of his fiction for pulp magazines such as Weird Tales, receiving limited recognition during his lifetime but achieving posthumous influence through publications by Arkham House and later scholarly editions. At the Mountains of Madness exemplifies his mature style and has been widely regarded as a pinnacle of weird fiction for its ambitious scope, detailed world-building, and profound unsettling of anthropocentric assumptions. The work has inspired numerous adaptations, analyses, and continuations in horror and science fiction, underscoring its enduring impact on the genre. 

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/horror-stories-by-howard-phillips-lovecraft--7455588/support.
    23 min

About Horror Stories by Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

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Horror Stories by Howard Phillips Lovecraft.  
Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of weird fiction and horror, best known for originating the…