This article is part of a directory: Game Rant's Ultimate Guide To Horror Movies
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Horror is a massive umbrella, perhaps the most varied genre in film today both in quality and in the subject matter. The extremely popular subgenre of cosmic or eldritch horror was popularized largely through the works of one enduringly unusual author, Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

Lovecraft is largely responsible for the modern obsession with the horror of unthinkably old and powerful beings that exists just outside the boundaries of human understanding. His works introduce a sprawling universe of ancient deities which draw the inherent meaninglessness of humanity into focus. Lovecraft's world was cold, dark, endlessly hostile, and chillingly nihilistic. His old gods were here before humanity and will continue long after mankind's conclusion. Lovecraft's body of work is among the most influential in literary history, some of the best-loved horror stories of modern memory credit him with inspiration. There are direct adaptations like Color Out Of Space or Guillermo del Toro's long-awaited At the Mountains of Madness, but many of the more interesting works are simply inspired by Lovecraft's unique style.

Updated on October 5, 2022 by Joshua McCoy: As spooky season emerges once again from its annual slumber, Lovecraft fans will be looking for new content. Lucky for them, horror cinema has not slowed down in the process of crafting new tributes to the man's complicated body of work. Even in the short 11 months between the initial release of this piece and its first update, a handful of excellent Lovecraftian horror films have hit the screen or stream. Lovecraftian horror is always evolving, growing new impossible edges and endless unpleasant new ideas. Stay current with this updated list of cosmic horrors.

RELATED: What's Next For Richard Stanley's Lovecraft Trilogy After Color Out Of Space?

The Mist (2007)

On the strictest of terms, this is a direct adaptation of a Stephen King novella, but Lovecraft's fingerprints find their way onto this tragically underrated film. The Mist was masterfully directed by Frank Darabont, the director behind The Green Mile and the first season of The Walking Dead. Set in an old-fashioned town in King's beloved state of Maine, the populace is trapped in a grocery store during a massive unexplained storm.

The resulting cloud of obscuring mist contains untold horrors, but the true nightmare occurs when the fragile bonds of decency break down. The people of this film are the true monsters, the inescapable horror of the situation seems to consume sanity and drive normal people to madness. Some of the creature design evokes Lovecraft's specific tastes, but the writer's influence is felt in the storytelling, the characters, and the heart-stopping ending.

Dagon (2001)

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Stuart Gordon is best known for directing another Lovecraft adaptation, 1985's Re-Animator, but this lesser-known Spanish entry deserves more attention. This film is a semi-direct adaptation of Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth, one of his best-regarded novellas. Dagon was made on a very small budget and did not reap huge returns, but it has a level of heart and enthusiasm that is infectious.

Gordon is an enormous fan of Lovecraft's work, and that genuine love shows through here just as it does in his other adaptations. It's certainly gratuitous in parts, and some acting is hugely over the top, but the film sets an impressive atmosphere that immerses the viewer in the nightmare of Innsmouth. It's a bumpy ride, but if fans of Lovecraft's work want a haunting trip into the mind of someone who loves that world as much as they do, Dagon is the film for them.

Underwater (2020)

A recent addition to the canon, Underwater is not a direct adaptation of any specific Lovecraft story, but it happily borrows from his universe to create a claustrophobic sci-fi thrill ride. The marketing of this film kept the monsters enshrouded in darkness, but once it was released, its true horrors were revealed. Comparisons to Alien were plentiful and well-earned, as the film takes heavy inspiration from Ridley Scott's classic.

Kristen Stewart stars as the leader of a group of engineers working at the bottom of the ocean, where they discover that their work has awakened something terrible. Some of Lovecraft's most beloved creations make appearances in this film, but it's probably the least faithful adaptation on this list. More of a fast-paced horror ride guest-starring the Deep Ones than a tale of warping sanity and unthinkable scale. Still, Underwater is a solid horror film on its own merits and remains a solid entry in the genre.

In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

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Directed by the great John Carpenter, this film flopped tragically at the box office, but its merits have made it something of a cult film. Sam Neill stars as an insurance investigator tasked with hunting down a missing horror author whose books seem to have bizarre effects on the world around them. This film is packed with references to Lovecraft's work, including the title, and can rightly be considered Carpenter's love letter to the late author.

In the Mouth of Madness is a completely mind-bending experience, unfairly panned for its complexity. The plot is intricate enough to warrant a few rewatches, but the pathos is where this film shines, buoyed by several great performances. Without adapting any of Lovecraft's work directly, this film fully understands the particular perspective that made the man iconic.

Cthulhu (2007)

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The horror of undefinable forces separating humans from their humanity can come from a variety of places. Cthulhu is nothing like the other adaptations of Lovecraft's work, but it stands alone as one of the most insightful and incisive takes on the author's output ever made. Directed by Dan Gildark and written by Grant Cogswell, this film was produced on a tiny budget, and it shows. Despite the title, Cthulhu does not appear in this film. It's an extremely loose adaptation of The Shadow Over Innsmouth, but this film gets Lovecraft in a way that references and character names never could.

Cthulhu is the tale of a gay man returning to his small hometown and facing ostracization from his former friends and neighbors, along with his father's rapidly developing cult. Intelligent, haunting, oppressively grim, Cthulhu is an incredibly special must-see for any Lovecraft fan.

Glorious (2022)

Glorious: Release Date, Trailer, Cast, and Everything You Need to Know

Former Fangoria director of marketing and current USC Professor Rebekah McKendry's 2022 horror thriller is one of the most bizarre pitches to get produced in years. The film stars Ryan Kwanten as a miserable man dealing with a bad breakup and J. K. Simmons as the nightmarish eldritch god talking to him through a hole in a bathroom stall. The heartbroken man's problems must be quickly set aside as the tentacled creature explains that the only way to save the world is to "satisfy" him through the conveniently placed hole.

It's a comedy in some ways, but the horror comes in the implications. The ancient mythos feels perfectly pulled from Lovecraft, but the film itself is human in a way that most Lovecraft content isn't. McKendry finds absurdist humor in the "no time to explain" tone of cosmic horror while keeping the scares very much alive. Despite, or indeed because of the strange premise Glorious is well worth checking out.

The Breach (2022)

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Body horror and cosmic horror go hand in hand. The perversions of the old gods rarely leave traditional flesh and bone intact. Director Rodrigo Gudiño, best known as the founder and longtime editor of Rue Morgue magazine, brings Lovecraft's distinct influence to a small-town murder mystery. It's an ingenious combination and Gudiño finds the best of both parts. Imagine Silence of the Lambs if Buffalo Bill was an old god.

The Breach is not an easy movie to see. It'll be tough to find anywhere, not to mention the many other films by the same or similar names. Fans of Lovecraft, mysteries, or body horror should do what they can to seek out The Breach.

Mad God (2022)

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Phil Tippett is one of the most important stop-motion wizards in cinematic history. His work brought the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and the bugs in Starship Troopers to life. 32 years ago, Tippett started work on a passion project. Twelve years ago, he crowdfunded its production and received triple the amount he asked for. Over the film's 30-year creation, the film became one of the most incredible works ever put to screen. For his part, Tippett suffered a breakdown that left him in the psych ward just a year before the film's release. This is a lot of buildup for a film, but Mad God deserves it.

It's tough to describe Mad God. It's one of the most viscerally unpleasant films ever created. The faint of heart will not be able to stomach Tippett's passion project. It imagines a world of hopelessness, cruelty, and crushing futility. It's a perfectly-crafted stop-motion masterpiece that also happens to be a wide-awake nightmare that will stick with its audience, whether they'd like it to or not.

MORE: The 15 Best Video Games Inspired By H. P. Lovecraft