If your itching for a good read, then you’ve got to try “The Dunwich Horror” by H.P. Lovecraft. It may have been written in 1928, but this short story is fantastic and feels very scary. Lovecraft can wrap you up into his world with vivid descriptions and wicked storytelling. He admitted borrowing some of his story ideas from other horror writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, but most of his inspiration was from his own hellish nightmares as a boy. Cult horror movies such as Reanimator and From Beyond were both based on stories written by Lovecraft. As I read through “The Dunwich Horror”, I can’t help but wonder if other horror flicks used Lovecraft stories for inspiration. For example, when he describes the exploded timber that has a black tar-like stuff from Wilbur’s barn, I thought of the black tar in the basement of the house in the 1979 movie, The Amityville Horror. Coincidence? maybe… The description of the gateway where horrid creatures from the underworld enter to wreak havoc on earth reminded me of the 1987 movie The Gate. Even Wilbur Whatley’s physical description totally reminded me of Calibos from the original 1984 version of Clash of the Titans.

And of course there’s the Necronomican, (Book of the Dead) described first in this story, and totally borrowed for The Evil Dead series of movies. Definitely do yourself a favor and pick up this or any other H.P. Lovecraft story.