H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most influential horror writers of all time, having written dozens of short stories over his decades-spanning career. Among his most famous are “The Call of Cthulhu” and “The Shadow of Innsmouth.”

He was one of the first horror writers to defy the centuries-old horror conventions that, until that point, had dominated nearly all works in the genre. Before Lovecraft, horror monsters were often creations of myth and folklore and usually were an abstract reflection of fears of the time.

Vampires symbolized gluttony and greed, Mr. Hyde symbolized Victorian-era fears of private and public life. This is why monsters like vampires and werewolves, though very effective in their time, have become a joke more than anything else. Looking at you, “Twilight.”

Lovecraft created creatures almost entirely of his own imagination that symbolized his misanthropist worldview. His monsters and villains are characterized by never truly being revealed to his audience.

Even at the end of one of his stories, readers will still be left confused as to the very nature and appearance of his creatures. This is very intentional; Lovecraft has several themes that appear in nearly all of his works, one of the most consistent being the insignificance of humanity in the universe as a whole.

Disempowerment is a common device used in horror, but Lovecraft takes it to the extreme. Lovecraft’s protagonists often have no real way to combat the horrors that face them. The best they can do is hope that they aren’t important enough for the horror to notice.

Lovecraft’s works are short, powerful and thought-provoking. His works, although unpopular in his lifetime, have gone on to influence countless horror works, from 1979’s “Alien”, to Stephen King’s own writing, to the Netflix hit “Stranger Things”.

Stephen King himself has said that Lovecraft remains the best horror writer of the 20th century, and his work created an entire new style of horror that bears his name to this day.

Lovecraftian horror is characterized by an intellectual or curious protagonist seeking to unravel some mystery presented at the beginning. This quest leads them to confront horrors beyond their own comprehension. It isn’t uncommon for Lovecraft to kill his protagonists and show just how meaningless humanity is in a harsh and inhumane world.

With this in mind, and Halloween just behind us, curl up with some short stories and dive into the dark and disturbing world of H.P. Lovecraft.