Critical Introduction

H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) is among the most influential figures in the history of horror fiction. His stories are filled with monsters, looming presences, nightmares, and gothic attics inhabited by malevolent forces. Many of the most frightening elements of his stories are those that are least clearly described. Many elements, he tells us, are unimaginable, inconceivable, or even impossible. Lovecraft's psyche was a mess of prejudices and paranoias that many readers find odious, but which also fuel the tension and terror in his writing.

His Cthulhu, first appearing in this story in 1928, has spawned an entire mythology that stretches through much of Lovecraft's fiction and now includes films, games, and even a Metallica song. Cthulhu is envisioned as the chiefest of the “Old Ones,” malevolent entities whose power and lifespan are cosmic in scope. Luckily for humanity, they are largely trapped in a sort of wakeful sleep in the remotest places on Earth; most of their horror, however, comes from the certainty that they will one day return and transform our world to an orgiastic celebration of chaos and violence. Like the Icelandic Æsir and Jötnar, the Old Ones are largely unconcerned with humanity—though their return is in some ways tied to human beings in ways that Icelandic mythology does not incorporate. Cthulhu, as Lovecraft developed him, is a sort of priest of the Old Ones, and he is thought to be crucial for their return when the stars are right. It is possible that he can influence and communicate with human beings through their dreams and subconscious thoughts.

“The Call of Cthulhu” is a master class in control. Lovecraft describes Cthulhu, but the image he presents in the narrative is unclear. The cults clearly exist, but it is unclear whether or not we should trust the narrator and his uncle as to their nature. Mysterious images and languages crop up, suggesting that our archaeological and historical assumptions about humanity are incorrect—but they seem to be met with a collective shrug by the academic population. Lovecraft gives us a wealth of information, but withholds the most crucial bits, leaving the reader with suspicion but no proof. In doing so, he creates a glimpsed doom, unknown machinations taking place just beyond our perception, a gathering storm of which humanity is only subconsciously aware.