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Top 20 Stories by H.P. Lovecraft

31 items ranked

My favorite tales from the Master of Weird Fiction

Rated 36 points - posted 15 years ago by pxc0 in category Books.
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1.

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The Colour Out of Space Report Abuse
188 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 2 comments
Comments:
For me his scariest story because it feels the most believable. Many of the other Lovecraft tales, the narrator’s dated thought system and particular POV feels affected or intrusive and I feel that the mythology and story behind it are better than the telling. The color out of space needs no updating, and the events could have arisen similarly from some particularly nefarious infectious source or radiation... some Phenomena that is simply unknown to the science of the time. So creepy.
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A bit different from other Lovecraft tales, it's a very suspenseful and different take on (assumed) alien life.
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2.

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At the Mountains of Madness Report Abuse
One of Lovecraft's longer stories - this is considered some of his best work and a great example of the Lovecraft mythos. It has ancient alien ruins, sinister forces of omnipotence, and a sanity shattering horror that the protagonists must survive. Director Guillermo del Toro is currently working on a film adaption of this story.
177 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 1 comment
Comments:
By far my favorite narrative, the atmosphere is chilling, you become engrossed in the tension of everything. Admittedly, like most of Lovecraft's tales there's a lot of pseudo-scientific jargon as fluff.
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3.

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The Shadow over Innsmouth Report Abuse
174 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 6 comments
Comments:
Really scary stuff, I read this in junior high and still vividly remember all the stories horror aspects. Great first read of his work
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I've read everything on this list, and Innsmouth is my favorite. By the way, the HP Lovecraft Society produced a fantastic audio play of this. I highly reccomend it, or any others from them, if you are a Lovecraft fan. They really do his work justice.
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Awesome
Added 9 years ago by guest, -1 points Vote + to improve this comment's ranking Vote - to decrease this comment's ranking
Scary stuff, the chase scene will have your heart racing, a must read before "The Thing on the Doorstep".
Added 12 years ago by guest, 2 points Vote + to improve this comment's ranking Vote - to decrease this comment's ranking
The scariest part of this story, in my opinion, is when the protagonist looks out at "Devils Reef" and see's a bunch of bobbing heads swimming towards him. I think I got chills then.
Added 12 years ago by guest, 5 points Vote + to improve this comment's ranking Vote - to decrease this comment's ranking
This story is to me the scariest of all Lovecraft's work. Imagine being trapped in a small town surrounded by killer fish people.... Anyways a very scary story, and the conclusion was a big shocker.
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4.

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The Dunwich Horror Report Abuse
172 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 1 comment
Comments:
The Dunwich Horror definitely shocked me when I sat through the Exorcist without batting an eye. The final conflict with the horror and twist ending tap into the annals of human's fear of what lurks beyond what our minds are capable (or willing) to comprehend.
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5.

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The Call of Cthulhu Report Abuse
A fantastic horror/detective tale featuring everyone's favorite squid faced Great Old One - Cthulhu. The ancient evil God slumbering beneath the sea was one of the greatest inventions in speculative fiction and still horrifies to this day.
157 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 -

6.

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The Whisperer in the Darkness Report Abuse
122 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 1 comment
Comments:
A blend of science-fiction and horror: a story which initially is told through letters exchanged between the protagonist (in his safe urban world) and his contact (who is isolated in a rural backwater which is slowly being encroached upon by sinister forces).
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7.

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The Rats in the Walls Report Abuse
98 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 2 comments
Comments:
"Rats in the Walls" was the 1st Lovecraft story I encountered and is still my favourite. Very accessible - you don't have to be familiar with Cthulhu mythos to understand it. Yet it still imparts that sense of awe and terror of the unknowable, distant past that characterises his Cthulhu cycle.
Added 11 years ago by guest, 3 points Vote + to improve this comment's ranking Vote - to decrease this comment's ranking
This is a great story for fans of the creepy crawly horror with the added bonus of psychological turmoil. Reminds one of Edgar Allen Poe, and indeed, stands up well to anything the other master of horror wrote in his heyday.
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8.

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The Case of Charles Dexter Ward Report Abuse
97 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 4 comments
Comments:
This is one of the only Lovecraft works that could actually be its own (somewhat short) novel. The slow build-up creates maddening tension and it has a very satisfying conclusion. This is my favorite Lovecraft story.
Added 7 years ago by guest, 1 point Vote + to improve this comment's ranking Vote - to decrease this comment's ranking
This one is a real doozy from Lovecraft for sure, and makes my top five. Much like"Herbert West--Reanimator" there is humor to be found here if you have an eye for it. For instance, Dexter's relationship with his parents is a hilarious exaggeration of the struggles between parents and teen children everywhere in every time.
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my favorite lovecraft. possibly the spookiest story i've ever read. it is very slow to build, but the horrible magics described in this story are ingenious.
Added 12 years ago by guest, 4 points Vote + to improve this comment's ranking Vote - to decrease this comment's ranking
This wad another of the longer works by l Lovecraft. It's a disturbing tale of a youth obsessed with history and especially his genealogy. He discovered in his hometown that he is related to a wealthy and shunned land owner of Providence who had left Salem and apparently lived for an unaturally long period of time. There is huge twists and turns as his family and their doctor try to unravel just what Charles Dexter Ward has been discovering and practicing in his pursuit of greater knowledge.
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9.

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The Music of Erich Zann Report Abuse
72 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 1 comment
Comments:
A voiceless musician plays his viol not to hear the whispers of insanity, his untold story being one of the best ever written by H.P.L.
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10.

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Dagon Report Abuse
One of my favorites, involving the Cthulhu influence of ancient ruins and monsters from the depths. A sailor adrift on the ocean comes upon a land mass that is revealed after an earthquake.
71 points - added 14 years ago by guest - 2 comments
Comments:
Interesting story but it's only about 8 pages long and it spends most of those pages drawing great imagery for a single scene and then rushes through a second scene before concluding. It left much less of an impression than most other Lovecraft stories I've read.
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Or swallowed by some huge sea dweller... thing.
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11.

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The Shadow Out of Time Report Abuse
The greatest body-switching story ever told, Lovecraft is at his best when he's describing the incomprehensibly weird. His descriptions of the body stealing alien culture as so detailed and strange one wonders where in the human mind such creatures could be created.
68 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 -

12.

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Thing on the Doorstep Report Abuse
solid all the way through, creepy foreshadowing
53 points - added 15 years ago by guest - 3 comments
Comments:
My favorite Lovecraft story, along with "The Curse of Yig," because the story's denouement‎ actually lives up to the title. Love the character of Asenath!
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A tad bit predictable and samey if you are already familiar with Lovecraft, however
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asenath very evil
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13.

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The Outsider Report Abuse
53 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 2 comments
Comments:
The Outsider is definitely my favorite H.P Lovecraft story. This is because it tells more than one story. Along with being a horror, I believe it to also be a sad one, following the life of one who died and has come back to realize he is nothing but a ghoul
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What's great about this story is that you're not exactly sure how to feel at the end. You want to be scared, but that doesn't seem to be Lovecraft's intent (although it works well in its own right). In my opinion, an author that is able to confuse not the mind, but instead the heart, is a true master of words. ^^ How about them philosophical apples?
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14.

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Haunter of the Dark Report Abuse
45 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 1 comment
Comments:
Lovecraft shows how futile and powerless the actions of a protagonist are in this short story, when a man fails to believe in local superstition and ascends a tower dedicated to a malign deity.
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15.

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Dreams in the Witch-House Report Abuse
45 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 2 comments
Comments:
I hated it, it doesn't feel like a lovecraft story at all!
Added 11 years ago by guest, -5 points Vote + to improve this comment's ranking Vote - to decrease this comment's ranking
This is a short and frightful yarn of a young scholar rooming in a house which was originally owned by a woman accused of witchcraft who disappeared during the trial many years before. The scholar begins having strange dreams in his attic room of this house. The dreams affect his nerves and his sanity. As well as pushes the people he resides with to the brink. Read this if you like an unpredictable and thrilling form of horror.
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16.

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Pickman's Model Report Abuse
Maybe not his best work, but I love the surprise reveal at the end of this tale about an artist you only paints horrifically gruesome pictures.
45 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 -

17.

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The Dream-quest of Unknown Kadath Report Abuse
44 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 3 comments
Comments:
amazing story probably the most imaginative h.p. lovecraft story i've ever read i didn't want it to end. THIS one, not dagon.
Added 12 years ago by guest, 1 point Vote + to improve this comment's ranking Vote - to decrease this comment's ranking
Not the easiest of reads and would not, perhaps, be recommended to those unfamiliar with Lovecraft
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This was one of his longer works and also took place in the dream cycles. It is a fantasy epic to which I personally see no rival. The depth of the dreamlands along with it's strange landscapes and stranger creatures were all inspired by dreams Lovecraft had. A stupendous read for anyone who enjoys a darker hue of fantasy
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18.

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Reanimator Report Abuse
34 points - added 12 years ago by guest - 2 comments
Comments:
A great tale about a man who tries to defeat death and accomplishes his goal only to have the knowledge to drive mad and his own creations go against him
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running zombies
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19.

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The Picture in the House Report Abuse
32 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 1 comment
Comments:
shies away from any of lovecraft's scientific or mythological writing(which one can, unfortunately, tire of) to deliver a solid, horrifying depiction of a house in east coast backwaters. i think the psychological depth is far superior to his more well known works. That this work is very short not only makes it very enjoyable, but compliments lovecraft's ability to craft and entire world of sheer terror in just a few pages. Think "texas chainsaw massacre".
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20.

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The Festival Report Abuse
Almost like a shortened version of Shadow over Innsmouth, this is one of his strongest entries in the 12 or less page category.
31 points - added 9 years ago by guest -

21.

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The Quest of Iranon Report Abuse
30 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 1 comment
Comments:
A story that is part of his Dream Cycle, depicts his obsession with long lost beauty and belonging. Somewhat influenced by the aestehetics of Greek mythology.
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22.

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The Horror at Red Hook Report Abuse
This is a personal favorite. Lovecraft's real life experiences living and working in New York City led to this tale of a cult of subhuman immigrants conducting ghastly pagan rituals in hopes of raising an ancient horror. Most people don't realize that this story was the direct result of Lovecraft's racism. His disgust at the "unwashed" and "subhuman" immigrants of the city was the inspiration for this tale.
29 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 -

23.

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The Temple Report Abuse
Apart from having a thing for submarine stories, you have the whole secluded location preying upon the minds of those stuck in the situation. The U-Boat captain firmly denies any suggestion of the supernatural while those around him fall to the predations of sanity shocking events. A great vignette of the suggested horror style.
27 points - added 13 years ago by guest -

24.

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Celephais Report Abuse
25 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 2 comments
Comments:
Yes, dream like beauti aside than the fact of the guy actually dying!
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One of Lovecraft's stories that isn't really scary, but is instead filled with a dreamlike beauty
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25.

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Cool air Report Abuse
18 points - added 9 years ago by guest - 1 comment
Comments:
My favourite Lovecraft story, quite different from his other works, tense and gross
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26.

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The Lurking Fear Report Abuse
13 points - added 4 years ago by guest -

27.

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The Strange High House in the Mist Report Abuse
12 points - added 15 years ago by pxc0 - 1 comment
Comments:
Anazing
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28.

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In the Walls of Eryx Report Abuse
A mining colony on Venis harassed by the native lizard men (Avatar much?). Power crystals, leather space suits, flame guns, and an unfortunate atronaunt who tries to make it back to base before his oxygen runs out.
11 points - added 12 years ago by guest -

29.

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What the Moon Brings Report Abuse
9 points - added 3 years ago by guest -

30.

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The Mound Report Abuse
It is kind of lovely in terms of the way the protagonist sort of settles into the culture
4 points - added 7 years ago by guest -

31.

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The horror fom the middle span Report Abuse
2 points - added 10 years ago by guest - 2 comments
Comments:
Not bad worth a read for love craft fans
Added 9 years ago by guest, 1 point Vote + to improve this comment's ranking Vote - to decrease this comment's ranking
Not a Lovecraft story. This is an August Derleth story published as a "posthumous collaboration."
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