Guest author Michael Parkes takes a deep dive into what this genre is and why he loves it so much, he wrote a story in it…
Eldritch horror is called a lot of things. Lovecraftian horror. Weird horror. Cosmic horror. Sometimes even just “the tentacle”. It tends to emphasize the incomprehensible, the unknown, and the alien, usually with elements of psychological horror and forbidden knowledge tossed in as well. It’s not uncommon for the protagonist to go insane, access ancient and horrifying knowledge, or commune with ancient beings from beyond space and time. Beings who for some reason are usually tentacled.
H.P. Lovecraft is thought to be the biggest name in the genre, and the genre is even named after him, though the route I personally take with my eldritch horror is one less, well, tentacle-based. I love the weird and incomprehensible element of it, and my short story Portraits especially emphasizes that part. The protagonist wanders into a mansion that locals avoid, he pokes around, it seems a bit off, then the bizarreness sets in. While eschewing the traditional “tentacle god” aspect it still very heavily favours the incomprehensible, the unknown, and the concept of forces beyond reality being at play, albeit in Portraits it is implied to be a haunted mansion rather than beings from the beyond.
As for my current novel manuscript, the “beings from beyond” aspect is very much a central theme. An isolated farm where a boy accidentally accesses something secret and ancient, becoming a part of it in the process, as bizarre and otherworldly things bleed into the world from the tear in reality he opened. The incomprehensible, alien, and unknown theme is very present. There is psychological horror, communing with strange and ancient beings, and an utterly alien place wholly removed from conventional reality where everything seems to be made of flesh, and even the ground is alive… Though no tentacles, and no named eldritch gods, as it seems to almost detract from the otherworldly and incomprehensible nature of these beings to give them a name.
Eldritch horror is my favourite type of horror. The psychological horror aspect, the forbidden knowledge, and the realms and beings beyond reality are all interesting aspects of this unique type of speculative fiction. For my take on it, I tend to stray from the “tentacle abomination” way of writing things and more so lean heavily on the psychological horror, insane protagonist, and the fear of the unknown aspects of it along with the “otherworldly beyond” theme.
It is a unique and interesting genre, my personal favourite horror genre, and the genre of my current manuscript and one of my short stories. It has quite a few dedicated fans, and though somewhat niche, it’s still made its way into popular culture as few people don’t know who Cthulhu is. The Necronomicon is probably the best-known book in the genre, along with The King in Yellow, and both are great reads well worth checking out!
If you’re interested in reading Portraits, or any of my other blog posts and short stories, or would like to follow me on social media it’s all accessible through my website here.
– Michael Parkes
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