Dawn
ENGL 3850-02N
Supernatural Lit
Dr. Coats
The Cthulhu Called and The Reply Was Terror
There are a lot of things that scare me. Until now, the unknown was not one of those things. I read this story late at night, and boy, did it take me on a wild ride into terror. This story is the best one by Lovecraft that I have read.
The core of this story was this thing, an octopus-dragon-otherworldly creature who had cults around the world, spanning from the swamps of Louisiana where a cult was killing swamp folk and worshipping an idol of the thing (There’s nothing more scarier than terror brought as close to home as that) to New Zealand where a derelict sailor appeared, clutching the idol of the thing after a close encounter with it. I wonder if this story has ever been or could ever be made into a movie. The odd angles described I’m sure would be difficult to reproduce and how could anyone accurately show what this hideous creature looked like? Not only did this story focus on the fear of the unknown, but if focused on broken laws of nature that in real life, supposedly, cannot be broken. I wonder if Lovecraft had a dream about this creature, like the poor guy in the story. I wonder where he came up with this truly terrifying idea. The man has shown through this story what a sheer genius he truly is.
When I think of this tale, all I can think of is WOW! I recommend this story only to those with strong minds and strong convictions. It certainly is not for those who are gullible or prone to change their minds based on a story. I came away from this terrifying tale almost believing that the creature existed, but only time and reason saved me from cowering in a corner, waiting for Cthulhu to call me…