Couple of Stephen King questions

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by ap Oweyn, Nov 12, 2013.

  1. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    1) I've just heard "The Lawnmower Man" on CD. How on Earth did they get from THAT story to the one told by the Lawnmower Man film starring Jeff Fahey?!

    And more importantly:

    2) I've also just listened to "Jerusalem's Lot" on CD. It's much more explicitly Lovecraftian than I realized King got. Does he have other clearly Lovecraftian tales? EDIT: I do remember brief reference to one of the "forbidden tomes" in another story, about a college romance gone south.
     
  2. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    "The Mist" has a HPL feel to it, and I would also make a case for "IT" being an "elder God" story...also IMO the best he wrote

    "Desperation" and "Insomnia" may also fit what you are looking for.
     
  3. Guitar Nado

    Guitar Nado Valued Member

    The short story Crouch End is about as Lovecraftian as King gets IMHO, and I'm sure it was very intentional.
     
  4. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    Def. lovecraft inspired. I was thinking about ones that specifically reference Lovecraft material. Jerusalem's Lot, for instance, references De Vermis Mysteris (or whatever), Yog Sogoth, etc. also deals with inbred Innsmouth-like population, first-person narration, being "called back" by ancestry, etc.

    Loved The Mist, by the way. Don't know the other one.
     
  5. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    Feel like I've... Heard that one. What's it about?
     
  6. Guitar Nado

    Guitar Nado Valued Member

    It's set in London, and deals with a couple of policemen and a woman who tells them a strange story about how her and her husband became lost, and things start to change and get really freaky. Been a while since I read it, but I think it actually mentions Lovecraft, and some specific Mythos names are mentioned in an offhand way (street signs, etc). There is a monster in it that seems pretty clearly right out of Lovecraft.

    I can't think of any other straight up Lovecraft nods, but I'm sure there are some. To me King wrote a lot of stuff that while not really being Lovecraftian, are sort of Weird Tales-ish - Mrs. Todd's Shortcut, From a Buick 8, and Mile 81 - probably better examples than those, but that is what comes to mind.

    I'm pretty much the Constant Reader King mentions often in his forwards, but I have forgotten a lot of his stuff over the years. Just read Doctor Sleep though, and I recommend it. Good stuff!
     
  7. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    Haven't read that yet then. Excellent. Thanks!

    Ms. Todd's Shortcut is a favourite of mine though. Good call.
     
  8. Unreal Combat

    Unreal Combat Valued Member

    One of my favourites is Running Man.
     
  9. pseudo

    pseudo Padawan

    Not sure if your a Graphic Novel type of guy but if your looking for a lovecraft influenced author, Check out Locke & key by Joe Hill who just so happens to be Stephen Kings son.
     
  10. huntman

    huntman Valued Member

    Crouch end is the most Lovecraftian. Great on audio
     
  11. Guitar Nado

    Guitar Nado Valued Member

    I haven't checked that out (not so much into the graphic novels), but on the subject of Joe Hill - I have to say NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box are both great. Horns is pretty good too. None of these are Lovecraftian (or graphic novels) but just wanted to give them a mention.
     
  12. frownland

    frownland 【ツ】

    A Lovecraftian story that King almost wrote: in an introduction to "HP Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life", King writes about a story idea which came to him at a convention in Providence. He called it "Lovecraft's Pillow", but decided it was just too scary to go on with.
     

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