Two of the most well known horror writers ever, H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, have created some of the most twisted and most macabre horror stories that we all know and love like Call of Cthulhu, The Black Cat, Shadows Over Innsmouth, The Tell-Tale Heart, Mountains of Madness, and the Fall of the House of Usher. They both have made very influential work, yet what makes them so interesting is how different they are. So, what is it about these two that make them so different. Well, that’s what I wish to talk about with you today.



We’ll start with Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was a writer of gothic horror, and only lived a short life of about forty years. It was the 1800s. Dying at such an early age was very common. He never really had the best childhood, what with his father leaving him and his mother dying at an early age. He started to write short horror stories after he got some experience for writing in journals and newspapers. His first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems, was a very big influence, but he didn’t get recognition until his poem, The Raven, was released. Since then, he began making other short stories. The Black Cat, a story of a man being haunted by the ghost of a one eyed cat he killed. The Fall of the House of Usher, a man who visits his ill friend and paranormal things start to happen in the house. Tell-Tale Heart, the story of a man hearing knocking after he commits a murder, and much more. I’m not one to enjoy ghost stories, but Edgar Allen Poe doesn’t try to make them very cliched like they are in… almost every Hollywood ghost movie today. He uses new tricks, and different ways of making the ghosts scary. He also adds things that only humans would do, such as succumbing to greed and committing horrible crimes to get what they want. The things that these people do in his stories are pretty scary. You can just feel the scenery in some of these stories. The timeline, the buildings, the uniforms, and of course, the scary atmosphere. You know a horror story is good when it makes you feel the atmosphere and Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic writing does just that.



Now let’s look at H.P. Lovecraft. He managed to live an extra six years from Edgar Allan Poe. His childhood wasn’t as bad, but still a bit disturbing in some ways. His father was placed in an asylum after he became mentally ill, and he was to be raised by his mother, two aunts, and grandfather. He learned to read poetry at the young age of three, but was often sick and couldn’t attend school much. After he moved out of his family home, he began to write his first story, The Alchemist. It wasn’t until a few years later that his most well known story (At least today, most well known) the Call of Cthulhu was made, and this is what landed H.P. Lovecraft as one of the most influential horror writers in history. Lovecraft’s writing was unlike anything that was ever seen before. His writing was completely different from other people’s writing. His stories would create bizarre world, strange characters, and some of the most terrifying and mind bending creations to ever be put in horror. His monsters were all creatures that humans could not create in a matter of days. H.P. Lovecraft took time and effort to create these creatures, and these creatures were ingenious. They were creative, brand new, and gave us something that no one had ever seen before. He mentioned that these creatures could drive people insane by looking at them, and gives the best descriptions he can of them so that we can picture them as best as we could. His writing was so different and new to people, that it got it’s own genre of horror, known as Lovecraftian horror. And anyone who can create a new genre all by themselves must have some talent.



So, what is it that makes Lovecraft and Poe so different? Well, as you can see, Poe uses depressing and insane characters to tell his story, showing the worst that they can do and what the consequences are for them. Poe tries to make his stories as real as possible. Sure, they work, but he can also make creatures if he wants to, and when he wants to make them, they work perfectly. They manage to be scary and manage to have more to them then just “some scary monster”. Lovecraft uses creatures and settings that are not of this world, and are of a completely different plan than ours. He uses monsters that the human mind can’t possibly comprehend, and if we try to comprehend them… well, the human mind just wouldn’t be able to handle it. He tries to do something new, and boy, did he succeed in doing that. And I couldn’t be happier for it.



So, that is what makes them both so different. Poe tries to keep his stories grounded in reality and human psyche, while Lovecraft tries to show readers something new, but also trying to be creepy at the same time. But, no matter what, they both are some of the most influencial writers in the history of horror writing. And their writing can still be seen today. Edgar Allen Poe’s gothic horror with it’s psychological characters and creepy monsters can still be seen in movies like Crimson Peaks and games like Bloodborne. And Lovecraft…. Well, Cthulhu has one of the biggest fandoms as of to date. I don’t think their style of writing is going to be forgotten for a while. Take care.