Ever seen The Twilight Zone? Not the old Rod Serling TV series of course; everybody has seen at least an episode or two of that. No, I'm talking about the major motion picture made by Steven Spielberg in 1983. In it, there's a scene where a very unlucky traveler picks up a hitchhiker (played by Dan Aykroyd). Aykroyd asks the driver "Wanna see something really scary?", and proceeds to show him just that. I won't tell you what it is in case you haven't seen the film. But I will say that if Dan wanted to show that poor soul something really, really scary, he could have whipped out a copy of Waking Up Screaming, a collection of short (and at times terrifying) stories by H.P. Lovecraft.

Lovecraft, of course, may not be the best known writer today, but you likely know well films and stories upon which he had an influence. Stephen King, in fact, cites Lovecraft as a major influence. Most of Lovecraft's stories take place in New England, many of them in his native Rhode Island, and they often occur in the early 20th century. Waking Up Screaming offers a fearful array of his work, including a full length novella.

Stories here include:

Cool Air
In which a strange old man has found a way to cheat death and keep himself alive through mechanical, rather than mystical means. Almost more science fiction than horror, this tale is notable for it's ending, which turns the entire story upon the very last sentence.

The Hound
A pair of grave-robbers unearth a mysterious artifact from afar. But once they add it to their ghastly collection of corpses and loot, they become hunted by a horrible and relentless beast from beyond.

The Lurking Fear
Something terrible dwells in the deepest, darkest reaches of the Catskill Mountains, something that emerges under the crashing din of the most fearsome thunderstorms. And when it does, one or more of the locals vanishes with it. When three young researchers appear to discover just what it is, they unearth its horrifying origins-but will they survive to tell what they've learned?

The Shadow Over Innsmouth
Shakespeare wrote, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." He might have added under the sea, as well, but no matter; Lovecraft sets that aright in this haunting tale of a seaside Massachusetts town taken over by nefarious undersea creatures. The shock ending will likely catch you completely off guard, and have you thinking twice about that weekend trip to the beach.

Herbert West-Reanimator
Adapted to the big screen as a major motion picture, Reanimator recounts the exploits of one Herbert West, graduate student and budding scientist who manages to invent a chemical solution that will restore life to dead flesh. But his zombies lack intelligence, and Herbert can't but think that with a corpse just fresh enough he might be able to preserve the spark of self-awareness. Unfortunately for Herbert, he never stopped to consider that the dead might not want to be brought back.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
In this novella which serves as the closing to the collection, a young Rhode Islander from a well respected Providence family delves a little too deeply into his family's history. There he discovers the tale of Joseph Curwen, an ancestor best left undisturbed, and a necromancer put down by the local authorities after a pitched battle with his demonic minions. But Ward's curiosity gets the better of him-and it seems Curwen just might, too.

Lovecraft is remarkable not only for the sheer terror he manages to invoke in these stories, but also for their structure and the exquisite prose with which he conveys them. A master storyteller, Lovecraft manages to fashion his tales (which were usually published in pulp magazines of the day) to just the right length to deliver maximum effect. He's also very adept at painting a vivid picture of his characters surroundings, be they the barren seaside of Massachusetts, the rugged Catskills of New York, or the misty bogs of Ireland.

Most of all, however, Lovecraft will truly terrify you, and this reviewer must confess to more than a few shivers sent up and down his spine while reading on a cold October night, a night made all the more chilling by the author's otherworldly imaginings. After reading Waking Up Screaming, Lovecraft's influence on comics, horror novels, and film is readily apparent.

A highly recommended read-just be sure to read it with the lights on.

All of them.

This is an entry in MSMorvay's 2008 Resurrecting the Oldies Write-Off

More Lovecraft:

The Doom That Came to Sarnath

Also of interest:

Lovecraft’s friend and contemporary Robert E. Howard’s character Conan the Barbarian in The Coming of Conan .

Bram Stoker’s Dracula .

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Recommended: Yes