Lovecraft Dreams in the Witch House: "Lovecraft Dreams in the Witch House" is a horror story written by American author H.P. Lovecraft in 1932. It is part of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, which is a shared fictional universe in which ancient cosmic entities, called the Old Ones, exist. The story combines elements of supernatural horror, science fiction, and cosmic horror. The protagonist of the story is Walter Gilman, a physics student at Miskatonic University.
And then there’s the rat of it all. Keziah Mason being a witch means that she gets to enjoy the company of a witch’s familiar – a spooky little animal buddy to assist her in dark magic. In Lovecraft’s short story, Keziah’s familiar is “a small white-fanged furry thing” that takes the rough appearance of a rat with a human face named Brown Jenkin. In the Cabinet of Curiosities version, the familiar maintains its mostly rat/human features but gets an inverted name of Jenkins Brown.
Nearly all of Guillermo del Toro s Cabinet of Curiosities episodes feature a showstopping monster design that the creature connoisseur has become known for. He s got the creature designers who makes all the prosthetics and then he s got Luis Sequeira the costume designer who made all the roots and everything.
The protagonist of the story is Walter Gilman, a physics student at Miskatonic University. Gilman moves into a room in the Witch House, a sinister and haunted house where strange occurrences and unspeakable rituals have taken place in the past. The house is known to be occupied by an evil entity named Keziah Mason, who is a witch from Salem.
How Dreams in the Witch House Adapts The Sounds of Lovecraft
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: "Dreams in the Witch House" makes an H.P. Lovecraft story more human.
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This article contains spoilers for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities: “Dreams in the Witch House.”
By its very definition, the work of H.P. Lovecraft is often challenging to adapt properly. The massively influential early 20th century sci-fi and horror author reveled in depicting the indescribable. The terrors of Lovecraft’s “Cthulhu Mythos” are so profound that his characters are often incapable of even perceiving them without going mad. How, exactly, is any visual medium supposed to go about crafting the unseeable? According to “Dreams in the Witch House” director Catherine Hardwicke, you opt to ensnare one of the other human senses instead.
“It was almost a story written for a sound designer, in my mind,” Hardwicke says of her adaptation of the Lovecraft story of the same name. “(The story) just talks about the creaks and the sounds moving all through the witch house. I got the sound designers to really go step by step in there.”
“Dreams in the Witch House” is the sixth installment in Netflix horror anthology Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Directed by Hardwicke (Twilight) and written by Mika Watkins (Black Mirror), the short film was released alongside “Pickman’s Model,” another Lovecraft adaptation as part of the series’ “Night Three: Lovecraft.” “Dreams” is slightly atypical for a Lovecraft joint in that it’s A. not regarded as very good, and B. actually adaptable, as evidenced by its previous retelling in Showtime’s Masters of Horror series. Another part of it is that Cabinet’s tellers of this story made extra efforts to properly transition it to the screen.
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“(The script) deviated a lot from the Lovecraft story,” Hardwicke says. “Mika came up with all these ideas to enrich it and introduce more human dynamics. We added more layers to it and enriched the female characters.”
While in Lovecraft’s original tale, the occupant of the titular Witch House is a student of mathematics and folklore seeking out the mysteries of the occult for academic purposes, in this adaptation Walter Gilman (Rupert Grint) seeks out the Witch House for intensely personal purposes. After watching his twin sister die and her spirit being dragged out into the Forest of Lost Souls, he spends all of his adult life consumed with bringing her back. Both Walter’s twin connection and the Forest of Lost Souls itself are inventions for the show.
Even while making Lovecraft more accessible for cameras, there are certain elements from this story that warrant inclusion. Chief among them, of course, is the monstrous witch at the center of the Witch House: Keziah Mason. Nearly all of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities episodes feature a showstopping monster design that the creature connoisseur has become known for. But even in a crowd of abominable competitors, Keziah Mason stands out. Part foliage, part human, and all hate, this undead witch cuts an imposing figure throughout the back half of the tale.
“That was one the best parts of this whole thing is to collaborate with Guillermo and his team on the witch,” Hardwicke says. “(del Toro) has this cool concept artist (Guy Davis) he’s worked with for years. He’s got the creature designers who makes all the prosthetics and then he’s got (Luis Sequeira) the costume designer who made all the roots and everything. Between Guillermo and all of those three teams it was just pure fun. Just building that design up and putting the prosthetics on (actress Like Johnston) – when you see it all come together is just so creepy.”
And then there’s the rat of it all. Keziah Mason being a witch means that she gets to enjoy the company of a witch’s familiar – a spooky little animal buddy to assist her in dark magic. In Lovecraft’s short story, Keziah’s familiar is “a small white-fanged furry thing” that takes the rough appearance of a rat with a human face named Brown Jenkin. In the Cabinet of Curiosities version, the familiar maintains its mostly rat/human features but gets an inverted name of Jenkins Brown.
Six episodes in, rats have become something of a recurring motif for the Cabinet of Curiosities, whose first day featured the rat-a-palooza that was “Graveyard Rats.” Still, Hardwicke is fiercely partisan when it comes to her rodent.
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Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: "Dreams in the Witch House" makes an H.P. Lovecraft story more human.
As Gilman begins to live in the Witch House, he experiences vivid and terrifying dreams that transport him to bizarre otherworldly realms. These dreams are filled with disturbing imagery and cosmic horrors, which include strange geometries, ancient alien deities, and a terrifying rat-like creature known as Brown Jenkin. These dreams blur the line between reality and fantasy, driving Gilman to the brink of insanity. In his dreams, Gilman encounters the entity Keziah Mason, who takes him on a journey across time and space, revealing dark secrets about the origins of the Witch House. He learns that the house is a portal to other dimensions, and that Keziah and her fellow witches conducted rituals in an attempt to make contact with the Old Ones and gain forbidden knowledge. As the story progresses, Gilman becomes absorbed by his dreams and begins to lose touch with reality. He believes that he has uncovered secret knowledge about the universe that others cannot comprehend. His obsession with the Witch House and his dreams leads him down a path of madness and self-destruction. "Lovecraft Dreams in the Witch House" explores themes of forbidden knowledge, the fragility of the human mind, and the terrifying power of the unknown. It showcases Lovecraft's skill in creating a sense of cosmic horror and terror, as well as his ability to blend together elements of science and the supernatural. Ultimately, the story is a chilling tale of the dangers of delving too deep into forbidden knowledge and the horrifying consequences that can arise from such pursuits. It stands as a testament to Lovecraft's legacy as a master of weird and macabre storytelling and continues to captivate readers with its dreamlike horrors and dark mysteries..
Reviews for "The Lovecraftian Creatures in Witch House Dreams"
1. John - 1 star - Lovecraft Dreams in the Witch House was an absolute disappointment. As a fan of Lovecraft's work, I was excited to see how his eerie atmosphere and cosmic horror would be portrayed in this show. However, what I got was a convoluted mess that failed to capture the essence of Lovecraft's storytelling. The plot was confusing and felt disjointed, with too many unnecessary subplots that added nothing to the overall narrative. The acting was mediocre at best, with unconvincing performances that failed to bring any depth to the characters. Overall, Lovecraft Dreams in the Witch House was a major letdown and I would not recommend it to fellow Lovecraft enthusiasts.
2. Sarah - 2 stars - Lovecraft Dreams in the Witch House had an interesting premise, but it fell short in its execution. The pacing was uneven, with slow and stagnant moments that made it difficult to stay engaged. The visual effects were lackluster and failed to create a sense of awe or terror that Lovecraft's stories are known for. The characters lacked depth and development, making it hard to care about their fates. The dialogue was often cheesy and forced, making it difficult to take the story seriously. While there were some intriguing elements, Lovecraft Dreams in the Witch House ultimately failed to live up to its potential and left me feeling underwhelmed.