I am busy this week working on other projects, but I want to call your attention to Britain's The Telegraph newspaper, where I was quoted yesterday in an article about the failed adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness that was to have starred Tom Cruise. Writer Ed Power quotes from my article about Lovecraft and Scientology in order to explain the similarities between the Cthulhu Mythos and L. Ron Hubbard's daffy cosmology and then speculates about whether the similarities might have caused trouble for Scientology: It’s pure speculation but Cruise would no doubt have been aware of the opprobrium weathered by fellow scientologist John Travolta following his adaptation of Hubbard’s Battlefield Earth in 2000. Even the names HP Lovecraft and L. Ron Hubbard have a similar chime. Throw in extraterrestrials and elaborate creation mythology and it feels certain that – however unfairly or inaccurately – Cruise’s beliefs would be publicly linked to Lovecraft’s cosmology.
10 Comments
Kent
8/18/2020 05:03:44 pm
The fact is there's no connection between Lovecraft's mythos and Hubbard.
Reply
Jim
8/18/2020 07:17:04 pm
Have you watched Lovecraft Country Jason ?
Reply
8/18/2020 09:41:23 pm
I did indeed watch "Lovecraft Country." I very much enjoyed the first episode and thought it was both timely and well-produced. It makes an obvious point about Lovecraft's racism both explicitly and implicitly through comparing Lovecraftian monsters to racist terror. It's not quite up to the transcendent level of "Watchmen," but the pilot episode did good work reclaiming Lovecraftian fiction from the racist legacy of Lovecraft the man.
Reply
TONY S.
8/18/2020 11:07:12 pm
I can just imagine how badly Tom Cruise would have contaminated Lovecraft's rich tale with his Scientology crap.
Reply
Golden opportunity missed
8/19/2020 02:04:30 am
Howard created Fiction.
Reply
Rock Knocker
8/19/2020 09:32:37 am
The value of a paper can, in part, be quantified by the quality of its references.
Reply
Homer Formby
8/19/2020 06:16:38 pm
I don't think a paper can would be a good container for liquids and would be very surprised to find it used in an e-meter.
Reply
An Over-Educated Grunt
8/19/2020 11:14:14 pm
Indeed, it's a wonder anyone read the Principia Mathematica with its paucity of references. He might have been the Lucasian Chair, but Isaac Newton's weak citations page renders his work moot.
Reply
Rock Knocker
8/20/2020 09:38:09 am
Ah, an abstract recognition of Jason’s work turns into troll bait. Why am I not surprised? My apologies to the moderator... 8/20/2020 04:05:32 pm
Not sure about the "Even the names HP Lovecraft and L. Ron Hubbard have a similar chime." Seems anyone familiar with the one may know the other. More likely the usual Hollywood breakdown of contracts and prior commitments, firings and new hires, and money issues. Missed opportunity in either case as Lovecraft in on the rise again. Still think the movie 'Re-animater' and the Kolchak: 'The Night Stalker' series were the best incarnations of the Mythos. I've read the Arkham edition of the collected correspondence of Lovecraft and it isn't pretty regarding his racial beliefs. But damn no one since had a grasp of eldritch horror worthy of the company of Poe or Beckford with the possible exception of King or Koontz (although personally not a great a fan of the last two).
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am an author and researcher focusing on pop culture, science, and history. Bylines: New Republic, Esquire, Slate, etc. There's more about me in the About Jason tab. Newsletters
Enter your email below to subscribe to my newsletter for updates on my latest projects, blog posts, and activities, and subscribe to Culture & Curiosities, my Substack newsletter.
Categories
All
Terms & ConditionsPlease read all applicable terms and conditions before posting a comment on this blog. Posting a comment constitutes your agreement to abide by the terms and conditions linked herein.
Archives
November 2024
|