Richard Stanley’s cosmic horror film Color Out Of Space set his plans to create a Lovecraft trilogy in motion as well as these three major influences.
Director Richard Stanley is in the midst of crafting the second installment in his Lovecraft trilogy which includes the 2019 cosmic horror film, Color Out Of Space, and the upcoming movie, The Dunwich Horror. When the first movie in the trilogy released, it garnered generally positive reviews, which prompted the production company—Elijah Wood’s SpectreVision.
In recent years, the interest in H.P. Lovecraft’s stories has been reignited in both movies and television. For instance, Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams co-produce the 2020 HBO series, Lovecraft Country, which subverts the author’s racism that permeates through his work. His god-like monster Cthulhu made an appearance in the 2020 movie.
It is common that Lovecraftian adaptations often flop upon release, which makes Color Out Of Space an anomaly in comparison. The author was known for making complex characters and monsters within the genre of weird fiction, which tends to stray away from the traditional concepts of both horror and science fiction. Regardless, Stanley was able to capture the bizarre, cosmic essence of weird fiction through a unique adaptation of one of Lovecraft’s short stories and he intends on making more—perhaps he’s found the key to success.
Why Richard Stanley Is Making A Lovecraft Trilogy?
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in January 2020, Stanley announced that he was officially working on The Dunwich Horror. He discussed the fact that the current state of the world is reminiscent of H.P.
Lovecraft’s work, and that he anticipates the second installment will be ready for release in 2021. While a portion of his drive towards crafting a trilogy based on the author’s work is due to its relevance to the current zeitgeist, SpectreVision praised Stanley for his ability to create an accurate depiction of a Lovecraftian work unlike any other.