I enjoy watching movies on Netflix Instant, and I’ve been noticing quite a few Lovecraftian movies currently available for streaming. If you are signed in to Netflix on your browser, the links below will take you directly to the “watch instantly” webpage for that movie.

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On to the movies!

The Resurrected – One of my favorite Lovecraft adaptations: “Claire Ward (Jane Sibbett) is perfectly willing to allow her hard-working husband (Chris Sarandon) a hobby. But his frequent disappearances into his family’s old cabin in the woods — and the creepy, putrid smells that emanate from within — have all the neighbors talking. Hiring a private investigator to see what he’s really up to, Claire does a bit of snooping on her own. But the truth she uncovers is too horrible to believe.”

Dagon – Another really good adaptation: “Two couples out for an innocent sailing jaunt are forced by a violent storm to take shelter in a fishing village. But once safely moored, they realize it might have been better to stay at sea. Seems the local villagers worship a sea god named Dagon — and have a nasty habit of mutating into beasts that are part human, part fish. Better weigh anchor … fast!”

The Call of Cthulhu – From the awesome folks at The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, one of the best Lovecraft movies ever: “While sorting through a pile of documents he inherited from his great-uncle (a professor at Brown University), a Boston anthropologist learns secrets about the mysterious Cthulhu cult that fascinated the late professor and likely decided his fate. Adapted from one of writer H.P. Lovecraft’s most famous stories, this silent picture blends vintage and modern cinematic techniques to reproduce the look of a classic 1920s horror film.”

Dreams In The Witch House – “In hopes of making progress on his graduate thesis, stressed-out student Walter Gilman (Ezra Godden) rents a room in a crumbling old house. But with so many distractions — including a wall that could be a portal to another dimension and fiend with the face of a rat — it’s unlikely he’ll make much headway. Director Stuart Gordon brings H.P. Lovecraft’s short story to life in this shocking installment of the Masters of Horror series.”

In The Mouth of Madness – Not based on a Lovecraft story, but definite Lovecraftian themes, and a really great movie: “When popular horror writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) goes missing, his publisher hires investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) to find him. Trent tracks Cane to a small New England town, which is filled with nightmare scenes right out of the author’s books. Encountering one gruesome scene after another, Trent wonders if Cane’s fans have gone psychotic and begun imitating his writings, or his ‘novels’ are really nonfiction.”

Dunwich Horror – The cheesy 1970 movie, but some people like it: “In a rare leading role, noted character actor Dean Stockwell plays Wilbur, a disturbed young warlock who wants to open a demonic portal, in this film based on the classic H.P. Lovecraft horror tale. In short order, Wilbur steals a “black arts” manual from the local university’s library and makes plans to sacrifice the college student (Sandra Dee, in her last feature film role) who handed over the book.”

The Thing– Not based on a Lovecraft story, but definitely has Lovecraftian themes, and is a great horror movie: “Scientists working in Antarctica are forced to abandon their research after a helicopter crashes near their camp, bringing a lone dog into their midst. But the plot thickens when the otherworldly canine changes form in the middle of the night. As it turns out, the dog is a shape-shifting alien that can attack animals — and unsuspecting humans. Kurt Russell stars in this creepy John Carpenter-directed remake of the 1950s classic.”

Enjoy… let me know if I missed any!