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A review by beaconatnight
Der Schatten über Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft
4.0
The Shadow over Innsmouth was probably the first Lovecraft story that I thoroughly loved. Compared to other works of his, especially the very surreal early short-stories, the plot here is quite clear and orderly. Maybe I wasn't terrified while reading it, but I sure felt the suspense all the way through.
The way the story is told invoked clear (yet dismal) mental images of what is going on. Hence, the bus ride to the town made me almost see the scenery, and another sense is even more affected by the description of the fishy odour that is constantly present as soon as he arrives at his destination. This is probably not the least reason why the protagonist must feel deeply uneasy when he wanders these roads even in daylight. Everywhere he turns there are ruinous buildings and dilapidated industry. He is shunned by most of the inhabitants, but the strange demeanor of the few individuals he comes across is enough to speculate that some disfiguring sickness befell its people.
When he comes to the seaside parts of town, you imagine the cold air and the gray sky as he looks upon the myth-enshrouded reef. Then there is the part with the local drunk retelling the legends. You may feel slightly nauseated by the idea of bestial heritage and demonic cult. But to be honest, I thought the development of lore (not the least the cultish Esoteric Order of Dagon and their ritual objects and robes) was really totally awesome. It's really epic fantasy in horror disguise.
At least as atmospheric was the last third when the narrator tells us how he fled the city at night. I loved the way he portrays the terrifying (possibly imagined) soundscape when staying the night at the local hotel. When finally outside on the roads again, he appears to be pursued by an army of demonic creatures who seem to emerge from the Devil Reef (what the old man called the "Gate of Hell"). Given the fact that he survived to tell the tale, we know that the narrator will make it out alive. Still, finding out about his family heritage in the last part of the story again sent cold shivers down my spine.
I guess many people are familiar with the general plot points, although they may not be aware that it's a Lovecraft story. For me it was pretty much the same, so I knew where the story was going. Nonetheless, it was still an incredible experience of horror done in its most successful form. For some reason, I always considered Lovecraft to be the pulp version of Poe, and I may still stand to that. But still, The Shadow over Innsmouth has every right to be considered a classic of its genre.
Rating: 4/5
The way the story is told invoked clear (yet dismal) mental images of what is going on. Hence, the bus ride to the town made me almost see the scenery, and another sense is even more affected by the description of the fishy odour that is constantly present as soon as he arrives at his destination. This is probably not the least reason why the protagonist must feel deeply uneasy when he wanders these roads even in daylight. Everywhere he turns there are ruinous buildings and dilapidated industry. He is shunned by most of the inhabitants, but the strange demeanor of the few individuals he comes across is enough to speculate that some disfiguring sickness befell its people.
When he comes to the seaside parts of town, you imagine the cold air and the gray sky as he looks upon the myth-enshrouded reef. Then there is the part with the local drunk retelling the legends. You may feel slightly nauseated by the idea of bestial heritage and demonic cult. But to be honest, I thought the development of lore (not the least the cultish Esoteric Order of Dagon and their ritual objects and robes) was really totally awesome. It's really epic fantasy in horror disguise.
At least as atmospheric was the last third when the narrator tells us how he fled the city at night. I loved the way he portrays the terrifying (possibly imagined) soundscape when staying the night at the local hotel. When finally outside on the roads again, he appears to be pursued by an army of demonic creatures who seem to emerge from the Devil Reef (what the old man called the "Gate of Hell"). Given the fact that he survived to tell the tale, we know that the narrator will make it out alive. Still, finding out about his family heritage in the last part of the story again sent cold shivers down my spine.
I guess many people are familiar with the general plot points, although they may not be aware that it's a Lovecraft story. For me it was pretty much the same, so I knew where the story was going. Nonetheless, it was still an incredible experience of horror done in its most successful form. For some reason, I always considered Lovecraft to be the pulp version of Poe, and I may still stand to that. But still, The Shadow over Innsmouth has every right to be considered a classic of its genre.
Rating: 4/5