LC's corner of dark inspirations.

[lovecraft68]

Title pretty much says it all. Most of my lit stuff is fun, but I've also authored the dark, violent, depressing train wreck of Siblings with Benefits in addition to a couple of other more moody pieces.

My off lit writing is erotic horror with a feminist edge with a lot of hardcore sex, violence, death, addiction, and all manners of mayhem usually featuring broken bad ass characters only likable in the sense of they are up against even more unlikable adversaries.

If anyone read my novel length pieces Every Dog Has Its day and Abigail before I removed them you'll know exactly what I mean. My influences are pretty simple. A life time of horror in all its forms, novels, movies, comics, real life serial killers, the occult along with violent thrillers and all accompanied by a soundtrack of hard rock up to the blackest of metal.

I know from other threads and some PM conversations I'm far from the only writer here with a darker muse so I though to start a thread with some of those influences of mine and hope others will add to it.

Whether its a video, movie poster, song, book....whatever has plucked the strings of the more primal aspects of your writing and makes you say....Yes! I want that! Post it here and if it has directly influenced something you've written or want to write add a comment as to how.why its inspired you.

 

[lovecraft68]

This is a clip from last years Atomic Blonde set to the classic Seven Nation army. Although this movie came out after I'd already created my Femme Fatale Nicole Watts who operates under the name Medusa, Charlene Theron's character epitomizes her.

Sexy, deadly, broken and with a taste for the ladies. Fight scenes are excellent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GEArZJBSsQ

 

[lovecraft68]

One of the most bad ass-yet fairly under rated-villains of all time is Kurgan from the original Highlander (1985) played by equally under rated actor Clancy Brown (Starship Troopers, Pet Sematary 2)

This is a montage from the movie set to Moterheads King of Kings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itlis1FERrc

And these days Brown is....the voice of Mr Crabs on Spongebob...

Kurgan pure and simple is the ultimate bad ass. A master swordsman with his own special brand of insanity and am unstoppable force of nature. A strong influence on my character the cult leader Maxime Ruine.

 

[lovecraft68]

A dark song to begin with, this version of the Stones Paint it Black is performed by Ciara from the last With Hunter sound track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-bWy4R8vnY

in the Abigail series, the title character is a witch who owns a fetish club in Chicago. This dance is something I certainly envision happening on stage there, most likely with Abigail herself in the lead.

 

[SimonDoom]

And these days Brown is....the voice of Mr Crabs on Spongebob...

I'm pretty good at identifying voices on TV, but I would never have guessed that one.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Whether its a video, movie poster, song, book....whatever has plucked the strings of the more primal aspects of your writing and makes you say....Yes! I want that! Post it here and if it has directly influenced something you've written or want to write add a comment as to how.why its inspired you.

Writing: Ray Bradbury for things like Skeleton that find horror within the human mind. Clive Barker, especially "The Hellbound Heart", for his sensuousness and physicality.

Video: "Dagon" is one of my favourite HPL adaptations, based on what's my favourite of his stories ("The Shadow over Innsmouth", not "Dagon"), because it really ties the internal and external horror together. I had a story in mind based on this, spent a long time working on it, but I don't think it's ever going to see the light of day; I parked it for a while, and the world moved on to the point where a lot of the content wouldn't feel the same way now.

Music: I've been listening to a lot of Umbra et Imago for that primal sort of mood; their song Sweet Gwendoline plays an important role in my current story. Viva Vulva is kinda cheesy but I love it; same artist, but singing from the submissive side this time. Also, I'm a sucker for deep German voices.

 

[lovecraft68]

Writing: Ray Bradbury for things like Skeleton that find horror within the human mind. Clive Barker, especially "The Hellbound Heart", for his sensuousness and physicality.

Video: "Dagon" is one of my favourite HPL adaptations, based on what's my favourite of his stories ("The Shadow over Innsmouth", not "Dagon"), because it really ties the internal and external horror together. I had a story in mind based on this, spent a long time working on it, but I don't think it's ever going to see the light of day; I parked it for a while, and the world moved on to the point where a lot of the content wouldn't feel the same way now.

Music: I've been listening to a lot of Umbra et Imago for that primal sort of mood; their song Sweet Gwendoline plays an important role in my current story. Viva Vulva is kinda cheesy but I love it; same artist, but singing from the submissive side this time. Also, I'm a sucker for deep German voices.

I agree, Dagon was really well done.

Not sure if you've seen them, but two other good -and older adaptations-(IMO)

The Resurrected featuring Chris Sarandon is The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Resurrected

The Curse-don't be scared away that it stars Sheriff Lobo(Claude Atkins) is a very underrated version of the Colour out of Space.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curse_(1987_film)

If you're looking for horror of the human mind check out the netflix series Mind Hunter based on the book by John Douglas the man who pioneered profiling seriel killers. Proves truth is far more frightening than fiction.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I agree, Dagon was really well done.

Not sure if you've seen them, but two other good -and older adaptations-(IMO)

The Resurrected featuring Chris Sarandon is The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Resurrected

The Curse-don't be scared away that it stars Sheriff Lobo(Claude Atkins) is a very underrated version of the Colour out of Space.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curse_(1987_film)

Haven't seen those two, I'll keep an eye out for them.

There was a pretty good German adaptation of TCooS a few years back, Die Farbe. The director's now working on "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath"; I'm not sure if it'll ever get made but I'd love to see it.

 

[lovecraft68]

Haven't seen those two, I'll keep an eye out for them.

There was a pretty good German adaptation of TCooS a few years back, Die Farbe. The director's now working on "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath"; I'm not sure if it'll ever get made but I'd love to see it.

The one I keep waiting for and has been oft promised is Mountains of Madness.

Of course what works against it is....nothing really happens

This was also really good. I think this is the full uncut version (complete with bloody witch sex)

https://vimeo.com/140083878

On the other side of things Lurking Fear was awful.

Re-animator still is the most successful I imagine, it was good, but just a little too tongue in cheek for me....but oh the head giving head scene will live forever.

 

[Sammael Bard]

Music inspires me more than anything else and it doesn't have to be a song with lyrics. My recent favourites are Zack Hemsey's 'The Way' and 'Vengeance'. IDK if it qualifies as dark/edgy, but it's definitely good stuff:

https://youtu.be/Nco7qfrPG7I

https://youtu.be/Lhv_yFMuwxs


'Two Steps from Hell' has some awesome sauce on their YouTube channel. Their 'Blackheart' and 'Victory' pieces are reaallly good. It suits the fantasy-medieval-ish theme of the story I'm working on.

https://youtu.be/vbttZVTSJRU

 

[ChloeTzang]

Music inspires me more than anything else and it doesn't have to be a song with lyrics. My recent favourites are Zack Hemsey's 'The Way' and 'Vengeance'. IDK if it qualifies as dark/edgy, but it's definitely good stuff:

https://youtu.be/Nco7qfrPG7I

https://youtu.be/Lhv_yFMuwxs

I'm with you on that one.

Dark Waltz - Hayley Westenra

Night of the Wolf - Nox Arcana

I always thought some of the tracks from Sons of Anarchy were pretty dark ...

Come Join the Murder - The White Buffalo

 

[lovecraft68]

My d-bag detective Josh Wilson in Every Dog has its way was partly influenced by Woody harrelson's character in True detective. His part ticked every box of a cheating, sexist, asshole cop.

The first season was excellent and the theme song is a dark country style piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRPpCqXYoos

 

[lovecraft68]

Johnny Cash when the man comes around, putting this is in an early sequence in the Dawn of the dead remake was a great touch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuHXcJdoRdo

 

[lovecraft68]

In addition to Paint it Black the stones had several great dark songs.

Playing with fire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QlBTOAqHhk

Dancing with Mr D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLxaijo4LeY

And of course a song that's become an anthem....Sympathy for the Devil.

Tons of versions of this, I'm going to link the Guns and Roses version. It's a great evil version and....best thing about Interview with a Vampire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tBZFQf--50

 

[PuckIt]

A long time ago (like late 80s) I read John Saul's "Creature". Almost from that time I've been tinkering off and on with a more sexual exploration of the story. Probably passe now with the better understanding of the sciences involved, but it always intrigued me.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I always thought David Bowie's "Blackstar" was pretty dark and out there on the edge.

"Lazarus" - David Bowie - "Look up here, I‘m in heaven“

I kind of listen to this album and it's like Bowie is singing about his own death. He died two days after it was released. it's hard not to listen and watch this without thinking that the whole time he was making and recording this he was dying from cancer and probably knowing he wouldn't live to see it released. Now that's pretty dark, on top of the album itself....

 

[Bramblethorn]

The one I keep waiting for and has been oft promised is Mountains of Madness.

Of course what works against it is....nothing really happens

It looks as if Guillermo del Toro has given up trying to get funding for that one, which is a crying shame. I'd love to see what he'd do with it.

Re-animator still is the most successful I imagine, it was good, but just a little too tongue in cheek for me....but oh the head giving head scene will live forever.

I've only ever seen #3, but I understand it was even more tongue-in-cheek than the earlier ones. I still remember the scene with a reanimated severed penis fighting a rat...

The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society did a couple of decent films of "Call of Cthulhu" and "Whisperer in Darkness".

 

[TxRad]

Speaking of tongue in cheek, I'm waiting for "Deadpool 2".

 

[Bramblethorn]

I always thought David Bowie's "Blackstar" was pretty dark and out there on the edge.

"Lazarus" - David Bowie - "Look up here, I‘m in heaven“

I kind of listen to this album and it's like Bowie is singing about his own death. He died two days after it was released. it's hard not to listen and watch this without thinking that the whole time he was making and recording this he was dying from cancer and probably knowing he wouldn't live to see it released. Now that's pretty dark, on top of the album itself....

Oh yeah. I had those two songs on heavy rotation after he died. And then later that year Leonard Cohen went out with "You Want It Darker".

 

[lovecraft68]

Speaking of Del Toro and Dark masterpieces if anyone hasn't seen Pan's Labyrinth they're seriously missing out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTHgdpuzmTw

 

[ElectricBlue]

I always thought David Bowie's "Blackstar" was pretty dark and out there on the edge.

"Lazarus" - David Bowie - "Look up here, I‘m in heaven“

I kind of listen to this album and it's like Bowie is singing about his own death. He died two days after it was released. it's hard not to listen and watch this without thinking that the whole time he was making and recording this he was dying from cancer and probably knowing he wouldn't live to see it released. Now that's pretty dark, on top of the album itself....

Copy that. You should also go listen to Nick Cave's Skeleton Tree, which the Black Seeds released after Cave's fifteen year old son died. Grief, carnate.

Also Leonard Cohen, You Want it Darker? - his last recording.

edit: just read Bramble's post...

 

[Bramblethorn]

Copy that. You should also go listen to Nick Cave's Skeleton Tree, which the Black Seeds released after Cave's fifteen year old son died. Grief, carnate.

Also Leonard Cohen, You Want it Darker? - his last recording.

edit: just read Bramble's post...

Great minds think alike

So, Nick Cave.

Back when Nick was an angry young man, he wrote a novel: "And The Ass Saw The Angel". It's a creepy Southern Gothic story about a deeply disturbed youth with psychopathic hobbies. Among other things, he's obsessed with his dead twin brother.

So, Cave gets famous for über-Gothic music. Fantastic, compelling stuff like "The Mercy Seat" - that still sends shivers down my spine - and "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry".

Then somewhere along the way, he settles down and gets the heroin under control and his work shifts towards gentler stuff like "Into My Arms". He already had kids from a previous relationship, but now he becomes a family man. Around this point, I drifted away from his music - I was happy for him, but when it comes to music, I'm all about the doom and gloom.

And Nick has two boys. Twins. And you know the rest.

I think I'd probably love "Skeleton Tree", but I'm not ready to listen to it yet.

 

[ElectricBlue]

And Nick has two boys. Twins. And you know the rest.

I think I'd probably love "Skeleton Tree", but I'm not ready to listen to it yet.

"Had" twin boys. Arthur died, tragically, aged just fifteen.

I don't think one could ever "love" Skeleton Tree, but it is so intensely powerful, as only Cave can be, that for any connoisseur of bleakness, it's a "must have" album.

 

[rutger5]

Dark inspiration? Just about anything from Type O Negative especially in the years since Pete died.

 

[Bramblethorn]

"Had" twin boys. Arthur died, tragically, aged just fifteen.

Yeah, I was using the historic present there. That was my point - he wrote a novel about the death of a twin, and then decades later that happens to him. Creepy coincidence.