The Lurking Fear
Encyclopedia
"The Lurking Fear" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft
in the horror fiction
genre. Written in November 1922
, it was first published in the January through April 1923
issues of Home Brew.
as a lightning storm approaches, and feeling strangely drowsy, they all fall alseep. The narrator wakes up to find both his companions missing, and in a flash of lightning sees a demonic shadow cast upon the fireplace chimney as well as a grotesque monster by his side.
. He crawls along, until he sees two eyes reflecting his torch-light in the darkness. Yet another lightning-strike causes the tunnel to cave in above the beast and the narrator has to dig his way to the surface. He spots a red glare in the distance that he learns was a cabin that the hillside squatters had set alight with one of the beasts inside.
and realizes that the deformed, hair-covered creature is in fact a relative of the Martense family, who after many years of isolation have degenerated into ape
like creatures.
He reports that following his encounter with the lurking fear, "I cannot see a well or a subway entrance without shuddering"--an example of the phobia
s that often afflict Lovecraft's protagonists as a result of their experiences.
The name Munroe may derive from Lovecraft's childhood friends, the brothers Chester and Harold Munroe. Harold had gotten back in touch with Lovecraft a little more than a year before "The Lurking Fear" was written, and they had revisited a clubhouse they had constructed together as boys.
Martense is an old New Amsterdam
name; there is a Martense Street in Flatbush, Brooklyn
, near Sonia Greene's apartment where Lovecraft stayed in April 1922.
, a meeting that attempted to unite the North American colonies. When he returns to the Martense mansion in 1760, he is treated as an outsider by his family; he finds he can no longer "share the peculiarities and prejudices of the Martenses, while the very mountain thunderstorms failed to intoxicate him as they had before." When a friend looks for him in 1763, his relatives say that had been struck by lightning and killed the previous autumn; when the friend, suspicious, digs up Jan's unmarked grave, he discovers "a skull crushed cruelly as if by savage blows."
The Jan Martense Schenck house in Flatbush, built 1656, is the oldest surviving house in New York City.
Robert Suydam in The Horror at Red Hook
lives in a "lonely house, set back from Martense Street."
said that while "The Lurking Fear" is "a more serious study in traditional horror, it lacks the light, almost joyous touch of 'Herbert West.'"
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
in the horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
genre. Written in November 1922
1922 in literature
The year 1922 in literature involved some significant events and new books.Under the current U.S. copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1923 with a proper copyright notice entered the public domain no later than 75 years from the date of the copyright...
, it was first published in the January through April 1923
1923 in literature
The year 1923 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Fictional detective Lord Peter Wimsey makes his first appearance in print....
issues of Home Brew.
Origin
Like "Herbert West–Reanimator", earlier published in Home Brew, "The Lurking Fear" was solicited by editor George Julian Houtain expressly to be published as a serial. Unlike with "Herbert West", however, Houtain ran recaps of the story so far with each installment after the first, relieving Lovecraft of the need for objectionable repetition.I. The Shadow On The Chimney
The narrator, hearing tales of a "lurking fear" upon Tempest Mountain, takes two men with him to investigate. They camp inside the deserted Martense MansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
as a lightning storm approaches, and feeling strangely drowsy, they all fall alseep. The narrator wakes up to find both his companions missing, and in a flash of lightning sees a demonic shadow cast upon the fireplace chimney as well as a grotesque monster by his side.
II. A Passer In The Storm
Continuing his investigation, the narrator teams up with Arthur Munroe, another journalist. The two find as much information as they can on the Mansion and environs, until they find themselves trapped by yet another storm. Bunkered in a small cabin, they witness a bright flash of lightning. Arthur looks out the window to survey the damage. The narrator, curious as to why Arthur is still staring out the window, turns him to find his face chewed off.III. What The Red Glare Meant
As the narrator digs upon the grave of Jan Martense, he describes the history of the Martense family. Upon reaching the coffin, he continues to dig, and subsequently falls into a subterranean burrowBurrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...
. He crawls along, until he sees two eyes reflecting his torch-light in the darkness. Yet another lightning-strike causes the tunnel to cave in above the beast and the narrator has to dig his way to the surface. He spots a red glare in the distance that he learns was a cabin that the hillside squatters had set alight with one of the beasts inside.
IV. The Horror In The Eyes
The narrator continues to search for more clues, until it occurs to him that peculiar mounds of earth lead out in lines from the Mansion. He finds a burrow entrance in the basement as another storm approaches. Finding a hiding place, he watches as countless creatures crawl from the hole. The narrator then sees one of the weaker members of the grotesque mob get attacked and eaten by one of its compatriots. He shoots one of the creatures as it straggles behind the rest of the pack using a clap of thunder to disguise the muzzle blast, and upon closer inspection, notices the creature's heterochromiaHeterochromia
In anatomy, heterochromia refers to a difference in coloration, usually of the iris but also of hair or skin. Heterochromia is a result of the relative excess or lack of melanin...
and realizes that the deformed, hair-covered creature is in fact a relative of the Martense family, who after many years of isolation have degenerated into ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
like creatures.
The narrator
The unnamed narrator describes himself as "a connoisseur in horrors", one whose "love of the grotesque and the terrible... has made my career a series of quests for strange horrors in literature and in life."He reports that following his encounter with the lurking fear, "I cannot see a well or a subway entrance without shuddering"--an example of the phobia
Phobia
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational...
s that often afflict Lovecraft's protagonists as a result of their experiences.
George Bennett and William Tobey
Described by the narrator as "two faithful and muscular men...long associated with me in my ghastly explorations because of their peculiar fitness."Arthur Munroe
A reporter who comes to Lefferts Corners to cover the lurking fear, he is described as "a dark, lean man of about thirty-five, whose education, taste, intelligence, and temperament all seemed to mark him as one not bound to conventional ideas and experiences."The name Munroe may derive from Lovecraft's childhood friends, the brothers Chester and Harold Munroe. Harold had gotten back in touch with Lovecraft a little more than a year before "The Lurking Fear" was written, and they had revisited a clubhouse they had constructed together as boys.
Gerrit Martense
Gerrit Martense is "a wealthy New-Amsterdam merchant who disliked the changing order under British rule". He built the Martense mansion in 1670 "on a remote woodland summit whose untrodden solitude and unusual scenery pleased him." His descendants, who are "reared in hatred of the English civilisation, and trained to shun such of the colonists as accepted it," are distinguished by having one brown and one blue eye.Martense is an old New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
name; there is a Martense Street in Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
, near Sonia Greene's apartment where Lovecraft stayed in April 1922.
Jan Martense
Jan Martense is "the first of Gerrit's descendants to see much of the world"; he joins the colonial army in 1754, after hearing of the Albany CongressAlbany Congress
The Albany Congress, also known as the Albany Conference and "The Conference of Albany" or "The Conference in Albany", was a meeting of representatives from seven of the thirteen British North American colonies in 1754...
, a meeting that attempted to unite the North American colonies. When he returns to the Martense mansion in 1760, he is treated as an outsider by his family; he finds he can no longer "share the peculiarities and prejudices of the Martenses, while the very mountain thunderstorms failed to intoxicate him as they had before." When a friend looks for him in 1763, his relatives say that had been struck by lightning and killed the previous autumn; when the friend, suspicious, digs up Jan's unmarked grave, he discovers "a skull crushed cruelly as if by savage blows."
The Jan Martense Schenck house in Flatbush, built 1656, is the oldest surviving house in New York City.
Robert Suydam in The Horror at Red Hook
The Horror at Red Hook
"The Horror at Red Hook" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft. Written on August 1–2, 1925, it was first published in the January 1927 issue of Weird Tales.-Inspiration:...
lives in a "lonely house, set back from Martense Street."
Reaction
Comparing it to Lovecraft's earlier story in Home Brew, Lin CarterLin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
said that while "The Lurking Fear" is "a more serious study in traditional horror, it lacks the light, almost joyous touch of 'Herbert West.'"
See also
- The Lurking Fear (film)The Lurking Fear (film)The Lurking Fear is a 1994 horror film, loosely based on the H. P. Lovecraft short story The Lurking Fear. It was produced by Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment and written and directed by C. Courtney Joyner.-Plot:...
, a 1994 film adaptation - BleedersBleeders (film)Bleeders is a horror movie released in 1997, based on H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Lurking Fear".-Plot:John and Kathleen Strauss are a couple attempting to uncover the secret to John's rare blood disease. Along the way, they encounter Dr. Marlowe , who is intrigued by the case...
, a 1997 film adaptation - Sawney Bean
- Christie-CleekChristie-CleekChristie Cleek , is a legendary Scottish cannibal, somewhat in the vein of the better-known Sawney Bean. According to folklore, his real name was Andrew Christie, a Perth butcher...
- PandorumPandorumPandorum is a 2009 German-British science fiction thriller film written by Travis Milloy, directed by Christian Alvart and produced by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film stars Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster. Filming began in Berlin in August 2008. Pandorum was released on September 25, 2009 in the United...
- The DescentThe DescentThe Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who, having entered an unmapped cave system, become trapped, and are hunted by subterranean flesh-eating humanoids....
- Morlocks
- The Beast in the CaveThe Beast in the Cave"The Beast in the Cave" is a short story by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft written in 1905, when Lovecraft was fourteen. It was first published in the June 1918 issue of the amateur press journal the Vagrant.-Plot synopsis:...
External links
- "H. P. Lovecraft's 'The Lurking Fear'", The H. P. Lovecraft Archive; publication history
- "H. P. Lovecraft: The Lurking Fear", Text of the short story.