Some films are based on a book’s concept rather than the actual events, while others are based entirely on a writer’s design. At first glance, Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie’s The Void is your mere low-budget sci-fi horror. However, fans of cosmic and Lovecraftian horror will quickly recognise that The Void is much more than it appears on the surface. It’s arguably one of the best on-screen tributes to H.P. Lovecraft.

Lovecraft is regarded as one of the most influential figures in horror. His unique style of writing is characterized by a deep sense of existential dread, with stories revolving around the unknown. And at the heart of Lovecraft’s work is cosmicism. The concept that every aspect of ordinary life is a fragile shell concealing dimensions steeped in alien mysticism. Enough that even a glance would shred any semblance of sanity.

The Challenge of Adapting Lovecraft to Cinema

Lovecraft explores humanity’s insignificance against ancient, unknowable forces. He uses little exposition and suggestive language, leaving much to the reader’s imagination. Even in stories wherein he exposes the monster, such as The Call of Cthulhu, it’s through the eyes of someone reading someone else’s diary. He never gives a full description. Instead, he uses emotive phrases, like “awful squid-head with writhing feelers.” This use of foreshadowing allows him to reveal Cthulhu without relying on lengthy descriptions. He gives enough detail for the reader to know Cthulhu’s appearance. But, he is vague enough to let the reader’s fears and assumptions fill in the gaps. 

That’s why it’s immensely difficult to translate Lovecraft’s literary works to the medium of cinema. His style relies on a balance between tangible description and the reader’s imagination. And as Cinema is a language of image, it’s in many ways the opposite of Lovecraft’s style. While there have been numerous attempts to bring Lovecraft to cinema, both as direct adaptations, such as Andrew Lewman’s The Call of Cthulhu (2005), and as conceptual interpretations, such as John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), most have been unsuccessful.

The Void’s Approach to Cosmic Horror

The Void bridges this gap. It captures Lovecraft’s style by embracing the unknown. It uses practical effects and vague storytelling to evoke dread and mystery.

From the offset, The Void throws us into Lovecraft’s world of the weird and unknown. Sheriff Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) finds a blood-soaked man on the side of the road. He takes him to the local hospital run by a single doctor Richard Powell (Kenneth Welsh), and two nurses Beverly (Stephanie Belding) and Carter’s wife Allison (Kathleen Munroe). Grappling with sparse resources due to a nearby wildfire, the situation gradually worsens when the hospital is surrounded by an unknown cult, and distorted, otherworldly creatures begin to invade the building. Trapped in the hospital, Carter and the others must face the surreal, horrifying events unfolding around them. As they fight for survival, they uncover disturbing truths about the hospital’s connection to the cult and the monstrous forces attempting to break through from another realm.

The critique that The Void’s horrors feel accidental and lack context is sort of the point. It’s a horror told from the victim’s incomplete point-of-view, making it one of the closest cinematic renditions of Lovecraft’s ideas.

Though other films in the cosmicism subgenre, including The Thing, are often praised for their Lovecraftian elements, they aren’t a perfect representation of Lovecraft’s work. Lovecraft’s horror often hinges on the fear of the unknown and the incomprehensible. His creations are terrifying not only because of their appearance, but because they defy understanding. While The Thing successfully conjures a sense of dread and terror of the unknown, and undoubtedly pulls from the same wells of inspiration as Lovecraft, it diverges from the core elements that define Lovecraftian horror. It focuses on physical horror. It shows the grotesque changes and terror of a creature that can imitate any living being. This emphasis on physical horror departs from Lovecraft’s more psychological, existential dread.

In contrast, The Void leans heavily into the unknown. The horrors are only partially glimpsed or understood, with much of the terror stemming from what’s unseen or unexplained. When nurse Beverly goes insane and stabs a patient to death, she is shot and killed by Daniel. But when Daniel and the others return to the scene, Beverly’s corpse has transformed into a monstrous mass of flesh and tentacles. The creature is only partly seen. Shadows and quick cuts hide most of it, leaving much to the imagination. And the off-screen transition heightens our dread. We wonder how this once-human being evolved into something so strange and frightening.

This limited explanation approach is present for much of the film, adding to its weirdness. The cult remains unnamed and unexplained, but its presence is ominous. Even the cult’s rituals and the ultimate goal of their summoning are shrouded in mystery, leaving us with more questions than answers. The cult’s book has cryptic-style drawings of a triangle motif, but no name or explanation is provided. Instead, indistinct Polaroid photos depicting chaotic and ambiguous scenes are used to evoke the sense of forbidden and dark themes commonly associated with Lovecraft’s occult works.

Subtle Homages to Lovecraft

The Void isn’t a direct adaptation of any Lovecraft story. Instead, it pays homage to recurring horror tropes in his works. The characters’ descent into the hospital’s depleted lower floors bears striking similarities to Dr.Willett’s adventures beneath Joseph Curwen’s old house in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward with its distorted once-human monsters, massive pentagram, and other cryptic geometrical designs. And the final escape of one of the characters through a corridor parallels Willett’s discovery of solid concrete at the Curwen farm.

The Void also avoids referencing classic Lovecraft creations like Cthulhu, the Necronomicon, and Yog-Sothoth. Something that is frequently common in Lovecraftian films to seek validation. It pays homage in a more subtle manner that doesn’t interrupt the flow of the narrative. Daniel Carter is a reference to Randolph Carter, Lovecraft’s author avatar. And the Marsh Hospital is a reference to the Marsh family, one of The Deep Ones’ breeding families in Innsmouth. Any uncertainty about the intentionality of this naming is cleared up by the sheriff’s repeated line to his dispatcher after the first monstrous attack: “This is Carter at Marsh County.” This subtle nod acknowledges Lovecraft without being obtrusive or overly conspicuous. 

Conclusion

The Void succeeds where others have failed. It respects the cryptic nature of Lovecraft’s work, delivering a cinematic experience that feels refreshingly original. Many films that draw from Lovecraftian ideas rely on clear references. But the Void opts for a more nuanced approach. Instead, it channels the atmosphere and themes of Lovecraft’s universe through subtle cues and evocative imagery. Through its blend of the obscure and the terrifying, it offers a rare and compelling take on cosmic horror that fans of the genre will undoubtedly appreciate.