http://www.cultofcthulhu.net/cthulhucult.htm
When did your interest in HP Lovecraft and the occult begin?
I suppose it began when I picked up a paperback titled The Best of H.P. Lovecraft.. I had always loved monsters, magic, and weird stuff so Lovecraft was an instant attraction. The occult is something mysterious that most ordinary people shy away from. It also proclaims itself to be a path to power, I find that attractive as well.
When did you form The Cult of Cthulhu?
I can’t remember the exact date, but it was late summer 2004. These days I just use Lovecraft’s birthday, August 20th.
What occult writings have influenced your writings?
Almost everything I’ve read has influenced me. Even the things I dislike. For example, the strict ceremonies with all the various correspondences of facing east, burning a certain type of incense, and it being the 3rd day of the month, etc. I don’t care for any of that. There are many books utilizing that sort of magic.
My favorite occult books are probably The Satanic Bible, Prime Chaos, Book of Lies, and I’d include stuff like The Fourth Way in there too. Because that’s hidden knowledge which may provide the reader with power as well.
Could you tell us about the game that you developed called “Empire of Satanis”?
Empire of Satanis is a dark fantasy roleplaying game I write a few years ago. Reading it now, I’m almost embarrassed for its youthful exuberance… that’s a nice way of saying amateurish. EoS was inspired by Lovecraft, Thomas Ligotti, and games like Dungeons & Dragons. Every once in awhile, I think about creating an improved edition of the RPG, but who knows if I’ll ever do it. Probably not without a helpful and creative collaborator.
Could you tell those who may not know what the Fourth Way is?
Sure. The Fourth Way is a system for changing how we view the human experience. This alternative viewpoint presents an individual with choices they didn’t know they had. For instance, if a man realizes he is asleep, he now has a chance to awaken. Before studying the Fourth Way, that man probably assumed he was already awake.
The Fourth Way is just one term for this particular teaching brought to the west by Gurdjieff. Ouspensky was one of Gurdjieff’s most successful and articulate pupils. I was first introduced to this system years ago. It was a life-changing experience; I knew that whatever path I followed or whatever organization I created, the Fourth Way must be part of it.
What is your opinion of the films made from some of Lovecraft’s stories-The Renanimator etc.?
I love film and one of my goals is to become a filmmaker of some kind… eventually. My favorite types of film are horror, scifi, and exploitation.. So, I love Stuart Gordon’s works like Re-Animator, From Beyond, The Dreams in the Witch-house, etc.
A perfect Lovecraft film for me would take the essence of his stories, the cosmic horror, and combine it with gore, female nudity, tentacles slime, and cultists running around in strange robes. No CGI.
Computer generated special effects is the death of awesome filmmaking. It robs my favorite genres of substance and reality. I’d rather see ultra fake-looking orange blood on someone’s shirt than dark red simulation blood created in post-production.
I’ve already dabbled with short videos, but when I make my own horror/scifi/exploitation film(s) there will be home-made special effects and plenty of luridily over-the-top craziness. Yes, there will be slime!
Many interested in the occult wonder if The Necronomicon is really powerful enough to evoke ancient spirits?
Anything is powerful enough to evoke ancient spirits if the sorcerer knows what he’s doing. Every Necronomicon in existence is merely a prop.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
when does the sorcerer really know what he is doing?
what is memory?
How can we remember things having been again?