Apr '23
I should start by saying that Re-Animator is a top 5 movie of all time for me. So I can't really disparage all that he's done. I also love From Beyond and Dagon. And that's about it. So I guess it's really only Stuart Gordon's adaptations of his works that I like.
As far as his writings, I find it difficult to get through an entire sentence without falling asleep. Now this stuff was written like a hundred years ago, so you might just be able to say that it was a different time, and writing was different back then. It's just my modern millennial brain that can't comprehend the nuances or whatever.
But here's the thing. The things I always see Lovecraft praised for, is how he can't even describe what his monsters look like. People are always saying how great his work is because he leaves it up to your imagination. Saying shit like, "it was so horrifying that it was beyond description."
I'm sorry, but how the fuck is that good writing? You're not even able to describe the thing you're talking about? What if I were to tell a joke, and instead of giving you a punchline, I just told you that the conclusion was so funny I couldn't even describe it? Would you laugh? That's a bunch of fucking bullshit! A writer's job is to describe things. Just telling the reader to make it up themselves is as lazy you can possibly get.
As far as his writings, I find it difficult to get through an entire sentence without falling asleep. Now this stuff was written like a hundred years ago, so you might just be able to say that it was a different time, and writing was different back then. It's just my modern millennial brain that can't comprehend the nuances or whatever.
But here's the thing. The things I always see Lovecraft praised for, is how he can't even describe what his monsters look like. People are always saying how great his work is because he leaves it up to your imagination. Saying shit like, "it was so horrifying that it was beyond description."
I'm sorry, but how the fuck is that good writing? You're not even able to describe the thing you're talking about? What if I were to tell a joke, and instead of giving you a punchline, I just told you that the conclusion was so funny I couldn't even describe it? Would you laugh? That's a bunch of fucking bullshit! A writer's job is to describe things. Just telling the reader to make it up themselves is as lazy you can possibly get.
Agree with your statement that that's pretty lazy storywriting. It's the feeling I have often watching handcam and found footage films. People might defend it saying isn't it better you let your imgination fill in the gaps? Isn't what you don't see more scary? I'm like I like imagining and making things up but not when I'm watching a movie or reading, I'm not the one supposed to make up the story that's the task of the creator. I'm not paying or investing time when I'm also having to do the work the creator is supposed to do which is entertaining me. That's lazy and cheap.