The Strange High House in the Mist

Dream Cycle

by H.P. Lovecraft

"The Strange High House in the Mist" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written on November 9, 1926, it was first published in the October 1931 issue of Weird Tales.

An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia suggests that the story may have been inspired by Lord Dunsany's Chronicles of Rodriguez, in which strange sights can be seen from a wizard's house on a crag.

One model for the setting was Mother Ann, a headland near Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Lovecraftian, Fantasy, Fiction, Weird Fiction, Audiobook

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1931

About the author

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.

Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.

Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

— Wikipedia

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 1926 after his return to Providence, “The Strange High House in the Mist”—together with “The Silver Key”--is one of first of his short stories to unite successfully a detailed description of the New England landscape with the possibilities of the dream. This method of uniting the realistic and the fantastic was what Lovecraft needed—besides the mythos itself, of course—to both summon and command the imaginative visions that would visit him in his last prolific decade.

A “philosopher” newly arrived in town is determined to climbs a cliff near the Kingsport shore, where a house sometimes reveals itself, shrouded the in morning mist. After a few adventurous difficulties, he succeeds in his climb, and—to his surprise—is welcomed by the man who lives within. What he sees there—and its profound effect on him and the townspeople below—is the subject of the story.

Although the tale begins with a few Dunsanian excesses, Lovecraft soon settles down to an evocative description of the surrounding hills, cliffs and the shore. (Although H.P. had no one specific cliff in mind, he stated that he was inspired by a two promontories close to Manchester-by-the-Sea.) The atmosphere he creates is both realistic and poetic, and prepares the reader for the marvelous revelations to come.

I doubt this is any Lovecraft fan’s favorite story, for although there is much philosophical wistfulness here, there is not a smidgen of horror to be found. Still, it shows Lovecraft doing one of the things he did best and doing it expertly, and that is a great pleasure in itself.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is the secret of the strange and lonely house on the hill? How do you get there? Thomas Olney finds his way up and experiences historic events of the past no one heard before. He comes to know about Atlantis, the old Gods, Nodens (there is also a modern novel out named 'The House of Nodens'), all kind of mythological characters. When he leaves and goes back to Kingsport he is changed. The things were shown to him by a strange man with phosphoric eyes. The terrible old man is also playing a part in this excellent story. Great language, fine description, classic ingredients, eerie elements, well this is one of Lovecraft's great tales. Highly recommended!

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I read this wrong.
It seemed unusually ambivalent for Lovecraft, like maybe he was convinced that the supernatural is always detrimental to humanity and perhaps seeking after forbidden knowledge isn't always a terrible ideas?

Even The Terrible Old Man seemed decent enough this time. (Nice to see him again.)

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Strange High House in the Mist is one of the dream stories. You have a creepy setting, a house on the cliffs beyond Kingsport that nobody seems to remember when it was built. Not even the Terrible Old Man. The only thing they do know is that someone is up there since they can see the lights in the mist.

Then one summer Thomas Olney arrives to Kingsport with his stout family and decides to investigate the house. Easier said than done. It is really hard to reach the house. When he does get up there he sees the door that opens to nothing. He meets an old man there and his other strange visitors.
Eventually, he returns to his family but not everything is as it was before.

The young men from Kingsport wish to visit the site too, but the old people are afraid they would leave a part of them there.

[Baal Of · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story made me aware of one of the problems with Lovecraft, or perhaps one of his strengths if one prefers that sort of thing, and it is the way that he describes characters having interacted and spoken, rather than actually writing the conversation or interaction. Thus everything feels like a second-hand account making it all very distant. There is no sense of actually experiencing the events or interactions, just a dry, flowery rendition of rumors, myths, and places, with no emotional punch. Olney and occupant of the house discuss at length amazing and mysterious events, so the reader is told, but that's it. Yeah, it's all very dreamlike, but it all vaporizes as soon as I reach out to touch it. And I realize I'm very sleepy.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Lovecraft at his best.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5* rounded up to three.

The idea of a mysterious, haunted or eerie house sat on top of a hill brushing the sky really intrigued me. The journey, the expectation and the potential was huge as I read the first three pages with anticipation.

Then it ended and I was disappointed as the story should've drew me in. Being honest though, it's probably due to my inexperience with gods, folklore and so on.

[Graeme Rodaughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A philosopher of means (but still unemployed) finds his way to a mysterious lonely house atop a high seaward crag. He communes with a number of dreamlike oceanic entities and then returns to solid suburbia, touched, but untouched, he leaves the mysteries behind and never seeks them again.

3, 'Mysteriously Fishy,' stars.

[loqueleohoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

creí que iba a ser de terror (pues lovecraft) pero no, es medio rary nomás porque trata sobre una casa que queda en la punta de un acantilado y ninguna de las personas del pueblo recuerda quién la construyó o vive ahí pero saben que alguien -o algo- la habita porque ven las luces que emite

muy lindas descripciones del paisaje, eso sí, solo que no fue para el lado que quería que fuera

[Mika · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like house horror and since there is nothing psychological going on with this story it was utterly boring. Yes, mystical stuff and Gods can be interesting, but not if the focus is on a house (at least not for me).

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, creepy tale of an ancient house on a seaside cliff, told in the flowery prose that H.P. does so well.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written haunted house story, and I thought the fact that most of it described the outside of the house was very unique and interesting! And I loved that it helped me understand the Lovecraft and Lovecraft Country (just finished and recommend) universe even more, with this house taking place in Arkham. I would honestly recommend this as a first read if you want to get into Lovecraft! It really sets the scene for the rest of the stories.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short story packed with prose of phantasmagoric images that Lovecraft is forever remembered.

[Arnulfo Novo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even I'm a big H.P. Lovecraft fan, this story was very flat. Lovecraft always have the power to take me into amazing worlds, with amazing characters and epic situations and in this book I felt I was just reading a long and slow description of a flat situation with lack of H.P. Lovecraft's excitement.

[JL Shioshita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man this has potential, but goes a little too far into pure fantasy mode for my tastes. The mystery of the house itself is awesome, the reveal, at least for me, doesn't quite live up to the promise though.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the first thing by H.P. Lovecraft I read, and I hope this isn't representative of his works, cause I'd give it a 2.5. It's not BAD, but it's just really hard to get into the story, which is annoying when it's so short.

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've arranged my takeaway thoughts into a haiku:

"How does one bounce back,
Realizing their grandest theories
Were only the start?"

[Vakaris the Nosferatu · Rating 4 out of 5]

all reviews in one place: night mode reading ; skaitom nakties rezimu

My Opinion: A fairy-tale like vibe to this one cuts through the horror aspects. Reads more like Hans Christian Anders than Lovecraft, if I’m completely honest, there is that unsettling vibe, but it’s just so whimsical, magical, fae-like. Can’t say it was very enjoyable due to this, because whilst still a lovely read, one doesn’t expect “lovely” when reading Lovecraft, so it just felt off through and through. Still, so very short, I don’t mind.

A 4 out of 5, not my favorite.

[Rhys Causon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yet another in the Dream Cycle where I don’t quite understand what was actually happening… but I’ll admit that’s been the way of the Dream Cycle for me.

Lovecraft just helps me gets so lost in the descriptions that I have no idea what I’m even reading. But I’ll say this, I wasn’t expecting an appearance from The Terrible Old Man, one of the lesser known recurring characters I guess.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second read, now 350 pages in to my collection of his works. My first read was my first introduction to Lovecraft, and I wasn't keen. I have the same feeling about this now, it just bored me. I wouldn't say it's bad though, just not for me.

[A.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version on YouTube. Great story. The opening sentences alone are amazing.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous as always! H.P. Lovecraft never disappoints!

[Flora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting this one to be so beautiful, it was a real pleasure to read.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Youtube

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites of his.

[Manuel Alfredo Collado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molan las referencias a otros relatos, pero la historia en sí no me ha parecido gran cosa.

[Marcos Ibáñez Gordillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bastantes referencias a otros mitos.
Este título es una pieza de las que une un poco el rompecabezas, se agradece

[Sylvia Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I’ve read a really striking Lovecraft story, but this one really did it for me. It’s got me back in the mood and excited to revisit some of his better work this fall.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Strange High House in the Mist" is one of those classic 'Curiosity Killed the Cat' Lovecraft stories.

Premise: Man moves with his family to a seaside community where an ancient house is visible atop a cliff, but seemingly inaccessible. The man makes it a mission to reach it and ultimately does. What he finds is a house with a door that only opens to the sea on a shear cliff. This journey leads him to terrible knowledge and basically ruins his life. Knowledge is power? Not on Lovecraft's watch!

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is one of the better stories from Lovecraft's Dream Cycle. In a seaside old town, there's a strange, mysterious cottage at the top of a high cliff which is too high for anyone to climb up to. Still, the cottage is seemingly inhabited because people can see light coming out through its small windows at night. Then a man gets curious enough to try to get into this Strange High House in the Mist and solve the mystery once and for all.

What this short story can teach us?

Curiosity kills the cat, sort of.

Going to strange places isn't good for you.

Befriending the old folk who lived in a mysterious cottage isn't good for you, either.

The mystery is well set (why the only door to the Strange House is open to the cliff above the ocean? who is knocking outside of the door?), the Strange High House and its surrounding is well described, although I don't know what to think of the ending.