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Dark Adventure Radio Theatre #5
The Call of Cthulhu
A young artist has dreams of a Cyclopean city from beneath the waves, and when he seeks out a wise professor for help, he unlocks years' worth of hidden horrors. A police inspector confronts depraved cultists in the swamps of Louisiana, and finds a hideous idol of an otherworldly god. Sailors adrift in the south Pacific encounter ageless cosmic evil on an island that should not be. And the chronicler of these events dies under mysterious circumstances in Boston.
The Call of Cthulhu is Lovecraft's most famous and influential tale, having inspired generations of writers and artists, gamers and musicians, and dreamers of all kinds. It inspired the classic role-playing game that introduced most of the founders of the HPLHS to the Mythos, and it inspired our 1920s-style film version of the same tale. The radio version allows us to bring you scenes that were omitted from the movie, and add a new dimension to the classic story. Our old-time radio adaptation features a cast of professional actors, exciting sound effects and music by Troy Sterling Nies (composer for the film of The Call of Cthulhu).
The Call of Cthulhu is Lovecraft's most famous and influential tale, having inspired generations of writers and artists, gamers and musicians, and dreamers of all kinds. It inspired the classic role-playing game that introduced most of the founders of the HPLHS to the Mythos, and it inspired our 1920s-style film version of the same tale. The radio version allows us to bring you scenes that were omitted from the movie, and add a new dimension to the classic story. Our old-time radio adaptation features a cast of professional actors, exciting sound effects and music by Troy Sterling Nies (composer for the film of The Call of Cthulhu).
2 pages, Audio CD
Published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 18, 2017
A nice change from reading the story. The narrative choice for this tale was well done with a nice twist at the end. I've listened to this twice in one day!
MY GRADE: B plus.
MY GRADE: B plus.
February 22, 2020
Another wonderful adaptation of an HP Lovecraft story, expertly brought to life by the multitalented members of the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. The cast and production are superb. These dramas are highly addictive and I will be collecting them all!
July 12, 2025
A great radio adaptation of an excellent horror story.
In their fifth installment, the Dark Adventure Radio Theatre series tackles what might be H.P. Lovecraft’s most famous story, The Call of Cthulhu . HPL’s bizarre octopus/dragon/humanoid monstrosity has entered popular culture in the 21st century in a way I could never have imagined possible, thanks to how it has inspired so many video games, songs, role-playing games, and movies. As silly as some of that stuff is, the 1926 story remains a masterpiece. The people behind the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (HPLHS) very much do it justice, retaining the sweeping global quality of the original and adding their own flair to it.
HPLHS made a very good feature film version of The Call of Cthulhu in 2006, but this 2012 radio play improves upon it in every way. That is because the audio medium is inherently better at adapting Lovecraft’s work, as it leaves so much more to the imagination. This is a wonderful example of storytelling thanks to its high-quality writing, voice acting, original music, and sound design. Purchase Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: The Call of Cthulhu via this link: https://store.hplhs.org/products/dark...
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[Image: Book Cover]
Citation:
Lovecraft, H.P. (2018). Dark adventure radio theatre: The call of Cthulhu (audio play). HPLHS, Inc. https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Call-o.... (Original work published 2012)
Title: The Call of Cthulhu
Author(s): The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
Series: Dark Adventure Radio Theatre® #5
Year: 2012
Genre: Fiction - Audio Play: Horror, Mystery
Length: 1 hour & 17 minutes
Date(s) read: 7/12/25
Book 144 in 2025
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In their fifth installment, the Dark Adventure Radio Theatre series tackles what might be H.P. Lovecraft’s most famous story, The Call of Cthulhu . HPL’s bizarre octopus/dragon/humanoid monstrosity has entered popular culture in the 21st century in a way I could never have imagined possible, thanks to how it has inspired so many video games, songs, role-playing games, and movies. As silly as some of that stuff is, the 1926 story remains a masterpiece. The people behind the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (HPLHS) very much do it justice, retaining the sweeping global quality of the original and adding their own flair to it.
HPLHS made a very good feature film version of The Call of Cthulhu in 2006, but this 2012 radio play improves upon it in every way. That is because the audio medium is inherently better at adapting Lovecraft’s work, as it leaves so much more to the imagination. This is a wonderful example of storytelling thanks to its high-quality writing, voice acting, original music, and sound design. Purchase Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: The Call of Cthulhu via this link: https://store.hplhs.org/products/dark...
***************************************************************************
[Image: Book Cover]
Citation:
Lovecraft, H.P. (2018). Dark adventure radio theatre: The call of Cthulhu (audio play). HPLHS, Inc. https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Call-o.... (Original work published 2012)
Title: The Call of Cthulhu
Author(s): The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
Series: Dark Adventure Radio Theatre® #5
Year: 2012
Genre: Fiction - Audio Play: Horror, Mystery
Length: 1 hour & 17 minutes
Date(s) read: 7/12/25
Book 144 in 2025
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February 20, 2025
Common with old works, you can appreciate them for what they were but it’s not as effective today. But you know it’s revolutionary because it originated the concept of cosmic horror, one where your only defense is to retreat or die.
Most Lovecraftians feel like a prompt narrative to explore, and I think that’s why it birthed thousands of Eldritch horrors. Circling back to source material is an academic task, but for entertainment purposes, we’re so desensitized with varying modern horros avaialable to us - which might have been taboo before.
Most Lovecraftians feel like a prompt narrative to explore, and I think that’s why it birthed thousands of Eldritch horrors. Circling back to source material is an academic task, but for entertainment purposes, we’re so desensitized with varying modern horros avaialable to us - which might have been taboo before.
March 17, 2023
Feels weird. I read this and other HP Lovecraft stories back when I was around 12/13 and I loved them. I enjoyed the performance of this reading but it was fairly jarring to read this as an adult and pick up on all the racism in this work. So I have a lot of mixed feelings but as for the performance, it was really great! Super entertaining.
December 19, 2023
I am really enjoying the Dark Adventure Radio Theatre series thus far. I am slowly acquiring the series in publication order. This is a faithful interpretation of the story by H. P. Lovecraft. The voice acting is spot on and fun. And there is a fun twist in the end, highly recommended.
August 6, 2021
Wonderful, as with all of these HPLHS adaptations I'm absolutely thrilled to ba able to listen to them at last.
April 23, 2025
An excellent adaptation in the style of early 20th-century radio drama.
November 8, 2025
Absolutley loved it. perfectly spooky and moody and is making me whant to read the physical book. A great listen indeed.
January 16, 2026
A wonderful full cast rendition of Lovecraft's classic horror tale, The Adventure Radio Theatre makes the story entertaining to even non-horror fans.
June 9, 2021
A random murder in a public park. An artist wracked by fantastical and haunting dreams. A police inspector confronting the depraved rites of a voodoo cult. Intrepid sailors pitted against a diabolical monstrosity risen from the bottom of the sea. And one man, doomed to understand that such things foretell madness and the end of mankind.
<15/01/2024>
I am slowly getting back into the habit of listening to an audiobook whilst I work and what better to listen to than these wonderful adaptations by the HPLHS (The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society).
Having enjoyed a few of these last week, I realised I was bouncing all over the place in terms of the original order they were released by HPLHS. I am now trying to listen to them in the correct order, using free trials across Audible UK, USA and Australia to get as many as possible.
Luckily this is one I had purchased previously, as it is probably Lovecraft's most iconic work and the centre of the Cthulhu mythos he created.
The story includes Cthulhu, the old gods, Cyclopean dreams, idols, and so much more. It is a real favourite of mine and I may have to re-read the mange adaptation H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu, by Gou Tanabe. 5 stars, once again!
“Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.”
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<09/06/2021>
I do like H.P. Lovecraft and this adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society really hits the mark.
Rather than a standard audiobook reading, they have adapted the story into a radio drama and it really brings it to life.
The tale of Cthulhu is probably Lovecraft's most famous work and ties into his other tales of the 'Old Ones', sleeping Gods waiting to return.
If you'd like to read it, it can be found here: https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/...
This was always going to get 5* but it was so good that it has also been added to my favourites shelf.
“In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”
<15/01/2024>
I am slowly getting back into the habit of listening to an audiobook whilst I work and what better to listen to than these wonderful adaptations by the HPLHS (The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society).
Having enjoyed a few of these last week, I realised I was bouncing all over the place in terms of the original order they were released by HPLHS. I am now trying to listen to them in the correct order, using free trials across Audible UK, USA and Australia to get as many as possible.
Luckily this is one I had purchased previously, as it is probably Lovecraft's most iconic work and the centre of the Cthulhu mythos he created.
The story includes Cthulhu, the old gods, Cyclopean dreams, idols, and so much more. It is a real favourite of mine and I may have to re-read the mange adaptation H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu, by Gou Tanabe. 5 stars, once again!
“Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.”
‐‐-‐--------------
<09/06/2021>
I do like H.P. Lovecraft and this adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society really hits the mark.
Rather than a standard audiobook reading, they have adapted the story into a radio drama and it really brings it to life.
The tale of Cthulhu is probably Lovecraft's most famous work and ties into his other tales of the 'Old Ones', sleeping Gods waiting to return.
If you'd like to read it, it can be found here: https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/...
This was always going to get 5* but it was so good that it has also been added to my favourites shelf.
“In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”
May 21, 2024
The story this is based on is the heart and soul of the Mythos that Lovecraft created, so this is the one I was most interested in shortly after I discovered the Society. It also happens to be my favorite Lovecraft story, so, let's get into it.
The original story is that of a man named Francis Wayland Thurston. His great uncle died under slightly odd circumstances, and his old apartment was left to his grand-nephew. As he was sorting through it he discovers a box containing newspaper clippings and other articles collected by his uncle pertaining to occult phenomena and a cult surrounding a mysterious figure named Cthulhu. The rest of the story sees Thurston go down the rabbit hole opened by his great uncle as he both relates some of the more convincing evidence and stories his great uncle found, and his own broad ranging travels in pursuit of the matter. This DART episode frames the story in the context of a beat cop and detective in Arkham (Lovecraft's famous fictional Massachusetts city) finding Thurston's body in a park and falling down the same rabbit hole as they investigate the case.
This is one of my favorite episodes in the DART series. It's a great retelling of the story, the new framework is simple but effective, and I love the twist ending. Great episode.
The original story is that of a man named Francis Wayland Thurston. His great uncle died under slightly odd circumstances, and his old apartment was left to his grand-nephew. As he was sorting through it he discovers a box containing newspaper clippings and other articles collected by his uncle pertaining to occult phenomena and a cult surrounding a mysterious figure named Cthulhu. The rest of the story sees Thurston go down the rabbit hole opened by his great uncle as he both relates some of the more convincing evidence and stories his great uncle found, and his own broad ranging travels in pursuit of the matter. This DART episode frames the story in the context of a beat cop and detective in Arkham (Lovecraft's famous fictional Massachusetts city) finding Thurston's body in a park and falling down the same rabbit hole as they investigate the case.
This is one of my favorite episodes in the DART series. It's a great retelling of the story, the new framework is simple but effective, and I love the twist ending. Great episode.
June 30, 2020
Interested to hear where The White Tree's New Orleans Police Detective John Raymond Legrasse got his start? Look (Listen?) no further than HPLHS's Dark Adventure Radio Theatre's adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's most famous story, The Call of Cthulhu.
This program brings all of the wonderful DART old-time radio touches that make all the DART programs so special.
It serves as a great introduction to Inspector Legrasse for neophytes. And for devotees of the gentleman from Providence this take on HPL's novella has enough nuances to give a tale known well by fans a new twist. Highly recommended, especially the CD version which comes with a plethora of supporting props.
This program brings all of the wonderful DART old-time radio touches that make all the DART programs so special.
It serves as a great introduction to Inspector Legrasse for neophytes. And for devotees of the gentleman from Providence this take on HPL's novella has enough nuances to give a tale known well by fans a new twist. Highly recommended, especially the CD version which comes with a plethora of supporting props.
February 27, 2021
A while ago, I read some of HPL stories but I kind of didn´t like his writing style (too much character´s rambling, nothing really scary). But let me tell you, the audio drama really makes everything so much better. Seriously, when I read this story I didn´t even like it, this adaptation tho is amazing! I´ll probably listen to all of the Dark Adventure Radio Theatre sessions.
February 21, 2024
This is one of my favorite HPL stories. The actors are spot on and the stories interpretation is well done. Highly recommended for fans oh HPL and kudos to the HPLHS for yet another stellar production. Oh, and the twist...
November 21, 2018
Stellar performance and really captivating adaptation with some cool twists and turns. Another awesome production from these folk!
March 4, 2021
Slow start and big finish! Love it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews