Crouch End (short story)
Encyclopedia
Crouch End is a horror story
by Stephen King
, originally published in New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos (1980
), and republished in a slightly different version in King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection (1993). It contains distinct references to the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft
. A television adaptation aired July 12, 2006 on TNT
, as part of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. A song by British black metal/dark ambient band The Axis of Perdition
uses excerpts from the story as lyrics.
. They are discussing the case of Doris Freeman, a young American woman who came in to report the disappearance of her husband, lawyer Leonard Freeman. Nearly hysterical, Doris' story involves monsters and other supernatural incidents.
She relates how she and her husband were looking for a potential employer's house in Crouch End, but as they did so, they became lost. As they continued searching, their surroundings started to change subtly and become infested by what appeared to be monsters and demons. Doris escapes with her life, but her husband is not so lucky, being consumed by some kind of hideous creature (possibly Shub-Niggurath
, due to a reference to 'the Black Goat with a Thousand Young' made shortly before the creature's appearance).
Farnham dismisses the story as rubbish, but Vetter, who has worked in Crouch End for years, is not so sure, remembering a time previously when similar events happened before. He speaks of different dimensions and Crouch End being a place where the veil between our world and another more demonic world is at its weakest. The story ends with Farnham going out into the night, only to find that something is different about the area for him too. We do not find out what happens to him after that.
genre of horror fiction
, referencing the shared body of lore invented by H. P. Lovecraft
and other writers. Early on in the story, Ted Vetter invokes Lovecraft himself: "Ever read Lovecraft? ... Well, this fellow Lovecraft was always writing about dimensions. Dimensions close to ours. Full of these immortal monsters that would drive a man mad at one look."
After Doris crosses through the underpass, she sees several signs, including Alhazred
, Cthulu Kryon
, R'Yeleh
, Yogsoggoth
, and Nrtesn Nyarlahotep
, that refer to settings and characters within Lovecraft's fictional world.
The repeated headline "Sixty Lost in Underground Horror", which makes Doris think of "graveyards, sewers, and flabby-pale, noisome things swarming suddenly out of the tubes themselves, wrapping their arms (tentacles, maybe) around the hapless commuters on the platforms, dragging them away to darkness," evokes the painting "some unknown catacomb through a crack in the floor of the Boston Street subway and attacking a crowd of people on the platform" from Lovecraft's story, "Pickman's Model
".
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, originally published in New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos (1980
1980 in literature
The year 1980 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Marguerite Yourcenar becomes the first woman to be elected to the Académie française....
), and republished in a slightly different version in King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection (1993). It contains distinct references to the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
. A television adaptation aired July 12, 2006 on TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
, as part of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. A song by British black metal/dark ambient band The Axis of Perdition
The Axis of Perdition
The Axis of Perdition is a British industrial black metal band, from Middlesbrough. They are signed to Code666 Records.The band rose from the ashes of Minethorn and consists of Tetsuo Unit BRJ and Test Subject MGB The Axis of Perdition is a British industrial black metal band, from Middlesbrough....
uses excerpts from the story as lyrics.
Plot summary
On August 19, 1974, two police officers, alcoholic veteran Ted Vetter and newcomer Robert Farnham, are working the night shift in the London neighborhood of Crouch EndCrouch End
Crouch End is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Haringey.- Location :Crouch End is in a valley between Harringay to the east, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green to the north, Finsbury Park and Archway to the south and Highgate to the west...
. They are discussing the case of Doris Freeman, a young American woman who came in to report the disappearance of her husband, lawyer Leonard Freeman. Nearly hysterical, Doris' story involves monsters and other supernatural incidents.
She relates how she and her husband were looking for a potential employer's house in Crouch End, but as they did so, they became lost. As they continued searching, their surroundings started to change subtly and become infested by what appeared to be monsters and demons. Doris escapes with her life, but her husband is not so lucky, being consumed by some kind of hideous creature (possibly Shub-Niggurath
Shub-Niggurath
Shub-Niggurath, often associated with the phrase “The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young”, is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft...
, due to a reference to 'the Black Goat with a Thousand Young' made shortly before the creature's appearance).
Farnham dismisses the story as rubbish, but Vetter, who has worked in Crouch End for years, is not so sure, remembering a time previously when similar events happened before. He speaks of different dimensions and Crouch End being a place where the veil between our world and another more demonic world is at its weakest. The story ends with Farnham going out into the night, only to find that something is different about the area for him too. We do not find out what happens to him after that.
Cthulhu Mythos
"Crouch End" is written in the Cthulhu MythosCthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
genre of horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, referencing the shared body of lore invented by H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
and other writers. Early on in the story, Ted Vetter invokes Lovecraft himself: "Ever read Lovecraft? ... Well, this fellow Lovecraft was always writing about dimensions. Dimensions close to ours. Full of these immortal monsters that would drive a man mad at one look."
After Doris crosses through the underpass, she sees several signs, including Alhazred
Abdul Alhazred
Abdul Alhazred is a fictional character created by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. He is the so-called "Mad Arab" credited with authoring the imaginary book Kitab al-Azif , and as such an integral part of Cthulhu Mythos lore....
, Cthulu Kryon
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
, R'Yeleh
R'lyeh
R'lyeh is a fictional lost city that first appeared in the H. P. Lovecraft short story "The Call of Cthulhu", first published in Weird Tales in 1928. According to Lovecraft's short story, R'lyeh is a sunken city in the South Pacific and the prison of the malevolent entity called Cthulhu.R'lyeh is...
, Yogsoggoth
Yog-Sothoth
Yog-Sothoth is a cosmic entity of the fictional Cthulhu Mythos and the Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft. Yog-Sothoth's name was first mentioned in his novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward...
, and Nrtesn Nyarlahotep
Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep, also known as the Crawling Chaos, is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos fictional universe created by H. P. Lovecraft. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem of the same name, he was later mentioned in other works by Lovecraft and by other writers and in the tabletop...
, that refer to settings and characters within Lovecraft's fictional world.
The repeated headline "Sixty Lost in Underground Horror", which makes Doris think of "graveyards, sewers, and flabby-pale, noisome things swarming suddenly out of the tubes themselves, wrapping their arms (tentacles, maybe) around the hapless commuters on the platforms, dragging them away to darkness," evokes the painting "some unknown catacomb through a crack in the floor of the Boston Street subway and attacking a crowd of people on the platform" from Lovecraft's story, "Pickman's Model
Pickman's Model
"Pickman's Model" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft, written in September 1926 and first published in the October 1927 issue of Weird Tales...
".