Tag Archives: Cthulhu

A roundup of the most frightening LEGO Lovecraftian horrors on the internet [Feature]

If you are not into Lovecraftian horrors beyond description, then congratulations, you are likely a fine, well-adjusted, upstanding individual. Here’s a puppy for you! Seriously, you’re probably better off for it. But, if you’re like me (and you know who you are), you are attuned to an entirely different wavelength. One that resides in the shadows. So, for you, with it being spooky season and all, I took it upon myself to bring the mood down and showcase some of the creepiest LEGO Lovecraftian horrors we’ve had the displeasure of summoning. So dim the lights, pour yourself a Moscow Ghoul, and settle in for some existential dread and unspeakable terrors.

We’ll let Shannon Sproule set the mood here with a rather atmospheric piece he calls Meeting by the statue, slurp, slurp, slurp. Already we have more questions than answers and we’ve just gotten started. Esoteric cultists, weird monsters and cosmic horror is going to be a recurring theme here. Shannon surely embodies all of the above with this creation.

Lovecraftian mythos is chock full of hideous malevolent deities called Outer Gods; later renamed as The Great Old Ones by August Derleth and other literary scholars after Lovecraft’s death in 1937. They are generally located in deep space outside of our solar system or even from beyond our known dimensions. Some are specific to the Cthulhu Mythos but others, such as this offering by one of our favorite monster builders Nathan Don sort of fits the description for what an Outer God should be. With four arms, four eyes not necessarily on the face and the ubiquitous tentacles, you have yourselves the makings of true Outer God nightmare fuel.

You know I’ve saved the biggest and scariest for last so be sure to click if you dare!

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Kandor is cool but R’lyeh is rockin’

We’ve seen ships in a bottle, and decks of cards in a bottle, but Bart De Dobbelaer is the first builder I know to combine glassware with the elder gods. Rise of Cthulhu features not only the great tentacled meanie, but also the city of R’lyeh doing a wicked impression of a lava lamp. The city was built brick-by-brick inside the bottle thanks to a small hole in the back; a process that is certainly madness-inducing.

A darker take on the concept of “Through the looking glass”

When you’re looking for a dark or spooky creation, you know you can count on Corvus Auriac. H.P. Lovecraft Tribute is another prime example of that. It’s a digital render that uses only real-life pieces, a nicely meta “twist on reality.” Seems thematic, anyway. I love the textures in play, and the way the transparent energy effect pieces around the opening portal have shapes the echo the bat wings and organic curves in the frame. Oh, and also echo the organic curves that appear in the elder god who’s reaching through that mirror.

Check our archives if you’re in the mood for even more horrific builds!

It’s right behind us, isn’t it?

A step into the portal should have been the beginning of an adventure on another world. Instead, it was the expedition into a nightmare. Or at least that’s what builder Bart de Dobbelaer would have you believe with his newest LEGO model.

Not only are these intrepid explorers unaware of the monstrosity behind them, but they’re also in the dark about the fabulous building job on Bart’s creation! This landscape is truly unearthly, with black spiky plants pushing their way out of the ground and forgotten stone arches pointing to dangers left and right. The monster itself is a clever use of ancient Bionicle pieces. I like the wheels around the eye sockets as a gruesome bone-like skeletal superstructure. Very frightening. Very cool.

The spawn of Cthulhu are adorable

The creature Cthulhu, from the mind of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, has been the inspiration for many modern horror stories, video games, and movies, like Hellboy, for example. Many LEGO builders have also taken inspiration from his works, like this render from Ivan Martynov. This model has some nice part usage which makes me wish LEGO made these parts in more colors, like the fingers of the beast, made from the hands of those early Homemaker figures with jointed arms. Another great choice is the one ring to rule them all, used to connect the wing joints. But of course, the most perfect part is the octopus used for Cthulhu’s monstrous head and the tiny octopi for his spawn. Don’t miss Ivan’s Yithian we featured yesterday, too!

You may feel a slight prick

Have you ever had the feeling that your mind and body has been taken over by time-traveling extraterrestrial beings for the purpose of one day inheriting the Earth? No? Wow, I don’t even know how to respond to that other than you people are a bunch of weirdos! A LEGO builder who surely knows the gentle mind-touch of a Yithian is Ivan Martynov, which definitely isn’t weird so don’t get that idea in your heads. To be clear, this is a computer render as evidenced by a few of these parts in non-production colors but to the likes of Ivan and me, this is instantly recognizable. He tells us that “there lies upon this world of man a mocking and incredible shadow out of time.” Indeed, Ivan. Indeed. Still not attuned to our wavelength? Then just let Ivan and I have our knowing nods. Remember, you people are the weirdos, not us.

But if you’re totally jibing with what we’re into, then you may want to submit your delicious minds and check out some of Ivan’s other creations.

Experience the unspeakable horror of the Old Gods

I am a huge fan of Lovecraft’s writing — and horror in general — so imagine my delight in seeing Revan New‘s latest spooky LEGO creation. This crumbling manor hides eldritch secrets that would render the casual viewer mad as a hatter! The building is architecturally beautiful with its front columned entrance and central tower. I really like the builder’s use of sideways building to bridge the area between the main building and the upper tower piece. The multiple roof treatments are quite nice too. The two smaller side roofs have a pleasing shape and the central domed roof is just beautiful. The landscaping serves the scene well by sticking with muted earth tones to continue the theme. The whole scene reminds one of an abandoned mausoleum, which is not a bad comparison when you’re trying to evoke a scary atmosphere.

Of course, no tribute to Lovecraft would be complete without an eldritch, tentacled creature. Read on to see what horrifying secrets await inside

The being that rises from the abyss

Out beyond the stars there’s a world of terror, and sometimes it comes closer than you might wish, especially if you live in a Lovecraftian tale. Among the worst terrors of that place is the legendary Cthulhu, imagined in LEGO form by Hongjun Youn. A multitude of Bionicle Kalmah masks gives the perfect tentacled element for otherworldly shaping for the head and torso, while Dino tails fill in for the larger tentacles.

With its uncannily flowing shape, it’s no small wonder losing one’s sanity was the most common reaction to the dread horror.

An inhuman horror from another time

I’m fascinated by Mihai Marius Mihu’s latest Cthulhu themed creation. Featuring a red shrimp-like ‘old one’, whose beady white eyes and muscular torso resonates a sense of otherworldly grandeur. It’s a unique monster design that utilises some excellent modelling skills to creepy effect. The composition sees the demon towering over the diorama’s micro scale fortress, again hinting at an inhuman scale suited to its Lovecraftian subject matter. Working like a latter day Hieronymus Bossch, Mihai’s art shows us the uncanny potential of the LEGO brick.

The unholy craft from beyond

When Cthulhu and his legions come, will they be piloting spacecraft from another dimension? If so, perhaps they’ll look a bit like this tentacled ship by BobDeQuatre. The organic shape is perfectly attuned to warp your mind to insanity until you cry “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn!” And once you’re fully assimilated, perhaps you’ll want to create your own using the LEGO Digital Designer file Bob freely provides on his website.

LEGO Cthulhu rises from the depths

Carl Merriam displayed an awesome build of Cthulhu at Bricks by the Bay. Check out the use of snake tails as mouth tentacles and dinosaur bodies as hands. You can read more about the creation and see more pictures on the feature article from Tested.com.

The Typewriter of a Mad Genius

I like to think that H.P Lovecraft wrote on a typewriter like this one by Matt Armstrong (Monsterbrick). To me, it’s the cthulhu face/octopus that makes it.