Proppingupthemythos

"Do you read Sutter Cane?"

When I saw the new Sutter Cane novel was out I just had to grab a copy...

I'm not the world's biggest fan of John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness, but I certainly am a sucker for a fictional book being turned into a real one. I believe this is actually the work of Michael De Luca (who wrote the script for the film). It is a clever idea even 30 years later! You can find the book in pa...

Celebrating thirty years of Lovecraftian filmmaking

What a joy to return to the Hollywood Theater in Portland Oregon for the HPLFF. My filmmaking buddy Jon joined me for the weekend and we ate entirely too much fried chicken. The weather was perfect for walking to Powell's Books and a mall full of nerdy stores ("make your own lightsaber", a Lego store called Brickdiculous, etc). But of course the movies were the main event. We focused mostly on...

The Festival...

After something like seventeen years away, I am making the trek once more out to Portland Oregon for the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. I will have some goodies with me in case anyone from here is also going, and I believe I will be on a panel or two. For certain I will be on one comparing Lovecraft and David Lynch's dream imagery.

Then in October I will be going to New York ComicCon in ...

A Guide to the Thirteenth Quire

This Guide is long overdue as we are actually nearing the end of the Fourteenth Quire as I write this, but I hope it will still be of use for keeping the leaves of the book in order. If you have any questions, please reach out to me and I will do my best to help.

The work continues!

Sorry for the long silence everyone! Between the monthly installments, backorders, and life, I have been neglecting my duties here. I am plotting and planning away, always looking for connections I can make, or obscure references I can incorporate. I need to also make a Quire Guide for 13 (the most recently completed one). Hopefully that will be out next week.

Thank you for support, and I...

Ye Fearsome Gvg

Hello fiends,

For fun I decided to make stickers of the Gug who bit Abdel's hand off back in Quire 2. This was a pivotal moment for Abdel, and a real gift to me as an illustrator as it makes identifying him in woodcuts so much easier.

I am offering these to Patrons between now and March 6th. For $4 dollars (sent via PayPal to 2025-02-27 22:08:58 +0000 UTC View Post

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus

My wife snapped this photo of me in what has accidentally become our Frankenstein corner of the living room. I had Bernie Wrightson sign these two Frankenstein prints for her at the Lovecraft Film Festival about twenty years back. Our cat Fritz is named after Dwight Frye's character in the 1931 film.

I think the 1931 film and its sequel are classics, but poor adaptations of the novel. I ...

A Look Back at 2024

Hello!

With the start of the new year I wanted to do a grab bag of updates and notes on how things are going. In a the Fall I picked up a part time job at a local independent toy store, and have had an absolute blast being a goofball. It made for a hectic holiday season, but I made it work.

My wife surprised me with this Propping Up the Mythos mug, and it has reminded me of how far ...

Holiday greetings from your kindly hermit!

Hello folks! This year for our family card we decided to invoke some of our favorite early eighties electronic/synth-pop. My wife and I each picked a band, and we recreated an iconic album cover.

I hope you are all doing well, and I promise a larger update soon!

A Tome of Interest

Hey folks!

So I have been asked over the years what I would do after the Necronomicon, and I will admit Tobin's Spirit Guide was on my short list. But this version looks absolutely fantastic! A friend is buying it for her husband so hopefully after the holidays I will be able to see one on person and report back.

A Halloween Interview Treat!

Hey everyone, long time patron Bill Barbato asked me to guest on his podcast, and I jumped at the opportunity. This should help make up for not successfully taping my NecronomiCon panel, while also covering some new ground to boot.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts as we start a new Quire with the next mailing. There are some Whisperers in ...

A Guide to the Twelfth Quire

We have once again reached the conclusion of a Quire, and so the full account of Abdel's encounters in the desert and his entry into the court of Akili has been revealed.

This Quire contains an image (the reconstruction of a body for Nyarlathotep) that I have been planning for about two years now. My oldest son and I were out for a walk discussing Lovecraft and in particular the question...

NecronomiCon 2024

Thank you to everyone who reached out at the convention, or attended my talk. Public speaking does not come naturally to me, but in the end I trusted that my enthusiasm would carry me through. While the talk was not able to be recorded (I tried!) I am feeling more confident about the idea of recording some podcast style talks just for Patreon about aspects of the book. Please stay tuned for tha...

Next Saturday at 3pm!

My NecronomiCon panel is scheduled for next Saturday. I will do my best to make a recording to share so that folks who can't attend don't miss out!

I will also be on the John Carpenter Apocalypse Trilogy panel on Sunday. All three days I'll be rocking Necronomicon Project t-shirts and carry some goodies, so keep an eye out for me!

Propping Up the Mythos at NecronomiCon

I have good news! I will be giving a lecture on the creation of my Necronomicon project at NecronomiCon on August 17th at 3:30. It hasn't shown up on the event schedule yet, but I am hopeful it will soon.

This will be a multimedia presentation, but also a chance to interact and answer questions. If you are going to the convention I hope you will join me!

This tintype portrait was a ...

Happy Summer Solstice!

This is unrelated, but has brought me so much joy: please go over to Google and search "Polish word for tentacle" and then listen to the pronunciation.

Thanks again everyone for supporting this crazy project.

Your obedient servant,

Mr. Tentacle

A Necronomicon spotted at the Fleur-de-lys Studio

Chad Anctil, a longtime Patron of this project (and a friend for even longer) had the opportunity to participate in a photo shoot at the Fleur-de-lys Studio in Providence Rhode Island. This building made a cameo in Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu, so what a fitting location for a portrait of a Cthulhu Cultist. I am honored that my work was included!

Alien: Absolution

Hey gang, I am absolutely horrible at self promotion. Beyond my fondness for Lovecraft, I also have an abiding love for the Alien films starring Sigourney Weaver. To that end, my wife and I made a short film set in that universe.

What does this have to do with the Necronomicon? I'm glad you asked! The original painting that inspired the titular Alien was by H.R. Giger, and was titled Ne...

A Guide to the Eleventh Quire

Walpurgisnacht got away from me, so happy May Day, and I hope Brown Jenkin didn't disturb your sleep last night.

Here is the latest guide to the Quire we just completed. We are nearly through Abdul's ten years in the desert, and the next mailing will reveal where he travels next!

I new clue on the Mad Poet's name...

While researching for the book today I stumbled across Ibn Al-Haitham, an author and scientist born in 965 in Basra, Iraq. His primary work Kitab al-Manazir was translated into Latin in the 12th century, and at that point his name morphed into Alhazen. While it lacks some vital consonants toward the end, it certainly is similar to Abdul Alhazred.

As i have noted before, I use the name Abd...

Remembering Howard

Today is the anniversary of Mr. Lovecraft's passing, and also the year I surpass him in age. I turned 47 on March 11th. He always spoke of himself as far older, even referring to himself as Grandpa in letters to his aunts, so actually *being* older than him feels bizarre, and a little sad. He should have lived for decades longer, and seen even a little of the acclaim his work would garner.

What is Cthulhu doing in the Necronomicon??

If you read Lovecraft's foundational short story The Call of Cthulhu, you will come away with the impression that the Great Old One and his cult are not mentioned in the Necronomicon at all. The text reads "No book had ever really hinted of it, though the deathless Chinamen said that there were double meanings in the Necronomicon of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred which the initiated might...

NecronomiCon 2024 booked!

I hope to see many of you in Providence this August! I actually took a couple photos with Patrons last time, but I didn't get around to posting them. I'll let the guilty parties identify themselves (if they choose to!), and I promise to be better at documenting such things this year.

There may be some Propping Up the Mythos surprises and/or activities this year, so I will keep you all up ...

Nyarlathotep in the desert...

As a full foot of snow blankets my home, I thought a throwback to warmer weather would be fun. I shot my first short film (Nyarlathotep) between '98 and '01, so there are easily 25 years between these two photos. We shot in the Desert of Maine on a hot summer day. The tour bus would pass us every 15 minutes, telling the sorry tale of farmer Tuttle and his poor farming techniques leading to the ...

2023 in Review

Congratulations everyone on another successful journey around the sun. I Have so much to be thankful for as I look back on 2023.  This was the year I made this book project my full time job, we took our kids to Disney World, and I made a new short film. My status as a "cozy cultist" has been pretty firmly established, but I have definitely noticed an uptick in Cthulhu Cult ephemera collect...

Darkness falls...

Here in Maine the days are getting shorter, and the time of Yule draws closer. We have had our first snow, and Krampus has come and gone. This is the perfect time to dig into Al Ridenour's book on the "old, dark Christmas".

My wife and I recently welcomed this beautiful pump organ into our home. It dates back to 1888 and makes quite an impression. Learning to play it will be added to my 2...

Happy Halloween!

The soup is bubbling on the stove and the leaves are blowing in the wind outside. October is my favorite month by far.  Maine has been through a lot in the last week, but Halloween is here and the community can come together and heal. Please hug your loved ones and show each other kindness. Remember, there's no "I" in Cthulhu Cult, so take care of each other.

A Guide to the Tenth Quire

Hey everyone, as last month's Leaves marked the end of the Tenth Quire, it is time to put up another Guide to help keep things sorted. If you look on the main page of my Patreon, you will see a tab marked Collections. in here you will find all the previous Quire Guides in one place.

The next mailing will start Quire Eleven, and we will begin gathering the Leaves together to tell that part...

He is our Hiro

Hello fiends,

Since I had shared the sad news of Renfield passing, I wanted to share the happy news of Hiro arriving! 

This Siberian Forest Cat has made himself very comfortable in the Temple of Tsathoggua, and has brought a bit of joy to this old Anchorite.

In housekeeping news I want to draw you attention to a new tab Patreon has added to the website called "Collections...

Backorders, anyone?

Hey fiends,

I am looking for six patrons interested in getting caught up on backorders. Send me a message!

[Update: this is just the beginning of the  process, and I will contact folks as I am able to get them caught up too]