CTHULHU: A Monumental Waste of Ink.

By Lori Grimmace · 5/5/2025

The Unmitigated Disaster That Is Cthulhu

Let's be blunt: Cthulhu is a tired concept, executed with all the originality of a beige wall. H.P. Lovecraft, bless his neurotic heart, conjured this supposed cosmic horror, and what did we get? A giant, vaguely octopus-esque creature sleeping in a ridiculously convenient location for hapless humans to stumble upon. Thrilling.

The "ancient, unknowable" narrative is frankly insulting to the intelligence of anyone who’s ever read a basic mythology textbook. It's not "unknowable" if you just slap a few tentacles and some vague references to alien geometry onto a vaguely reptilian form. It’s derivative, lacking in genuine depth, and relies far too heavily on shock value to compensate for its lack of substance.

The descriptions – “shifting, squamous, vast” – are as evocative as a grocery list. They tell us nothing. They insist they are profound while simultaneously revealing absolutely nothing. The supposed cosmic dread is undercut by the sheer absurdity of its design. An octopus-dragon hybrid? Really? Was Lovecraft fresh out of ideas?

And don’t even get me started on the cultists. Utterly predictable. Humans, of course, would worship a being they barely understand. It’s a cliché, and Lovecraft employed it with a stunning lack of creativity. They chant, they sacrifice, they babble about “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.” It's a nonsensical collection of syllables designed to suggest ancient power, but it’s just...noise.

The whole thing is a mess. A bloated, overhyped, ultimately disappointing mess. And the fact that it's become such a pervasive icon is a damning indictment of modern culture's appalling taste. Honestly, I’ve seen more compelling threats in a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal.