The Shadow Over Innsmouth is supposedly a story about a town full of creepy froglike people who sacrifice babies and make wicked deals with the gods under the sea. Here is what actually happens:
The narrator hears strange rumors about Innsmouth. He goes there, is creeped out by how strange the inhabitants look, and strenuously avoids talking to any of them. He does talk to someone who recently moved there and also the town drunk, both of whom agree that the long-term inhabitants are evil and kill babies. That night, there's a knock on his hotel room door. He freaks out, sure that they're trying to kill him, and escapes through the window. Later, he sees froglike people searching for something--he assumes they want to find and kill him. He leaves town and reports the rumors he's heard as fact. Authorities come in, take everyone from the town, and put them in internment camps.
I find Lovecraft's stories deeply disturbing, but not always in the ways he intended.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-10-25 04:37 pm (UTC)The narrator hears strange rumors about Innsmouth. He goes there, is creeped out by how strange the inhabitants look, and strenuously avoids talking to any of them. He does talk to someone who recently moved there and also the town drunk, both of whom agree that the long-term inhabitants are evil and kill babies. That night, there's a knock on his hotel room door. He freaks out, sure that they're trying to kill him, and escapes through the window. Later, he sees froglike people searching for something--he assumes they want to find and kill him. He leaves town and reports the rumors he's heard as fact. Authorities come in, take everyone from the town, and put them in internment camps.
I find Lovecraft's stories deeply disturbing, but not always in the ways he intended.