If you don’t know who Lovecraft is, or what the Cthulhu Mythos is, check out the previous entry or hit up wikipedia for some research. The Crawling Chaos is one of many names used by Nyarlathotep, Messenger of the Outer Gods – and a key player in Lovecraft’s pantheon. Nyarlathotep is perhaps the only one of the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods to actually interact directly with humans. Not because we are important, but rather because he enjoys toying with us for amusement. He especially enjoys giving humanity the keys to it’s own destruction. Nyarlathotep has many avatars and appears in many shapes, from a creepy Pharaoh to a flying tentacled monstrosity. He also takes on a role similar to the devil in one of his forms, signing pacts with witches and their victims. In addition to having thousands of maddening forms, Nyarlathotep is one of few godlike creatures in Lovecraft’s fiction to be completely free, roaming the earth where and when he pleases. His many forms also lend him to a variety of stories, where he may be used in different ways with different purposes to suit the author and their intent. This is part of the reason that we chose Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, to be a part of our short film. We can use him in the manner we want, while staying within the bounds of the Cthulhu Mythos Universe – and his passion for cruelty and madness allow him to take on a more personal role. Either that, or Nyarly has taken over our minds and is using us to spread his madness and terror through this short film.
Now that you know a bit about The Crawling Chaos and where he comes from, the next post will discuss the short film itself.