HAUNTER
Inspired on one of my favorite Lovecraftian stories, HAUNTER is an adaptation of The Haunter in the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft's short story about the final months of Robert Blake, and the mysterious cause of his fright-induced death.
The concept for this animation is meant to re count the final pages of the short story, and thus the final moments of Blake's life. I wanted to make a strong use of shadows for this piece, given the hidden nature of the cosmic entity that is the occult center of this story. A creature that can only be seen in the dark would naturally perceive the world as silhouettes and shadows, the only light source being that of the full white moon above, a common sight in Lovecraftian literature.
Given my illustrative orientation with the assignment, I decided to research the anatomies of various kinds of critters, basing myself on the descriptions provided by the story and a few other creative renderings done on the same. I also wanted to base myself on creatures that held a symbolic connection with the story: bats as well as owls represent the night and thus mystery and occultism, with owls being frequently linked to far-seeing and the paranormal realm of the dead. The wings of both animals are also pointy and possess a more threatening look than many other flying creatures.
The pharaoh and Anubis busts were briefly used for their shape as a minor form of subtext, tying in The Haunter's relationship to Nyarlathotep, the Elder God that is commonly known in Lovecraftian literature for adopting a pharaoh-like appearance when in human form.
And finally, the classic Lovecraftian niche - tentacles. Probably our closest reference to an Earthbound alien, the octopus and its relatives are commonly admired for their otherworldly appearance, and their anatomies were frequently preferred by Lovecraft when ascribing features to his monsters.
ANATOMY BOARD
STORYBOARD
