1. Re-Animator (1985)
Lovecraft's story about a serum that re-animates dead tissue is brought to the big screen with hilarious effect. Stuart Gordon goes for as many laughs as he does guts in what was once considered the goriest movie ever made - before Peter Jackson took the crown with Dead Alive. This was also the first team-up with actors Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, who would appear together in several other of Gordon's pictures
2. From Beyond (1986)
Stuart Gordon does it again, bringing Combs and Crampton along for the ride in what I think is truly the most bizarre film adaptation of a Lovecraft story. A scientist named Dr. Pretorious has created a machine called The Resonator, which stimulates the pineal gland when turned on and opens a gateway into another dimension. It opens doors all right . . . but if you haven't seen it, then I won't spoil it for you. The special effects are outrageous!
3. Necronomicon: Book of Dead (1993)
A trilogy of short films with a wrap-around one, loosely inspired by Lovecraft's stories "The Rats in the Walls," "Cool Air," and "The Whisperer in the Darkness." All in all, I'd say it's a fairly entertaining effort with appearances by B-movie favorites Jeffrey Combs and David Warner.
4. In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
John Carpenter knocks it out of the park with this movie, which revolves around a freelance insurance investigator (played by Sam Neill) who seeks out a publishing firm's most valuable asset: best-selling author Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow), who disappears right before the release of his new book. With solid over-the-top performances, memorable sequences of horror, and special effects by KNB and Industrial Light and Magic, this is my favorite Lovecraft-inspired film to date. A must see!
5. Dagon (2001)
Stuart Gordon strikes again with this cinematic hybrid of Lovecraft's "Dagon" and "Shadow Over Innsmouth." He nails the look and feel of a doomed Massachusetts fishing town, with its residents who are transforming into sea creatures, although the script story doesn't quite pan out. Still, I think the film's worth checking out because it captures the mood and atmosphere of the original stories it's based from.
6. The Call of Cthulhu (2005)
This particular film, a silent adaptation of Lovecraft's most famous story, gets an A+ in creativity and imagination. Easily my favorite behind In the Mouth of Madness - what can I say, I'm a sucker for B&W movies!