If you’re looking for inspiration for a Chill, Call of Cthulhu or Pulp gaming campaign and want to include plenty of supernatural thrills and chills, here are some films that I feel capture this spirit perfectly. Even if you just like a good horror/adventure film, take a look at this list and see if anything strikes your fancy.

The Burrowers

The story of this film is set in the old west of the United States and has the protagonists plagued by burrowing creatures that in former times fed on American bison. With the bison herds nearly wiped out, they turn to another source of food… Highly original, with good suspense and an interesting cast of characters. The downside is, very few of the characters seem sympathetic — at all. The biggest name in the film, Clancy Brown, gets killed off fairly quickly, underscoring the low-budget status of this film.

Lair of the White Worm

An amateur archaeologist in a remote town in the English countryside discovers a strange fossil dating back to the Roman occupation. The creature the skull came from is the center of a cult that worshipped the beast continuously from ancient times, and one cultist in particular is determined to get the skull back and keep their secrets — at any cost. Story is based (perhaps quite loosely) on a novel by Bram Stoker. Director Ken Russel’s over-the-top sexual imagery makes this film inappropriate for children, and can also be a deal-breaker for some adult viewers. Stars very young versions of Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, and Amanda Donohoe

Big Trouble In Little China
Truck driver Jack Burton finds himself in a whole heap of supernatural trouble when he helps a friend pick up his fiancee at the airport. Gangs, ancient wizards and Chinese sorcery are all stacked against Burton and his friends. Burton does his best throughout, but is sometimes used as comic relief in this cult classic John Carpenter film from the 1980s that was vastly under-appreciated at release. Stars Curt Russell, Kim Cattrall, and veteran character actors James Hong, Victor Wong, and Dennis Dun.

There are plenty more where that came from! Stay tuned: I plan to blog soon about some of my favorite Cthulhu-Mythos-inspired films. Some of them may be familiar, some may be obscure, but all will be entertaining.