Before James Wan’s Lovecraft Movie, Netflix Quietly Delivered A Modern Cthulhu Adaptation

Published Sep 19, 2026, 11:45 AM EDT

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James Wan has been working on an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu. However, like most Lovecraftian adaptations, getting the movie out is proving to be challenging. The director has already expressed his concerns surrounding the movie's commercial viability. However, since it is his passion project, he is deadset on bringing life to the project.

While it seems uncertain when James Wan's The Call of Cthulhu adaptation will see the light of day, Netflix has already given us a worthy and modern take on the Cthulhu mythos through Archive 81. Based on a podcast of the same name, Netflix's Archive 81 premiered in January 2021 to positive reviews from viewers and critics.

Getting cosmic horror right can often be tricky. However, by merging Lovecraftian themes and mythos with relatable themes of technophobia and grief, Netflix's Archive 81 finds its place among some of the best cosmic horror shows of our time. The show avoids featuring explicit references to Lovecraftian lore, but it features its own version of a modern Cthulhu.

Netflix’s Archive 81 Has A Brilliant Modern Interpretation Of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu

H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu follows a "found document" storytelling style where the protagonist uncovers terrifying truths about cosmic terrors through fragmented accounts. Netflix's Archive 81 follows a similar story, albeit through the "found footage" format. It follows an archivist who unknowingly unleashes an ancient cosmic Cthulhu-like being after restoring damaged videotapes.

Similar to Cthulhu, the ancient god in Archive 81, Kaelego, is portrayed as an interdimensional being. Like the H.P. Lovecraft story, the Netflix show even features a cult that worships Kaelego and chants an eerie ritual song to awaken him and seek his blessings. In Lovecraftian lore, the closer one gets to perceiving the entity or piecing the truth about them, the more they lose their sanity.

Art in itself becomes a gateway to this madness in The Call of Cthulhu as sculptors and poets receive subconscious broadcasts from Cthulhu through their dreams. Archive 81 captures something similar by portraying opera, film, and music as conduits for the ancient being's possession. Even a strange mold appears in the show's central setting that corrupts the minds of those who come in contact with it.

A female artist in the show's storyline even uses the mold to create brilliant but twisted art before completely losing her mind in her pursuit for greatness. With its mold story beat, Archive 81 even aligns with H.P. Lovecraft's Color Out of Space. Meanwhile, its portrayal of how music, too, can help a cosmic god bleed into the human realm is reminiscent of Lovecraft's The Music of Erich Zann.

Like Archive 81, James Wan’s Call Of Cthulhu Movie Can Set A High Bar For Lovecraftian Adaptations

Netflix canceled Archive 81 after season 1. However, looking back, it is hard not to see how the show set an incredibly high bar for cosmic horror storytelling on the screen. It perfectly captured Lovecraft's "the fear of the unknown" while grounding its ambiguous and incomprehensible cosmic terrors in relatable human themes.

Several other acclaimed cosmic horror movies, like Annhililation, The Endless, and Color Out of Space, have taken a similar approach and succeeded. While it is unknown how James Wan intends to adapt H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu, his commitment to deliver a worthy take on the story spells promise for the adaptation.

Hopefully, James Wan's passion project will eventually see the light of day despite being a "hard sell" and set an even higher bar for Lovecraftian movies and shows than Netflix's Archive 81.

Archive 81

Archive 81 is a 2022 supernatural horror series centered on archivist Dan Turner, who is hired to restore damaged videotapes recorded by documentary filmmaker Melody Pendras in 1994. As the footage reveals Melody’s investigation of a dangerous cult inside the Visser apartment building, Dan discovers a mysterious connection between her disappearance and his own life.