Howard Lovecraft & the Frozen Kingdom

- (DOOR OPENS) Howard?

Howard, dear, are you scared?

There's no need to be frightened, the storm can't hurt you.

It... It's not that, Mother.

It's just... Tonight's the night we visit Father.

In the bad place.

Oh, Howard.

He's really looking forward to seeing you. You're all he has left.

Just hold my hand, Howard. Everything will be fine.

I don't like this place, Mother.

I know, darling. I don't either. But you know why we've come.

I'm certain your father will want to see you on his birthday.

Good evening, Dr. West.

I received your message.

I know there's been no official change,

but I thought my husband could see his son on his birthday.

Mrs Lovecraft,

I wish I could tell you that seeing his son would be therapeutic for your husband,

but Winfield's mind is like a shattered looking-glass.

That's a good one.

"Shattered... Looking... Glass." (CHUCKLES)

But in all honesty, I'm more concerned about the harm it could do to the boy

- to see his father in this state. - (GROANS)

But haven't the treatments shown any progress?

Oh, don't expect him to tango.

"Progress" is such an inexact term, Mrs Lovecraft.

Most assuredly we have done everything within medical boundaries to assist,

even a few things outside of those boundaries to be honest.

I feel for you, and the child,

but Winfield is still showing extreme nervous exhaustion

and nothing is calming him down.

I cannot advise visitation.

I just... I was hoping on his birthday he could actually see his son.

Oh, why listen to me?

I'm merely a highly-trained professional with expert opinions

on the secrets of life and death.

I don't know. Whatever am I to do?

Come along, Mrs Lovecraft. Come along.

A little fatherly fear never hurt anyone.

I hear a lot of writers are made that way, in fact.

He's coming.

He's coming.

- King Abdul... - (THUNDER CRACKS)

He always took care of everything.

Now I'm just lost.

He's coming.

He's coming.

Father?

He's coming, he's coming, he's coming, he's coming, he's coming.

Father, it's me.

It's Howard. Who's coming?

Abdul Alhazred.

King Abdul. He is coming.

Father, please speak to me.

He's coming, he's... (GASPS)

- Howard? Father.

Howard, son.

Listen!

Listen to me!

I made a mistake.

No. I discovered it.

A mistake...

A glorious mistake.

Father, I miss you. I miss you so much.

Listen to me, son.

Listen! But not to King Abdul.

And not to the words.

Don't ever listen to the words! Or symbols!

The symbols will speak to you, but do not listen.

Listen to me.

I saw it.

I heard it.

Should never have been written. Ever.

My mistake.

I never should have.

Howard. The words. The symbols.

Do not look.

Do not listen.

Do not read.

- Father. - Swear it!

King Abdul, the Necronomicon,

the words, the symbols, they will lead to...

To the sleeper of R'lyeh.

- (GRUNTS) - The Great Old One!

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die."

- Please. - The Necronomicon, destroy it, Howard!

- Destroy it for my sake, for yours! - (GASPING) Let go!

What do you think you're doing?

He must remain sleeping! The Necronomicon must be destroyed, son!

- (STRUGGLING) Help! Orderly.

The symbols must be destroyed, before they destroy us all!

Orderlies!

Swear you'll destroy it!

Cthulhu cannot awake!

Restrain him!

I see the symbols.

And it's madness.

It's okay, Howard. Mummy's here.

Madness!

Why did you take him there in the first place?

- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... - No, Mary, you're right.

I mean, I have to raise Howard alone.

Oh, shh now. It's all right.

I'll help you, Sarah.

We all will.

I just worry.

He's always been an odd child.

That imagination of his, it puts off the other children.

Now all he ever does is sit in his room alone and read.

There's nothing wrong with Howard loving to read.

It's the only reasonable trait my nephew left his son.

Must be in the blood because Winfield was never around.

His incredible curiosity led to dark journeys.

Ever since he was a boy, Winfield had a hunger for knowledge.

He was always reading, always exploring.

I don't think he ever took the same road home twice.

There was always something more to know.

But it never occurred to me such a toll that life took on him.

The stories that would come out of his mouth grew from strange, to utter madness.

Until...

Well, we must deal with what's in front of us, here and now.

But the worrying, that he gets from you, Sarah.

He's my son, Mary.

And he gets sick so often.

What kind of mother would I be if I didn't worry?

He's turned a corner, Sarah.

He's much healthier now than he was.

Things will turn out all right in the end, dear.

Just give them a chance to.

Howard will be just fine.

You'll see.

I can't sleep.

I know today was difficult, sweetheart. But you need to get some sleep.

You're a growing boy.

Your father loves you so much.

- Could you tell me a story? - I'm not very good at telling stories.

- I have an idea. - What is it?

This was your father's.

I wasn't sure when I was gonna give it to you.

- It's a book. - It's a journal.

He wrote it a long time ago, back when he was well.

- Before his nervous exhaustion? - Yes.

He told me how he wanted you to have it.

You're sure I can read this?

You can read it until you fall asleep, if you like.

All right, Mother.

I love you, Howard.

Every inch of my soul cried out, pleading with me to leave that place.

But I was powerless to leave,

spellbound by the tales of horrific beings

bent on tearing our world apart to make room for their own,

to leave us behind like scattered animals from the brushfire of their madness.

His words were blasphemous,

yet they caressed my senses in an inexplicably sensuous fashion

so that I hung on every word.

As I listened, enrapt,

it was his final words that awakened me from my stupor,

'It is all true.'

"A place called R'lyeh, a dour, profane kingdom

"hidden from the eyes of man.

"He described R'lyeh as an unholy marriage of fairy tales and nightmares.

"The old man said that he dare not utter the words

"that opened the doorway to the mystical place.

"He had a look you could call fear, but it was something deeper,

"a crack at the core of him that leaked darkness into every expression.

"He was genuinely afraid.

"But for those of weaker stuff,

"the excitement of new horizons to come would always bring terror.

"For his horror only drove me on, making me long for the place even more."

Suddenly emboldened, I drew my pistol on the old boy.

At the service end of my firearm,

the frightened man wrote the words in the creatures' un-sanctified language.

They were...

"Nr'fga' Ra'nazen Flugn."

Hello?

Am I dreaming?

I... I see something.

What is that?

Huh?

Whoa!

Whoa!

What is this place?

Could this be real?

Easy. Stand down.

- Stand down. - (HUFFS)

Hey, what did I just say?

Okay.

Okay.

- (ROARING) - (SHRIEKS)

Hmm?

- (GRUNTING) - (PANTING)

Help. (GRUNTS)