Movies - TV
Willow Creator Jon Kasdan Reveals Some Unlikely Horror Influences On The Series
By VALERIE ETTENHOFER
The new “Willow” series on Disney+ is a sequel to the 1988 movie that feels reminiscent of the original fantasy-comedy film and other young adult stories like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Although it wouldn’t seem like it, series creator Jon Kasdan has cited some of the works from cosmic horror author H.P. Lovecraft like "The Call of Cthulu" as influences for the “Willow” show.
Kasdan tweeted that the “series is packed with Cthulhu mythos easter eggs. But a warning: investigate further at peril to your own sanity.” In the same tweet, the creator mentions three Lovecraft-related references that appear in the first episode: the powerful being, Hastur the Unspeakable, and two fictional grimoires, the “Pnakotic Manuscripts” and the “De Vermis Mysteriis.”
During an interview, Kasdan revealed he’s been a fan of the genre from a young age, adding, “I grew up falling in love with those stories, and particularly hugely influential on this story was the novel ‘It.’” The creator also shared his appreciation for others who have worked to expand the Cthulhu mythos, saying it’s “almost like an original D&D game they were all playing together.”