H.P. Lovecraft walking tour visits significant Providence locations

October 21, 2017 4:34 pm

By: Chloe Leshner

cleshner@abc6.com

@cleshnerabc6

PROVIDENCE (WLNE) — Halloween is just around the corner and dozens of people are getting in the spirit by looking at Providence through the eyes of one of the most influential horror and fantasy writers, H.P. Lovecraft.

Strolling through Providence, dozens of people are transported back in time to see what legendary author H.P. Lovecraft saw when he created some of his most famous horror stories.

"I’m a big horror fan, I very much just appreciate a lot of the things H.P. Lovecraft created and his imagination is just very, very cool and I’ve always just been kind of drawn to that sort of thing," says Joe Ahart, a Providence College student.

Lovecraft spent all but 2 years of his life in Providence, the capital city often the setting of his stories.

“There’s a few of his stories, and that’s the basis of the tour, that he placed mostly or entirely in Providence and when he talks about Providence in the stories, the detail is astonishing," says Brendon Boucher, a volunteer with the R.I. Historical Society.

In conjunction with a horror film festival, the Historical Society is offering walking tours to show fans the most significant places in his personal and fictional life that are scattered throughout the East Side of town.

“Providence has played such a central role in Lovecraft’s life and in the years since his death, his influence on the genres that he wrote in has only grown," says Boucher.

And his writings come to life for avid fans, giving them a whole new perspective on where they live.

"Just seeing all these libraries and stuff that I didn’t even realize were the places and just kind of piecing it all together is very, very cool," says Ahart.

The tour will also run Sunday at noon and includes a ticket to the horror film festival. To purchase tickets visit: http://www.film-festival.org/HPLovecraft17.php