Everyone will have some differences of opinion. While this may not be why we didn't enjoy Colour out of Space as much as others, I can point out that the helplessness of the protagonists is extreme in Colour. In Dunwich Horror the protagonists are able to work together and push back the horrors, in Shadow Over Innsmouth and Whisperer in Darkness the protagonists are able to delay the horrors, but in Colour they simply succumb without any agency. I think this is what makes it feel less worth rereading than the 5-star works.
Really there's a sweet spot for human strength in supernatural horror. Robert Howard always struggled to make an effective scary story because of the opposite problem: his protagonists were always too heroic. Whether we're talking about Solomon Kane defeating demons in Footfalls Within, or Conan fighting gods in Slithering Shadow, Howardian enemies are too badly overshadowed by human agency to seem frightening. Probably the closest Howard came to Lovecraft was Pigeons from Hell, when the protagonists' powers were more limited, and the horrors were virtually too great to be defeated. Lovecraft spent *much* more time in this sweet spot, but had a tendency to dwell in pessimism and foregone conclusions, and for us, Colour feels like it's veered too far into "Rocks fall, everyone dies."
Unfortunately Lovecraft had no influence on Stranger Things. But The Call of Cthulhu and The Shadow Out of Time have plenty of what you're after. (Colour out of Space and Whisperer in Darkness were better stories, but didn't have more than a hint of telepathy.)
I think it is important to note that Lovecraft was a Cat Person.
OG cat person, definitely
Overall solid list, my only quibble is that I’d put The Colour out of Space at the very top of the 5-star list
Everyone will have some differences of opinion. While this may not be why we didn't enjoy Colour out of Space as much as others, I can point out that the helplessness of the protagonists is extreme in Colour. In Dunwich Horror the protagonists are able to work together and push back the horrors, in Shadow Over Innsmouth and Whisperer in Darkness the protagonists are able to delay the horrors, but in Colour they simply succumb without any agency. I think this is what makes it feel less worth rereading than the 5-star works.
Really there's a sweet spot for human strength in supernatural horror. Robert Howard always struggled to make an effective scary story because of the opposite problem: his protagonists were always too heroic. Whether we're talking about Solomon Kane defeating demons in Footfalls Within, or Conan fighting gods in Slithering Shadow, Howardian enemies are too badly overshadowed by human agency to seem frightening. Probably the closest Howard came to Lovecraft was Pigeons from Hell, when the protagonists' powers were more limited, and the horrors were virtually too great to be defeated. Lovecraft spent *much* more time in this sweet spot, but had a tendency to dwell in pessimism and foregone conclusions, and for us, Colour feels like it's veered too far into "Rocks fall, everyone dies."
I prefer horror to stories involving telepathy or telekinesis.
This is not saying much.
Unfortunately Lovecraft had no influence on Stranger Things. But The Call of Cthulhu and The Shadow Out of Time have plenty of what you're after. (Colour out of Space and Whisperer in Darkness were better stories, but didn't have more than a hint of telepathy.)