THE HORROR AT RED HOOK

Lovecraft, written on August 1–2, 1925. "Red Hook" is a transitional tale, situated between the authors earlier work and the later Cthulhu Mythos. Although the story depicts a sinister cult, this cult offers a conventionally occult devil-worshipping threat, rather than the cosmic threat depicted in his later work.
The story begins with Detective Malone describing an on-duty incident in Red Hook, Brooklyn, that gave him a phobia of large buildings. Back-tracking to where it all began, the Brooklyn waterfront slum Red Hook is described in detail, with its gangs and crime, and hinting at an occult underbelly.
The "case of Robert Suydam" is then told to be the driving force behind Malones federally ordered involvement at Red Hook. Suydams demeanor changes suddenly. Known as a shabby recluse, he is seen around town looking younger and more radiant. News arrives of his engagement to a well-to-do woman, while, at the same time, there is an increase in local kidnappings. A police raid, involving Malone, uncovers nothing useful from Suydams Red Hook flat save a few strange inscriptions.
After Suydams wedding, he and his bride leave on a ship. Aboard, a scream is heard and, when the crew enter Suydams stateroom, they find him and his wife dead, with claw-marks on his wifes body. Later, some strange men from another ship come on board and lay claim to Suydams body.
Malone enters Suydams flat to see what he can find. In the basement, he comes across a door that breaks open and sucks him inside, revealing a hellish landscape. He witnesses human sacrifices and a ritual that reanimates Suydams corpse. Malone is found in the basement of Suydams flat, which has caved in inexplicably above him, killing everyone else inside. The tunnels and chambers uncovered in the raids are filled in and cemented, though, as Malone recounts, the threat in Red Hook subtly re-emerges.