A Boston surveyor attempts to uncover the secrets behind a shunned place referred to by the locals of the hills west of Arkham as the "blasted heath". Unable to garner any information from the townspeople, the protagonist seeks out an old and allegedly crazy man who relates his experiences with a farmer and his family who used to live on the property. He will tell the surveyor that a meteorite crashed into farmer's land over fifty years prior. Local scientists took a sample from the meteorite, and they were perplexed by several strange behaviors that it exhibited.In addition to being Lovecraft's personal favourite of his short stories, critics generally consider The Colour Out of Space one of his best works, and the first with his trademark blending of science fiction and horror. Several film adaptations of this story have been made and Stephen King said that his novel The Tommyknockers was strongly influenced by The Colour Out of Space.