Did Thomas Ligotti inspire Dark City?

Spoiler alerts for "The Voice in the Bones" by Ligotti and the 1998 film Dark City.

As I read "The Voice in the Bones" from Noctuary this afternoon, I couldn't help but picture seeds of the 1998 sci-fi/noir film Dark City. The first page described a pair of darkly clad mysterious figures witnessing and possibly causing physical changes to a building across the street as a resident within cowers. Then the names begin... "Mister Ha-ha," "Mister Tick-tock," "Mister Thump," "Mister Fizzle." As for the names of the strangers in Dark City, whose forms are essentially puppets... Mister Hand, Mister Book, Mister Wall.

What do you think?

"The Voice in the Bones" is one of my favorite Ligotti piece. When I read it I can see it behind my eyes as a black and white dream. I would imagine walking through my osteon, hearing my bones creak.

As for Dark City, it feels Bekinski more than Ligotti to me.

I read Noctuary for the first time last year, but I really can't remember a single thing about The Voice in the Bones. Guess it's time for a reread.

That's an article waiting to be written JadedFool. Great catch!

And after further thought, another potential parallel. The mysterious figures in Ligotti's story are seemingly hinted at as being made up of the bone chips of the dead and possibly puppeteered by a black substance beneath their skins. Meanwhile, the strangers in Dark City are reanimated corpses possessed by parasites.