"I think we can all agree that horror is one of the most fun genres to write and to experience. Horror takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and experiences.

There are lots of different kinds of horror movies and TV shows, and a diverse array of subgenres to examine. There are things that go bump in the night, and things that go bump from outer space.

Today, we're going to examine the cosmic horror definition and examples of it, as well. We'll dig into all the Lovecraftian monsters, aliens, and spectral forces. We'll also look at how these kinds of tales make it into film and television.

So get ready for take-off..."

"Crouch End. It’s a weird name, when you think about it. Perhaps that’s what Stephen King did one day (or night). He thought about the name and was inspired to imagine terrifying things happening there. Perhaps he looked up the toponymy of the name, thought by some to refer to the point where the influence of a church parish expired. Whatever, King devised a version of the place where dark forces mustered and made visiting Americans disappear.

It starts like this:-

“By the time the woman had finally gone, it was nearly two-thirty in the morning. Outside the Crouch End police station, Tottenham Lane was a small dead river. London was asleep…but London never sleeps deeply, and its dreams are uneasy.”

The story was published in 1980. The version I stumbled across online informs us that it also appeared that year in a collection of short stories by various authors called New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, meaning it relates to a genre of fiction horror writer H.P. Lovecraft originated. Lovecraft subscribed to cosmicism, a philosophy that holds human beings to be insignificant.

How relaxed are you feeling so far…?"

"In the modern age, Lovecraftian or eldritch horror has become more and more popular, with increasing numbers of films representing this particular subgenre of scary movie. Named after the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Lovecraftian horror refers to stories that lean on the specific tropes emblematic of the writer's work, including forbidden knowledge, cosmic dread, the insignificance of humanity, and creatures or entities that exist outside the boundaries of human perception. Also referred to as eldritch horror, this particular brand of scary movie has become incredibly popular in recent years.

The best Lovecraftian horror films delve heavily into the themes of Lovecraft's original works, or at least have a superficial surface-level relation to them on the grounds of imagery like Cthulu, the cephalopod-like entity and famous horror antagonist. Some eldritch horror movies are direct adaptations of Lovecraft's stories, whereas others simply take heavy inspiration from the genre while still ultimately creating something new. Whatever the case, many of the best Lovecraftian horror movies are relatively recent films..."

https://collider.com/bliss-horror-movie/

Joe Begos’ 2019 Bliss blends all the grungy glamor of a Bret Easton Ellis novel with 1970s campy body horror to the grand heights of mind-altering cosmic horror. Starring Dora Madison as Dezzy, a Los Angeles artist struggling to paint now that she’s sober, Bliss takes the audience on a bender like no other. As Dezzy falls back into drugs and partying, she makes great strides in her painting, at the cost of waking up covered in blood with no memory of the night before. Breaking her sobriety with a new drug, bliss, Dezzy experiences terrifying and surreal visions. Under the influence, her friend, Courtney (Tru Collins), slips her something else entirely. Dezzy begins to experience a thirst for blood that sends her into a bloody spiral. As Dezzy roams Los Angeles’ party scene, high and wild, the walls of reality begin to collapse around her. The horror could be an induced hallucination, or it could be real. Through a carefully curated aesthetic and eclectic editing, Bliss drugs the viewer alongside Dezzy to simulate a 90-minute-long trip unlike any other. (...)

Trailer

"Enter the unforgiving lands of Alaska and try to survive eldritch horrors in Edge of Sanity, available now on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. Check out the Edge of Sanity launch trailer for a peek at the nightmares you'll encounter in this Cthulhu-inspired, 2D survival horror game.

In Edge of Sanity, uncover a disturbing story while madness claws at your mind. Lead a group of survivors and explore, scavenge, and survive together - against untold eldritch horrors..."

"Night Silence is a 2024 horror film about an old man who encounters inexplicable deaths and dark secrets at a nursing home. The movie blends “Lovecraftian horror with the true fears of ageing.”

Directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski (Hellhole; Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight and its sequel; Playground) from a screenplay co-written with Pawel Maslona and Mirella Zaradkiewicz.

The movie stars Maciej Damiecki, Zdzislaw Wardejn, Wlodzimierz Press, Anna Nehrebecka, Anna Korzeniecka, Sebastian Stankiewicz, Robert Wabich, Olaf Lubaszenko, Kocik-Diakonów, Joanna Balasz and Krzysztof Satala.

Plot: Octogenarian Lucjan (Maciej Damiecki) is admitted by his son to a bucolic nursing home, where he is warmly welcomed by both the residents and the facility’s staff. However, he soon uncovers a dark secret hidden in the basement. His disturbing visions begin to coincide with the deaths of several fellow residents, along with the emergence of strange, malevolent creatures that manifest every midnight..."

"Titan Comics and Hard Case Crime launch the new series Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu this October, and you can get an early sneak peek at the first issue with an unlettered extended preview that we have for you below…

Sensational artist, author, and playwright, CYNTHIA VON BUHLER melds her glorious illustrations with the eldritch elements of HP LOVECRAFT and ALEISTER CROWLEY.

Inspired by a true WWII maritime operation, shocking satanic events, monstrous men, and one salacious sea creature, this third series tells the tale of Minky’s encounter with legendary horror writer H.P. LOVECRAFT, creator of the dreaded CTHULHU..."

Invidious Link | Youtube

1984. A computer program. A terrifying discovery. PARAGON.

‘PARAGON,’ a retro 1980s-style sci-fi horror short film, has captivated audiences worldwide and was an official selection at the Fantasia Film Festival and the Sitges Film Festival—two of the top and most prestigious genre fests in the world.

"One quiet night in the summer of 1984, an MIT student discovers an unfathomable horror after accidentally inventing a computer program that can predict the future."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27560708/

"FromSoftware’s Bloodborne takes not only themes and elements from Lovecraft but also the storytelling structure from the author.

The game might begin on an understandable note but quickly descends into Eldritch horrors that are far beyond mortal comprehension.

Bloodborne’s effective usage of cosmic horror, paired with its Gothic aesthetic, makes for a memorable experience that has enraptured fans for nearly a decade.

From the moment you set foot onto the forsaken cobblestones of Yharnam, Bloodborne makes it abundantly clear there is something very, very wrong. After all, your first vision in the game is a beast emerging from a puddle of blood before you awaken in an abandoned clinic.

Going down the stairs to exit the clinic is a metaphor for how the game’s descent from safety to insanity has already begun.

While some of the Lovecraftian inspirations are easy enough to spot, those who have read the author’s work will agree that FromSoftware has done a deep dive into the realm of cosmic horror.

From the narrative’s subject matter to its pacing, along with all the visuals in the game, Bloodborne’s homage to Lovecraft is one of the many reasons this beloved title is brought up in many discussions..."

Art Gallery - https://www.deviantart.com/adehenne/gallery/all

"With the domination of Shonen manga like One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach for years, a subgenre has also been discreetly thriving in the industry— horror. At the forefront of this genre stands Junji Ito, a master of eerie storytelling and grotesque imagery. Among his creations, Uzumaki is regarded by Ito as the “most complete demonstration” of his artistic ability, in addition to being one of the most terrifying horror stories ever written.

While this masterpiece manga first started its serialization in 1998, fans had to wait quite a long time for the anime adaptation to come to fruition. The long wait is finally over as Uzumaki‘s Adult Swim adaptation is set to premiere on 28th September...

... Horror as a genre has always thrived in visual mediums. Thus, the creepy imagery of Uzumaki is perfect for animation, where the spirals can take on a life of their own. In addition to this, the story’s exploration of cosmic horror, body horror, and psychological terror taps into fears that are universal, which are bound to resonate with viewers on a new level..."

"The Daemon had its world premiere at FrightFest and won the crowd over with its Lovecraftian trappings. The debut was extra special for co-director David Michael Yohe, as the premiere happened to fall on his birthday. Thankfully he got the gift that he wanted – a well received response to his debut – and was in high spirits when he attended the media wall alongside his co-director Matt Devino and cast members Tyler Q. Rosen and Sara Fletcher.

THN spoke to the team about the prevailing power of H. P. Lovecraft, haunted houses, and gooey practical effects..."

"This game was released in 2019 and was well-received for its depiction of a “Black Day” in which the world is engulfed in cosmic terror.「Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones」Although it is a sequel, chronologically this work comes before it, so it is a so-called prequel.

The developer is Misterial Games. The game is a departure from the previous game, which was a top-down 2D game, and instead uses first-person 3D graphics to create a world filled with madness. The drawings are based on this concept..."

"A month ago, we covered Forgive Me Father 2, a Lovecraft-inspired FPS with a unique art style and a sequel to Byte Barrel's 2022 Forgive Me Father. Currently in Early Access, FMF2 is set to receive a massive content update later this month introducing a variety of new locations, enemies, and weapons for players to enjoy.

Arguably the most unique weapon coming with the update is Obelisk, a powerful artifact described by the developers as an "eldritch railgun" – a description as precise as the weapon itself. Recently, in response to the community's excitement over Obelisk, the team shared a new gameplay demo focusing exclusively on this magical WMD:

Showcasing Obelisk in action, the latest demo fully captures the weapon's destructive power, showing the protagonist reducing demons to gibs and performing a ritual to reload the railgun. "Channeling the power of the cosmos through your enemies! Shoots a perfectly accurate, piercing beam of instant death that only the toughest of foes can survive! This one is an easy grab, though its elaborate 'reloading' procedure is not for the faint of heart," reads the team's description of Obelisk..."

ARTICLE

Summary:

• The article discusses the experience of cosmic horror
• It traces the evolution of astronomical thought from geocentrism to heliocentrism, highlighting figures like Kant and Giordano Bruno, who recognized the implications of an infinite universe.
• Early works of science fiction, such as Fontenelle's Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds, illustrate how philosophical dialogues about the cosmos helped to confront cosmic horror, transforming dread into curiosity and wonder.
• The article emphasizes that both telescopes and microscopes inspired science fiction by revealing vast and tiny worlds, leading to reflections on humanity's position in nature.
• The genre is portrayed as a means to explore political and social possibilities, offering a way to envision different futures and cope with the anxieties of modern existence.

Blaise Pascal, Thoughts (Reference Pascal and Ariew1670)

"By the end of The Terror‘s first season, what proves to be the most brilliant aspect of this desperate and unforgiving tale is that it does not take you where you expect.

You will often be reminded of Lovecraft and whether or not you could call The Terror cosmic horror is up for debate, but in spite of the naked presence of the supernatural in this story—and in spite of the refrain that the Arctic is a place that is “trying to kill” the men—the greatest threat to these men has nothing to do with the supernatural or even the Arctic..."

"The teaser trailer alone shows the epic scale of this entry in the found footage series, with brief shots of what looks like someone filming from outer space. Extraterrestrials and UFOs have been tackled in the franchise before, yes, but this time we’ll be getting aliens and cosmic horror galore!..."

"Critical Role's new podcast, "Moonward," is a wild, four-episode dive into cosmic horrors...

CR rolled out "Moonward" in August, a spinoff of the company's 2023 acquisition of the "Midst" audio drama. In "Moonward," CR cofounders Liam O'Brien and Marisha Ray step into the space Western-style, cosmic horror narrative that Xen, the narrator of "Moonward," wove to explore the ruins of a fallen moon.

BI sat down with O'Brien and Xen to talk about the new podcast venture and what comes next..."

"Continuing Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla decent into "Lovecraftian maritime madness," White Boat #2 is available starting today from DSTLRY and we have an exclusive preview just for Daily Dead readers that you won't want to miss!

"[White Boat #1]... showcased a new mythological extreme of horror from the creative team of writer Scott Snyder & artist Francesco Francavilla (Batman). The Lovecraftian psychological mind-bender introduced a maritime journalist, Lee Derry, to a hulking ship and the bizarre secrets hidden deep in its hull—all leading to a bizarre island where a cult of the obscenely wealthy concoct crimes against science. White Boat's ticket is far from punched. The journey continues this July in White Boat #2, another 48-page white-knuckle descent into clandestine history of dread."

Series Synopsis: "White Boats are the mega-yachts that the super-rich use to traverse the globe-floating islands where your every desire can be fulfilled. And getting invited on board one should be a dream come true...that is until the crew traps and transports you to a remote island where secret cults have existed for millennia, working on something called "The Human Project." Does the White Boat ship you to paradise or sink you into hell on earth?..."

"Here’s a rundown on the game, plus a trailer:

Your bestie seems to be hiding something. There’s something about your world that seems odd as well, like it has…secrets. Dive into the Cthulhu Mythos universe of this horror game and witness a “friendship” that rewrites the world..."