Cosmic Horror

"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/

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

"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..."

"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..."

"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..."

"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..."

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..."

"Perhaps its strongest selling point so far is that Directive 8020 has been described as "The Thing in Space," and based on this brief presentation, it seems to nail that vibe..."

"An upcoming Lovecraftian movie seems incredibly exciting, but I am disappointed that it is not a TV series instead. While every horror subgenre has its own distinctive strengths and weaknesses, I am particularly fascinated by cosmic horror because of how it attempts to capture intangible terrors and ideas through fictional storytelling. As HP Lovecraft's stories suggest, written storytelling is usually better at capturing the existential dread that comes with cosmic horror because it relies heavily on the power of suggestion and leaves a lot to a reader's imagination.

Movies, video games, and TV shows, in contrast, always have to stimulate the viewer's senses by directly presenting visual and auditory cues. This leaves little room for audiovisual storytelling to fully embrace the ineffable elements that come with Lovecraftian narratives. However, every once in a while, a movie, show, or video game comes along and manages to capture Lovecraftian horror despite the limitations of its medium. One of these brilliant Lovecraftian horror video games is now getting a movie adaptation, but it would have worked better as a TV show..."

Junji Ito is one of the best contemporary manga horror artist around. "Hellstar Remina" is a horror manga series serialized from September 2004 to July 2005. The story revolves around a rogue planet named Remina, which is discovered by a scientist and subsequently named after his daughter, Remina Oguro. Initially celebrated, Remina quickly becomes a harbinger of doom as it heads towards Earth, revealing itself to be a sentient, planet-sized organism that consumes other planets.

Video Analysis by Tale Foundry Channel

"It’s the kind of Lovecraftian mindf*ck I can’t get enough of, and it bounces from subgenre to subgenre in a way that feels totally natural. It’s almost like writer/director Matt Warren took Benson and Moorhead’s Resolution and The Endless and transposed them into a more classically horrific key, so if you’re a fan of that filmmaking duo’s trademark Lovecraftian style, I think you’re really going to like Delicate Arch..."

"Your pineal gland will burst through your forehead and dance the cha-cha when it vibrates to the unhinged Lovecraft adaptation Unspeakable: Beyond The Wall Of Sleep from the especially odd auteur Chad Ferrin...

... Unspeakable: Beyond The Wall Of Sleep has the rewired retro thrills to pay the bills. It will reveal to you that beyond the vast gulf beyond comprehension there lies fresh frontiers of sexy surreal madness waiting for hungry members to chew on. Check this s**t out."