Where's the horror in the cosmos?

I suppose it might be prudent to begin with the question: what is "cosmic" horror? What separates it from all the other types of horror? For me, when I say this, I tend to think of the existential horror that comes from knowing your places in the cosmos. A tiny speck in a vast, effectively infinitive universe. But not necessarily horrors relating to space - aliens and so forth - but rather that horror of the mind. Of knowledge that is painful to acquire. Horror at the unknowable. The incomprehensible.

So let us use that as our criteria. There's some overlap with psychological horror. Something like A Cure for Wellness, say, has a lot of the aesthetic you might expect from this kind of horror. I've seen it listed as such. But the horror is ultimately grounded in the actions of people, with a hint of the supernatural, and lacks that existentialism. Psychological horror: a damaged or altered mind; the uncertainty around what is real; internally focused. Cosmic horror: a sane mind driven mad by cursed knowledge; externally focused. That's my view anyway and you are of course welcome to your own.

The problem - truly great, top quality cosmic horror seems hard to come by. I love the idea and the connection to an older, Victorian era where the world around us seemed larger and less mapped out. Yet, I often find attempts to convey that feeling have fallen flat. Where has it really been done well?

Films

Let us first consider films. I love films and love the cinema, so where might I get my fix amongst the pictures?

One film I'd seen held up as a great entry in the genre was Empty Man. Is there really an empty man who can be summoned or is there another reason for the psychosis of those involved? I won't deny that it does some things quite well, but along the way it really lets itself down. There is a wet fizzle where we should find mounting tension. Similar, I ventured into the Hellraiser franchise, which I gather is quite popular, and that I enjoyed as an excursion from my regular viewing. Lots of fleshy, violent unpleasantness but it thoroughly failed to horrify me.

The only truly Lovecraftian horror that I've seen is In the Mouth of Madness by John Carpenter. I enjoyed the film and it wet my appetite for more within a similar space. It did well to keep the horrors slightly distance from us, as to avoid a full release of tension too early in the story. There was something missing though. A gap in the experience that leaves me curious as to what else is out there - and I do appreciate the irony in saying that with reference to horror of this nature.

There are several good horror films that teeter on the edges of the genre. Under the Skin has some very surreal sequences but focuses more on the alien and extraterrestrial. The Lighthouse explores the madness brought on by isolation and lack of grounding to the outside world. It Follows never fully defines the 'It' in question, so vengeful demon or law of the universe is left to the viewer to interpret.

Similarly, Backrooms has strange creatures just out of sight and is one the best films at conveying that fear on the unknown. The anxiety as characters venture too far from the safety of the familiar into the titular backrooms - a liminal space adjacent to our own. This probably comes closest to scratching the itch out of all the movies that I've seen. Had they tied the consequences more to Clark's greed or appetite, rather than only his anger and outbursts, then I might be holding this up as my shining example.

So nothing that quite hits the spot. I think perhaps the medium is the failing. How can you show what can't be shown? How can you give that sense of something just beyond the corners of your mind? That itch? When of course, you need to put something in the frame for the audience to see. You're always going to suffer from "showing the monster".

Short Films

A few short films come to mind. Their lighter runtimes mean they can get away with revealing less and leaving more in that juicy darkness of the unknown. I think short films are a great medium for horror in general, with many of my favourite horrors (Lights Out and The Chair being two great supernatural horrors) sat in this bucket.

Man on a Train flashes us between a late night but populated train carriage and a dark, isolated one with only our protagonist and a stranger. It may be more in that eerie, supernatural category but I love how it conveys how much the feeling of a situation can be influenced by our own perception. By the context. The man is undeniably creepy and creepier in a confined space than amongst others, but the tension in the film comes not from anything he does but from what might happen.

A stronger contender would be Other Side of the Box which brings us a view into the void and mixes several questions about the unknown: What's in the box? What does in want? How did this happen? Some similarities with It Follows and the mechanics of passing on the "curse" or "cursed object". With both this and Man on the Train, they do a fantastic job of telling a short, satisfying story without ever giving us that full release of tension. So you the tension lingers with you even after the credits roll.

But I am looking for something meatier. A hearty meal of a story rather than a passing sensation.

Books

Books, then? A great medium for conveying things that are hard to convey. The words on the page guiding your thoughts, sure. But only a light tether on your mind as you venture off into thought. It's in your own head where the story really comes to life. And what better place to build your cosmic horror tale?

Now, this next story was a strange introduction and took a fair bit of digging for me to find the original prompt that introduced me to it. Years ago, I watched this video by Angory Tom in which he plays the video game Fhtagn Simulator which is a strange deck builder. In this run, he's trying a specific build where you acquire the Theatre card in order to put on a very particular play - The King in Yellow. It was my first time hearing about the strange, madness-inducing play that serves as a key part of an anthology of stories by the same name. After looking it up, I had to get myself a copy and read through. The stories are a mixed bag, as is often the case with anthologies, with only some of them containing the titular play. Those featuring The King in Yellow are the strongest, unveiling how the corrupting knowledge of the play has a varied impact on people's lives. The other stories have enjoyable elements, but their main issue is distance from the underlying theme. Sadly, the end result fails to solidify into a cohesive narrative or theme.

Elsewhere, then, but perhaps we can look further amongst classic literature. Perhaps Poe? Alas, I find my heart saddened at the thought of the sweet sorrow, consuming my essence, my mind, as I cast my thoughts upon those dreary pages beyond the ... lets leave that there. I appreciate the huge influence Poe had on the genre, but having read a collection of his classics - I was left disappointed. The prose is too dated and stretched, with far too many mournful monologues. If his horror would even count as cosmic, rather than filed under gothic.

Perhaps hilariously for someone making this kind of post, I haven't yet read any of the father of the genre: H. P. Lovecraft. I have Call of Cthulu sat on my shelf, so I guess that should be my next port of call. Perhaps there I will find what I am looking for. Whether it is wise to find what I'm seeking... well.. that's a different question.

Video Games

Speaking of ports of call, there's a small detour I wanted to make before closing out. There are a couple of nautical games that capture that sense of dread and fear at the unknown. Perhaps video games are the best medium for it, as they give the player a secondary life that can be put at risk. And a sense of personally mortality not at stake in a film or novel.

DREDGE puts you in the boots, and the trawler, of fisherman who's willing to set out through strange seas in search of a haul. You traverse between islands and safe havens into the unknown. Especially at night, the depths below will drain your sanity and put your little ship at risk. Sure, in the later game, you become familiar with the layout of the world and previously nerve-racking waters become familiar. At this point, you're more in the mode of trying to catch all the possible fish. But early on, you feel the terror of the unknown and daren't venture far from the safest shores. When you don't yet know all that is out there, you can experienced the thrill of exploration mixed with the fear of what you might find.

Sunless Sea provides a similar experience as you venture out from 'Fallen London' into unmapped waters. You set out on supply runs and try to turn a profit from your ventures. Limited fuel, supplies and crew means many hours will pass before you've explored the full extent of the Zee. The top down view of your boat means that you are always staring down into the watery deep. Your review restricted by the darkness below and the resolution cutting off your view of the horizon. So who knows what's in front of you? Never mind what is behind... or below.

So, is it just that I need to find a book or film that is set in a smokey, Victorian England? With hidden dangers within the London fog. Or perhaps a venture out to sea and the unfathomable depths of the dark ocean? In both cases, it takes us to a time or place where we lack the safety the globalised and fully explored modern Earth. And the creeping horrors that we've worked so hard to displace can find a way back into the world.

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