Cosmic Horror

The philosophical potential of horror continues to be one of its most underrated components, despite the great capacity for psychological, spiritual, metaphysical, and moral depth within the genre.  One of the more specific subcategories of the genre, cosmic horror, deals with ideas that, if true, have deep ramifications for human life.  Perhaps the best known cosmic horror storyteller is responsible for introducing the "Cthulhu mythos" and its eldritch beings [1] to the world: H.P. Lovecraft's stories form a universe based around the fear of unknown philosophical truths.

Cthulhu and the other "deities" (short of being an uncaused cause, a being is not a deity, even if it possesses powers that completely overshadow those of humans) of Lovecraftian lore are said to be so metaphysically different from humans that to gaze upon them induces madness.  The horror elements of the concepts affiliated with Cthulhu have far more to do with existential dread and human powerlessness than with other horror tools of a less cosmic sense, hence the phrase "cosmic horror."

The intent is to use horror to communicate ideas about metaphysics and existentialism, particularly the idea that humans values do not describe ultimate reality and are incapable of protecting them from monstrous beings that could almost effortlessly cause the extinction of the human species.  In cosmic horror, the enormous scale of the eldritch creatures points to the trivial status of humans when compared to more powerful beings that inhabit the cosmos.  In fact, the eldritch entities are less important than the philosophical notions behind them.

Nihilistic or absurdist fears, after all, can be much more terrifying than monsters, however fierce or realistic they may be.  Cosmic horror has the ability to bring genuine philosophical concerns to the forefront of literature, movies, and video games, and it has already done so.  There are those who dismiss horror as having no connection to the thorough exploration of philosophical concepts, but cosmic horror is intimately based on such concepts all the same.


[1].  An eldtrich being is something alien, bizarre, or monstrous to humans.