Cosmic Horror, "Oh, the Horror!"
- Brandy Bennett
- Oct 6
- 2 min read
What is it like to contemplate the vast universe and compare that to human knowing?
Those that delve into the sub-genre of cosmic horror acknowledge the limits of human understanding in a horrific sense. The sub-genre submerges in questions of deep universal existence exuding unfathomable horror in the imagination of the human mind. There are concepts where humans may never be able to provide reasoning and would not be able to understand that reasoning with limited knowledge. This sub-genre provides an outlet for those that want to explore the concept of the unknown through the horror genre.
Cosmic Horror began with creator Howard Phillips Lovecraft. A Lovecraftian probably knows some of H.P. Lovecraft's writing. However, the likeliness that a Lovecraftian is familiar with all of his short stories and poems would be unlikely. In the published book H.P. Lovecraft, The Complete Fiction a 2008 compilation, printed by Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Inc. there are around 70 written works. This is probably not the whole of this writer's written works. There are electronic sources that house some of his written works, but referencing a printed version is always a good practice.
One of Lovecraft's most famous works includes "The Call of Cthulhu", with tropes that explore alien life in an unknown sense. This seems to be a story that is most closely associated with Lovecraftian fandom. Although, the writer did write poetry in occasional verse and satirical poetry. This writer is not remembered as a poetic writer as much as he was a cosmic horror originator. I am unable to share his written works here as the writing popularity has caused his works to be reprinted and develop copyright protections. Although, some would argue that his works before 1930 are in the public domain. I encourage you to explore this writer! The subgenre cosmic horror has grown into new types of media: movies; TV shows; video games; magazines; art; comics; immersive attractions; and written books by new authors.
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