Why Cosmic Horror is Hard To Make

Summary

This video explores the essence of cosmic horror, a genre that evokes existential dread by confronting humans with incomprehensible, unknowable forces. Drawing on H. P. Lovecraft's writings, it explains why cosmic horror is challenging to adapt to film, as giving form to the unknowable diminishes its impact. Through examples like *Bird Box*, *The Thing*, and *Annihilation*, the video illustrates how filmmakers can convey horror via ambiguity, transformative creatures, or internalized fear. It emphasizes balancing visual aesthetics with existential themes, allowing the audience’s imagination to evoke terror while exploring the fragility and limits of human understanding in the face of an indifferent universe.

Takeaways

• 😀 Cosmic horror focuses on the vastness of the universe and the insignificance of humanity, evoking a sense of existential dread.
• 😀 Unlike traditional horror genres (slasher, possession, monster), cosmic horror is not commonly adapted into film due to its abstract nature.
• 😀 H.P. Lovecraft, a key figure in cosmic horror, emphasized the concept of 'the unnamable,' an entity beyond human comprehension.
• 😀 A key challenge in adapting cosmic horror to visual media is representing unknowable entities without losing their terror by giving them a form.
• 😀 Films like 'Bird Box' and 'The Thing' explore cosmic horror by either omitting the entity (leaving it to imagination) or showing incomplete forms to maintain mystery.
• 😀 'The Thing' succeeds at portraying cosmic horror by showing its creature’s shifting forms, reflecting the genre’s emphasis on the unknown and incomprehensible.
• 😀 Cosmic horror's visual representation often requires a balance between evoking terror through abstract imagery and avoiding full explanation or description.
• 😀 The genre is deeply rooted in the emotional and psychological reactions of characters, focusing on existential introspection rather than physical threats.
• 😀 Representing the emotions tied to cosmic horror (e.g., existential dread) on screen is challenging because they are difficult to articulate or visualize.
• 😀 Cosmic horror explores deeper philosophical questions, such as the limits of humanity and the consequences of surpassing those limits, which are hard to express visually.

Q & A

What is cosmic horror, and how does it differ from other horror genres?

Cosmic horror is a genre that focuses on the existential dread of humanity’s smallness in the vastness of the universe. Unlike other horror genres, which often emphasize monsters, violence, or supernatural events, cosmic horror centers on the unknowable and the limits of human understanding, evoking feelings of powerlessness and dread rather than focusing on external threats.

Why is cosmic horror difficult to adapt into visual media?

Cosmic horror is challenging to adapt visually because it often deals with entities and concepts that defy comprehension. Giving these horrors a physical form diminishes their terror, as the unknowable becomes defined. Additionally, capturing the abstract emotions of existential dread and the fear of the incomprehensible is difficult without relying heavily on visual cues that may fail to evoke the same feeling as in literature.

How does H.P. Lovecraft's work contribute to the cosmic horror genre?

H.P. Lovecraft’s writings are foundational to cosmic horror, as he explored themes of vast, incomprehensible entities and the insignificance of humanity in the universe. His works often depict characters facing beings and concepts beyond human understanding, leading to existential dread and madness, which are key elements of cosmic horror.

What is an example from Lovecraft's work that shows the challenge of visualizing cosmic horror?

An excerpt from Lovecraft’s *The Unnamable* illustrates this challenge, where the horror described is not just a creature but an abstract, shifting entity that cannot be fully comprehended. The entity is described in vague, shifting terms, making it impossible to depict accurately on screen without losing its terrifying nature.

How does the film *Bird Box* handle the depiction of cosmic horror?

In *Bird Box*, the creatures causing madness and death are never shown directly. Instead, the film emphasizes the effects of these creatures on people, leaving their form a mystery. This allows the audience’s imagination to fill in the blanks, maintaining the sense of fear and the unknowable nature of the threat.

What makes *The Thing* a successful example of cosmic horror on screen?

Despite showing a creature, *The Thing* succeeds in portraying cosmic horror because the creature is constantly changing and cannot be fully understood or pinned down. It morphs into different forms, evoking an alien and unknowable presence that aligns with the abstract nature of cosmic horror.

What role do abstract emotions play in the representation of cosmic horror?

Abstract emotions, such as existential dread and the realization of human frailty, are central to cosmic horror. These emotions are difficult to represent visually or narratively, making it hard for filmmakers to translate them onto the screen. However, movies like *Annihilation* manage to convey these feelings through visuals and subtle character reactions, often without dialogue.

Why is it important to balance the visual and emotional aspects when creating cosmic horror?

Balancing the visual and emotional aspects of cosmic horror is crucial because the genre relies not only on its external aesthetic but also on the internal, psychological experience of the characters. A strong visual representation without the emotional depth can feel superficial, while a compelling story without the right visual cues may fail to evoke the sense of dread needed to create cosmic horror.

What example does the script provide for a low-budget approach to cosmic horror?

The script suggests that if you don’t have a large budget, you can follow the example set by *Bird Box* by omitting the creature entirely. This approach allows the audience’s imagination to fill in the gaps, maintaining the mystery and fear of the unknowable entity without needing expensive special effects.

What makes cosmic horror different from other horror genres in terms of its thematic focus?

Cosmic horror differs from other horror genres because it explores the limits of human understanding, the insignificance of humanity in the face of an infinite universe, and the existential dread that comes with this realization. While other genres focus on tangible monsters, ghosts, or supernatural events, cosmic horror delves into abstract concepts and the psychological impact of confronting the incomprehensible.