205: Cosmic Horror
Added 2021-03-30 11:02:00 +0000 UTChttps://blasphemoustomes.com/2021/03/30/cosmic-horror/
We’re back and we’re and we’re contemplating the secrets of the universe. People have warned us that it isn’t good for the human psyche to truly understand its insignificance in the wider cosmos. Luckily, as podcasters, our egos are robust enough to withstand such a spiritual winnowing. Cosmic horror is only genuinely horrific if your place in the universe isn’t secured by the occasional appearance towards the bottom of a niche podcast chart!
Main Topic: Cosmic Horror
This episode is our long-overdue look at cosmic horror. The term “cosmic horror” is often used as a synonym for Lovecraftian horror. Is there more to this relationship, however? For all his passion for the genre, how effective was Lovecraft at writing cosmic horror? How can we bring cosmic dread into our games of Call of Cthulhu? And what the hell is cosmic horror anyway?
Links
Things we mention in this episode include:
- Alien (1979)
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- Trebuchet Magazine
- Buffer overflows
- “The Rats in the Walls” by HP Lovecraft
- “Supernatural Horror in Literature” by HP Lovecraft
- WB Yeats
- The Quatermass Experiment
- Azathoth
- The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by HP Lovecraft
- Yog-Sothoth
- The Gods of Pegāna by Lord Dunsany
- “The Music of Erich Zann” by HP Lovecraft
- Body horror
- The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
- “Nyarlathotep” by HP Lovecraft
- “The Nine Billion Names of God” by Arthur C Clarke
- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
- Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
- Solaris (1972)
- Solaris (2002)
- Arrival (2016)
- “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang
- Event Horizon (1997)
- 2001: A Space Oddysey (1968)
- “Mimsy Were the Borogoves” by Lewis Padgett
- The Last Mimzy (2007)
- The Leftovers (2014)
- “Black and White Sky” by Tanith Lee
- Uzumaki by Junji Ito
- Uzimaki (2000)
Patreon Changes
We’ve recently made some changes to our Patreon tiers. These centre on how we deliver The Blasphemous Tome. As of the next Tome, we will send a PDF to $1 backers, a code for a print-on-demand copy to $3 backers, and hand-printed and signed copies to those at $5 and above. Check our Patreon page for more details.
<figure>
</figure>The Blasphemous Tome Issue 7
The reason for these Patreon changes is that we will now be putting out two full Blasphemous Tomes per year. While the .5 summer releases started life as an overflow for material we couldn’t fit in the standard Tome, they’ve proved very popular. As a result, we’re promoting them to full Tomes, which means they will be available in print as well as PDF. Issue 7 is due out in June and will include a brand new Call of Cthulhu scenario, licensed by Chaosium, written by our very own Matt Sanderson. We’ll have more details for you soon!
Comments
Forrest, that scene came to my mind as well while I was listening to the episode but I couldn’t remember the title of the movie. Awesome last scene in the truest sense of the word.
Celia
2021-04-13 10:06:08 +0000 UTCHi Forrest - been a few years since I saw it, but I recall enjoying it. I maybe misremembering, but was the planetary collision a metaphor for the main character's inner distress? Sort of like cosmic horror as a metaphor for a very personal inner horror? I don't know. I should perhaps give it another watch. - Paul
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
2021-04-06 13:26:23 +0000 UTCVery curious if you would consider the 2011 film Melancholia a sort of cosmic horror.
Forrest Aguirre
2021-04-05 21:32:06 +0000 UTCInteresting. Never heard of the fellow. What brought you to him? - Paul
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
2021-03-30 16:52:57 +0000 UTCAnthony Adams
2021-03-30 16:36:56 +0000 UTC
