8 Cosmic Horror Movies So Terrifying They’ll Twist Your Reality!
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Interested in Lovecraftian Fiction aka Cosmic Horror? The top 8 scariest films!
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Now my definition of cosmic horror boils down to movies that must have a terrified protagonist. Not because of the monsters or their dangerous surroundings, but because at some point in the movie, they realize that they have absolutely no power to change anything in the environment that surrounds them. Therefore films where the main characters struggle to fight against something that cannot be challenged, a battle that technically can't be won. In short, movies that don't have a happy ending. I'm going to be covering Cosmic horror-themed films. Movies that I feel do a fantastic job at adapting Lovecraftian themes. Not movies based on the works of HP Lovecraft.
List for TL;DW or otherwise known as hemomancer cheat sheet.
Annihilation
John Carpenter's Apocalypse trilogy
Event Horizon
The Last Wave
Possession
The mist
Uzumaki
The Void
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Thanks so much! Oh and I will be doing another poll this week for the next genre suggestion.
I like Pandorum the movie and DeadSpace 1&2 the video games xD
I can't believe I've never heard of neither 'The Last Wave' nor 'Possession' which both sound fascinating. Thanks for the head's up. (That's that guy from Lifeforce in there, isn't it?)
You did a nice job of showing that the best Lovecraft was not written by him.
My suggestions might be a little more main stream because you said the best ones.
At the mouths of madness
Cast a deadly spell
Silent Hill
Cabin in the woods
From beyond
Pitch black
Pandorum always watch it back to back with event horizon
Uzumaki is getting an anime on adult swim on the cartoon network
Cosmic Horror? Surely you meant "Sam Neil filmography".
I was very tempted to put in a little Sam Neil skit... kinda regret not doing it now lol.
@@Hyperdriveuk Hey, man. No worries. I really liked the movies you selected. I'm going to rewatch Event Horizon based on your recommendation.
Something that hit me just now: what do you think? 2001 A Space Odyssey as Cosmic Horror. I feel it would be a really good fit despite not having conventional horror elements but the Terror of the Unknown is really prominent.
@@AbsoluteScotch interesting point- it could quite possibly be! I'd never really considered it before now.
Sam Neil is one of those actors that automatically give a movie a 'star' regardless of any other factors. Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, and William H. Macy also add a star for me too. :)
Film Theory: Jurassic Park is secretly one of the best cosmic-horrrors of all time.
I still wish Guillermo Del Toro had gone ahead and adapted 'At The Mountains Of Madness'.
Would be nice. But Hollywood doesn't want it, cause they want a "LOVE STORY" in a *Lovecraftian* mythos, which Del Toro is against. Like wat. These Hollywood producers are high af.
My life's goal is to get popular enough on UA-cam so I can create a gofundme... to let Del Toro do whatever he wants.
@@Xport9 time for a crowd funding?
That would have depended on whether or not Sam Neil would sign on for it. XD
@@Xport9 No, I think it's just these producers are....kinda stupid. As in, because the genre is 'Lovecraftian', they somehow expect love to be a central ingredient in the recipe. It's not. XD Hell, love is a surprisingly powerful element in the Uzumaki manga, but that's still not really what it's about. It does allow various characters to maintain their sanity longer than most, but it's still not enough to prevent them from succumbing. Even the boyfriend Shuichi, whom became paranoid and vigilant as hell about the Spiral curse, would normally be written as the sole survivor in a scenario like this, but he never escaped the madness because he was never able to convince the love of his life to run away with him. And by the time that stupid broad FINALLY believed everything he was saying, by the time he'd already saved her life like half a dozen times, it was basically too late to escape.
Now granted, it's not as if love has no place in Lovecraftian horror. Uzumaki and The Possession are proof enough that love can totally add to the madness. But obviously it can't be used the same way it would be in, say, The Wedding Singer. The theme 'love conquers all' has absolutely NO PLACE in Lovecraftian horror, and that's why producers don't like it.
Ingredients for the perfect cosmic horror:
1. Sam Neill
2. a camera
So technically Jurassic Park is a cosmic horror
@@DrErikNefarious Almost, if you think about it... Technological innovation gone wrong..
and tentacles
@@DrErikNefarious I mean.. Kind of? Yeah. It's about humans messing with a power they don't fully understand, things escalating out of control, and people dying to the point where they have to completely abandon their experiments.
IKR
"The Thing" is a masterpiece.
I honestly didn't enjoy this one too much. Other than the obvious things that just weren't as good at the time like acting and dialogue writing (so much of it was unnatural and you knew you were watching an older movie just by the way people talked), everything about it was just, bland. I can tell why it was influential and amazing for its time, but nowadays story writing and development are just so much better. And for a genre like cosmic horror, being bland takes away a lot from the potential, it's a complex genre.
@Gasper Vidovic As a horror movie fanatic, it was, eh. I didn't enjoy it thst much, was a basic af movie with typical old age bad acting. Nowadays most movies are shit, like 95%, but when you find a good movie, it's a movie that can't be replicated or copied.
The Thing is my favorite sci fi/horror movie. Brilliant cast!
@@KingBarney I cant even imagine being an horror movie fanatic and not liking The Thing. Not many will agree with your opinion thats for sure. Kurt Russel is awesome in pretty much all movies he's in and Keith David is great too. The cast 100% does not ruin this movie at all.
@@-0rbital- Mine too. I mean you cant bash freaking Kurt Russel!
I feel so bad for the people who made Annihilation because it was so good but no one even acknowledged its existence really.
Very true!
@YT Waduhek but bri they could have made so much profit if they release it in cinema
@YT Waduhek Yea tho it is underrated it kinda earned good but don't forget what the production team done to Motal Engine. It was a box office flop just because they wasted 120million $ on advertisement and their was not at all any promotion of the movie. It was also underrated but box office flop 😂
Also some people dislike how they chose all females, and that they had a black man for the affair. I feel bad that so many people dislike the film simply because of the casting which affected the plot in no way
@@anklegod3700 I don't get it. In the book they're all female. Do people really mean they should've shoehorned some men in? Because that's a terrible practice. Let an adaptation stay as true to the original as possible.
The Bear from Annihilation is one of my favorite horror scenes, something about it all is just so different and creepy. It’s pretty awesome.
The noise it makes... is just so disturbing! I do love it... well not late at night before bed haha.
I can still hear the sound. Movie was really good.
I was genuinely impressed by that film, which I Was not expecting to be. That bear scene may be the best in the film.
checkout underwater cthulu was there what a surprise
It sounds like those humans are still alive inside the bear. I hated it so much :c
"We're leavin'!" Always nice to see sensible people in a horror movie.
He was the only sensible one too, poor guy.
As opposed to "the mist" which was so bad in its characters that the ending made me laugh with joy!
That does seem to be the correct response.
Yeah, it should be the other way around. A monster so horrible it needs an entire squad of the best people in the world. Thing that makes fearless afraid. Predator style. That movie is probably as good as you can get. Not that even an idiot is able to take you down.
But then again, that requires actual writers to pull that out.
Morpheus didn't become captain of the Nebuchadnezzar for being stupid ;o
So basically Sam Niell going insane in a movie is as likely as Sean Bean getting killed.
Yes!
But at least once, Neill did even better than going crazy. The very first movie I saw him in was Damien: Omen 3 - playing the adult Damien. I have no doubt I'd think it was a shit movie today, but it scared the hell out of me when I was a kid.
@@Karin_Allen Watch Damien again. It's not shit.
@@Karin_Allen Yeah, saw that as a kid, later when I saw Jurassic Park I thought, "Those velociraptors are tough, but they haven't had to fight the devil himself yet."
🤣🤣🤣
Manager: Sam, I have a horror movie script for you.
Sam Neill: ...
Manager: It's cosmic...
Sam Neill: Let's do it.
Hell yeah lets do it.
But no dinosaurs they scare me.
“So your wife gives birth to a monstrosity and...”
“Where do I sign?”
@@-0rbital-
🤣😂🤣😂🤣
"Sam we may have dinosaurs in it"
Sam:... fuck it.
Sam: I've only got one request.
Manager: What is it? I'll do my best.
Sam: I want to go absolutely batshit insane by the third act.
Manager: I think we can make that work 😎
The Color out of Space was amazing, and anyone who enjoyed Annihilation will love it. On that note, the people who made it are apparently going to adapt The Dunwich Horror next (And for those wondering, the mosnter in the thumbnail is an artists rendition of a creature from that story)
That production company only has a few films under its belt but none have been disappointing. Mandy was great also. I'm fully on board for them doing every lovecraft adaptation. They need to get some great cosmic horror directors like Del Toro, Yuzna and Carpenter on their roster. Those would be some epic pairings.
wtf is wrong with your rejects!!?!?!?
Fun fact: Dunwich is a seaside town in the UK that has been slowly falling into the sea over the past 200 years. Hence the story line.
Not anymore sadly. At least not with the director of The Color Out of Space
Colour out of space was terrible AF. Dumbest movie ever.
We can all agree that Skillshare is the most disturbing of them all.
DaFuq
@@TheChampionofthepeople best comment
@@TheChampionofthepeople Bruh
If it helps create more videos like this I'm ok with it.
@@TheChampionofthepeople whatever drugs you are on bud, I want some of it.
Adult swim is putting up an Uzumaki anime. The trailer its self is amazing and unsettling at the same time.
WHAT it is?? Oh wow, did not know! Cheers for sharing. Awesome.
The fact that they're getting the guy who scored Hereditary to score the series is alone a big indicator that this is going to be something else
@@krlosz1996 Holy moly, I did not know this at all. The song at the end of the movie (the part in the tree house) is such a memorable one.
I’ve never been more excited for anything truthfully. Uzumaki is one of my favorite works of fiction behind Silent Hill, and to see it being done justice with a composer i fucking LOVE, pure glee over here
Personally I feel that junji ito's stories work best in black and white. The previous anime fell pretty flat.
Love that The Void is getting some recognition here. A great low low budget movie with some great practical effects.
Well said, it just needs more advertising and support. I think it will do better with time.
I saw it on Netflix and going to order the blu-ray. It's extraordinary in every aspect and I had no idea it was low budget. If there was any intention on making a live action Dead Space film I can see these same people pulling it off.
My go to Netflix and chill wmd.
My least favorite of the lot. I admit that I only got halfway through it. It just wasn't compelling.
@@th3mous380 It ramps up more and more as it goes. Idk maybe it's just a horror fans type of film. I'm not sure how a horror fan could watch the whole film and at least love many major aspects and scenes of it
Annihilation is such an underrated film.
It was awesome and creepy and underrated yes, but if you want to really understand the story - check out "Area X the Southern Reach " trilogy which it is based on. Sadly, the movie only makes up about 50 pages of the story. My two favorite parts were Natalie Portman dropping that crocodile in true professional style and the bear screaming
Would be but the casting and SJW bs ruined it completely. The movie's message was basically white man bad, women strong. The main protagonist was a doctor/special forces soldier who sees sex dreams about a black man, who much more cliched you can even go? This movie outlines perfectly how f*cked up the current hollywood is pushing their ideology in movies.
@@GreySectoid cant agree more, 21 century movies be like this: women need no man, women stronk
Terry Lynn lmao when movies have an all men cast it’s okay but when there’s an all-women cast you see it has a feminist movie?
@@christianmartinez2233 no sir you didnt understand a single word, they are making men movies be women movie, they push the strong women thing to a point where it gets annoying..
The void was simply brilliant and pure cosmic horror at its finest. Which is a incredible difficult genre to get right In film, because what cosmic horror does best is let your mind fill in the blanks. Which gives you a unique and very personal experience. So when cosmic horror is translated into film the crucial unique perspective is lost instantly. This is one of the only films I feel gave me something more terrifying than what my mind could conjure. And that's what made this movie so very special to me a very rare bird indeed.
Glad to see The Void getting a mention here. I was extremely impressed how much revolting stuff they managed to create out on such a limited budget.
Yeah I was really surprised, a seriously underrated film (currently 5.8 on IMDB is well shocking low tbh).
@@Hyperdriveuk Honestly, the ratings on IMDB are riciculous when it comes to horror. Most of my favorites have meek 5-6 star ratings, but a mediocre superhero movie can expect to land above 7.0. A horror movie with such a score is extremely rare, but I guess it comes down to the genre being extremely divisive, both among fans and casual watchers.
@@thehitherto5348 honestly that's one of the super annoying reality of critics and fans nowadays. Especially with horror.
While I can appreciate and enjoy some of the slower post horror films nowadays, like the witch. Critics mark those nearly perfect. That, Get out. US. It's very odd and honestly just seems more like a film where everyone feels like they have to mark it perfect or else they get kicked out of the in crowd is how critics work.
There are films like Annihilation or the Void that are masterpieces. Where whether you personally enjoy the flavor, they absolutely nail the film they were setting out to make.
Idk, I guess it's something to expect. Take two classics of horror\monster films and I can understand the divide. Predator is a masterpiece, very A level competently made B monster movie. And critics at the time hated it.
Or take Evil Dead 2. One of the zaniest wackiest movies ever. And amazing to horror fans but I couldn't imagine most of the general populace enjoying it the same way
"revolting" that is the perfect word there.
Definitely gonna see this movie when I get a chance 👍
Is Sam Neil just Mr. Cosmic Horror then?
He's just so good at playing someone who goes insane.
Yes. Yes he is.
Occaisionally he fucks with Dinosaurs but yeah for the most part he's mr cosmic horror
Well him and Jeffery Combs...
Sam Neil and Jeffrey combs need to do a movie together. Wait have they? I'm trying to recall, but I can't think of anything off hand.
True Detective season 1 had strong lovecraftian vibes.
Black stars for you. Black stars everwhere.
I agree bro!
I saw that show when I read took inspiration of Thomas Ligotti's The Conspiracy Against the Human Race. It was so disappoiting that It was just a cop show in which one characther quotes Ligotti and the name Yellow King is throw around sometimes.
@@BNK2442 Well I found it interesting that the surnatural (?) aspect only was showed at the really end. Just to make you doubt if it was for real or not (the black stars...). Lovecraftian horror is difficult to be made "visible" anyway... but I looked forward to witness Nyarlathotep, I admit.
I fully agree! Love that series.
Event Horizon is a perfect example of a movie under performing and being referred to as a borderline bomb, but over the years has gained a new appreciation and cult classic status.
The annihilation bear scene made me shit all over the couch.
That scene also made me shit all over Daniel Lee's couch.
@@MrSkinnyWhale I know. Horrible mess
@@MrSkinnyWhale Oh... I thought that was my shit.
That scene also made me shit all over Daniel Lee's cat's litter box.
@@salted6422 that scene made me shit on top of the shit.
Sam Neil likes to do weird cosmic horror films.
He's actually related to HP. Lovecraft...ha!
@@makeaniiimpactYT no way!
MadUsability that’s incredible! I didn’t know
MadUsability I don’t think that’s true
@@Alex-zm1qv ya I was just kidding...but ya never know ;)
*Sam Neill's phone rings*
Agent: " Sam, it's your agent here. We just had a script come in. It's another cosmic horr-"
Sam Neill: "I'll do it."
The Masses: Yesssss!
It's a John carpenter film.
Bloodborne.
Here, a masterpiece for all of you.
Fear the old blood...
OakyOwl By the gods fear it...
Ahhhh, Kos, or some say Kosm... Do you hear our prayers?
Is that a movie? :|
@@NorthernHarker No but it's the best game ever made.
The Endless feels a bit indie but is still a must.
A bit?... lol. I loved it, but let's be fair, I'm not convinced it wasn't actually a student film.
I loved The Endless. It does a perfect job of capturing that "fear of the unknown" from Lovecraft.
like the mist................such a let down over the years was sooooooooo cool til the fucking end.....
@@knightaaron7 the ending was the best part of the mist
Soon to be added...." The Colour Out Of Space" with Nic Cage. Oh yeah, baby.
I think Mandy deserves at least a nod. It does tick some if not all of those boxes he mentioned. It leaves you guessing, which is the essence of cosmic horror. Plus it's the same production company.
Checkout The Void, it is free on UA-cam right now! Phantasm 2 is awesome as well.
@@DeathBYDesign666 For sure, Mandy is pretty great.
Colour and Mandy could easily replace 2 of these
@@DismemberTheAlamo It is a subjective list
Event Horizon is a Warhammer 40K prequel.
Kids, keep your Geller fields always activated.
TyrStark FOR THE EMPEROR! ✊
lol! Well said.
I was searching for this comment
Either that or a Hellraiser sequel.
Best comment on here
The Void is criminally underrated..loved it!
I couldn't get into it, what did you like about it?
@@theeldritchcollection the practical effects were way better than I expected and the ending definitely:)
@@theeldritchcollection I thought it was great but it was definitely lacking in a few key areas for me. The main actors were not bad but the male lead actors were just weak and seemed almost miscast. I think people over praise the practical effects just because they are overjoyed to see practical effects. There were a few well done effects but the budget limitations on many of them were just to obvious and drew me out of the movie. It would be amazing to see this director get a chance to remake this movie with a bigger budget similar to what Sam Raimi did with Evil Dead. I also think, anyone that is a fan of Cosmic Horror/ Lovecraft is going to automatically be more inclined to like it ( I admit to being biased myself). Up until recently, we were averaging about one or two good Eldritch horror movies a decade.
have you seen Beyond The Black Rainbow?
I JUST realized when you introduced The Mist that the protagonist was literally working on a painting of The Gunslinger (Roland Deschain) from The Dark Tower...that's so effing awesome.
Yep. In fact, the hero of The Mist (at least in the movie) is actually modeled after that famous movie poster artist, Drew Struzan.
It's Ka
The Void was absolutely HORRIFYING!
Also, I was delightfully surprised to see Uzumaki make this list!!
*Annihilation* is far the best cosmic horror I've ever watched lately. The reviews and ratings won't justify how majestic this movie is.
That movie and color out of space was good
I throughly enjoyed it despite entirely missing the apparent underlying “self destruction” themes
This movie blew me away
endless is some classic cosmic horror
Just stating something doesn't make it true, I can state that you're a pink elephant for an example. What all you demented fck lack is logical reasoning, why? You just claim that an incoherent ugly movie is a masterpiece, why? why!?!?!?!??!
Annihilation on a youtube cosmic horror movie list? instant thumbs up. The fact that it flopped is CRIMINAL.
Yea. I think the advertising may have been what screwed the film over. It likely portrayed the movie as being a monster flick rather than as a cosmic horror film, so people were expecting the former. That's what _I_ thought when I had first seen the trailer, which is why I didn't see it until sometime past its theater showings when I learned of the eldritch truth of the movie.
@@ChaplainIdaeus It didn't even get a theatre release in some regions. It went straight to Netflix in some places, like the UK, which was not what the director had in mind at all when they made the film.
Aye, it's one of my favourite films of recent years, and it deserved a hell of a lot more attention than it got. Bloody shame, really.
It was terrible...
And the book was just as bad
Annihilation is basically "The Color of Outer Space" + Yogsothoth
The Thing is one of my top 10 movies of all time
Event Horizon - Warhammer 40K prequel
The Last Wave, have not seen it
Possession, have not seen it
The Mist, one of Steven King's bests, the ending was better than that of the original story
Uzumaki, have not seen, funny enough, I have read the manga
The Void is a good movie
I always tell people, I liked Annihilation better when it was called "The Color Out of Space". :D
possession is great.
Annihilation is just a shitty remake of Andrei Tarkovsky's "Stalker"
@@stopefinaround far from shitty, bub
Also shares much more in common with Color Out of Space than Stalker.
Annihilation is a book
Sam Neil is to Lovecraftian themed films as Jeff Combs is to straight up HPL adaptations.
Well put.
So Glad you put "The Void" in there, just as I was thinking "i hope he mentions The Void" you mentioned The Void😁🇬🇧👍
Beutifull movie
Nic Cage was in a decent adaptation of Colour Out of Space.
The Ritual has amazing cosmic horror theme.
That's a nice recommendation.
Ignore the Uzumaki movie and just read the original manga of the same name by Junji Ito, trust me it will give you shivers the more pages you go in!
Well said- the manga really is 1st rate.
@Cataclysmic Dildoser yes, his stories end with vague endings, and its up to you to interpret them, but that is the charm of cosmic horror, the uncertainty of what happens. Check out Layers of Fear manga, its about obsession and has a super creepy ending.
@Cataclysmic Dildoser i agree he closely follows a recipe, but its quite a good one.
I think he's overrated but nonetheless a decent author.
Cataclysmic Dildoser well, the art of ‘not explaining things’ is a crucial element of horror, and countless horror movies suffer from ignoring this tenet. You see, horror movies are all about fear, and the most basic and common type of fear in horror movies is fear of the unknown. This means that the more we learn about something scary, the better we understand it, which in turn makes it less frightening.
This idea is most noticeable in monster horror movies. Those movies follow a general pattern. First, the viewer doesn’t even know what the monster looks like, and the viewer’s imagination runs wild with terrifying ideas. Practically any shadow, dark space and strange sound can be frightening in some way because the viewer doesn’t know the monster’s characteristics and limitations. Then, as the monster starts appearing, the viewer learns how to identify the monsters, what it can do and where it can go. Suddenly, not every dark space is a threat anymore because the monster doesn’t fit in it. Not every sudden noise is alarming because its not the noise the monster makes. And so forth. The viewer stops being afraid of everything in general, and the focus moves towards being afraid FOR the characters. And at that point (usually the third act of the movie), the movie becomes more like a thriller or even an action movie. The horror element is reduced or even lost entirely.
Junji Ito deliberately does not explain things in most of his mangas to avoid losing the horror element. In fact, the few times he does explain things, like in Gyo, it has a noticeable detrimental effect on the scariness of the story.
Furthermore, what you see as a lack of endings in Junji Ito’s work is actually a fundamental part of Lovecraftian Horror. In Lovecraftian Horror, the protagonist is generally powerless to stop whatever is happening. Attempts to fight and defeat the adversary are futile, and all the protagonist can really do is survive. There are normally no good endings in Lovecraftian horror. Junji Ito’s work follows this tenet. Its just that Ito often cuts the story off before the actual inevitable bad ending occurs. This is because the actual conclusion to the story would not offer anything of value to the viewer. For example, if the viewer knows the protagonist is eventually going to suffer the same horrible fate that we have already seen happening to other characters, actually seeing the protagonist going through that would not change much.
Lastly, a definite conclusion to a horror story provides the viewer with a sense of comfort, knowing that the protagonist’s frightening and horrifying ordeal is, for the time being, over and done. But that is at odds with the goal of horror in general, and Lovecraftian horror in particular. Horror is meant to scare you, make you feel unsettled and anxious. Why diminish that by providing an ending that brings comfort?
Everyone who wants to watch a good Shadow over Innsmouth adaptation, watch “Dagon” you won’t regret it
fuck yeah
Isn't Dagon a Special Grade Cursed Spirit?
@@greggaygayakutami1402 Bruh anime is cool and all but if your reference for one of HPL's Old Gods and an actual mesopotamian deity is "current FOTM shonen" then you should probably expand your horizons a bit.
@@graysaltine6035 what exactly is Dagon then? Cmon supply me with knowledge.
@@greggaygayakutami1402 To the Mesopotamians he was a fertility god, to HPL he was an Elder God who lived at the bottom of the ocean and was worshipped by the inhabitants of the village of Innsmouth (hence the movie). I don't mind helping a bro out (I like Jujutsu Kaisen too) but I feel like a five-minute google search could provide you with more knowledge than I could fit into a UA-cam comment. If you've really never been introduced to HPL before, rather than watch any B-movie borrowing his name, I would read the short story "Nyarlathotep" - it's about 2 pages long and gives you the best, quickest introduction to all this existential despair that people associate with his work.
I loved "The Void". I want to see more movies like it. There really needs to be more Cosmic horror and HP Lovecraft inspired films. I watched "Color Out of Space" and that was a pretty good film too. Nicolas Cage turned on his Cageyness to a 7/10 for that film lol.
I just realized Sam Neil has like a cosmic horror trilogy of his own
WAHT
where
when
how
SHOW ME!
@@knightaaron7 Event Horizon, Possession and In the mouth of madness
Goddamn Sam Niell, 3 entries out of 8.
Him pre-2000 and Jeffery Combs are what make cosmic horror, good and bad, and I hope they return to the genre soon.
Me too!
I really need to watch Event Horizon uncensored
Unfortunately and supposedly the official footage was destroyed in an accident 😞 so we may never see it..
@@shanec8899 Dang!
You can find the longer cut of the hell scene here on UA-cam. It's a few seconds longer than what it was in the actual movie.
@frostek fuuuuuuuuuck 😑
The thing is the time I got to watched it in a country where every Western/foreigner media are heavily censored at a point that horror movies do not make sense sometimes that I needed to watch them on my own accord.
There must be a logical reason why Sam Neill is often in this kind of films...
It's because he's the antichrist. Obviously.
He can do mesmerized, pensive, and insane very very well
Where we are going, we won't need logic to understand...
Sam is the heart of New Zealand's Cinema of Unease (he even did a documentary on it!)
www.nzonscreen.com/title/cinema-of-unease-1995
he was also in some of the first movies of NZ's fledgling film industry before heading off shore
a fledgling industry that spawned Peter Jackson (Bad Taste, The Frighteners and some movies about hobbits amongst others..)
@@iandalziel7405 Interesting. I thought he was Aussie.
Makes sense now that _The Quiet Earth_ would come from NZ.
The bear scene and the noise the alien-thing makes in Annihilation really creeped me out. I don't get scared of movies, but I literally covered my face during these scenes. The Thing has such amazing monster effects. It still holds up to this day and is still freaky. Event Horizon really made me scared of space more-so than I already was.
I think "In The Tall Grass (2019)" could be an add-on to this list.
The Mist is one of my favorite movies of all time!
And I just realized that Sam Neil really liked being in cosmic horror movies.
Another forgotten cosmic horror gem is Xtro (1982).
a true stone cold classic cult genre film !
Yes that film is so freaky- first came across it when redlettermedia had it on best of the worst. It really is an underrated gem.
@@Hyperdriveuk i had such a grin watching the RLM crew be more and more amazed as they watched it.
It was such a mad and inventive film when it came out and two of my body poppin heroes of my youth are in it to boot... Tik & Tok as the Action Man and the "Alien". It ticked SO many boxes for my sci fi loving brain and the link to dance / music (Tik & Tok made early Electro music).
i don't really bother with the follow ups. i've seen two of them but thought the story lost its way. Xtro stands well as an 1 film story.
I've gota say, good sir. i've been really enjoying your content as you do cut deep and make excellent observations and write good, non rambling scripts to your vids. Your knowledge seems to come from a very long list of films watched and an honest passion for sci fi and help bring a few absolute gems to the fore so others may experience them too.
Keep it up and >Doffs flat cap< Crack on r kid !
I'll drop this here jus in case you've never seen it... a lil treat if you haven't....
ua-cam.com/video/Zcb-M5a4Uy8/v-deo.html
Cheers, I really appreciate the support and feedbk! Oh Kool a Saul Bass movie,- never thought to look for it on youtube lol. I loved Phase IV - will check it out thanks.
I saw that on a best of the worst ep on RLM! it was funny because they are typically used to just watching bad movies on that show but they all legitimately liked Xtro lol
The 2007 film Sunshine might loosely fit here, it's a scifi/thriller, but ends up with a distinct cosmic horror feel, very atmospheric too, great list though! Always love your lists.
Cheers Chris- Sunshine does come off as cosmic- especially with the last act, however It's ending is a little to happy for my taste lol! I think if it all went wrong at the end.. that would have been amazing
@@Hyperdriveuk Lol! Come to think of it, you are absolutely spot on, that is the missing link which would have made it a good cosmic horror, it needed a sudden ending of madness and unknowing desperation.
I Just watched The Void two nights ago as it is free on UA-cam. Wow, they really went for it and the only thing holding this movie back was the budget. It would be amazing to see this Director get the opportunity to almost quasi remake this movie with a bigger budget similar to Sam Raimi and the First Evil Dead film. I personally would go with Annihilation for my number one but I can't argue with any of your picks. The new Nic Cage film, Color Out of Space is a definite addition to this list. Another one would be Phantasm 2.
I’d add Absentia (2012) to this list. Other worldly creatures abducting people and returning them mentally and emotionally broken for inexplicable reasons and in true Lovecraft fashion the main protagonist of the film does a huge amount of research trying to get to the bottom of it, only to come to the horrific revelation that the knowledge she seeks does not help or protect her in anyway.
My grandparents made me watch the thing as a young child and I've been tormented by it ever since. Story short it's my favorite horror movie
HaTeR ZEALOT cool grandparents.
funny how films that traumatized as a child usually end up our favorites
@@fungifago Hey it ain't worth remembering or appreciating if it didn't give you consistent nightmares for years lmao
@@brotherhoodofgame The Murphy killing was a lot to take as a child back in the day I remember it well, but it is still one of my favorite films
I had never realized Sam Neill was so involved in cosmic horror! :D
As for Peter Weir, his Picnic at Hanging Rock also pretty much dwells in metaphysical horror.
I was tempted to put in Picnic at Hanging Rock.. it was either that or Uzumaki.. and I'm starting to think to myself... was that the right choice?
I dont know what it is but the Void has such a unique feeling to it, i absolutely love that movie.
Asphyxia definitely captures the 80s vibe with less plasticity than some others on that wave.
at first I hate it. but it's a great movie.
that was an amazing movie
I don’t know about unique, but it’s a good watch. Pretty much just a mix of The Thing and Event Horizon.
When Sam Neil is a character, you know he is the key either an evil portal, demon, or just insane
Or a survivor of paleolithic monstrosities.
Not necessarily an obvious pick, but you could definitely add the Evil Dead remake from 2013 to the list of good Lovecraftian horror films. It shares so many characteristics and themes with the genre: omnipresent dread, madness, self-destruction, powerlessness in the face of timeless evil, etc.
Here me out The Void is just A Call of Chuthlu Campaign made by a die hard party
This is actually why I love it. CoC one shots are my favorite, so seeing a movie version of one was fantastic!
that ending blew my mind, loved the movie.
the void
The Void may seem like it was being shot without a firm plot and that things just happened randomly for the sake of randomness, but it is a call to The Black Pharaoh, Nyarlathotep... ... A LOT of people missed this... not the biggest HP fans i guess lol
...I wanted to like The Void so much
The only problem I had with the switched up ending of The Mist was that in the story it ended with everyone sitting in the Bickford's Restaurant in Portsmouth NH.. which just happened to be the same one that I would frequent with all of my friends when we would go out for coffee. Was sad not to see it on the screen just for personal reasons lol
Oh right yeah I can imagine that been kind of irritating. So do you live near where the film was shot in general?
@@Hyperdriveuk Unfortunately no. The film itself was shot in Louisiana I believe. The story itself takes place in Maine and New Hampshire, as most of Kings works do. I was living in Portsmouth NH for years and I've been to a bunch of the towns that he has used in his writing though.
'The Ritual' would've been a good nominee for this list.
Underrated.
Absolutely terrifying. Like, imagine just wanting to be lit with ya Bois in the woods and then a demon moose decides *"It's time to introduce myself."*
Yeah I’m gonna say nahhh, it’s a good horror movie but I’m not classifying that as “cosmic horror”
@@Gilakus The Ritual fits the cosmic horror hooks quite well. Some old abomination of a god-like being hidden in the modern backwoods. Complete with it's own human cultists who receive supernatural 'gifts' when they devote themselves to it's worship, giving it power. The tropes check the boxes.
I agree. It was a cool flick !!
shame it doesn't have the black metal angle the source novel has.
You forgot to mention the movie "The Beyond". That movie had awesome effects for cosmic horror back in those days. Tentacles, slimy things, creepy creatures and fantastic beasts. Gory to the core!
From beyond?
It's "From Beyond" for one and two it's not exactly lovecraftian, it's an adaptation directly from lovecraft. I think the premise here is "lovecraftian" cosmic horror, not directly lovecraft.
@@DeathBYDesign666 There's is The Beyond which is a cosmic horror from 1981 and "From Beyond" which is a sci-fi horror from 1986
Green Ranger I haven't seen it actually (or maybe I have and forgot), but based on the context it seems like he was referring to "from beyond". Unless that movie also has all those things in it. Who is in it and what is it about? And actually from beyond is a direct lovecraft cosmic horror adaptation. Actually anytime you combine aspects of both sci fi and horror it's considered cosmic horror. It just needs to have things like advanced alien races/evil alien gods, extra dimensions/parallel realities, space travel, time loops/travel/manipulation, strange entities/creatures/freaks of nature/mutations, weird cults/religions, and of course typical horror elements.
From Beyond is a great movie The Beyond is an awful movie
Sam Neil is clearly a HPL fan. He is in so many crazy films.
Possession is one of my all time favorite horror movies, and I have the director's cut on VHS ❤
Edit: Dude, the scene of Sam Neil viciously rocking in that chair gives me the chills. I love it.
probably on my top 10 films of all time
Is there any other way to rock?
event horizon or as wharhammer 40k fans say a documentary about using warp tech without a gellar field
gotta have the gellar field!
Lovecraft IS the genesis of cosmic horror and all modern horror... And, if it has Sam Neil in it, I just gotta watch it.
He is and I'm so excited to see how it evolves.
Lovecraft gets his credit, but I would put Edgar Allan Poe as the true genesis.
PinkOld - I would put Poe as the father of mystery and the macabre. He is the genesis of the modern detective story, not cosmic horror. Poe is known for his Gothic writing style, and yeah for sure Lovecraft was influenced by Poe (Poe's style still impacts writers today), but most if not all modern horror is Lovecraftian.
@@DaveLennonCopeland Fair enough.
Lovecraft is great, but isn't the genesis. You should read "House on the Borderland" by William Hope Hodgson from 1908, very creepy and gripping in a way. Lovecraft also loves his book "The Night Land" which i haven't read yet.
"The Thing" is the best. Paranoia, the humans being as frightening as the monsters, the fact that you never even find out the monsters' motives . . . all fascinating.
Thank you for mentioning The Last Wave...such an amazing film! Because of this list, I watched it, fell in love with it and went on to discover Picnic At Hanging Rock (original), which is also an amazing film. Also, Annihilation was nothing like the book...but I loved it because it was truly cosmic horror and an amazing film, too. Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy were masterpieces that each evoked a different aspect of cosmic horror. Thank you also for mentioning The Endless, it may be low budget indie...but it was incredibly done!
Can we have a cosmic horror starring Sam Neill and Jeffrey Combs please? That would be a Lovecraftian double punch of unbelievable proportion!
You had me at Jeffrey Combs. One of the most underrated character actors of all time.
Gotta admit I feel like a fool after watching this and not knowing one of my favorite movies of all times, The Thing, was part of a trilogy
*raises hand in shame* me too...
....what? No. It's not. At most, it's a _thematic_ trilogy. There are no physical connections between them, and they each explore a different aspect of cosmic horror (a tangible yet deeply alien entity, a foe that straddles the line between the physical and spiritual, and a a mental, memetic threat whose danger may simply be trying to look at it with human eyes). But as much as I would recommend each installment of the Apocalypse Trilogy, I'd never try and claim that they're a 'trilogy' in anything more than directorial intent.
@@electricbayonet2 ....but....you are? If you have to refer to a non trilogy as a trilogy then it is what it is lol look at the dollars trilogy not really one but it is I bet you can't name a true trilogy as there probably isn't one that doesn't have ties to another installment of sorts i.e. LOTR or Star Wars.
@@electricbayonet2 also if you google the apocalypse trilogy as you said it will pop up and Carpenter himself deemed it a trilogy so if you wanna argue with anyone you're talking to the wrong person lol
@@turdferguson5932 I'm calling them "The Apocalypse Trilogy" because that's what John Carpenter called them, and he's famous enough and directed enough films for that to be used as the name for the three movies.
The Dollars trilogy has a consistent lead character. Try again.
If it's a self-contained story told in three installments meant to stand on its own, then I don't care if some vampire swoops in and tries to suck more money out of the franchise after the fact. And if you can't find any ''''''''''real'''''''' trilogies, I don't think it's that you aren't looking hard enough. More that you aren't looking at all.
"also if you google the apocalypse trilogy as you said it will pop up and Carpenter himself deemed it a trilogy so if you wanna argue with anyone you're talking to the wrong person lol"
It's remarkable how little that matters to me. John Carpenter could have named eight of his movies and called them the Armageddon Octuplet, and I'd still be calling you out for acting as if 'The Thing' was part of a some grand, intentionally designed storyline that you had some legitimate reason to be shocked for missing.
If all this boils down to you not having seen some of John Carpenter's other films and feeling like you missed out, then...well, shit, man. Just say that. Not all his movies made it to the same cult-status that The Thing did. It doesn't degrade the quality of the others.
I curretly playing Eldritch Horror board game a lot, so this list will definitely help my imagination. Thak you so much!!
You're very welcome, and cheers for watching.
Gotta love those Boardgames. Come to baltimore! Lets get a game going.
A great game!
i would love to see a cosmic horror themed movie that depicts angels - particularly the incomprehensible and somewhat terrifying portrayals eluded to in biblical myth. There are different classifications of angels, but some are described as having numerous wings and eyes, 4 faces, and surrounded by huge burning celestial wheels. idk why but the thought of these ancient eldritch nightmares is more terrifying than the typical tentacle slime monsters.
You might like The Prophecy (1995). It stars Christopher Walken.
ua-cam.com/video/C7PSZ7NDEgU/v-deo.html
"Color out of Space", one of the best cosmic horror films I've seen recently and a legitimately good Nicholas Cage film.
The Last Wave.
Now THAT'S a deep cut !
I stumbled upon Possession one late insomniac night. I was not prepared for its amazing-ness. Absolutely wild.
That solo scene with Isabelle Adjani is... just something else.
I love the fact almost all these movies I have already seen. I LOVE cosmic horror, lovecraft style horror, and cult classic horror movies.
I didn't remember the sheriff in The Void was named Carter! What a subtle nod Lovecraft, love it! Also I love me some Sam Neil but I long for the day we get to see Crispin Glover in some straight up cosmic horror! I wish HPLHS would've snagged him for whisperer he would have been stellar in that one!
2017 “the ritual” should have been part of this list
I need to see that one!
@Andrew Jackson I beg to differ. This is a lists of 8 "Cosmic Horror" movies not a lists of 8 "Lovecraftian" movies. Granted lovecraft is cosmic horror doesn't mean that all cosmic horror is lovecraftian.
I wish "The Sphere" was on more of these lists, it got me into the genre when I was a wee lad.
I watched the movie as a kid and loved it. I read the book as an adult and it is so much better. Solaris I would also throw in the ring. Again, the book is just on another level but the movie is good.
Oh man I haven't heard this one in a while
But why would people watch a movie that makes forces you to use your head when they can watch some stupid shit like bird box
The Void
After watching that movie, I feel like there's a hole in my heart
I was expecting you to mention the arrival. I don't know if it's cosmicissm in it's base but it definitely does that a mysterious entity speaking in an unknown language. It surely has the lovecraftian atmosphere to the world and the entities.
Another recommendation: "The endless" by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. It had some great lovecraftian vibes, even though the beginning was not very spectacular at first.
I'd say "The Endless" is the second film and it would be good to watch the "Resolution" from the same directors before it. And also their "Spring" is a nice romantic movie with Lovecraftian influences.
I really liked The Endless
if you enjoyed watching the thing and the void, I'd recommend checking out splinter too!
Thanks for the recommendation! I've been looking for movies like those for a while now so I'll check it out tonight!
@@KEYBLADE4BUY2 :D cewl, cewl, I'm always happy to help out a fellow horror/sci-fi enthusiast... if you care for a spoof of these kinda movie, slither (2006) might tickle your laughter muscles
Will do!
Splinter was a clear-cut creature feature, not quite on par with Thing 1982 or Void, but still a solid one and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it. It was on Netflix at one point, but at least in the Nordics it has been withdrawn... Might still be on in the States or elsewhere. I absolutely hate this "market region" crap, but that's a problem with the studios, not 'Flix that has to abide by their rules and pricing.
Slither I got on DVD as soon as it came out, and it's an excellent callback to 80's-90's creature horror with with great effects, even if the CGI is at times a bit obvious and the main monster gets a bit stiff in some details. I really hope James Gunn gets back to horror after he's done with superheroes! =)
@@Unzki I like to think that one of the things evolutionary stages was splinter, before it evolved to this scheming mass of deceitful monstrosity! :D
Yeah, sucks if interesting movies are advertised poorly and gets lost in the mass... but, tbh, digging deep into the movie hill and "discovering" them makes the watch even more pleasant... it becomes your little treasure (I remember getting oldboy -the 2003 version and not that shitty, piece of garbage remake of a wannabe... sry, I'm getting ahead of myself- from one of the movie shelves and it didn't look like much... but oh boy, did I fall in love with that movie)!
Some other ones you didn’t mention but you should check out:
Triangle (2009)
Re-animator (1985)
From beyond (1986)
Dagon (2001)
Alien (1979)
Hereditary (2018)
Pandorum!
Re-animator, From Beyond and Dagon are directly based in Lovecraft's work so it wouldn't classify.
Black Mountain Side
Add Lucio Fulci's The Beyond. Pure Lovecraft crossed with Italian horror.
I love in the mouth of madness, that ending totally destroyed my perception of our world even to this day... If you excuses me, i need a green stone.
Possession! Thank you for adding this... The scene in the subway corridor still sticks with me, so intense
Finally a list I can relate to!! subscribed.
I have a theory about the ending of the Mist. It's not that he shoots everyone in the car and then the mist lifts, its that the mist only lifts because he shoots them.
that would mean that hes special for some reason, but the movie doesnt suggest that, or that he just imagined everything, which is also not really suggested
This theory is pretty common - The mist lifts because he kills the kid. Just like the crazy christian woman said they should.
I don't think that makes any sense in the context of the story and what it's trying to do, but like I say, the theory is common enough.
Except, the Mist is a Science Fiction plot device. Even though the movie deals with religious fanaticism, the Mist and Monsters are not supernatural, they are from a portal to another dimension the military opened. I could see that making sense in most of his straight horror books though and I understand given that is the genre King is most known for. I think it was just to add an even more bitter end to the movie, which it did.
The Void is definitely one of the most dark and evil movies I have ever seen, and the ending..wow, just truly ominous....this list is actually a pretty good one in all....
Love that you included the Last Wave. Such an overlooked gem. Aussie cult film represent
Cosmic dread/horror is ""fear and awe we feel when confronted by phenomena beyond our comprehension, whose scope extends beyond the narrow field of human affairs and boasts of cosmic significance". So, old gods and "monsters time forgot". Things one simply cannot make any sense of, and it leaves you scared because you don't understand it. That's what made Lovecraft so gripping.
"The Endless" is a great one too
Definitely!
Sam Neill played in some really cool movies! Nice list, have never heard of half the films :)
Glad you liked it, would you want to see another list similar to this one? Or something completely different?
Do yourself a favour and read the Uzumaki manga. It was wonderfully messed up.
Storm of the Century should be in this list.
I saw that when it came out.
It was alright but not one of King's best.
I think the interconnected films of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are also good examples of cosmic horror: Resolution (2012), The Endless (2017), and Synchronic (2019).
Fantastic list. I've watched about half of them and subbed because the void was included. Great job.
Reading the comments... no one has anything to say about From Beyond???
There have been comments... but more sore in my Lovecraft video.
Humans are such easy prey.😉
Sam Neil was one of the first troops to enter the shimmer.
Really? I didn’t recognize him but I’ll watch it again to be sure lol
@@widdershins5383 Woosh
“The serpent and the rainbow” is another excellent one but it’s more of a voodoo horror movie...🤔👍
Cheers for the suggestion, will check it out.
Now I want a voodoo horror list
except the ending....big let down. I'm more partial to Mandy
I politely disagree and find that movie to be a pile of hot garbage.
The Thing has the most frightening aliens I've ever seen. It still gives me the chills to this day even after multiple viewings. Just absolutely horrifying.
Cosmic Horror is where the antagonist is 'beyond' human comprehension. Its form, its desires, its motives, what rules it follows are strange or unfathomable. Annihilation, the thing, and colour out of space are movies of this genre that come to mind.