What is the philosophy of cosmicism an how is it used to convey a sense of dread in both The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Color Out of Space?
In Stableford’s (2007) article, it is defined that “cosmic horror” is a term closely associated with H. P. Lovecraft and his work involving weird fiction and horror. Lovecraft’s fascination with the concept of the cosmos and supernatural fiction has been apparent throughout his work, and regarding his essay on supernatural horror literature (written between 1924-1926), the philosophy of cosmicism can be further understood.
In his essay, when describing his own work, Lovecraft differentiates the “literature of cosmic fear” from the literature regarding “physical fear and the mundanely gruesome.” The term “cosmic” adds onto the supernatural themes portrayed in his stories in a more psychological way. Lovecraftian fiction has been known to have an essence of horror that originates from the idea that knowledge is too much to bear, and that the ultimate kind of knowledge is related to “unplumbed space,” in his terms, over the common concepts of horror such as ghosts, curses, and human evil. In ways to go beyond the limitations of supernatural horror, Lovecraft attempted elements of “cosmic horror,” which would be carefully concentrated and regarded as a type of over-arching kind of entity.
Furthermore in Lovecraft’s essay, he argues that the roots of “cosmic terror” are very ancient. Using references from varying ancient folklore, he associated it with a hypothetical pagan cult of “nocturnal worshipers,” whose ideas had been driven out by organized religions. The fundamental and central argument that Lovecraft created in the making of cosmic horror is that it it looks at the universe outside of the associations to humanistic activities, that the classical times had often overlooked the repression of awareness of the magnitude and horrors of the universe in which humans only resided in. Lovecraft’s philosophy also disregarded most organized religions as part of the process, as cosmicism mostly stemmed from the presence of the unknown over concepts such as gods, and divine beings that were present in religious literature. Another one of Lovecraft’s arguments explained that the most artistic and effective works of modern weird fiction cannot be found in the form of an absolute belief but in the form of an “aesthetic response.” An example of a kind of aesthetic sensation is often regarded as “the Sublime,” in his works.
In both “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” and “The Colour Out of Space,” Lovecraft’s cosmic horror is portrayed through the over-arching and atmospheric gloom and dread that is apparent in the narrative. Joshi (2007) describes the atmosphere of The Shadow Over Innsmouth as a claustrophobic sense of doom and decay which can be seen through his evocative prose. The Colour Out of Space also expands on the theme of cosmicism as for the entirety of the film, there is no exact “monster” or evil in a physical form but instead, the distress and outcomes of the unknown evil is shown as it takes its effect and toll on the family. Going back to Lovecraft’s note on the “aesthetic response” in cosmic horror, much of that can be experienced in the Colour Out of Space as it is a very visually appealing film and the overall sensation you get from the visuals can be unnerving and mysterious. Because it is hard to know what the exact horror is, there is a constant feeling of dread from not knowing. The meteorite that crashed on the family’s farm in the film is the only clue to the haunting evil, and the horrific creatures it induced, but overall you do not see what the exact terror was, only the result of it.
References
Joshi, S. T. (2007). The Cthulhu Mythos. Icons of Horror and the Supernatural, 98-128.
Stableford, B. (2007). The Cosmic Horror. Icons of Horror and the Supernatural, 66-96.
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