The superb camerawork and haunting aesthetic call back directly to John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” which itself was heavily influenced by Lovecraft. This Canadian film premiered in 2016 and is noteworthy for its ample use of practical special effects. “The Void” is one of the best examples of a film using its visuals to depict cosmic horror. “The Void” is a Hellish descent that pays homage to some of horror’s greatest filmmakers. Top: Cosmic horror films are driven by the human desire to explore and peer beyond the veil. As you will discover, the visual nature of each film conveys this idea of unknowable horror to the audience in different ways, ranging from the terror of isolation in an unforgiving void, to the claustrophobic sensation of being hunted by an unseen predator down narrow corridors. The concepts that Lovecraft explored in his stories have been highly influential in science fiction films such films feature people trapped on derelict space vessels and hunted by horrors, and people forced to descend into Hell-like dimensions.īelow are 10 films that dive into the chilling realms of cosmic horror. This was the birth of “ cosmic horror”-that is, horror rooted in the idea that reality as we know it is a fragile illusion separating us from the true, cold nature of the universe. His stories saw humankind come into contact with beings older than time: sinister masses of tentacles whose very existence could drive someone completely mad.
Please contact Professor Bird if you have questions about this course.In regards to the fear of the unknowable, there is no writer more influential today than H.P. Matt’s historical Honors course offerings include the topics of classical mythology, America and censorship, book and library history, film/culture history, and weird fiction. He is the Student Research and Engagement Coordinator for the ISU Honors College. w/ Rare Books and Manuscripts specialization). Matt Bird graduated from Indiana State University (B.S. Required text: Victor LaValle’s The Ballad of Black Tom ISBN: 978-0765387868 Instructor: Professor Matt Bird Our class will encounter them together, for there is safety in numbers. Mysterious cults, lost cities, the Necronomicon, and terrifying otherworldly beings-aliens/monsters conjured before the dawn of humanity-await those who sign up for this course. & understand how once obscure authors continue to influence today’s popular culture. Read contributions to the genre made by Hoosiers,ĥ. Gain understanding of historical publication and archival practices,Ĥ. Expand and practice critical thinking skills,ģ. Learn to navigate and utilize library resources,Ģ. In line with GH101 curriculum goals, students will:ġ. We will examine how modern weird fiction authors are addressing problematic historical aspects of the “big three’s” legacies and the genre of weird fiction.
Modern films such as Alien (1979), Blade (1998), Cabin in the Woods (2011), Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn (1987), The Thing (1982), and The Mist (2007)-all influenced by “the big three”-will be screened, along with others influenced by early weird fiction authors. As no writer exists in a vacuum, selections by contemporary authors during the early 1900s will be read. We will explore the lives of each author, individual legacies, estate copyright issues and their influence on modern authors and filmmakers. Readings will include a curated selection of “the big three’s” most influential publications.
This course explores the legacy of the worlds that Smith, Lovecraft, and Howard cultivated alongside their individual contributions. The imaginative monstrosities, spectacular civilizations, and hideous pantheons-created by Smith, Lovecraft and Howard-are still explored and utilized as inspiration within culture today. Howard-created and cultivated obscure, monolithic worlds which perpetually threatened to unleash horror upon humankind. From the pages of said magazines, the “big three of Weird ”-Clark Ashton Smith, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and Robert E. From Edgar Allan Poe to the pulp magazines of the early 20th century (and beyond!), weird fiction gripped and haunted readers throughout the United States. Terrifying otherworldly beings threaten to unravel humanity’s existence.
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