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feynmanm
IMDb member since December 2011
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Comprehensive List of Cosmic Horror
85 titles |
Public
Film and TV series. Always looking for new entries in the cosmic horror subgenre, and never finding a single comprehensive resource, decided to maintain such a list myself. Though ranked by personal preference, the greater purpose is to be a reference for those looking for new titles.
Definition: Whereby the veneer of a character's world is pulled back to reveal a deeper, incomprehensible, and indifferent reality. The essence of cosmic horror is a feeling -- overwhelming assimilation of human insignificance. The result is either madness or peaceful surrender, and, in either case -- when skillfully executed -- the viewer empathizes (taking the "horror" part to the next level).
As a subgenre, sometimes cosmic horror applies to the entire film/series and sometimes only to isolated scenes or acts. To illustrate this distinction, consider that the body horror subgenre might describe the essence of the entire flick, like Are We Not Cats (2016), or just a particularly poignant scene, like The Last King of Scotland (2006). In fact, I think cosmic horror is easiest to understand in the context of scenes. Bird Box illustrates this well, with several transcendent moments of characters facing the unknowable and losing their flippin' minds, though the greater themes of the movie are community and survival.
Many cosmic horror tales employ devices ordained by the Lovecraft canon, but these are simply tools that may or may not create cosmic horror. We're talking cults, biological gross-outs, creatures from space, tentacles, buried gods, and investigation of the paranormal, to name a few. Also, if at the moment of the other reality's revelation, the character perceives it as not deeper but merely adjacent, the film/series might not be in this list, like if the other reality can be rendered irrelevant by simple physical relocation (Alien) or shutting the gate (Stranger Things).
Many movies ranked low are too silly or dated for me to fully enjoy, but please do not be deterred from checking them out for yourself. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I only include films/series I've seen and would be greatly interested in learning about what is missing. Please message me on the facebooks: https://www.facebook.com/cuna.mctar.5. Also interested in nuances to my interpretation of all this business. Thank you!
Definition: Whereby the veneer of a character's world is pulled back to reveal a deeper, incomprehensible, and indifferent reality. The essence of cosmic horror is a feeling -- overwhelming assimilation of human insignificance. The result is either madness or peaceful surrender, and, in either case -- when skillfully executed -- the viewer empathizes (taking the "horror" part to the next level).
As a subgenre, sometimes cosmic horror applies to the entire film/series and sometimes only to isolated scenes or acts. To illustrate this distinction, consider that the body horror subgenre might describe the essence of the entire flick, like Are We Not Cats (2016), or just a particularly poignant scene, like The Last King of Scotland (2006). In fact, I think cosmic horror is easiest to understand in the context of scenes. Bird Box illustrates this well, with several transcendent moments of characters facing the unknowable and losing their flippin' minds, though the greater themes of the movie are community and survival.
Many cosmic horror tales employ devices ordained by the Lovecraft canon, but these are simply tools that may or may not create cosmic horror. We're talking cults, biological gross-outs, creatures from space, tentacles, buried gods, and investigation of the paranormal, to name a few. Also, if at the moment of the other reality's revelation, the character perceives it as not deeper but merely adjacent, the film/series might not be in this list, like if the other reality can be rendered irrelevant by simple physical relocation (Alien) or shutting the gate (Stranger Things).
Many movies ranked low are too silly or dated for me to fully enjoy, but please do not be deterred from checking them out for yourself. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I only include films/series I've seen and would be greatly interested in learning about what is missing. Please message me on the facebooks: https://www.facebook.com/cuna.mctar.5. Also interested in nuances to my interpretation of all this business. Thank you!
25 Favorite TV Series
26 titles |
Public
Series must have legs, at least three seasons. Otherwise I would include Firefly, Rome, and first season of Orange Is the New Black.
40 Favorite Single Seasons of TV
40 titles |
Public
I made this list to acknowledge some great TV on a single season scale. These seasons of TV do not include any series listed in my favorite TV series list.
My 40 Cult Favorites
40 titles |
Public
Strolling off the beaten path. Loose criteria:
#1 Holds up to many, many viewings
#2 Immersive, easy to slide into
#3 Scratches a unique itch
#4 Bold, doesn't check all the Hollywood boxes
#5 Bit twisted
#6 Sticks with you long after credits roll
#7 Budget-proof
#8 Quotable
The order reflects historically how much I crave re-watching. Note that the list omits stylized creations by A-list directors (looking at you Tarantino and Coen brothers)... which would dominate the list and feel cheap.
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