We have successfully worked our way through the back catalogue of cosmic horror, but we’re
not quite done yet, oh no.
Cosmic Horror is timeless, and when you think you’ve made your way through, another one
pops up.
So today on Top 5 Scary Videos, I’m going to be counting down our list of the Top 5
Scariest Cosmic Horror Movies - Part 4.
Before we begin though, be sure to stick around until the end of the video where I’ll be
responding to some of your comments.
And with that, let’s jump in.
5 Life Life is a 2017 sci-fi horror movie directed
by Daniel Espinosa, and follows a six-member crew of the International Space Station that
uncovers the first evidence of life on Mars.
Now, while Sunshine, I movie we discussed in part 3, deals with what is potentially
the end of life on Earth.
Life is more concerned with some potential lifeforms on Mars.
One member of the crew manages to revive a cell from a sample of an extraterrestrial
organism, however, it rapidly grows into a multicellular organism that starts out as
a scientific breakthrough but quickly turns into a creature feature when the organism
escapes its containment unit and begins to consume whatever organic life it comes across.
Life draws inspiration from The Thing From Another World, aka, the novel which inspired
the movie The Thing, particularly in terms of its monster.
The Alien itself, dubbed Calvin, possesses a ruthless survival instinct that pits it
against the crew of the ISS.
From a story and visual standpoint, the film shares a common theme with “Alien”, a
movie which may make an appearance further down our list.
The film depicts effortlessly the claustrophobia and isolation of space, with the styles of
the movies cosmic horror styles contrasting beautiful: the feeling of isolation, and the
feeling you are definitely not alone.
4 Beyond The Gates (2016) Beyond the Gates is a 2016 horror film directed
by Jackson Stewart and starring Barbar Crampton.
The film follows two brothers who, after the mysterious disappearance of their father,
reunite to sift through the contents of his VHS rental store.
Among the inventory, they discover an interactive VCR board game, which their father viewed
just before he vanished.
Intrigued, as you would be, the boys pop in the tape, press play, and soon discover that,
far from an ordinary game, the video is a portal to a nightmarish alternate reality.
The film is an homage to 80’s horror, with VHS board games being hugely popular back
in the day.
I know that for a fact, because my family owned Atmosfear, one of the most terrifying
games I’ve ever played.
Look it up if you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Anyway, I digress.
The film is very much a Cosmic Horror, with the two brothers being drawn into another
dimension beyond their understanding, in which they become trapped.
If you love 80’s, and bisexual lighting, you will love Beyond The Gates.
3 Lifeforce (1985) Lifeforce is a 1985 British science fiction
horror directed by Tobe Hooper, the man behind the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and
written by Dan O’Bannon, the man behind Alien.
The movie is based on Colin Wilson’s 1976 novel The Space Vampires, and portrays the
events that unfold after a trio of humanoids in a state of suspended animation are brought
to Earth after being discovered in the hold of an alien spaceship by the crew of a European
space shuttle.
While not based directly on the mythology of Lovecraft, Lifeforce does share many similar
themes.
Like the rest of our list, it depicts a cold, uncaring universe and has, of course, the
star-spawned horrors thing going for it as well.
Not to mention, it takes the old Vampire tropes and looks at them through the lens of science
rather than superstition, making Lifeforce a breath of fresh air.
The movie was conceived by Hooper as a love letter to the Hammer Horror films of his early
career.
The special effects are impressive even by today’s standards, and while the movie’s
lineage to Hammer horror is apparent, it is also very much a cosmic horror, maybe even
more so.
Yeah, I said it.
2 Europa Report (2013) Europa Report is a 2013 sci-fi film directed
by Sebastian Cordero, and is a found footage film that recounts the fictional story of
the first crewed mission to Europa, one of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, following
the discovery of water on it.
However, we know from the beginning something is to go awry; the crew lost contact with
mission control nearly a year ago.
All of the footage we see comes from the crew’s journal updates, and the updates have been
edited together with commentary by their commanding officer on Earth.
Now, the film is in a similar vein to Sunshine, a movie we discussed in part 3 of our list,
as the horror come from other humans instead of from an outside force.
The film also draws inspiration from Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” in
its execution.
Now, many folks will argue that it is far from a cosmic horror, let alone related in
any way to Lovecraft, simply because there is no outside force at play, merely the downfall
of humans.
However, the horror comes to us through the loneliness of space and existence, themes
that are prevalent in the world of Lovecraft, not to mention the way in which the crew interact
with each other, and in the way that they deal with their deteriorating situation.
The film is also one of the most beautiful horror films I have ever watched, you should
definitely check it out.
1 Alien (1979) Alien is a 1979 sci-fi, cosmic horror, directed
by Ridley Scott.
The movie follows the crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo, who encounter the eponymous
Alien, a deadly and aggressive extraterrestrial set loose on the ship.
Now, surprisingly, Alien isn’t always viewed through the lens of the cosmic horror genre,
however, I’m here to right that wrong.
Starring the legend that is Sigourney Weaver, Alien is, by far, one of the best examples
of cosmic horror, due to the simple fact that, in the movie, humans are portrayed as helpless
and insignificant beings in comparison to the universe, or reality, they’re experiencing.
Folks often tie Alien in with the world of Lovecraft, many would disagree, but I don’t
think they’re so far off.
The common thread in a lot of Lovecraft’s work is that the universe is an infinitely
large and terrifying place.
It is uncaring, especially towards us mere humans.
And, on top of that, there are things out there that have absolutely no regard for our
existence.
The term Cosmic Horror itself arrived as a way of describing the nihilistic and terrifying
visions Lovecraft had, therefore, it could be argued that yes, Alien is a Lovecraftian
horror in the technical sense.
The entire movie follows a group of innocent people being menanced and killed by an external
being, a being which cares very little about our existence and what’s instead to occupy
our bodies, to use them as vessels.
That is fear at its finest.
Well, there we have it!
Do you guys agree with our list?
Were there any other Cosmic horror movies that we missed?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below.
Before I go though, I just want to respond to a few comments from one of our last videos,
Top 5 Scary Horror Movies That Are Illegal - Part 3.
Leonidas Bull said: “Another comment about Lucy being the dark queen of something or
other…”
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KaMDe3 said: “Lucy, I realize most refer to you as their Dark Queen, the Lucyfers are
quickly taking over the comments by are you ever frightened by their fervor?
I mean, cult followings can get quite scary, pretty sure there’s a vid for that here
somewhere lol.
PS, you and all behind these videos are awesome.”
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Joris G said: “They must make a movie about Queen Lucy.
That’s gonna be a blockbuster.”
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Timothy Morris said: Queen Lucyfer is back!
I really enjoyed the last two videos of banned or illegal films.
I’d appreciate it if you could give me a shout out.
Either way, I’m forever yours to do as you command.”
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And on that note, if you haven’t already, be sure to give this video a big thumbs up,
subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss another scary vid.
And until next time, see ya later.