History Main / CosmicHorrorStory

* ''VideoGame/{{Darkwood}}'' takes place in a Polish forest during the 1980’s that no one inside knows how to escape, all the while [[EldritchAbomination strange eldritch beings]] of various nature alongside mutated wildlife continue to flourish. The people there, including the Protagonist, are gradually mutating and falling apart, the Protagonist himself desperately trying to accomplish an unknown goal while doing his best to stay alive. Eventually, it’s revealed that [[spoiler:an EldritchAbomination known as “The Being” was responsible for everything that happened inside the forest, plus it has the ability to create the other eldritch beings seen throughout the game. [[BlueAndOrangeMorality There’s nothing to suggest The Being is intentionally hostile to mankind]], only that it wants humans to sleep under its control in an unknown section of the forest, leaving it up to the player whether to embrace The Being and whatever goals it has in mind for humanity, or confiscate a flamethrower from one of the nearby captured soldiers and [[KillItWithFire use it to burn The Being as well as everything around]] in an effort to keep humankind safe from it, albeit this comes at the cost of the Protagonist’s life]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Darkwood}}'' takes place in a dark forest in Poland that no one inside knows how to escape. The people there, including the player, gradually are mutating and falling apart. [[spoiler:Eventually, we come to find that the massive tree at the center of the forest is luring the inhabitants to sleep and become apart of it. The player can submit to it and join a comforting dream or [[HeroicSacrifice burn themselves and everyone trapped by the entity in flames]]]]

* ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'' discusses this idea in-universe and plays with it in general. [[spoiler:When the Alphaverse's Joy Wang saw [[GoMadFromTheRevelation her mind splinter]] after experiencing the entire multiverse all at once, causing her to become the mad omnidimensional villain Jobu Tupaki, she came to the conclusion that it's first and foremost ''scary'' simply being the first human being to go through something like that, and a big part of her supposed evil comes from the nihilism this has caused. [[EldritchObject The Bagel itself]] is virtually unknowable, but looks incredibly unpleasant to experience first-hand. It's subverted in the end, however, when Joy/Jobu's mother Evelyn Wang goes through the same experience and, despite initially seeming like she too will succumb to the same nightmare that befell her daughter, ultimately [[TheAntiNihilist rejects Jobu's nihilistic philosophy]].]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' is essentially just one chapter in an eons long cosmic horror story; [[spoiler: the BigBad is a being of pure evil and darkness called Invictus, who is imprisoned in the titular [[EldritchLocation Final Space.]] It is attacking every timeline simultaneously, and in every timeline so far, it successfully conquered the universe. It corrupted a race of world-destroying Titans to do it's bidding which it unleashes on conquered timelines to wipe them out. [[DemonicPossession It can possess any being with minimal effort]] and there is almost no way to get free once this happens, as FightingFromTheInside doesn't work. Dying will not save you from it, as it can [[UnwantedRevival resurrect and possess you]] even if you die outside of Final Space, and no, it doesn't possess your empty corpse, it revives you complete with your memories and personality and ''then'' possesses you, so killing yourself won't help. In the timeline the show focuses on, every attempt to fight back against Invictus is in vain as it once again escapes Final Space, and it's hard to imagine it ever being stopped.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' is essentially just one chapter in an eons long cosmic horror story; [[spoiler: the BigBad is a being of pure evil and darkness called Invictus, who is imprisoned in the titular [[EldritchLocation Final Space.]] It is attacking every timeline simultaneously, and in every timeline so far, it successfully conquered the universe. It corrupted a race of world-destroying Titans to do it's bidding which it unleashes on conquered timelines to wipe them out. [[DemonicPossession It can possess any being with minimal effort]] and there is almost no way to get free once this happens, as FightingFromTheInside doesn't work. Dying will not save you from it, as it can [[UnwantedResurrection resurrect and possess you]] even if you die outside of Final Space, and no, it doesn't possess your empty corpse, it revives you complete with your memories and personality and ''then'' possesses you, so killing yourself won't help. In the timeline the show focuses on, every attempt to fight back against Invictus is in vain as it once again escapes Final Space, and it's hard to imagine it ever being stopped.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' is essentially just one chapter in an eons long cosmic horror story; [[spoiler: the BigBad is a being of pure evil and darkness called Invictus, who is imprisoned in the titular [[EldritchLocation Final Space.]] It is attacking every timeline simultaneously, and in every timeline so far, it successfully conquered the universe. It corrupted a race of world-destroying Titans to do it's bidding which it unleashes on conquered timelines to wipe them out. [[DemonicPossession It can possess any being with minimal effort]] and there is almost no way to get free once this happens, as FightingFromTheInside doesn't work. Dying will not save you from it, as it can [[UnwantedResurrection resurrect and possess you]] even if you die outside of Final Space, and no, it doesn't possess your corpse, it revives you complete with your memories and personality and ''then'' possesses you, so killing yourself won't help. In the timeline the show focuses on, every attempt to fight back against Invictus is in vain as it once again escapes Final Space, and it's hard to imagine it ever being stopped.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' is essentially just one chapter in an [[spoiler: eons long cosmic horror story; the BigBad is a being of pure evil and darkness called Invictus, who is imprisoned in the titular [[EldritchLocation Final Space.]] It is attacking every timeline simultaneously, and in every timeline so far, it successfully conquered the universe. It corrupted a race of world-destroying Titans to do it's bidding which it unleashes on conquered timelines to wipe them out. [[DemonicPossession It can possess any being with minimal effort]] and there is almost no way to get free once this happens, as FightingFromTheInside doesn't work. Dying will not save you from it, as it can [[UnwantedResurrection resurrect and possess you]] even if you die outside of Final Space, and no, it doesn't possess your corpse, it revives you complete with your memories and personality and ''then'' possesses you, so killing yourself won't help. In the timeline the show focuses on, every attempt to fight back against Invictus is in vain as it once again escapes Final Space, and it's hard to imagine it ever being stopped.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' is essentially just one chapter in a [[spoiler: eons long cosmic horror story; the BigBad is a being of pure evil and darkness called Invictus, who imprisoned in the titular [[EldritchLocation Final Space.]] It is attacking every timeline simultaneously, and in every timeline so far, it successfully conquered the universe. It corrupted a race of world-destroying Titans to do it's bidding which it unleashes on conquered timelines to wipe them out. It can possess any being with minimal effort and there is almost no way to get free once this happens. Dying will not save you from it, as it can resurrect and possess you even if you die outside of Final Space, and no, it doesn't possess your corpse, it revives you complete with your memories and personality and ''then'' possesses you, so killing yourself won't help. In the timeline the show focuses on, every attempt to stop Invictus is in vain as it once again escapes Final Space, and it's hard to imagine it ever being stopped.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' is essentially just one chapter in a [[spoiler: eons long cosmic horror story; the BigBad is a being of pure evil and darkness called Invictus, who imprisoned in the titual [[Eldritch Location Final Space.]] It is attacking every timeline simultaneously, and in every timeline so far, it successfully conqued the universe. It corrupted a race of world-destroying Tittans to do it's bidding which it unleashes on conquered timelines to wipe them out. It can possess any being with minimal effort and there is almost no way to get free once this happens. Dying will not save you from it, as it can resurrect and possess you even if you die outside of Final Space, and no, it doesn't possess your corpse, it revives you complete with your memories and personality and ''then'' possesses you, so killing yourself won't help. In the timeline the show focuses on, every attempt to stop Invictus is in vain as it once again escapes Final Space, and it's hard to imagine it ever being stopped.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' is essentially just one chapter in a [[spoiler: eons long cosmic horror story; the [[BigBad Big Bad]] is a being of pure evil and darkness called Invictus, who imprisoned in the titual [[Eldritch Location Final Space]]. It is attacking every timeline simultaneously, and in every timeline so far, it successfully conqued the universe. It corrupted a race of world-destroying Tittans to do it's bidding which it unleashes on conquered timelines to wipe them out. It can possess any being with minimal effort and there is almost no way to get free once this happens. Dying will not save you from it, as it can resurrect and possess you even if you die outside of Final Space, and no, it doesn't possess your corpse, it revives you complete with your memories and personality and ''then'' possesses you, so killing yourself won't help. In the timeline the show focuses on, every attempt to stop Invictus is in vain as it once again escapes Final Space, and it's hard to imagine it ever being stopped.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' is essentially just one chapter in a [[spoiler: eons long cosmic horror story; the [[BigBad Big Bad]] is a being of pure evil and darkness called Invictus, who imprisoned in the titual [[Eldritch Location Final Space]] It is attacking every timeline simultaneously, and in every timeline so far, it successfully conqued the universe. It corrupted a race of world-destroying Tittans to do it's bidding which it unleashes on conquered timelines to wipe them out. It can possess any being with minimal effort and there is almost no way to get free once this happens. Dying will not save you from it, as it can resurrect and possess you even if you die outside of Final Space, and no, it doesn't possess your corpse, it revives you complete with your memories and personality and ''then'' possesses you, so killing yourself won't help. In the timeline the show focuses on, every attempt to stop Invictus is in vain as it once again escapes Final Space, and it's hard to imagine it ever being stopped.]]

* ''VideoGame/Doom3'' is this when the Doom-franchise gets played straight, as it covers several themes from H.P. Lovecraft's stories. Such as that man, in their age of great scientific advancements and expension out in the cosmic space, discovers [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow things that mankind would be better off not finding]]; in this case the truth and the portal of [[EldritchLocation Hell itself]] - a knowledge that the mere exposure off quickly causes [[GoMadFromTheRevelation madness and insanity to skyrocket in UAC's research base on Mars]], and Man's insignificance before outworldly, eldritch forces that could easily wipe Mankind out if it so desires. Even the demons are more [[EldritchAbomination eldritch]] than in the original series and even if the Doomguy is badass like in the original series, his war against the demons is less of an OneManArmy's awesome CurbStompBattle against the legions of Hell and more of a lonely survivor desperately trying to survive the incomprehensible monsters that he actually has little chance to win against. And even than, his victory is a [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet one]], being the only survivor and whose victory only delayed the inevitable, as the demons returns in ''Resurrection of Evil''; once again because Man couldn't let their scientific curiosity go and found an ArtifactOfDoom that summoned them back again to remind mankind their own insignificance against them...

* ''VideoGame/Doom3'' is this when the Doom-franchise gets played straight, as it covers several themes from H.P. Lovecraft's stories. Such as that man, in their age of great scientific advancements and expension out in the cosmic space, discovers [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow things that mankind would be better off not finding]]; in this case the truth and the portal of [[EldritchLocation Hell itself]] - a knowledge that the mere exposure off quickly causes [[GoMadFromTheRevelation madness and insanity to skyrocket in UAC's research base on Mars]], and Man's insignificance before outworldly, eldritch forces that could easily wipe Mankind out if it so desires. Even the demons are more [[EldritchAbomination eldritch]] than in the original series and even if the Doomguy is badass like in the original series, his war against the demons is less of an OneManArmy's awesome CurbStompBattle against the legions of Hell and more of a lonely survivor desperately trying to survive the incomprehensible monsters that he actually has little chance to win against. And even than, his victory is a [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet one]], being the only survivor and whose victory only delayed the inevitable, as the demons returns in ''Resurrection of Evil''; once again because Man couldn't let their scientific couriosity go and found an ArtifactOfDoom that summoned them back again to remind mankind their own insignificance against them...

* ''VideoGame/Doom3'' is this when the Doom-franchise gets played straight, as it covers several themes from H.P. Lovecraft's stories. Such as that man, in their age of great scientific advancements and expension out in the cosmic space, discovers [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow things that mankind would be better off not finding]]; in this case the truth and the portal of [[EldritchLocation Hell itself]] - a knowledge that the mere exposure off quickly causes [[GoMadFromTheRevelation madness and insanity to skyrocket in UAC's research base on Mars]], and Man's insignificance before outworldly, eldritch forces that could easily wipe Mankind out if it so desires. Even the demons are more [[EldritchAbomination eldritch]] than in the original series and even if the Doomguy is badass like in the original series, his war against the demons is less of an OneManArmy's awesome CurbStompBattle against the legions of Hell and more of a lonely survivor desperately trying to survive the incomprehensible monsters that he actually has little chance to win against. And even than, his victory is a [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet one]], being the only survivor and whose victory only delayed the inevitable, as the demons returns in ''Resurrection of Evil''; once again because Man couldn't let their scientific couriosity go and found an ArtifactOfDoom that summoned them back again to remind mankind their own significance against them...

* ''VideoGame/Doom3'' is this when the Doom-franchise gets played straight, as it covers several themes from H.P. Lovecraft's stories. Such as that man, in their age of great scientific advancements and expension out in the cosmic space, discovers [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow things that mankind would be better off not finding]]; in this case the truth and the portal of [[EldritchLocation Hell itself]] - a knowledge that the mere exposure off that quickly causes [[GoMadFromTheRevelation madness and insanity to skyrocket in UAC's research base on Mars]], and Man's insignificance before outworldly, eldritch forces that could easily wipe Mankind out if it so desires. Even the demons are more [[EldritchAbomination eldritch]] than in the original series and even if the Doomguy is badass like in the original series, his war against the demons is less of an OneManArmy's awesome CurbStompBattle against the legions of Hell and more of a lonely survivor desperately trying to survive the incomprehensible monsters that he actually has little chance to win against. And even than, his victory is a [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet one]], being the only survivor and whose victory only delayed the inevitable, as the demons returns in ''Resurrection of Evil''; once again because Man couldn't let their scientific couriosity go and found an ArtifactOfDoom that summoned them back again to remind mankind their own significance against them...

* ''VideoGame/Doom3'' is this when the Doom-franchise gets played straight, as it covers several themes from H.P. Lovecraft's stories. Such as that man, in their age of great scientific advancements and expension out in the cosmic space, discovers [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow things that mankind would be better off not finding]]; in this case the truth and the portal of [[EldritchLocation Hell itself]] - a knowledge that the mere exposure off that quickly causes [[GoMadFromTheRevelation madness and insanity to skyrocket in UAC's research base on Mars]], and Man's insignificance before outworldly, eldritch forces that could easily wipe Mankind out if it so desires. Even the demons are more [[EldritchAdomination eldritch]] than in the original series and even if the Doomguy is badass like in the original series, his war against the demons is less of an OneManArmy's awesome CurbStompBattle against the legions of Hell and more of a lonely survivor desperately trying to survive the incomprehensible monsters that he actually has little chance to win against. And even than, his victory is a [[BittersweetVictory bittersweet one]], being the only survivor and whose victory only delayed the inevitable, as the demons returns in ''Resurrection of Evil''; once again because Man couldn't let their scientific couriosity go and found an ArtifactOfDoom that summoned them back again to remind mankind their own significance against them...

* ''Film/{{Us}}'' initially follows a family being stalked by their murderous doppelgangers who invade their home. Eventually, another family is killed by their own set of doppelgangers. And we later learn there are ''more.'' [[spoiler: It turns out that for every human being born in the continental United States, an EldritchAbomination in their likeness manifests in an [[EldritchLocation ever-growing network of mysterious subterranean tunnels located beneath the country]]. Possessed of a cold and alien mentality, a telepathic link with their hosts, as well as unnatural strength and agility, these beings - known as the Tethered - are driven to murder and replace the originals through any means necessary. Desiring a taste of free will, the Tethered eventually emerge from their tunnels and start to systematically slaughter the entire population of the United States so that they may take their place. Alarmingly, the climax implies that they've ''succeeded at this.'' Worse yet, it's never stated whether or not there are more Tethered in other countries, so for all it's worth, the human race is doomed and no one can stop the Tethered.]]

* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' is a surprising but undeniable example. [[spoiler:Every single person who has ever lived for the past five ''centuries'' has gone to Hell. Why? Because the beings responsible for determining who goes where have paid so little attention to the world that they haven't realized their system is wildly out of date. Humanity isn't being condemned for kicks or any personal reason - they're being sent to Hell because the beings in charge ''don't give a damn.'' The protagonists have to ''force'' them to see what's going on in order to correct this injustice.]]

* AbusivePrecursors - Although [[{{Precursors}} precursors]] of any kind can appear in these stories. Yes, even [[BenevolentPrecursors benevolent]].

%%* So you think ''FanFic/AeonNatumEngel'' and its remake ''FanFic/AeonEntelechyEvangelion'' are going to be your standard "[[DarkerAndEdgier Badass]] Shinji" LovecraftLite setting reboots, do you? [[OriginalFlavor Think again]].

* [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos The Slender Man fic]] ''Fanfic/ByTheFiresLight'' ends up being about how The Slender Man reclaims the Earth for [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] at large.

* ''FanFic/FriendshipIsOptimal'' eventually turns into a cosmic horror story when exploring the ramifications of a ''[[BlueAndOrangeMorality mostly]]'' benevolent A.I. whose safeguards and restrictions are only right ''most'' of the time.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' fanfiction ''FanFic/ImperfectMetamorphosis'' not even the most powerful denizens of Gensoukyou, working together and using their most potent attacks, do more than inconvenience either Yuuka or [[spoiler:the Shadow Youkai]], some of them barely surviving the encounters, with retribution being swift and terrible. Yukari casually notes that she deals with similar - though not quite as bad - situations on a regular basis, and several characters, including Yuuka herself, state that there are ''far'' worse things out there.

* The Series/DoctorWho fanfic ''Fanfic/TheLastGreatTimeWar.'' Filled with {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, {{Temporal Paradox}}es, and {{Eldritch Location}}s caused by two nigh-omnipotent civilizations clashing.

* Anime/{{Naruto}} fanfiction ''Fanfic/{{Obscuro}}'' is this, but it uses a different set of [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] - rather, demons and the like are the incomprehensible monsters.

* ''FanFic/TheShapeOfTheNightmareToCome'' takes regular ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' and cranks up the Cosmic Horror elements to max. The Ophilim Kiasoz destroys entire star systems simply by passing through them, and no one knows just what it is. The Nex, [[UnseenEvil of which virtually nothing is known]], drives people mad by just mentioning it. The former GodEmperor becomes the [[GodOfEvil Chaos God]] of '''[[LawfulEvil Order]]'''. And before all of that, the New Devourer (the descendants of the [[TheAssimilator Tyranid]][=/=][[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve Ork]] superhybrid) eats more than '''one third''' of all life in the galaxy. The whole 1st segment reads like it was written by Lovecraft himself.

* ''FanFic/TheStarsWillAidTheirEscape'' is a crossover between ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and the Franchise/CthulhuMythos, and as such is filled with ponies being killed and {{Mind Rape}}d by {{Eldritch Abomination}}s. [[spoiler:Ultimately closer to LovecraftLite, as even though the Mane Cast are all left mentally scarred, with Twilight on the verge of complete insanity, Nyarlathotep is defeated and the world saved.]]

* ''Series/{{Chernobyl}}'' can almost be considered an actual RealLife version of a Cosmic Horror Story. The show is a bleak five-episode miniseries dramatizing the worst nuclear accident in history, and a major theme is the lack of control humans have over the imaginably powerful and destructive forces of nuclear energy and radiation. Characters scramble to try and contain the accident as it threatens to bring about the deaths of millions of people in Europe while incomprehensible horrors erupt around them and kill hundreds, if not thousands of their comrades. The environment is left forever altered, with the half-life of some of the dangerous elements released by the accident being tens of thousands of years long. If you were to go over the criteria atop this page, the only one you would firmly be able to answer 'no' to is the literal indescribable nature of the disaster.