10 Cosmic Horror Films To Scare You Into Oblivion

The Void is the 2016 film directed by Steven Kostanski that really kicked off the modern cosmic horror trend.

It has all the main aspects of the cosmic horror genre; cult members trying to bring about something nefarious via cosmic means, body horror galore reminiscent of The Thing as people transform into sticky eldritch beings, an interdimensional, unfathomable realm the characters are transported to.

The later is what makes The Void unique. Many films in this genre like to show an abomination in our universe rather than taking the characters to a different realm. This is because cosmic horror is notoriously hard to represent in the first place, and it's easier to create a monster as opposed to a world.

But The Void shows us how that other realm could look, even if only for a few minutes. A dark, geometric landscape swirling with thunder, and a gigantic black pyramid hovering above it.

This scene fills viewers with so much dread because, on some level, we can still empathise with the monstrous alien if it shows signs of life. But there’s no empathising with or understanding a landscape with an ancient, malicious energy tied to it.

For Daniel and Allison, there is nothing they can do after their arduous journey but stare out at this realm in fear.