Cosmic Horror and the Hero.

 

I was thinking of cosmic horror and why it is scary to most. I think the undertone of a great 'evil' out there that would utterly destroy you is embedded in a lot of horror movies in the form of aliens and demons. The subtext is that the real cosmic horror of your own mortality is toyed with on an unconscious level.

For some strange reason, some people get a kick out of this, especially teenagers.

I think that life presents us with dangers and that is what we need to overcome. In doing so, we get a kick. This can make us strong. In a way, cosmic horror is telling us that we need to become heroes.

On the flipside, it can devour us, like the devouring mother motif. A mother (or father for that matter) that should be there for her kid/s might be exceptionally mean, causing a cosmic horror experience for the kid when he grows up.

Then the potential hero has fallen.