My pick of Cosmic Horror
Cosmic horror is hard to define, because it takes several forms. Gods, cults, monsters beyond comprehension, madness, etc... and also wildly different forms (one can argue that the Backrooms and Bloodborne inhabit different sides of a spectrum). I'm setting out to read more, and this is what I have read and still have to read. If a book doesn't qualify, I'll remove it after finishing it.
created by DylanFaden
last updated October, 2026
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Hey love that kind of horror too. Have you heard of âHouse of leavesâ or âthere is no antimemetics divisionâ? They are both on my cosmic horror shelf.
I own house of leaves (just cracked it open this weekend) and I've read the antiemetic division when it was still an SCP online! I don't know about them being cosmic horror, and not more liminal horror/supernatural horror. It's a bit of an internal debate for me at the moment x'D
Interesting. I hadn't heard of that subgenre before. If you think it belongs there I will check it out since I really loved the antimemtic division.
Yeah liminal spaces are very... Control video game, backrooms (film is excellent)... If you liked antimemetic you MUST play control. If you're bad at games, the story mode is great (it's the same but you're as op as a god basically). It's very similar in concept to scp, as you investigate the Federal Bureau of Control, and become its director in absurd ways and fight a paranatural entity in this liminal, impossible house that is all brutal isn't concrete. An absolute masterpiece of a game.
I guess liminal spaces are very much "stories where the house/space is absurd/doesn't make sense" and the sense of dread builds up from that? Though it's not always horror (Piranesi comes to mind. Brilliant book! More... "Weird liminal fantasy" than horror). Cosmic horror seems adjacent because the inability to truly perceive a space or the creature inhabiting it sounds apt. But since the core of the concept is the presence of a liminal space, I think it's its own subcategory.
Making a proper checklist definition of what qualifies for cosmic horror is an interesting task
I looked up the game. Sounds amazing. I found one list her on PB for liminal horror, will definitely look more into it. I found the backroom concept amazing (just from the synopsis of the film, havent acutally watched it yet)
Hope you enjoy Backrooms! It's quite manageable as a horror. Most of it is about tension, and it's very well done in that regard. If you also want a short story that's both about a liminal space and some cosmic-y horror, check out A Short Stay in Hell. It's a novelette and it's... pretty good!
Thanks I will check it out. I also saw they came out with a second Control Game this september. Have you tried that one? If so which would you recommend?
đjust saw your user name
Ahaha I was hurting for inspiration and also didn't want this account to tie back to my hundreds of fanfics and fanarts. Control games are heavily story based, so imo control > control resonant is what makes the most sense, as it'll be the best way to care for/empathise with Dylan (despite him being the antagonist of the first game). but also in your case, the "house madness" elements are far more present in Control, since you are entirely locked into that "House" (using air quotes as the Oldest House is hardly an actual building). It's also MUCH CREEPIER. Control resonant as more combat heavy, aggressive gameplay with the option to fuck off in most battles if you're taking too much heat, while control is often cramped and the mold and hiss enemies are massive cases of heebie jeebies.
All right. Thanks. Sounds great
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