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[[quoteright:342:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Indifference_1706.jpg]]
[-[[caption-width-right:342:The scariest part? This can happen at ANY time.... ''([[http://yohkai.deviantart.com/art/Death-by-Cthulhu-145383590 Image]] courtesy of [[http://yohkai.deviantart.com/ yohkai.]] Used with permission.)'']]-]

->''"Now all my tales are based on the fundamental premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large."''
-->-- '''Creator/HPLovecraft''', letter to Farnsworth Wright (1927)

Imagine a [[CrapsackWorld universe]] where even the tiniest spot of hope for the future is [[WideEyedIdealist blindness in itself]], the insane StrawNihilist yelling about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt in the [[BedlamHouse asylum]] is actually [[OnlySaneMan the only one with a clue]], and [[CuriosityKilledTheCast too much curiosity about the true nature of the world is a precursor to a]] FateWorseThanDeath. A universe where [[PunyEarthlings humanity]] is preyed upon as a mere plaything for all kinds of [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm inconceivable]] horrors, and all our ideals are naught but cruel illusions; a universe which [[TheDarkTimes was once ruled]] by such {{eldritch abomination}}s from the depths of space long ago. Nor are they dead; they merely wait, [[SealedEvilInACan and soon they shall wake]]. They shall return to rule this world, [[LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair and all our grandest achievements]] shall have been [[AllForNothing in vain]]. For all our blind {{pride}} we are but mice in the wainscoting, making merry while the cat's away--but even today, the world is more dangerous than we may know.

Take one step away from the comforts of home, and you will find danger hiding almost anywhere, [[ParanoiaFuel terror and madness]] on every nook and corner -- dark cults, hideous monstrosities, [[AwfulTruth truths so terrible]] that [[GoMadFromTheRevelation none may comprehend them and remain sane]]. Demons gibber in the tunnels beneath your feet. Parasites and worms slither unseen in whatever food or drink you dare put into your mouth. Ghosts hover unseen and unheard around you, discerning and mocking your every thought and secret. The vile essence of an alien disease lurks in the recesses of your own family tree, a genetic time bomb just ''waiting'' [[BodyHorror to go off]]...

Such was the vision of Creator/HPLovecraft, pioneer, TropeMaker, and TropeCodifier of the Cosmic Horror Story. This type of fiction doesn't just scare you with big, ugly monsters--though it can certainly have them--it depresses you with the fatalistic implication of being insignificantly powerless before such vast, unknowable and fundamentally alien entities. As a genre, Cosmic Horror is at the very pessimistic end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism.

If you aren't sure if a work is a Cosmic Horror Story or not, ask yourself these questions:
* Is the [[BigBad antagonist]] evil or uncaring on a cosmic scale? We're talking a BigBad who is capable of destroying humanity, planet Earth, the universe, or all three and doing so with very little, if any, preparation and/or intent, and with about as much effort as it takes you to swat a mosquito that's landed on your arm.[[note]]This also covers cases of a GreaterScopeVillain, where the BigBad of the story is human-sized, and his boss, while covered by this point, is also not directly appearing in this story.[[/note]]
* Does the Big Bad have any [[ApocalypseCult human worshippers or servants]]? If the said villain can destroy the world with a mere finger lift, why hasn't it done this already? Odds are it's probably [[SealedEvilInACan locked away, or locked out]].[[note]]Or it just doesn't care about Earth, in the same way you don't care about any one particular stone and the bacteria thereupon in your gravel driveway.[[/note]] And that's where its agents or worshipers in the mortal realm come into the fray. Their goal is typically to open the door so that the Big Bad can enter. Expect the cult's leader to be [[TheDragon the secondary villain]], and be [[ManipulativeBastard very charismatic]]. And there's a good chance that if he's not killed before the Big bad enters, the Big Bad will [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness kill him anyway.]] After all, EvilIsNotAToy. Bonus points if the Big Bad has no concept of loyalty or if their idea of a reward is to kill their worshippers first - to these beings, the cultists are just {{Loony Fan}}s who happened to do the right things to attract their attention, and their attention does not take into account voluntary service or any other sort of allegiance.
* Is the attitude of the antagonist towards humanity disregard, simple pragmatism, or incidental hatred or disgust? (A godlike antagonist that actively hates humanity and its works is more in line with RageAgainstTheHeavens or GodIsEvil.) Does the antagonist have a worldview and motivations that doesn't really seem to take humanity into account? Is it just a predator looking for prey? Is humanity just a means to an end? Are the motivations of the antagonist [[BlueAndOrangeMorality difficult to explain using human terms?]]
* Are the antagonist or its minions so alien in appearance or mentality that simply being near them or ''[[BrownNote even seeing them]]'' is [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow enough to drive a human to madness?]]
* Are the antagonist or its minions [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm indescribable -- literally?]] Lines like "[[TakeOurWordForIt I cannot find the words]] to describe [[NothingIsScarier the vile thing I saw]]..." are a hallmark of Cosmic Horror Stories. Bonus points if it's so divorced from the spectrum of human perception that it causes [[BrownNote permanent insanity, brain damage, or death just by looking at it]], and/or distorts reality because it is just that incompatible with the laws of this world.
* Can or will the antagonist communicate with humanity? If it does, is it capable of elucidating its goals or rationale, even if they're something as simple as "you have something I need" or "I'm hungry"? Is its method of communication so bizarre or obscure that humanity has to go to great lengths just to be able to understand it, let alone reply (''let alone'' be understood in return)? Can it be reasoned with, or does it simply make declarations, with no attempt (or, likely, ability) to hold conversations?
* Is the antagonist's arrival or awakening inevitable, or can something be done to prevent it partially or completely? How great is the price? Is it a permanent fix or just delaying the inevitable? Is it even reasonably foreseeable, or is it just going to swoop in and destroy everything out of the blue one day, with no sign whatsoever that it was coming (or had signs that, in retrospect, were clear, but either escaped notice or were rationalized away)?
* Is the antagonist alive in a conventional sense, or is it outside of life and death entirely? Common examples of the latter include AsLongAsThereIsEvil, a disembodied consciousness, a death-and-resurrection cycle that is completely inevitable and cannot be stopped, or most {{Undead Abomination}}s.
* If the antagonist is [[UndeadAbomination undead]], is it just a big ugly dead thing or a ghost, zombie, or skeleton with extra firepower, or is it something of terrifying power and scope that cannot be reasoned with, whose connections to life are long gone (or never existed to begin with), that will either just keep coming back or has a price tag attached to its defeat that is almost as bad as letting it run free, and that has alien, unrelatable, or completely selfish motivations?
* If the antagonist is [[MechanicalAbomination mechanical]], is it just a really nasty MechanicalMonster, AIIsACrapshoot, or advanced and malevolent cyborg, or is it some sort of unknowable force of cold alien apathy, pragmatism, or menace? If it is actively hostile, is it active misanthropic hatred, ruthless self-interest, or just carrying out a programmed duty? Are its abilities advanced but not inconceivable, or is it on the other side of ClarkesThirdLaw? Lastly, if it cannot realistically be destroyed (common with [=AIs=]), can you easily isolate it, or do you have to effectively reduce large swathes of civilization to a permanent pre-technological level just to keep it from finding a way to come back?
* If the antagonist is [[DraconicAbomination draconic]], is it just a particularly powerful dragon that maybe has a few extra tricks at its disposal or is something from a setting where dragons are closer to conventional gods, or is it something far worse? Is it an all-destroying cosmic force, an avatar of something unspeakable, or a PhysicalGod with incomprehensible power that makes almost everything else seem insignificant? Is it effectively invincible or unkillable aside from very specific conditions? Is it a rampaging, mindless beast, a diabolical mastermind, or something that is clearly intelligent, but wholly alien and unrelatable with motivations that are best defined in human terms as ignorant apathy or incidental bemused curiosity?
* Is the tone of the work deeply pessimistic about the possibility of the antagonist being defeated completely? If it isn't, the work is more likely to be LovecraftLite. Usually the best option to defeat the Big Bad in a standard cosmic horror story is to prevent its human worshipers and servants from opening the door or getting its attention. It can still be a CHS if the antagonist can be defeated completely (or so thoroughly that it will cease to be an issue by any reasonable standard), but will result in a PyrrhicVictory. If the cost of a complete defeat is insurmountable, its defeat opens the door for even worse things, or its influence continues to fester and pollute the world in its absence, it's probably not LovecraftLite.
* Even IF the heroes do manage by some miracle of fate to save the day, are they driven irreversibly mad by their experiences, or did they have to make one hell of a [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice]], [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu or did they only stop it temporarily and eventually it will rise again causing the cycle to repeat?]][[note]]Or simply delay its eventual destruction of reality?[[/note]]

Answering "No" to more than two of these means that the work is probably not a Cosmic Horror Story, although it may share tropes with the genre. Note that the scale and stakes of the story is allowed to vary; the fate of the world need not be at stake to qualify as a Cosmic Horror Story, as long as the implication remains clear that The Universe is Scary and some truly horrific events can happen if you look too deeply into things.

In the last few decades it's become fairly popular to invert the common indifference of the Cosmic Horror Story setting, while still keeping it every bit as horrifying, by incorporating elements such as YourMindMakesItReal, SenseFreak, and HumansAreCthulhu. Such settings are usually still classed as Cosmic Horror, and are embodied by the works of Creator/CliveBarker, and the ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer}}'' games. In such settings humans often learn that they really do matter, and their emotions and desires really can shape reality... only to then get smacked in the face with BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor.

The genre is sometimes called "Cosmic Horror", Lovecraftian Fiction, or Weird Fiction. Very likely to use ParanoiaFuel and invoke an atmosphere similar to {{Room 101}}; both tropes play with the fear of that unknown ''thing'' that happens to traumatize all those who encounter it. A DespairEventHorizon or a DownerEnding can be used to add to the depressing atmosphere. Compare/contrast with GothicHorror (on which prose the first Cosmic Horror Stories, like those from Lovecraft himself, borrowed), DarkFantasy (a genre that has a '''LOT''' of overlap with this one, although some works are one but not the other), CrapsackWorld, MindScrew and ThroughTheEyesOfMadness. CosmicPlaything could be viewed as this on a much, much smaller scale.

Note that while the Franchise/CthulhuMythos originated in the Cosmic Horror fiction of Creator/HPLovecraft, a Cosmic Horror Story need not refer to the Mythos or borrow from its imagery. LovecraftLite goes a step further than that by either giving the setting some genuine hope or [[PlayedForLaughs playing it for laughs.]]

%%If you have time, please take time to put examples in alphabetical order. This page Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings should help you with that.
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!!Examples:
[[index]]
* CosmicHorrorStory/AnimeAndManga
* CosmicHorrorStory/ComicBooks
* {{CosmicHorrorStory/Film}}s
* {{CosmicHorrorStory/Literature}}
* CosmicHorrorStory/LiveActionTV
* CosmicHorrorStory/TabletopGames
* CosmicHorrorStory/VideoGames
* CosmicHorrorStory/WebOriginal
* CosmicHorrorStory/WesternAnimation
* CosmicHorrorStory/OtherMedia
[[/index]]
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!!Common tropes in Cosmic Horror Stories include:
[[index]]
* AboveGoodAndEvil
* AboveTheGods - If regular deities exist in the setting, expect the cosmic aberrations to be this trope.
* AbusivePrecursors - Although {{precursors}} of any kind can appear in these stories. Yes, even [[BenevolentPrecursors benevolent]].
* AllianceWithAnAbomination
* AlienFairFolk
* AlienGeometries
* AnalogHorror - In more modern stories
* AncientEvil
* AndIMustScream
* ApocalypseCult
* ApocalypticLog
* AwfulTruth
* BeneathTheEarth
* BizarroApocalypse
* BlobMonster
* BlueAndOrangeMorality
* BodyHorror
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu
* BrownNote
* BrownNoteBeing
* CampbellCountry (cosmic horror taking place outside New England)
* ClosedCircle
* CosmicEntity
* CosmicHorrorReveal
* {{Cthulhumanoid}}
* TheDarkTimes
* DiabolusExMachina
* DiabolusExNihilo
* DimensionLord
* DugTooDeep
* EldritchAbomination
* EldritchLocation
* EldritchOceanAbyss
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: A very common threat in these kinds of stories, sometimes impending and inevitable.
* EvilIsCool: A trademark IntendedAudienceReaction. One of the common features of cosmic horror is that it's designed to provoke fear mixed with awe, and so the antagonists will tend to have a certain nightmarish grandeur to them no matter how bizarre and hideous they are.
* EvilLearnsOfOutsideContext
* ExistentialHorror
* FateWorseThanDeath
* GeniusLoci: The land itself is alive, and it's not necessarily on your side...
* GeometricMagic
* GodIsEvil
* HalfHumanHybrid
* HumansAreInsects
* HumansAreMorons
* InescapableHorror
* InscrutableAliens
* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet
* InvincibleVillain: It wouldn't be cosmic horror if it were possible to defeat the villain.
* LeakingCanOfEvil
* LovecraftCountry (New England is the standard settings for these stories)
* LovecraftLite: For settings where it ''is'' possible to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu defeat the eldritch horrors]]
* LovecraftianTropes
* MadGod
* MadnessTropes
** GoMadFromTheRevelation
** MadArtist
** MadMathematician
** MentallyUnwellSpecialSenses
** TheyCalledMeMad
* MindRape
* MysteriousAntarctica
* {{Mythopoeia}}[[/index]]: Most {{Eldritch Abomination}}s do not derive from folklore. That said, there are quite a few of them that [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy created folklore accidentally]].[[index]]
* NaturalEndOfTime
* NightmareSequence
* NothingIsScarier
* OthernessTropes
* OutsideContextProblem
* OutsideGenreFoe
* PlanetaryParasite
* PrecursorKillers
* PrimordialChaos
* PsychologicalHorror
* PunyEarthlings
* PuppeteerParasite
* SanityMeter
* SciFiHorror: In fact, some works listed here or in LovecraftLite are normally considered ScienceFantasy or simply ScienceFiction.
* SealedEvilInACan
* ShootTheShaggyDog
* SinsOfOurFathers
* [[SoYouWantTo/WriteACosmicHorrorStory So You Want To Write A Cosmic Horror Story]]
* SpaceIsolationHorror
* StrawNihilist
* SupernaturalHotspotTown
* SurrealHorror
* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow
* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness
* TechnologicallyAdvancedFoe
* TimeAbyss
* TomeOfEldritchLore
* TooStrangeToShow: Anything that cannot be depicted with ''any'' means in normal reality.
* TownWithADarkSecret
* TheUnpronounceable
* UnseenEvil
* WhenThePlanetsAlign
* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm
* YouCantFightFate
* WorldOfChaos
[[/index]]
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''They're coming, they're[[KilledMidSentence —]]'' [[spoiler:[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: We're here. ]]
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