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-> ''"It come from that stone...it growed down thar...it got everything livin'...it fed itself on 'em, mind and body...Thad an' Mernie, Zenas an' Nabby...Nahum was the last...they all drunk the water...it got strong on 'em...it come from beyond, whar things ain't like they be here...now it's goin' home..."''
-->--'''Ammi Pierce'''



It has inspired some films:

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It has inspired some films:various media:
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* SchmuckBait: The townsfolk refuse to talk about the blasted heath, and go out of their way to tell the protagonist ''not'' to talk to Ammi Pierce or pay any mind to his crazy tales. Three guesses what the protagonist decides to do the very next day...
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* ''Film/Annihilation2018'': A 2018 horror movie that while adapted from the book, ''Literature/Annihilation2014'', clearly takes inspiration from and has a near-identical premise and ideas, with a meteor strike containing an alien presence crashing into a lighthouse and emanating a colorful radiation that negatively affects all organisms it comes into contact with, mainly horrific mutations of the animals and humans who travel into it.

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* ''Film/Annihilation2018'': A 2018 horror movie that while adapted from the book, ''Literature/Annihilation2014'', ''[[Literature/TheSouthernReachTrilogy Annihilation]]'', clearly takes inspiration from and has a near-identical premise and ideas, with a meteor strike containing an alien presence crashing into a lighthouse and emanating a colorful radiation that negatively affects all organisms it comes into contact with, mainly horrific mutations of the animals and humans who travel into it.
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* AerithAndBob: Thaddeus and Merwin are relatively normal names compared to Nahum, Nabby, and Zenas.

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* AerithAndBob: Thaddeus and Merwin are relatively normal names compared to Nahum, Nabby, and Zenas. Nahum and Zenas are [[HayseedName obscure Biblical names]]; "Nabby" might be a nickname but it's the only name Mrs. Gardners is referred to by.
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dead link


The story can be read [[http://dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thecolouroutofspace.htm here.]]


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The story can be read [[http://dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thecolouroutofspace.htm [[https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/cs.aspx here.]]

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* A late game quest in ''VideoGame/ShadowsOverLoathing.'' The family (now the Molerosses) has long since up-stakes and it adds in a puzzle in the form of a 3-D maze made of wormholes, with the object of obtaining the meteorite for an NPC.
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* ThereIsAnother: Played for horror. Pierce notices that when the Colour leaves Earth, a part of it breaks off, try to follow the rest, only to fail and return to the well. Some of the Colour remains on Earth, which in all probability is the reason for the Blasted Heath.

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* ThereIsAnother: Played for horror. Pierce notices that when the Colour leaves Earth, a part of it breaks off, try trying to follow the rest, only to fail and return to the well. Some of the Colour remains on Earth, which in all probability is the reason for the Blasted Heath.
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!! [[Memes/OverlySarcasticProductions Mysterious tropes unlike any seen on Earth!

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!! [[Memes/OverlySarcasticProductions Mysterious tropes unlike any seen on Earth!Earth!]]
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!! Provides Examples Of

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!! Provides Examples Of[[Memes/OverlySarcasticProductions Mysterious tropes unlike any seen on Earth!
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lovecraft_the_colour_out_of_space_05_eng.jpg]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lovecraft_the_colour_out_of_space_05_eng.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:]]
org/pmwiki/pub/images/6080646902_b410b273e5_o.jpg]]
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Up To Eleven is a defunct trope


* StarfishAliens: The Colour. This was {{Invoked|Trope}} by Lovecraft, who didn't like how human-like aliens were in other works of his time. He took it UpToEleven too, as the end result is something closer to a bacterial infection, slime mold, or non-living nuclear radiation than anything else. Its motivations, if any, are unknown and possibly unknowable. Is it feeding? Terraforming the planet? [[ForTheEvulz Killing for fun?]] All of the above? None of the above?

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* StarfishAliens: The Colour. This was {{Invoked|Trope}} by Lovecraft, who didn't like how human-like aliens were in other works of his time. He took it UpToEleven up to eleven too, as the end result is something closer to a bacterial infection, slime mold, or non-living nuclear radiation than anything else. Its motivations, if any, are unknown and possibly unknowable. Is it feeding? Terraforming the planet? [[ForTheEvulz Killing for fun?]] All of the above? None of the above?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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* DownerEnding: Don't expect anything resembling a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour killed them all and finished its feeding shortly afterwards, returning to space and leaving behind the lifeless gray wasteland that is all that remains of their farm... [[FromBadToWorse Then Ammi reveals]] that as he witnessed the Colour departing, a small piece broke off and fell back into the Gardners' well. There's a good chance it's still alive down there, which is why Ammi is so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if the Colour may have also affected Ammi, since it would explain why he's never left the area.

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* DownerEnding: Don't expect anything resembling a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour has long since killed them all and finished its feeding shortly afterwards, all, returning to space and leaving behind the lifeless gray wasteland that is all that remains of their farm... [[FromBadToWorse Then Ammi reveals]] that as he witnessed the Colour departing, a small piece broke off and fell back into the Gardners' well. There's a good chance it's still alive down there, which is why Ammi is so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if the Colour may have also affected Ammi, since it would explain why he's never left the area.
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Dewicked trope


* AdultFear: Poor Nahum gets a lot of this. First his farm, which was his livelihood, gets contaminated and ruined by the color. Then his family starts getting sick. Then his wife goes mad. Then one of his sons goes mad ''and then'' dies. And then, after his wife is also dead, his remaining two sons disappear.
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* DownerEnding: Don't expect anything resembling a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour killed them all and finished its feeding shortly afterwards, returning to space and leaving behind the lifeless gray wasteland that is all that remains of their farm... [[FromBadToWorse Then Ammi reveals]] that as he witnessed the Colour departing, a small piece broke off and fell back into the Gardners' well. It's still down there, which is why he's so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if Ammi is being affected by the Colour, since it would explain why he's never left the area.

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* DownerEnding: Don't expect anything resembling a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour killed them all and finished its feeding shortly afterwards, returning to space and leaving behind the lifeless gray wasteland that is all that remains of their farm... [[FromBadToWorse Then Ammi reveals]] that as he witnessed the Colour departing, a small piece broke off and fell back into the Gardners' well. It's There's a good chance it's still alive down there, which is why he's Ammi is so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if Ammi is being the Colour may have also affected by the Colour, Ammi, since it would explain why he's never left the area.

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** No one's sure, but someone speculates that [[spoiler:The Colour is somewhat sentient, and when people start poking around in the Gardner's well where it lives, it decides to leave Earth.]]



* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: The titular "colour" is unlike any color in the normal spectrum, which under conventional logic would suggest it simply being invisible. Maybe it isn't even a colour, as it's only said a colour is the closest thing to which it can be compared. Or, it could be ultraviolet or infrared (more likely the former), which are colors ''barely'' out of the human visible spectrum.
** Or magenta, which isn't on the spectrum, and is actually the result of red and blue wavelengths combining to produce patterns in cone cells that no singular wavelength could.

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* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: The titular "colour" is unlike any color in the normal spectrum, which under conventional logic would suggest it simply being invisible. Maybe it isn't even a colour, as it's only said a colour is the closest thing to which it can be compared. Or, it could be ultraviolet or infrared (more likely the former), which are colors ''barely'' out of the human visible spectrum.
**
spectrum. Or magenta, which isn't on the spectrum, and is actually the result of red and blue wavelengths combining to produce patterns in cone cells that no singular wavelength could.

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* MomentOfLucidity: As Nahum is [[spoiler:dying after having been attacked by whatever was living in the well]], he manages to explain a little bit of the Colour's nature to Ammi. [[spoiler:What fell to Earth in the meteor were 'seeds' that somehow induced mutation marked by colour simliar to their own on everything. In turn they were somehow able to 'eat' the colourful mutation, leaving crumbling grey dust behind. They were deliberately building their strength, too...]]



* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: when things starts to get bad at Gardner's farm due to the Colour's influece, the family's cats and dogs runs off and don't return.

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* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: when When things starts to get bad at Gardner's farm due to the Colour's influece, the family's cats and dogs runs off and don't return. return.
** No one's sure, but someone speculates that [[spoiler:The Colour is somewhat sentient, and when people start poking around in the Gardner's well where it lives, it decides to leave Earth.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''Film/Annihilation2018'': A 2018 horror movie that while adapted from identically named first novel of ''Literature/TheSouthernReachTrilogy'', clearly takes inspiration from and has a near-identical premise and ideas, with a meteor strike containing an alien presence crashing into a lighthouse and emanating a colorful radiation that negatively affects all organisms it comes into contact with, mainly horrific mutations of the animals and humans who travel into it.

to:

* ''Film/Annihilation2018'': A 2018 horror movie that while adapted from identically named first novel of ''Literature/TheSouthernReachTrilogy'', the book, ''Literature/Annihilation2014'', clearly takes inspiration from and has a near-identical premise and ideas, with a meteor strike containing an alien presence crashing into a lighthouse and emanating a colorful radiation that negatively affects all organisms it comes into contact with, mainly horrific mutations of the animals and humans who travel into it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''Film/Annihilation2018'': A 2018 horror movie that while adapted from its own [[Literature/{{Annihilation}} the novel of the same name]], clearly takes inspiration from and has a near-identical premise and ideas, with a meteor strike containing an alien presence crashing into a lighthouse and emanating a colorful radiation that negatively affects all organisms it comes into contact with, mainly horrific mutations of the animals and humans who travel into it.

to:

* ''Film/Annihilation2018'': A 2018 horror movie that while adapted from its own [[Literature/{{Annihilation}} the identically named first novel of the same name]], ''Literature/TheSouthernReachTrilogy'', clearly takes inspiration from and has a near-identical premise and ideas, with a meteor strike containing an alien presence crashing into a lighthouse and emanating a colorful radiation that negatively affects all organisms it comes into contact with, mainly horrific mutations of the animals and humans who travel into it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: when things starts to get bad at Gardner's farm due to the Colour's influece, the family's cats and dogs runs off and don't return.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: The titular "colour" is unlike any color in the normal spectrum, which under conventional logic would suggest it simply being invisible. Maybe it isn't even a colour, as it's only said a colour is the closest thing to which it can be compared . Or, it could be ultraviolet or infrared (more likely the former), which are colors ''barely'' out of the human visible spectrum.

to:

* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: The titular "colour" is unlike any color in the normal spectrum, which under conventional logic would suggest it simply being invisible. Maybe it isn't even a colour, as it's only said a colour is the closest thing to which it can be compared .compared. Or, it could be ultraviolet or infrared (more likely the former), which are colors ''barely'' out of the human visible spectrum.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ShownTheirWork: Lovecraft wanted to pursue a career in astronomy but was forced to abandon it when he dropped out of school due to health problems. A lot of things he learned about meteorites make it into the story. For instance, the fact that the Colour's meteorite is still hot to the touch after crashing, like most people ''think'' real meteorites would be (and are, but cool quickly), is a plot point, as it's the first thing that clues the scientists in that there's something not quite right about it.

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* ShownTheirWork: Lovecraft wanted to pursue a career in astronomy but was forced to abandon it when he dropped out of school due to health problems. A lot of things he learned about meteorites make it into the story. For instance, the fact that the Colour's meteorite is still hot to the touch after crashing, like most people ''think'' real meteorites would be (and are, but cool quickly), is a plot point, as it's the first thing that clues the scientists in that there's something not quite right about it. The chemical trials mentioned are real, too.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* DownerEnding: Don't expect anything resembling a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour kills them all and finishes its feeding shortly afterwards, returning to space and leaving behind the lifeless gray wasteland that is all that remains of their farm. Ammi also reveals that as he witnessed the Colour departing, a small piece broke off and fell back into the Gardners' well. It's still down there, which is why he's so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if Ammi is being affected by the Colour, since it would explain why he's never left the area.

to:

* DownerEnding: Don't expect anything resembling a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour kills killed them all and finishes finished its feeding shortly afterwards, returning to space and leaving behind the lifeless gray wasteland that is all that remains of their farm. farm... [[FromBadToWorse Then Ammi also reveals reveals]] that as he witnessed the Colour departing, a small piece broke off and fell back into the Gardners' well. It's still down there, which is why he's so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if Ammi is being affected by the Colour, since it would explain why he's never left the area.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* AmbiguousEnding: Neither Ammi nor the investigator are sure if drowning the old Gardner farmlands with the reservoir will neutralize the remaining Colour spore or cause it to spread further, but there's little either of them can do about its implementation.

to:

* AmbiguousEnding: Neither Ammi nor the investigator are sure if drowning the old Gardner farmlands with the reservoir will neutralize the remaining Colour spore or cause it to spread further, but there's little either of them can do about its implementation.it.



* DownerEnding: Don't expect a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour kills them all and after finishing its feeding, it returns to space, leaving behind the Blasted Heath. Ammi also explains that as it was leaving, a small piece broke off, trying and failing to follow the rest before falling back into the Gardners' well. It's still down there, which is why he's so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if Ammi is being affected by the Colour, since it would explain why he's never left the area.

to:

* DownerEnding: Don't expect anything resembling a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour kills them all and after finishing finishes its feeding, it returns feeding shortly afterwards, returning to space, space and leaving behind the Blasted Heath. lifeless gray wasteland that is all that remains of their farm. Ammi also explains reveals that as it was leaving, he witnessed the Colour departing, a small piece broke off, trying off and failing to follow the rest before falling fell back into the Gardners' well. It's still down there, which is why he's so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if Ammi is being affected by the Colour, since it would explain why he's never left the area.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* DownerEnding: Don't expect a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour kills them all and after finishing its feeding, it returns to space, leaving behind the Blasted Heath. Ammi also explains that as it was leaving, one little blob of light broke off, trying and failing to leave before falling back into the Gardners' well. It's still down there, which is why he's so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if Ammi is being affected by the Colour, since it would explain why he's never left the area.

to:

* DownerEnding: Don't expect a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour kills them all and after finishing its feeding, it returns to space, leaving behind the Blasted Heath. Ammi also explains that as it was leaving, one little blob of light a small piece broke off, trying and failing to leave follow the rest before falling back into the Gardners' well. It's still down there, which is why he's so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if Ammi is being affected by the Colour, since it would explain why he's never left the area.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* AmbiguousEnding: Neither Ammi nor the investigator are sure if drowning the old Gardner farmlands with the reservoir will neutralise the remaining Colour spore or cause it to spread further, but there's little either of them can do about its implementation.

to:

* AmbiguousEnding: Neither Ammi nor the investigator are sure if drowning the old Gardner farmlands with the reservoir will neutralise neutralize the remaining Colour spore or cause it to spread further, but there's little either of them can do about its implementation.



* DownerEnding: Don't expect a happy ending for the Gardners; the Colour kills them all and after finishing its feeding, it returns to space, leaving behind the Blasted Heath. Ammi also explains that as it was leaving, one little blob of light broke off, trying and failing to leave before falling back into the Gardners' well. It's still down there, which is why he's so paranoid and also very glad the entire place will soon be completely underwater. The narrator decides to never drink any water that comes from the reservoir and briefly ponders if Ammi is being affected by the Colour, since it would explain why he's never left the area.



** Or magenta, which isn't on the spectrum, and is actually the result of red and blue wavelengths combining to produce patterns in cone cells that no singular wavelength could

to:

** Or magenta, which isn't on the spectrum, and is actually the result of red and blue wavelengths combining to produce patterns in cone cells that no singular wavelength couldcould.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[caption-width-right:350:Image formatted for monitors without squant support.]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:Image formatted for monitors without squant support.]]
[[caption-width-right:350:]]
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* ShownTheirWork: Lovecraft wanted to pursue a career in astronomy but was forced to abandon it when he dropped out of school due to health problems. A lot of things he learned about meteorites make it into the story. For instance, the fact that the Colour's meteorite is still hot to the touch after crashing, like most people ''think'' real meteorites would be, is a plot point, as it's the first thing that clues the scientists in that there's something not quite right about it.

to:

* ShownTheirWork: Lovecraft wanted to pursue a career in astronomy but was forced to abandon it when he dropped out of school due to health problems. A lot of things he learned about meteorites make it into the story. For instance, the fact that the Colour's meteorite is still hot to the touch after crashing, like most people ''think'' real meteorites would be, be (and are, but cool quickly), is a plot point, as it's the first thing that clues the scientists in that there's something not quite right about it.



* StarfishAliens: The Colour. This was {{Invoked|Trope}} by Lovecraft, who didn't like how human-like aliens were in other works of his time. He took it UpToEleven too, as the end result is something closer to a bacteria infection, slime mold, or non-living nuclear radiation than anything else. Its motivations, if any, are unknown and possibly unknowable. Is it feeding? Terraforming the planet? [[ForTheEvulz Killing for fun]]? All of the above? None of the above?

to:

* StarfishAliens: The Colour. This was {{Invoked|Trope}} by Lovecraft, who didn't like how human-like aliens were in other works of his time. He took it UpToEleven too, as the end result is something closer to a bacteria bacterial infection, slime mold, or non-living nuclear radiation than anything else. Its motivations, if any, are unknown and possibly unknowable. Is it feeding? Terraforming the planet? [[ForTheEvulz Killing for fun]]? fun?]] All of the above? None of the above?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''Film/Annihilation2018'': A 2018 horror movie that while adapted from it's own [[Literature/{{Annihilation}} the novel of the same name]], clearly takes inspiration with and has a near identical premise and ideas, with a meteor strike containing an alien presence crashes into a lighthouse and emanates a colorful radiation that negatively affects all organisms it comes into contact with, mainly horrific mutations of the animals and humans who travel into it.

to:

* ''Film/Annihilation2018'': A 2018 horror movie that while adapted from it's its own [[Literature/{{Annihilation}} the novel of the same name]], clearly takes inspiration with from and has a near identical near-identical premise and ideas, with a meteor strike containing an alien presence crashes crashing into a lighthouse and emanates emanating a colorful radiation that negatively affects all organisms it comes into contact with, mainly horrific mutations of the animals and humans who travel into it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''Film/ColorOutOfSpace2020'', a film adaptation directed by Richard Stanley and starring Creator/NicolasCage, was made in 2019.

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* ''Film/ColorOutOfSpace2020'', a film adaptation directed by Richard Stanley and starring Creator/NicolasCage, was made in 2019. \n Note the different spelling of "color" versus Lovecraft's "colour".
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Added DiffLines:

** Or magenta, which isn't on the spectrum, and is actually the result of red and blue wavelengths combining to produce patterns in cone cells that no singular wavelength could

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