Glossary Entry: Cosmic Horror

Cosmic horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that focuses on a type of existential dread. Specifically, it looks at the general fears we have of the unknown and presents its protagonists with things mankind was never supposed to know. Because of this, there usually isn't much violence or bloodshed in a cosmic horror story - it's not needed, as the scares come from the small glimpses we get behind the proverbial curtain.

H. P. Lovecraft is largely credited with starting this genre, as many of his stories focus on horrible discoveries about how things "really" work.

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