Think of the Cthulhu myth from the movie Annihilation

Kallie 2022-04-19 09:01:27

The synopsis of the film Annihilation is a traditional Hollywood narrative style. It mainly tells the story of the heroine Lena's husband who suddenly returned home after a year of disappearance in a secret activity, but was infected with a serious illness that seemed to be a viral infection. In order to find a cure for her husband After her husband, Lena also participated in the Area-X exploration program that has been concealed by the government. In the process of exploration, all kinds of unexplainable and bizarre phenomena that occurred in Area-X have brought unprecedented shocks to Lena's physiology and psychology.

Before we start talking about the relationship between annihilation and the Cthulhu mythology system, let’s briefly introduce Cthulhu.

Although the myth of Cthulhu is named myth, it is completely different from the myths and legends in the traditional concept, and is more like a concept setting. It was created by American writer Howard Philip Lovecraft (1890-1937) through a series of short stories and his friend August William Dress (1909- 1971) a conceptual system organized and perfected by many authors. Most of the themes of Lovecraft's novels describe that there are many indescribable creatures lurking in the universe. Compared with human beings, human beings are too small, and all the exploration of the mysterious and unknown will lead to a catastrophic ending. Although most of the characters, things, and scenes in his stories echo, they do not have a core setting in the true sense, nor do they have a preset background or history.

These works were not liked by most people at the time, which had the most direct relationship with the content of the stories and the author's personal temperament-a series of changes such as the death of relatives in his youth and the fall of his family had a great impact on Lovecraft. Deep, which contributed to his sensitive and melancholy temperament, since childhood, he never got rid of the nightmare full of faceless horror creatures, and his works are also filled with despair and madness.

Among them, the opening chapter of "The Call of Cthulhu" basically summarizes the core worldview and concepts of Cthulhu's novels:

"In my opinion, there is no more benevolent place in this world than the inability of the human mind to comprehend its entire contents. We live on a peaceful island called ignorance, surrounded by an endless black ocean, and we are not It's time to set sail. Science - every kind of science - pushes in its own direction, so little harm is done; Horrific visions of reality revealing the horrific situation in which we are human, and we will either go mad or flee from this deadly light into a new dark age where we can enjoy the silence and safety."

In the 1960s, some young writers began to imitate Lovecraft's style to create stories because of Dress's encouragement. At the same time, many writers were directly influenced by Lovecraft, directly or indirectly. participation in the construction of the "Cthulhu Mythology" world. In principle, as long as the novels created by accepting the concept of Lovecraft's novels can be included in this myth, many creators rely on imagination or reinterpretation of myths and legends from all over the world, which greatly enriches the novel. The myth of Sulu also makes this overhead system more and more attractive. Until today, the Cthulhu mythology system is still expanding, and there are still many new creations coming out. With the continuous increase in the influence of the Cthulhu mythology, more and more people are attracted by the world from Lovecraft Nightmare . Such as Stephen King's The Mist (The Mist), and the original book of the movie Oblivion, Jeff VanderMeer's Lost South.

It is said that the novel of "annihilation" belongs to the Cthulhu mythological novel system, and the reason can be summarized in one sentence, that is, the characters of this type of story will enter death and madness by exploring or studying the unknown.

And the style of Cthulhu Mythology is mostly based on suspense, thriller, and terrifying atmosphere, which tickles the audience's appetite and allows the protagonist and the audience to solve puzzles simultaneously. The bizarre creatures in the movie that are refracted and hybridized by DNA, everyone is in a constant state of anxiety that they can't find a reasonable explanation for these phenomena, and most obviously, the squirming intestines in the soldiers' stomachs in the canteen video are obviously trying to reach the tentacle-like Kesu. Lu monster salutes.

After reading this article, students who are interested in Cthulhu movies can also watch the shuddering black hole. This film is the most complete heir to the image of Cthulhu. Annihilation is actually just a borderline ball...

Trembling Black Hole (1994)
7.8
1994 / USA / Mystery Fantasy Horror / John Carpenter / Sam Neill Julie Carmen

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Extended Reading

Annihilation quotes

  • Dr Ventress: We have many theories, few facts.

  • Lena: You said nothing comes back. But something has...