"2001 A Space Odyssey"
"2001 A Space Odyssey"
Before "2001 A Space Odyssey", several creators were already developing themes in the cosmic horror field. The early 20th century was a particularly important period for the genre, when H.P. Lovecraft was shaping many of the genre's trademarks. Lovecraft is an American short story writer, whose masterpieces are "The Call of Cthulhu", "The Color of the Stars", "Crazy Mountains", "The Shadow of Innsmouth", etc. He often fictional characters Tales of encounters with terrifying supernatural beings, Lovecraft's stories were not an immediate success, but they grew in popularity over time and set the stage for the development of the cosmic horror genre.
Stills from 2001: A Space Odyssey Many of the same features. The Monolith itself is a cosmic horror idea comparable to any Lovecraft work. In many segments of the film, several characters come into contact with the boulder but never understand it, and the audience is never given any explanation as to where it came from, who made it, or whether it was even an inorganic object. As the film travels through different time periods, the boulder still ties everything together. It shows that no matter how hard the film's protagonists try to deepen their understanding of the universe, there will always be things they don't understand, like many of Lovecraft's characters. It represents everything that has existed before humanity and will always be, always a mystery. The only certainty is that Kubrick has proven himself to be a master of horror every time Boulder is on screen.
Shadows of " The Shining "
Many people think "The Shining" is Stanley Kubrick's first foray into horror filmmaking, which is understandable, but if the world ignores his "2001 Space" Roaming, this work is a big mistake. The film is full of unexplained phenomena that leave audiences with a ton of space, something the director uses a lot in The Shining. The most terrifying scene in the film comes after a group of astronauts discover a boulder in a crater on the moon, and as they study the object, Kubrick amplifies the film's horror soundtrack to an almost deafening level, Created one of the most otherworldly vibes in the movie. The scene is slow, but in a way that favors it, no one speaks as the astronauts approach the boulder, and in this moment Kubrick lets the music do the talking and our brains run in desperation, predicting when they will What happens when a mysterious object is discovered.
"2001: A Space Odyssey" stills
This is a basic tenet of horror filmmaking, and Kubrick recreates the scene in "The Shining" where black chef Dick Halloran drives back to the Hilltop Hotel. Kubrick doesn't use spooky music to set the mood, and Dick Halloran's journey is a lonely one, with only the quiet radio chatter and the crunch of car tires as they drive on ice. Like 2001: A Space Odyssey, this quiet, slow filmmaking leaves viewers room to anticipate what kind of nightmare awaits Dick Halloran on the other side of the adventure.
"2001: A Space Odyssey" stills
Under wider scrutiny, "2001: A Space Odyssey" employs Kubrick horror in many other ways. It might sound silly to condense the entire universe into a similar "location" like the Hilltop Hotel, but it's really the main setting for the movie, not the entire movie taking place on a single planet or spaceship. The vastness of space and time constantly reveals its secrets and mysteries to the audience. The clips are meant to confuse viewers and then keep watching without answers. "2001: A Space Odyssey" featured boulders and ever-changing portals to interdimensional purgatory, while "The Shining" featured blood-filled elevators and Room 237.
"The Shining" stillsThe cosmic secrets unfolded in The Tour conveys a horror so alien to humans that the film finally reaches higher heights in terms of horror. It's not just the abstraction that makes this sci-fi film chilling, it also includes one of the greatest villains in cinematic history. On one of the many spaceships in the film, there is a figure much like "The Shining" protagonist Jack Torrance, the HAL-9000 computer, which attacks and threatens those around it.
HAL-9000——Artificial horror The emergence of
HAL-9000 broadened the horror color of "2001 A Space Odyssey", adding artificial horror elements. This episode of the film involving the malicious artificial intelligence is like a story straight out of the classic sci-fi drama " Blurred Time and Space ". The HAL-9000 was introduced as a highly versatile machine that primarily controlled every part of the spacecraft's operating system. Ultimately, he threatens its human companions by manipulating the ship's systems to avoid disconnection and to carry out their mission in whatever way it sees fit. Its hypocritical nature makes it an impossibly reasonable character, leaving the crew to outwit their opponents with only their wits. This is the quietest part of the movie, where Kubrick hardly uses any sound, which evokes not only the silence of the ship's corridors, but also the lifeless atmosphere outside the ship.
Stills from 2001 A Space Odyssey
The film adds an extra layer of horror to the element of "Lovecraftian" horror, the same creepy tension as Jack Torrance. For fans of Alien and The Thing, the addition of the HAL-9000 brought the same claustrophobic and paranoid vibe to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Inspires future sci-fi horror
Ex Machina stills
When this Stanley Kubrick film came out, it immediately changed the rules of cinema, and 2001: A Space Odyssey not only revolutionized the special effects industry, it also inspired Generations of filmmakers around the world. Alex Garland is the latest filmmaker to focus on the horror side of cinema, in his 2015 sci-fi thriller Ex Machina, a malicious intelligent robot named Eva The outwit the residents of a remote neighborhood, and the film's compact, quiet nature and the backlash of artificial technology are told in a Kubrick-like way, showing the influence of "2001: A Space Odyssey" on future generations of filmmakers.
"annihilation" stills
In his second feature "annihilation," Alex Garland continues to show his love for "2001: A Space Odyssey." The film tells the story of a group of scientists who venture into a mysterious alien environment and encounter several cosmic horror monsters. The film offers some explanation for its otherworldly elements, but leaves just as many open ideas for interpretation. Without spoiling anything, the film includes a scene second only to the finale of 2001: A Space Odyssey—a nightmarishly colorful and twisted episode that left audiences terrified. Garland is living proof of Kubrick's sci-fi horror influence.
"2001: A Space Odyssey" stills But when a boring classic has reason enough to reassemble its parts, we'll find a lot in it, which is inconsistent with 2001: A Space Odyssey being a total doze-off movie, which is itself a movie Fantasia-like masterpiece combined with music. It's a moving experience that, more than anything, demonstrates the reach of cinema - a ballet that spans time and space. 2001: A Space Odyssey doesn't need anyone to defend it, it's one of the greatest movies of all time, and it's like saying "water is wet."
"2001: A Space Odyssey" stills
All that said, for those less interested in sensory filmmaking, try this movie as a horror movie. The film has no jumping fear, no haunted house, no university professor explaining any ancient sins and a series of horror film configurations. 2001: A Space Odyssey is the most effective horror film, the horror of what happened before us and what will happen after we die: the incomprehensible secrets of our infinite universe.
