Lessons of darkness: Herzog and Lovecraft in three documentaries

Abstract

In this paper, we propose the existence of a dialogue between three documentaries directed by filmmaker Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, 2005; Encounters at the End of the World, 2007, Into the Inferno, 2016) with the notion of cosmic horror developed by the writer and literary theorist H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), whose production has been considered recurrently as a source of cultural and philosophical analyzes. In a brief analysis of thematic and discursive elements in the three documentaries, we intend to launch the basis of a research still in progress. The analysis seeks to observe specific similarities between the narratives of Herzog and Lovecraft, since both conceive their works in order to miniaturize human life, restricting it to its insignificance within an infinite and hostile universe, about which little is known. This perspective creates not only fantastic environments, but also takes its characters to the limits of sanity and, eventually, madness in the face of the unknown.