u/FrankCastleNY

I always was fascinated by genre of lost creepy disturbing media. Despite it being mainstream in 2010s and getting many awesome reimaginings in 2020s, that genre unfortunately lack depth, atmospheric descriptions and creativity. But is the any examples of that genre that are new interesting views on it?
For example, creepypasta “Lost Episodes can be found again” is amazing grounded deconstruction of this genre, which gives it complex lore. Or SCP 8060 successfully modernising tropes of such usually cliche stories.
I want to read something with atmospheric and immersive descriptions of both main character perspective and creepy media itself (for example, having some horror based around juggling with lore, story and atmosphere of original media, highly detailed narration of its plot and visuals, having perfect presentation of its original genre and era of its production and airing, e.t.c.). If story based around supernatural aspects, than they should be bonded together by complex lore.
I want to read books, which actually would be based on horror of “you found something supposedly interesting, familiar or nostalgic, but it turns out to be anomalous, unnerving not only by its depravity, but by its inexplicability and contradictions of your usual worldview”.

Doom is one of my most favourite game franchises. Usually when people talk about it, they always think about its badass gameplay or Doom Slayer aura. But many don’t pay attention to the how events of Doom franchise (across fan mods and different universes) are actually fucking horrifying.

First game is about marine who became trapped into Dead Space-like situation, where pinnacle of human achievers in the form of Mars Base turned into demon infested macabre.

Second one is about how this marine returned to Earth only to find out that most of humanity with thousands of cultures and thousands years of history are now destroyed and consumed and demonic abominations.

I want to read the books, which would take all that aspects and multiply by 100000000. Basically I want to see intense action story, which are not typical survival horror, where ordinary worker trying to survive through hell, but, like, having actual powerful protagonist, who can fight hordes of demons. Also it should be gradually frowning in terms of scale of action (from first contact to demonapocalypse), include unsettling and diverse demon designs (like in Doctor Nowhere or Bonesworth videos) and cosmic horror.

But there should be one thing which would make books different - feeling that no matter how strong protagonist is or how powerful and badass he is, he is still scared and horrified by what’s he fighting, by understanding how horrific and apocalyptic is a threat which coming to the battlefield. Like, there is no gun big enough, that would make him feel secured from all that horrors.

Another horror subgenre that I like is political one. Not generic dystopia, where author doesn’t understand subject past Hunger Games ripoff-level and doesn’t show anything really shocking and messed up. Like something about “What if serial killers from transgressive arthouse movies and books ruled entire country and made their depravity a base for politics and institutions?”, “What if death worship sect actually controlled entire society around theme?”, “What if some ideologies became so fucked up, that their supporters became morally comparable to literal demons?”, “What if political crisis became localised apocalypse, which can be compared to Eclipse from Berserk?”, «What if there were societies, that are feared by other countries so much for there nightmarish conditions and political system that they became treated as territories with zombie apocalypse?” and so on. Main criteria for books:

1. Nothing supernatural and cataclysmic. I need to see books where there is no demons, no aliens, no analog horror entities, no lovecraftian abominations, no fantasy magic, no nuclear war or ecological collapse. The whole horror is that everything created by humans themselves, by their amorality, institutions, ideologies, ambitions and political forces.
2. Detailed worldbuilding with many references to real political science and historical events.
3. Books should not only describe dystopian society but also how highly it is feared by other countries, showing outside perspective.
4. As much gory, violent and depraved as possible.
5. Various types of political systems - something like states formed by cults, cannibalistic oligarchies, real life ideologies degraded to some disturbing and barely recognisable state, societies ruled by violent degenerates, horrifically failed attempts at building utopias, and so on.

Is there any horror post apocalyptic or dark fantasy stories where there is a theme of clear contrast between cozy safe shelter and horrifying dangers around it? Something like hub locations in Souls-like games, where chill with NPC and rest from very hostile environment of main locations. Or maybe some hidden futuristic rich city in the world, that is as dangerous as post Eclipse world of Berserk.