Aaron Moorehead and Justin Benson are a director duo best known for their Lovecraftian and mind-bending horror thrillers. In this fictional criterion collection box set, I chose three of their most prominent films; The Endless, Spring, and Resolution, and designed a series of covers that abstractly represent their themes of Cosmic Reckoning.

The kaleidoscopic images serve as portals to represent the universe that Moorehead and Benson have created in their films. The movies rarely, if ever, show you a direct shot of the main “monster”, so this abstracted representation felt like an appropriate method of displaying their presence. The visuals were made using scanography, an experimental image making technique. I applied a small amount of acrylic paint to a sheet of acetate, then scanned it at a super high resolution. The raw scans were manipulated in Photoshop, and then furthered with hand drawn details in Procreate. This method allowed me to experiment and explore with great freedom, and conceptually relate to the films. 

The Endless

For The Endless, I chose a more muted purple toned kaleidoscope which was made using iridescent paint. The shimmering particles in the paint relates thematically to the film, as it deals with a pair of brothers who have been disillusioned by a cult. They become blinded by the benefits of the small occult camp, and don’t realize that the supernatural being that is worshiped by the group is drawing them into its own world. The shiny newness of the cult and the paint distracts from the details hidden within, such as the fated three moons which symbolize the monster closing the gates to its realm in the film. 

Spring

Spring is a movie that deals with an immortal and mysterious being, who transforms and shifts from human to various creatures and monsters in order to survive. The green color was chosen to represent the warmth of the film, and the themes of growth and renewal. The Easter egg in this cover is the swirling tentacles in the center, which allude to my favorite scene in the movie. I won’t tell you which one, you’ll have to watch it yourself! 

Resolution

In the movie Resolution, the main characters deal with the same supernatural being that is worshipped by the death cult from The Endless. However, the ending is quite drastically different. The color choices are hard to explain without spoiling the film, but let’s just say that some characters meet a fiery end. I added subtle eyes watching you from within the complex kaleidoscope to represent the constant mystic surveillance that occurs throughout the film.