Imagine a thing so horrible that anyone who laid eyes upon it would suffer physical or psychological harm. A thing that could destroy the bodies and minds of its victims just by being close enough to be picked up by the senses. In horror media, this kind of monster is called the Brown Note Being.

Some horror tropes are pitched by a single author and immediately adopted by countless future voices. Others develop gradually as multiple creators have the same idea. Some, however, have existed for generations and only needed to wait to be given a proper name.

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The Brown Note Being gets its name from the rumored sound that's capable of causing people to lose control of their bowels. That fictional concept has evolved to describe any sort of stimulus that's harmful to those who perceive it. The Brown Note Being is a living thing that does harm to anyone that becomes aware of it. Seeing it could drive the victim mad or cause them physical harm. Sight is the most common vector for their power, but losing one's mind after hearing a creature's voice is also popular. Taste, touch, and smell don't come up as often, probably because they'd be a bit harder to justify. Often, these creatures can be portrayed as so scary that even the audience can't see them, allowing writers to leave the description entirely up to the imagination.

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Though the name is fairly new, the concept of a thing that hurts or kills whoever looks at it is all over ancient mythology. The most famous example is likely Medusa and her fellow Gorgons. One look at any of them would turn the poor viewer to stone, even if they saw themselves in the mirror. Greek myth also prophesied doom for any that would look upon the unadulterated form of one of their gods. Zeus once appeared in his godly form in the presence of a woman, and she was immediately reduced to cinders. Multiple mythological texts feature the Basilisk or the Cockatrice, which also turns those who see them to stone. Banshees and Sirens produced sounds that could kill or drive men to death. Even the Bible makes it clear that any mortal who perceived God would be destroyed. Angels had similar effects, typically leaving anyone who looked at them in a state of panic.

One of the most notable proponents of the Brown Note Being was H. P. Lovecraft. Through his countless short stories and novels, Lovecraft imagined an interconnected world of nightmarish creatures that existed beyond the bounds of human understanding. The father of cosmic horror very rarely had his creatures attack the human protagonists of the stories. The horrors were always too huge, too powerful, and too strange for our tiny minds to process. Just about every Lovecraft story ends with its protagonist condemned to live in madness for the rest of their natural life. Some works have misinterpreted the effect. Sometimes Cthulhu will show up in a video game with some kind of madness-based magic power, which is fun, but not quite what the author had in mind. Lovecraft posited monsters that didn't have to do anything to drive people mad. They barely notice our presence. But, if a human should accidentally lay eyes on one of the Great Old Ones or anything in their orbit, they risk the complete shattering of their psyche. Most stories that take influence from Lovecraft's work borrow this idea as well, leading to its increased popularity.

Video games have managed to do something interesting with the Brown Note Being. Adding interactivity to the concept makes it much more immediate. Tons of horror games force the player to evade a monster that they can't look at, leading to plenty of fun jump scares and tense stealth engagements. One of the most iconic examples was Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which inspired the follow-up SOMA. Both games featured tense chase sequences against creatures that would slowly kill the player if they dared to look back. The Slender games featured internet horror icon Slenderman and always require players to avert their eyes or suffer his wrath. Minecraft played along with its Endermen, who use the same gimmick. By far the most interesting example is From Software's Bloodborne, which turned slowly turning mad while facing eldritch horrors into a gameplay mechanic.

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The simple horror concept of a living thing that does damage to anyone who perceives it has lasted for generations, and it's alive and well today. From the earliest tales of gods and monsters to beloved video games, the Brown Note Being is just pure good horror storytelling. It makes the monster instantly all-powerful, makes the victim's goal clear, and continues to haunt the minds of some of our best horror creators. It's funny to think that one of the most common tropes in the stories humans enjoy is the idea of a thing too scary to perceive.

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