Hellscape Explained

A hellscape is a harsh environment, an unpleasant place, or a scene thought to resemble hell.^[1] A depiction of hell in a work of art is called a hellscape.^[2]

The earliest known use of the term in print was in 1894.^[2]

In real life

Writers have sometimes described wartime environments as hellscapes,^[3] and after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the cities were defined as such by its survivors.^[4] Writers have also used hellscape to describe the scene of a natural disaster such as a drought, plague, flood, or wildfire.^{[5] [6] [7] [8]} Projections of the consequences of global warming have been described by journalists as hellscapes.^{[9] [10] [11]}

The usage of recreational drugs such as heroin has been described by its users as creating hellscapes.^{[12] [13]}

In the tech press, journalists have defined Internet disinformation as a hellscape.^[14] Some have speculated the replacing of human labor with intelligent robots could lead to a future hellscape,^[15] as well as child sex dolls.^[16]

Vox wrote that postmodern philosophers have predicted a post-truth hellscape.^[17]

In October 2022, after purchasing Twitter, Elon Musk stated that it couldn't become "a free-for-all hellscape".^[18]

In war

The United States Department of Defense has a significant drone program called “Replicator” to counter China’s military mass and capabilities. This program aims to create many thousands of low-cost, highly autonomous drones for deployment by the United States Indo-Pacific Command in the Indo-Pacific theater by 2025. “Hellscape” refers not to the program itself but to the complex and intensely contested battlespace environment that these drones are intended to navigate and dominate. The strategic intent is to enable U.S. forces to quickly identify and engage up to 1,000 targets within 24 hours using a network of land, air, and sea drones. These drones are designed to enhance the U.S.‘s operational flexibility and deter potential Chinese military actions, particularly regarding Taiwan’s security against a Chinese invasion force.^[19]

In movies

In movies, depictions of hellscapes are common.

Apocalypse Now depicts earthly hellscapes, during war.^[20] Other notable examples in cinema include Blade Runner 2049,^[21] Alien,^[22] ,^[23] as well as all of the Mad Max series.

In art

Hieronymus Bosch's The Last Judgement depicts a religious hellscape.^[24] Other examples are Jan van Eyck's Crucifixion and Last Judgement diptych, and Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Dull Gret.^[25]

In literature

Dante Alighieri's Inferno is one of the best-known examples of a hellscape. The Great Gatsby depicts the "Valley of the Ashes" as a hellscape.^[26]

In video games

A number of video games depict hellscapes,^{[27] [28]} including .^[29]

External links

• ‘Hellscape’: DOD launches massive drone swarm program to counter China
• Security robots break up homeless camps
• Japan Sends Robot Into the Nuclear Hell of the Fukushima Reactor
• Nuclear war would be a hellscape
• Westerners are so convinced China is a dystopian hellscape they’ll share anything that confirms it
• Nuclear winter in Beijing
• If America becomes a dystopian hellscape, it might look like this
• The Architects of Our Digital Hellscape Are Very Sorry
• Astronomers discover hellscape planet that rains rocks, has lava seas
• A Youtube video, Heroin Hellscape in Kensington, Philadelphia
• Opinion: On the ground in Philly’s heroin scene

Notes and References

1. Web site: hellscape, noun. 2021-02-26 . Macmillan Dictionary.
2. "hellscape, n.". OED Online. December 2020. Oxford University Press.
3. Web site: Hanks . Tom . September 2, 2020 . We Are Still Living the Legacy of World War II . 2021-02-26 . New York Times.
4. Web site: Rothman . Lily . Survivors of the Atomic Blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki share their stories . 2021-02-24.
5. Web site: Cullen . Art . September 15, 2020 . Wildfires, Drought, Plague, Apocalypse . .
6. Web site: Greig . James . December 21, 2020 . The UK Is a Hellscape, and We're All Stuck in It . 2021-02-23.
7. Web site: Lynn . Kristy . September 22, 2020 . Americans Are Living In A 'Hellscape' .
8. Web site: Blazing Fires Turn West Coast Skies into Post-Apocalyptic Hellscape. 9 September 2020 . 2021-02-26.
9. Web site: Dahl . Kristy . Will the U.S. Be a Dystopian Hellscape in 2100 if Emissions Keep Rising? . 22 July 2019 .
10. Web site: Madrigal . Alexis C. . November 13, 2018 . Gadgets for the Climate Hellscape . 2021-02-23 . The Atlantic.
11. Web site: Illing . Sean . February 24, 2019 . It is absolutely time to panic about climate change . 2021-02-23 .
12. Web site: Farr . Stephanie . February 19, 2017 . A Hidden Hellscape . 2021-02-25.
13. Web site: Wood . Sam . April 18, 2017 . Dr. Oz's tour of Philly's heroin hellscape airs today . 2021-02-25.
14. Phillips . Whitney . February 3, 2020 . The Internet Is a Toxic Hellscape—but We Can Fix It . Wired . 2021-02-23.
15. Web site: Drum . Kevin . October 30, 2017 . A Different Take: Our Robot Hellscape Awaits Us . 2021-02-23.
16. Web site: Lloyd . Alice B. . March 15, 2018 . Child Sex Dolls . 2021-02-23 . Washington Examiner.
17. Web site: Illing . Sean . November 16, 2019 . The post-truth prophets . 2021-02-23.
18. Web site: Pitofsky . Marina . Elon Musk says Twitter can't become 'a free-for-all hellscape,' should be 'warm and welcoming' . USA TODAY . 2022-10-27 . 2022-10-28.
19. Web site: Tucker . Patrick . August 28, 2023 . ‘Hellscape’: DOD launches massive drone swarm program to counter China . 2023-08-28.
20. Web site: Phillips . Brian . A Journey Back Into the Nihilistic Hellscape That Is 'Apocalypse Now' . 14 August 2020 .
21. Web site: Emerson . Sarah . October 9, 2017 . Is 'Blade Runner: 2049' GOOD or BAD? . 2021-02-24 . Vice.
22. Web site: Scherstuhl . Alan . May 21, 2015 . The Immersive Dark Star Plunges Into H.R. Giger's Hellscapes . 2021-02-26 . The Westword.
23. Web site: Vary . Adam B. . November 10, 2016 . Invasion Of The Big-Brained Sci-Fi Blockbuster! . 2021-02-26 . Buzzfeed.
24. Web site: Blackburn . Gabe . May 1, 2020 . Hieronymus Bosch on Heaven and Hell . 2021-02-23.
25. Web site: Gotthardt . Alexxa . November 1, 2018 . The 11 Most Nightmarish Depictions of Hell in Art History. 2021-02-23.
26. Web site: Corruption In The Great Gatsby . 2021-02-23.
27. December 22, 2020 . Video Game Hell Isn't Nearly Agonizing Enough . Wired . 2021-02-26 . Rivera . Joshua .
28. Web site: 10 Horrifying Hellscapes That Video Game Heroes Call Home . 2021-02-26 . WhatCulture. 9 December 2020 .
29. Web site: Bolding . Jonathan . January 18, 2021 . Ninja Theory's upcoming game takes place in an absurdly photorealistic apartment . 2021-02-26 . PC Gamer.