In HBO’s ‘Lovecraft Country,’ Monsters Are Both Human and Supernatural

Alci Rengifo

HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” features a gallery of terrifying monsters and ghouls. But not all of them are supernatural. At its finest, pop art can work as a manifestation of our deepest fears and paranoias, of our most primitive natures. The best horror films and sci-fi stories entertain with their inventiveness, but they also give the sense that fantasy is another way of expressing something very real. That is part of this show’s alluring power. Strange, hallucinatory, and at brief moments shockingly morbid, at its core “Lovecraft Country” is about American history, and the haunted terrors we are still grappling with.

Based on the novel by Matt Ruff, the series introduces us to Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), a Black American soldier returning from the Korean War who devours pulp sci-fi novels, particularly those of H.P. Lovecraft. Atticus leaves the Jim Crow South for Chicago, in search of his father, Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams), who has gone missing. Back in the city, Atticus meets up with his uncle, George Freeman (Courtney B. Vance), who also adores and collects pulp novels. Besides his love for fiction, George writes an important travel guide that helps Black Americans safely travel through a country where violent racism abounds. After reading a cryptic letter left behind by Montrose, Atticus decides to set out on a journey to try and find him. George joins him as well as childhood friend Leti Lewis (Jurnee Smollett). The three venture into the Jim Crow South, where they encounter both monsters taken from the pages of Lovecraft, and real terrors bred out of the vicious racism of the period.

“Lovecraft Country” is a work of radical pop exuberance from Misha Green, who established herself as a writer on numerous shows ranging from “Heroes” to “Spartacus.” She is also the creator of “Underground,” set in pre-Civil War America. Now with Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams as co-producers, Green has crafted a show that feels like a true passion project. One senses the devotion of the showrunner and her team to this material. In terms of craft it is an immersive experience, with velvety period cinematography combining with a classic, gothic horror look. A grounded sense of realism flows into a dreamlike, hallucinatory atmosphere. The very opening scene of the series finds Atticus on a Korean battlefield, watching as glowing flying saucers appear out of the sky. Aesthetically this show can be a tribute to classic sci-fi films like “War of the Worlds” or “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” but at the same time it subverts what is recognizable. While many notable sci-fi and fantasy films or shows of the time could be seen as Cold War fantasies or commentaries on the atomic age, it was rare for the genre to acknowledge the racism that was a de facto part of American society. H.P. Lovecraft was himself quite blatantly racist, writing racist poetry and dismissing Blacks as racially inferior. Keen readers can recognize the racist components in some of his creations. Green and her team boldly acknowledge Lovecraft’s influence on a genre, while reclaiming it and turning it against itself in a sense. 

“Lovecraft Country” has moments of fantastic suspense and terror. Monsters prowl the woods at night, cults plan blood rituals, ghosts haunt old houses. It is a semi-anthology series, each episode featuring a new fantasy element or theme, yet still connecting to the wider story. But when our heroes embark on their journey, history joins with fantasy. They follow a map marked with Lovecraft creatures, but we can hear audio from James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, Jr.’s debate on race over the radio, and pit stops at gas stations come with danger as racist hoods linger around. More frightening than Atticus and George’s favorite novels is the virtual apartheid state that ruled America. In the first episode alone the most frightening story element is how the gang enters a “sundown town,” where any non-whites caught after dark are liable to get lynched by the cops. 

Like the Matt Ruff novel, the allegorical brilliance of “Lovecraft Country” is how it then uses its fantasy elements to explore deeper themes. In one episode Leti buys a house in the affluent north side of Chicago, which used to have black owners until the local whites drove them out. As Leti prepares to throw a housewarming party, it dawns on us and her that the house is haunted. But its ghosts are connected to previous, racist terror. And while some of the creatures that appear throughout the series are morbid and jump-inducing, like the beasts that burst out of the ground to devour someone, more disturbing are the racist personalities who hover like a truly menacing presence. Close-ups of leering racists at a gas station, or the white residents of a neighborhood bent on harassing Leti out of her new house, leave a more chilling effect than any CGI creation. This was America for a long time, and the ghosts have not gone away as anyone not living in a cave knows. The main storyline running through the season involves a strange organization tied to a cultish belief in bloodlines and heritage. It provides a thriller angle with a classic adventure tone, while also commenting on the country’s white aristocracy and how race and class are so joined together in this society. One of the show’s most stunning bits of pop symbolism has someone of one race literally shedding their skin to reveal another race underneath. 

Not a single bit of casting is wasted in “Lovecraft Country.” Every actor brings a particular grounded urgency and believability. They never seem aware they are in a fantasy, but play it like serious drama. The best supporting role outside of the main heroes is Wunmi Mosaku as Ruby, Leti’s sister who can dominate a stage with her voice but has buried resentments towards her sister. Abbey Lee brings a dark charm to her role as Christina Braithwhite, a woman connected to the mysterious cult the group pursues. Lee is essentially playing the kind of mysterious character common to any fantasy story, but captures well the subtext of the writing. 

“Lovecraft Country” joins recent HBO opuses like “Watchmen” which capture the very essence of our pop fiction. There is a deeper yearning expressed by the monsters and superheroes we have been consuming in vast quantities. Misha Green understands these stories work like contemporary myths, crystalizing what we fear and desire. “Lovecraft Country” is about the past and present, conjuring literal monsters, the most frightening of which are all too human.

“Lovecraft Country” season one premieres Aug. 16 and airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.