*Spoilers*
With names of the likes of Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams both on the same project, you know that you’re in for a treat. Abrams, who needs no introduction, is both a cinematic and television mastermind. Creating, producing, and directing hits like the Cloverfield saga, Star Wars, and Lost, Abrams is no stranger to horror, sci-fi, and adventure. With his new-age horror classics, Jordan Peele has changed the movie industry by terrifying his audience by seamlessly tapping into the everyday horrors of simply being human. Although their resumes are impressive, Lovecraft Country is the sci-fi horror that we’ve been waiting for.
Based on the novel by Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country premiered on HBO in August 2020. Amid a global pandemic, people from all over the world are looking to streaming services and their cable providers to fill their lives with movies and series to occupy their time. In a world full of bachelorettes, adult animation, and primetime sports, a series that relates to the Lovecraftian universe stands out among the rest. Those who are familiar with H.P. Lovecraft know that his stories are filled with monstrous creatures and supernatural entities. Lovecraft is also known for his creation of cosmic horror, the basic premise of which is that the true workings of the universe are beyond human comprehension and that humanity’s place in the cosmos is terrifyingly insignificant. Although Howard Phillips Lovecraft is arguably one of the best horror writers of all time, his writings echos deeply rooted racism and antisemitism time after time. He often uses racial slurs in his works, claimed to be repulsed by Jews, and was also deeply against miscegenation; in his words, “pain and disaster [could] come from the mingling of black and white“. His views, although bigoted and ignorant, were far from uncommon during his lifetime. In the early 1900s he lived through a pandemic of his own as the Spanish flu swept through the nation, the USA entered WWI & II, the Unsinkable Titanic struck a deadly iceberg, and NAAPC was founded by W. E. B. Du Bois. Not only does Lovecraft Country touch on multiple topics during Lovecraft’s era, but it is done in such a way that Ruff was “able to do interesting new things with some very old tropes, while simultaneously exploring aspects of our shared history that aren’t as well-known as they should be“.
The series follows protagonist Atticus (Tic) Freeman and his family as they begin their search for his missing father. Throughout the show, they run into many bumps in the road including sundown towns, monsters, lynch mobs and white people who know magic. Along with the mystical drawbacks, every character has their own demons that come to play throughout the season. Selfishness, sexuality, grief, and fear are all common themes in the show. Letitia (Leti) Lewis, a brave, childhood companion of Tic’s, has problems staying out of trouble. This can be seen through her estranged relationship with her sister and her reckless tendencies. Despite some flaws, Leti is the strong, smart, independent woman that everyone has in their lives. She cares for the people closest to her, she is never afraid to speak her mind and protect the ones she loves. Another noteworthy trait for Leti is her appearance, while beautiful, she is the lightest-skinned out of the group. It is impossible not to touch on the topic of colorism throughout the series. Her melanin-rich sister Ruby often criticized her for missing their mother’s funeral and only stopping by when she needs money, implying that her sister only cares for herself and is often confusing family with an obligation. It was mentioned that Leti is a Civil Rights advocate, while honorable, many times Leti is shown in the series as entitled, not to the extent of the average white man, but enough to see that Leti expects something from the people around her. In the first episode titled “Sundown”, Leti arrives unexpectedly in town and hops on stage as her sister is in the middle of a performance. Immediately you can see that Leti wants the spotlight on her, after the song is over, she invites herself and expects her sister to host her in her home. Before slavery was abolished, not only was simply being black a reason for racial discrimination but colorism was born from it as well. “As slave masters raped enslaved women, their lighter-skinned illegitimate offspring were given preferential treatment over their darker counterparts, often working in the house as opposed to the fields“. Historically, lighter-skinned black women have been treated better than darker-skinned women and unfortunately, this remains true today. Many have criticized light-skinned women as entitled as they are oftentimes chosen over dark-skinned women in professional and social settings; it has even been tested in the Doll Test. This is a problem that continues to delay the advancement of women of color in many aspects of everyday life. When Leti buys a home in a predominately white neighborhood, she doesn’t seem to be worried about the repercussions, especially when trying to convince her sister, a much darker complexion than she is, to move in with her; it seems almost reckless. It is Leti who is seen walking through the flames of the Tulsa Massacre, parading her spell of invincibility; it’s perfectly symbiotic for the privilege that lighter-skinned black women have in America.
The most complex relationship out of the group has to be between Tic and his father, Montrose. From the beginning, we learn that Montrose is both the reason for Atticus leaving Chicago and his return. Atticus has a very strained relationship with his father; to put it simply, Tic left and joined the army just to get away from his father. When he begins investigating his father’s disappearance, he learns that his Montrose traveled to Lovecraft Country, specifically, Ardham, Massachusetts in search of the truth of Atticus’ mother’s ancestry. While this voyage seems brave, Montrose does not live up to any expectations. Once the group finds Montrose, it is far from a family reunion. Immediately he begins to criticize the group, especially Tic, exclaiming that it is a mistake to come after him and that their help wasn’t wanted. This dynamic causes further problems along the way of Tic’s journey in learning his birthright. Throughout the series, the viewer sees many sides of Montrose. He is cowardly, he is arrogant, he is abusive, but most importantly, *SPOILER* he is hiding his sexuality from everyone around him. All of this can be traced back and rooted in his childhood. Montrose was also abused as a kid, by his father and the white people who ridiculed him. It’s apparent that all the built-up rage, regret, and insecurity is what causes him to lash out at Tic especially. Montrose, although cowardly, is a very important character in the series. With all the historical context within the series, (Sundown Town, Emmett Till’s Murder, the Tulsa Massacre, etc.) Lovecraft Country does a phenomenal job at highlighting the fear of being black and homosexual.
HBO has a track record for producing extraordinary television, so it comes as no surprise that the network picked up the series. Besides the horror that Jordan Peele has brought into the world, it is the mind of Misha Green that really got the ball rolling with Lovecraft Country. After reading the novel of the same name, Green had a vision of how she wanted Lovecraft Country to be made. In many interviews, she’s expressed her love for the horror genre and how excited she was “[reclaim] the genre space for those who’ve typically been left out of it“. The horror genre, while constantly booming, has a history of exclusion and tokenism. There are fantastic films that include black talents such as Candyman (1992) and Night of the Living Dead (1968), but the extent to which these characters’ stories are told and their overall significance to the arc is simply not enough. In Night of the Living Dead, the black guy doesn’t die first, instead, he survives a zombie apocalypse to the very end only to be killed by the white sheriff’s oblivious posse. Why? Well because America has feared black men since its creation, and no film better exemplifies this than Candyman, a film that “[turns] the embodiment of that fear-mongering into a literal bogeyman”. In the film, We follow a white protagonist on her search for the truth behind an urban myth in the Chicago projects. Even at a glance, we can see that the movie, which wouldn’t be a movie without the main antagonist, chooses to follow a white woman and her endeavors rather than digging into what could have been a rich story arc into the character of Candyman. The film consistently villainizes our one-handed serial killer and instills fear into the audience; while this is a horror movie of course, does that make it okay to brand the tall, dark, historically feared man the enemy? Candyman, who we never learn his real name, was a smart and intelligent artist who fell in love with and impregnated a white woman, and for that, his hand was cut off and stung to death by bees at the hands of the woman's father. Essentially, he was lynched. Despite this context, the film continues to focus on making him a monster, because that’s why society has always believed. Of course, many will say that the movie isn’t real and it’s all fiction so there can’t be any harm, but when you remember that Emmitt Till, a 14-year-old boy was brutally murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman, it becomes all too real.
Progression is an uphill battle that never really ends. With every day comes a new challenge, and with every challenge comes someone brave enough to face it. Lovecraft Country is the inspiration that many people needed to feel seen and heard, and while it is not the first, it certainly will not be the last of its kind. There are so many stories still to be told, so many artists, writers, and actors that are impatiently waiting for their chance at success and belonging. There will be a whole generation of kids that can see themselves as Orithyia Blue, or even better, create their own hero that they need for themselves. The opportunities to educate and tell a story are limitless, and when you have so many fantastic minds all working for those voices to be heard, you can expect to relish in the rich storytelling. HBO might have produced one of the best series of the decade, and only time will tell how Lovecraft Country inspired a new generation of creators, including me.
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