First impressions are everything. When the latest take on The Watchmen debut on HBO not too long ago, it took all of 10 minutes to realize this was a special show. With Lovecraft Country, it took all of 2 minutes. Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country doesn’t resemble any particular show. Green’s sensational horror series blazes new trails leaving the conventional rules of television in its wake. Rather than relying on traditional jump scares, Lovecraft deftly makes use of various sound elements and different locations to create a rich tapestry of horror. Lovecraft Country weaves terrifying aspects of the supernatural with the horrors of racism in the 1950s, creating a chilling final product.
The series centers around what the narrator refers to as a “boy with a dream” named Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors). Freeman is a veteran of the war who spends most of his time reading tales of adventure. He desperately wants to be the hero of his own saga. The series was adapted from Matthew Ruff’s book, and it surprisingly sticks close to the original narrative. Ruff’s release was more of an anthology focusing on one character at a time, and the series mostly follows that model. What’s refreshing is how this series is framed. Lovecraft has a reputation for being racist, and this series sees things from the other perspective. The series asks viewers what’s more terrifying, the supernatural, or monsters who may live among us.
What’s starts as a trip motivated by Uncle George’s (Courtney B. Vance) need to update his travel guide, The Safe Negro Travel Guide, and Atticus searching for his missing father morphs into a trip where they are dodging racist townfolk and corrupt cops to avoid being lynched. Complicating matters is an inhuman element that seems to be watching them. The first episode is loaded with creepy elements and supercharged action sequences. Also, there’s undoubtedly plenty of gore in the first episode. The person who stood out most to me was Letitia Lewis (Jurnee Smollett). While she’s introduced as this talented singer at a block party who is a childhood friend of Atticus, there’s certainly something more to her character. Smollett and Majors are without question fantastic together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvamPJp17Ds
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve seen a large portion fo the series already, and my best advice is to avoid reviews that go in-depth into the show. Savor each episode like a glass wine. Take your time with this one. You might have to watch an episode again to make sure that nothing was missed. Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country is special. Shows like these don’t come around that often.
Dewey Singleton has been reviewing new releases in television and film for many years. Dewey's reviews have been heard in multiple markets (Houston Atlanta, Tampa). Dewey's past work has been with awardswatch.com, awardsradar.com, and bleeding cool. Dewey is a proud member of the CCA.