I hope you’re ready for a strong dose of southern gothic spookiness, because there’s a brand new trailer for HBO’s upcoming horror-dramaLovecraft Country. And folks, it slaps. The highly-anticipated series, based on the novel byMatt Ruffand executive produced byJordan PeeleandJ. J. Abrams, is mixing up monsters and metaphor in a period horror-drama that looks absolutely killer. And most importantly, is that Cthulu?!?
Lovecraftian terrors are having amomentright now in entertainment, from Netflix’sChilling Adventures of Sabrinato the outstandingColor Out of Spaceadaptation and the otherworldly creepy-crawlies ofUnderwater. I wonder if it has something to do with the general sense of existential dread and the universe’s cruel indifference in the air? Hmmm, probably something else. Either way, I couldn’t be more excited to see cosmic terror on the rise, and in the case ofLovecraft Country, it’s a particularly inspired take on the material, considering Lovecraft himself was known to be a pretty horrific racist.
The 10-episode series, which premieres August 16th, follows African American science-fiction fan Atticus Black (Jonathan Majors) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) as they travel across 1950s America searching for Atticus’ missing father Montrose Freeman (Michael Kenneth Williams), who imparted cryptic words about a secret birthright before disappearing. Atticus must travel to Lovecraft Country in rural Massachusetts to hopefully find his father and uncover the truth. During that time, America was deeply entrenched in racist violence and Jim Crow laws that reinforced discrimination and segregation, so a road trip right through the heart of the country would be terrifying enough without the introduction of interdimensional monsters.
But nothing with “Lovecraft” in the title would be complete without some shoggoths and star-spawns, so the main characters are going to have to contend with all sorts of evil, both human and otherworldly, before the credits roll on the final episode. The series also starsJurnee Smollett-Bell,Jamie Chung, andTony Goldwyn. (We can only assume Goldwyn is playing a villain, and the trailer does nothing to disprove this assumption.)
you’re able to watch the trailer below, and begin counting down the days until August 16 immediately after. For ways to kill time on HBO until then, here’s every moviecoming to HBO Maxin August and be sure to chek outLovecraft Country’s Comic-Con@Home panel this Saturday.
