Lovecraft Country is the latest sci-fi series to hit HBO. Set in the 1950s, the show tells the story of a Black man who discovers ancestral ties while searching for his father in a dangerously segregated city. The series contains monsters and other supernatural elements, which is why some viewers wonder if Lovecraft Country is based on a comic strip.
HBO’s ‘Lovecraft Country’ is based on literature
Lovecraft Country is actually based on a 2016 novel by Matt Ruff. The book consists of eight interconnected stories that follow the journey of Korean War veteran Atticus Turner as he encounters dark forces and his connection to them.
The HBO series was adapted from Ruff’s Lovecraft Country, which itself was inspired by the fictional world created by early 20th century horror writer HP Lovecraft. However, by presenting Black characters as powerful antagonists at the center of his story, Ruff fell in love with Lovecraft’s racist literary tone and challenged his ideas of white supremacy.
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Author Matt Ruff is a fan of HP Lovecraft
In an interview with Rise Up Daily, Ruff explained his inspiration for writing Lovecraft Country. He said he wanted to make one X files type story, but have the sci-fi “Cthulu” world of Lovecraft.
“What’s fascinating about Lovecraft’s fiction is that he had a very specific set of fears and anxieties, but he also tapped into this more universal sense of fear for people other than us, who have no mercy for us. have, “said Ruff. ‘That you can take a lot of his story ideas and insert a black protagonist, and it actually still works. They just got some different people coming to them. Fear is more realistically rooted in the types of hate crimes that actually occur in the world. “
“If you are white, you generally do not have to worry about stopping the night in the wrong city and being killed by the population,” he added. ‘If you’re black, you’re doing it right, even today. I wanted to take something that worked in Lovecraft and do it with a black protagonist and wring some changes to that idea. The first idea was more X files then Cthulhu, but once I realized that the book was about contrasting these paranormal horrors with the everyday horrors of racism, I needed a dramatic bridge between the two. “
Misha Green developed ‘Lovecraft Country’ for HBO
The HBO series was adapted and developed by showrunner Misha Green. In a Q&A for Warner Media, Green said she was ‘blown away’ when she read Ruff’s book and knew she wanted to adapt it for TV.
“I thought, ‘I want to explore these characters and their journey,'” Green said. “I was also really into the idea of reclaiming the genre space for those who typically did not stay out of it – I said, ‘I’m ready to turn this into an epic television show.’
She also noted that she only used the novel as a “jumping off point” and that the writers of the series developed the story even further. “My strategy was to take all his dope, cool stuff, and write new dope, cool stuff,” Green added. “The goal was to deepen the characters and the stories.”
New episodes of Lovecraft Country airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
