Lovecraft Country recap: season one, episode three – history is more horrible than fiction

The third episode of HBO’s Jim Crow-era fantasy sci-fi was the scariest yet, but the truth reflected here is even more terrifyingAfter Lovecraft Country’s first episode aired a fortnight ago, most of you here on the blog seemed to agree with my rave review. Still, scepticism abounded in the comments over two points in particular: 1) the extent to which Jim Crow-style segregation and brutal racism existed in the US’s northern states during the period; and 2) whether the monsters put the frighteners up us as much as a true horror fan expects, nay demands.The third episode, Holy Ghost, offers up definitive answers on both points. This haunted house tale was the scariest yet, due to some spectacularly realised ghouls and because of the many ominous nods to real historical cases of redlining, unethical medical experimentation and lynchings. After three weeks of doing background research for these recaps, I’m learning that however outrageous an aspect of Lovecraft Country’s fictionalised racism may seem, there’s almost always a comparable real event from US history that many times worse. Continue reading…
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