'Lovecraft Country' TV Show Trailer Shows Us Our First Look At Cthulhu

The famed writer H.P. Lovecraft revolutionized the horror genre in a way that people had not seen before, or indeed since. The unique existential dread that his stories portrayed showed people a world where they were completely insignificant in every way, and that life had little meaning overall. In no way was this more brilliantly accomplished than with his pantheon of Ancient Ones, Elder Gods, and Great Ones. To even look upon them was to go mad. None of his creatures are as famous or popular as the Great Older God Cthulhu.

First portrayed in the 1928 short story "The Call of Cthulhu," the creature has become a pop culture icon, being featured in movies, video games, faux-political parties on multiple occasions, and even prominently in a South Park three-parter. He is easily the most iconic of all of Lovecraft's monsters, and, indeed, the only one that most people unfamiliar with Lovecraft would be able to name even casually. He is arguably the reason Lovecraft is still as well-known as he is.

For the longest time, fans have wanted to see a proper depiction of Lovecraft's work. Some would argue that the silent film did not exactly do it justice. People were excited when it was announced that Guillermo Del Toro—who directed such hit films as Hellboy (2004), Pan's Labyrinth, and the Best Picture-winning The Shape of Water—would be making a big budget adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness, a project that was in development hell for many years before being scrapped completely.

Now, it appears that the time has finally come. HBO (creator of a little show you might have heard of called Game of Thrones) is creating a show called Lovecraft Country, largely inspired by Lovecraft's work, as the title would suggest. It was primarily based off of a 2016 novel of the same name by author Matt Ruff. It was extremely well-received for the themes of race intermixed with Lovecraft's work. The show was officially confirmed in 2017 and is due for release in 2020.

How COVID-19 might affect that is anyone's guess.

Either way, the name of H.P. Lovecraft has been closely tied with his most famous creature, so an appearance by Cthulhu would be a major draw, and some might argue a necessity, for the show. It would help draw viewers in by using the familiar. Everybody knows Cthulhu, and finally having the opportunity to show him on the screen with a real budget behind it will be mind-blowing. The show focuses primarily on race, with the Lovecraftian elements not as front-and-center as they might be in other adaptations.

The trailer does not give too much of an indication of the balance between the race aspect and the actual Lovecraft elements. There is very little to be truly gleaned, as should be the way for all trailers. It gives us tantalizing details while leaving out all of the good stuff. Though Cthulhu was shown, it was for literally one second, and it was honestly difficult to recognize him as the monster we all known and love. One would be forgiven for not recognizing him at all if they did not know who the roaring monster was supposed to be. It might be an indication that, while he will be featured, he may not be an important part of the story, all things considered. In the trailer, one of the characters mentions "something trying to get out," but it is impossible to know if for sure whether it is everybody's favorite Great Older God. Regardless, it will be exciting to finally find out the role he plays in this new, highly-anticipated story.

Or you could just read the book to find out what happens. Granted, it is HBO. They have a history for not exactly being in lockstep with the source material. We will just have to wait and see.

Written By Tommy Durbin

Syndicated From Cluture Slate