HBO’s brand-new horror drama Lovecraft Country has landed with a bang, with critics calling it “a masterpiece” and “a stunning dissection of America’s racist history”. The first four episodes are ready to binge on Showmax.

In the 1950s, Atticus, a young African-American, sets out on a road trip with his childhood friend Letitia and his uncle George to find his missing father. This catapults the three into a struggle for survival against the dual terrors of Jim Crow-era America and terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a paperback written by pulpy horror author HP Lovecraft. As the lines between real-world dangers and the realm of the fantastic start to blur, the trio find themselves caught between the monstrous Cthulhu and the KKK, with sinister cultists as their only allies.

Trailer:

“Atticus is a bibliophile and a soldier, a warrior and a poet,” says lead actor Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco). “He’s a man that goes from living in a world of books and of sci-fi, to living in an actual world full of monsters and witches.” 

Based on the cult novel by Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country is exec produced by Oscar winner Jordan Peele (Us, Get Out) and Emmy winner JJ Abrams (Star Wars, Star Trek), as well as Emmy nominee Bill Carraro (American History X, Blade Runner 2049). 

NPR calls Lovecraft Country “a masterpiece.” Time Magazine calls it “a stunning dissection of America’s racist history – and an absolutely wild ride … smart, gripping and wonderfully wild.” And Rolling Stone hails it as “a mind-bending, genre-blending tour de force… Couldn’t possibly feel timelier.” 

Lovecraft Country has an 86% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with much of the praise going to the formidable cast, which also includes Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Birds of Prey) as Letitia, Golden Globe nominee Courtney B Vance (The People Vs OJ Simpson) as George, and Emmy nominee Michael Kenneth Williams (When They See Us, The Wire) as Atticus’s father, Montrose.  

As Newsday put it, “To call Lovecraft Country ‘wildly original’ seems almost a quaint understatement. But it is wild. And original. Little doubt about that.”

The next four episodes are coming to Showmax on 6 October, with the final two coming 20 October, just after the US finale. Alternatively, catch new episodes on 1Magic or DStv Now on Mondays at 21:30. 

More of the best from HBO 

Binge the best of HBO on Showmax and spend your nights with award-winning comedies, dramas and more. Here are some of our favourites ready to stream now: 

Drama

I May Destroy You

Michaela Coel’s brand-new series that follows a young woman’s journey in the aftermath of a sexual assault has set critics buzzing. 

Also watch: I Know This Much Is True; Succession S1-2; Euphoria S1; Chernobyl

Fantasy 

His Dark Materials

Based on the books by Philip Pullman, this series takes place in a rich fantasy world where humans all have animal familiars, and where an orphan uncovers a dangerous secret.

Also watch: Game of Thrones S1-8; Watchmen S1; Westworld S1-3

Crime

Perry Mason S1 

 It’s the 1930s and while America is struggling through the Great Depression, Los Angeles is booming. It’s here that a down-and-out defence attorney, Perry Mason, takes on the case of the decade. Starring Matthew Rhys.

Also watch: The Sopranos S1-6; True Detective S1-3; The Wire S1-5

Comedy

Betty

 A group of young women try to find their place in the male-dominated world of skateboarding in this comedy inspired by the acclaimed film Skate Kitchen, which was in turn inspired by the real-life female skaters of New York. 

Also watch: Run S1; Looking S1-2; Insecure S1-4 

Documentaries 

McMillion$

The incredible story of how a plan to sell more burgers became a multi-million dollar fraud that eventually involved the mafia. 

Also watch: After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News; Kill Chain: The Cyber War On America’s Elections; The Scheme DM/ML

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