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Lovecraft Country: How The "Sundown" Book References Tease What's Ahead
"Sundown", the premiere episode of HBO's Lovecraft Country contains many literary references, most of which are either visual or part of the dialogue, and seem to tease what's next. Naturally, the majority of these references are to iconic horror author H.P. Lovecraft, since the show is inspired by both his horrible racist beliefs as well as his tales of cosmic horror. The most obvious literary reference is the series' title, which not only mentions the author by name, but indirectly references the New England settings that he often used in his stories. However, out of the episode's many references, only five book titles are explicitly named, and not all of them are by Lovecraft.
In the episode's opening sequence, Atticus (Jonathan Majors) is having a sci-fi adventure dream in which he fights in a war against a pantheon of fantastic creatures. The sequence is full of visual references to the sci-fi, horror, and fantasy stories that Atticus and his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) both love. In the dream, Atticus meets an alien girl who is beamed down to him from a flying saucer. She whispers something seemingly sinister in his ear, and the unmistakable form of Cthulhu—Lovecraft's most famous monster—approaches, about to attack. When Atticus turns around, he is saved by Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball's first Black player, who smashes Cthulhu with a baseball bat and promises Atticus that he's got his back. When Cthulhu rises from the dead, Jackie prepares to swing again, and the dream ends.
These visual references—as well as references in the dialogue—continue throughout the episode, sometimes foreshadowing the future. For example, right before Sherriff Hunt (Jamie Harris) violently menaces Atticus, George, and Leticia (Jurnee Smollett), Atticus teases their first encounter with supernatural creatures when he describes the Shoggoths, Lovecraftian monsters known from the stories At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow over Innsmouth and others. Only a few scenes later, Atticus and his group find themselves in a midnight standoff with these blood-thirsty beings. However, that was the most overt instance of foreshadowing—the rest are more subtle.
A Princess Of Mars
The episode's first book reference is Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel, A Princess of Mars. Not only does Atticus describe the story, but his copy of the book is also shown clearly. He says that he loves fantasy books because they take him to places normal people don't get to go. The book is essentially a love story. It's about Confederate veteran John Carter who falls in love with Martian princess Dejah Thoris and becomes a hero in the process. Atticus is a veteran of the Korean War, and in the episode, he has a strange call with a woman in South Korea. The A Princess of Mars reference clearly foreshadows a complicated romantic situation for Atticus that promises to take him to places he never imagined going.
The Outsider And Others
The episode's second book reference is The Outsider and Others, a collection of H.P. Lovecraft's most important stories published as a tribute to the author by his friends. Atticus picks up the book from his uncle George's book shelf, and they discuss Montrose's disappearance. They don't discuss The Outsider or the other stories in the collection, but the book's cover and title are shown clearly. The titular story, The Outsider, is about a strange prisoner who one day escapes his prison only to find out that the world sees him as a monster. Unable to return to his prison and horrified by how the world sees him, he is doomed to live outside of both. Atticus is also caught between worlds, and The Outsider is clearly a reference to his struggle, but more importantly, it foreshadows the revelation of secret horrors that might make him a monster.
Herbert West–Reanimator
The third book reference of the episode is Lovecraft's story Herbert West–Reanimator (inspiration for the Re-Animator movies). George and Atticus both mention this title as they continue to discuss Montrose's disappearance. Again, they don't discuss the story, but clearly mention the title. Herbert West–Reanimator is commonly understood as a warning about the perils of curiosity and the limits of human understanding, especially where life and death are concerned. Atticus' quest is the result of his father's obsessive curiosity about his mother's ancestry that parallels Herbert West's obsession with reanimating corpses. The story foreshadows the potentially unimaginable horrors waiting for Atticus as a result of this curiosity.
The Count Of Monte Cristo
The fourth book reference is French author Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. Atticus is seen with two copies of this book in the episode, each time in his father's house. It is the only book reference that does not fit in the horror, sci-fi, or fantasy genres. The book itself is clearly a reference to Atticus' father, who would rather that Atticus read great works by Black authors than read mediocre books by racist white authors. The Count of Monte Cristo is a complex story of revenge that relies on the manipulation of a complex network of relationships and ancestry. More than just a reference to Atticus' father and his beliefs, the story foreshadows the web of lies, deceit, and vengeance that could await them both.
