10 Horror TV Shows That Had No Right To Be This Good

Ever wondered what would happen if you took the long-thought unfilmable tales of cosmic horror created by a notorious racist, and mixed them with an African-American cast of main characters set at the peak of the civil rights movement? Shockingly, really excellent television.

Developed by Misha Green and executive produced by the Jordan Peele himself, Lovecraft Country is based on the 2016 novel of the same name, and ostensibly follows protagonist Atticus and his companions on a roadtrip to find his missing father. Dangerous as it stands, being a group of Black individuals setting out across a still segregated and violently racist white America, the story unfolds to reveal the characters’ connections to the real life monsters and cosmic horrors upon which author H. P. Lovecraft’s stories are based.

The series expertly weaves various layers of criticism and subversion across its 10 episodes, culminating in a story of Black power. Atticus grapples with the implications of being a Black science-fiction fan in what is, to this day, a white-dominated and often racism-influenced genre, as well as quite literally combating not only demons, but the white occultist supremacists who seek to control him.

It also explores the intersections of sexism, the Korean war, human experimentation, and homophobia, all while being legitimately frightening and gory on both a social and supernatural level. The cancellation of Lovecraft Country after only the first season is an unmistakable shame, as it genuinely managed to marry these (not so, when you think about it) disparate themes to unbelievable effect.