The 'Lovecraft Country' Promo For Season 1, Episode 2 & Beyond Is So Eerie

Lovecraft Country's opening episode was a one-two punch of the horrors of racism and the horrors of, well, horror. Monsters went neck and neck with white supremacists, and when the racist sheriff couldn't beat the beasts, he joined them — not willingly, mind you, but the transformation from one to the other was as terrifying as anything a big-screen budget screamer could offer. But fans shouldn't worry that the series won't be able to top its introduction. The Lovecraft Country promo for Season 1, Episode 2 and beyond suggests there are many more scares in store.

Warning: Spoilers for the Lovecraft Country Season 1 premiere follow. The impetus for Atticus' journey in the series is the disappearance of his father. Montrose, who spent his life being the levelheaded "facts-not-fantasy" member of the family, had vanished at some point before the start of the series. All that's left is a note he sent to Atticus, in which he rambles on about a "family birthright" through his mother's side, located in Lovecraft Country, in Ardham. Except Lovecraft Country isn't real — it's a fictional place created by science fiction/fantasy writer H.P. Lovecraft. Moreover, Ardham doesn't exist on a map, and all calls to the supposed central city building go unanswered.

At the end of the premiere, Atticus, accompanied by his Uncle George and his friend Letitia, arrived where Ardham should be. They found a grand old castle and a gentleman at the door, greeting them as if they were the owners. From the looks of things, this is where Montrose ended up. But the birthright may be full of darker magic than anyone anticipated.

Here's the synopsis for Lovecraft Country Season 1, Episode 2, titled "Whitey's on the Moon."

Inexplicably recovered from their terrifying night, Leti and George luxuriate in their new surroundings, while Atticus grows suspicious of their Ardham Lodge hosts — Christina Braithwhite and her elusive father Samuel — who unveil cryptic plans for Atticus’ role in their upcoming “Sons of Adam” ceremony. Later, after Tic, Leti, and George stumble upon a clue that could lead them to Montrose, each takes an unwelcome walk down memory lane.

The title of the episode is taken from the spoken word piece by Gil Scott-Heron, best known for "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" from the same album. The poem is a polemic against the 1960s space race, pointing out how white Americans spend billions to explore space, leaving the underclasses, and specifically Black citizens, to die in poverty.

Scott-Heron's song is an interesting choice for an episode title, considering Tic's love of science fiction. The first episode already pointed out the uncomfortable truth of The Princess Of Mars protagonist being an ex-Confederate soldier and Tic's willingness to look past this fact. What else would he ignore for the dream of space?

Lovecraft Country continues on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.