Literary and artistic references in HBO's Lovecraft Country

captainsunbeam: The voiceover heard in Tic's dream as episode 1 "Sundown" begins is from this film.

captainsunbeam: Also in Tic's dream, we see Lovecraft's most well-known creation for the only time throughout the series.

captainsunbeam: Tic can be seen reading a hardcover copy of A Princess of Mars on the bus and while waiting beside the road when the bus breaks down.

captainsunbeam: Uncle George writes and publishes "The Safe Negro Travel Guide," a fictional version of the famous Green Book travel guides.

captainsunbeam: Tic holds a copy of The Outsider and Others while telling George about his father's disapproval of Tic's affection for Lovecraft's stories.

captainsunbeam: In conversation about Montrose's letter, Tic and George refer to the fictional Arkham, Massachusetts - "home of the corpse reanimator, Herbert West."

captainsunbeam: A copy of From Here to Eternity can be seen on the overflowing bookshelves in George's shop.

captainsunbeam: Returned to again and again throughout the series, Montrose's favorite book makes its first appearance in his apartment in episode 1.

captainsunbeam: An excerpt from the 1965 debate can be heard as our heroes travel to Ardham. You can find the full debate on Youtube and text transcripts in several places online.

captainsunbeam: Two of Gordon Parks' most famous photographs of the segregated South ("Untitled, Shady Grove, Alabama, 1956" and "Department Store, Mobile, Alabama, 1956") are visually referenced in episode 1's travel sequence.

captainsunbeam: Margaret Bourke-White's iconic (and bitterly ironic) "Highest Standard of Living" photograph from 1937 is also recreated during episode 1's travel sequence.

captainsunbeam: George describes the car chase they'd just experienced as like "a scene out of a Bradbury novel."

captainsunbeam: The shoggoths, introduced in At the Mountains of Madness, make their first (but not last) appearance in episode 1.

captainsunbeam: Hearing the strange noises of the shoggoths in the woods, George quotes, "Listen to them - children of the night. What music they make."

captainsunbeam: In Ardham Lodge, George reports that his room is full of his favorite type of reading material, including the works of Algernon Blackwood, William Hope Hodgson, and Clark Ashton Smith. Hodgson's The House on the Borderland is the key to the secret door behind the bookshelf, and George outlines its plot to the apparition of Tic's mother.

captainsunbeam: Samuel Braithwhite refers to Genesis 2:19 - "And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof." - as the inspiration for his grand scheme. The false Tic in Leti's room later quotes Psalm 23:4 from the NIV.

captainsunbeam: Montrose mistakes the Book of Names for the Necronomicon ("the book of dead names").

captainsunbeam: Scott-Heron's poem/song "Whitey on the Moon" is played over the ritual near the end of episode 2.

captainsunbeam: Seen on the shelves in George's shop in episode 4. Sometimes subtitled "Trends and Patterns in Scientific and Utopian Fiction."

captainsunbeam: The American Guide is one of the pile of books Tic is searching through in the library in episode 4.

captainsunbeam: A rare moment of comic relief arrives when an exasperated little boy, trying to read Journey to the Center of the Earth, shushes Tic and Leti as they argue in the library.

captainsunbeam: Episode 5's title "Strange Case," as well as some details of Ruby's transformation, are references to the classic story of Jekyll and Hyde.

captainsunbeam: Creating an extraordinary juxtaposition, a reading from Shange's play accompanies a montage of Ruby's first experiences as a white woman.

captainsunbeam: Episode 6 opens with Ji-Ah imagining herself singing along to the title song during a cinema showing of Meet Me in St. Louis.

captainsunbeam: Ji-Ah recites dialogue from The Pirate to impress a potential match during a speed dating event.

captainsunbeam: Ji-Ah complains that Summer Stock will not be playing in her local cinema due to the war. Tic later arranges for a private showing as a seriously swoon-worthy surprise.

captainsunbeam: As Ji-Ah and her mother go to visit the shaman, audio of an angry and bitter Judy Garland plays in voiceover. This audio was originally intended to be used as notes for an autobiography Judy never got around to writing, and was later leaked.

captainsunbeam: When Hippolyta and George are exploring the alien planet, we hear a monologue by jazz artist Sun-Ra from the cult classic 1974 film "Space is the Place."

captainsunbeam: Uncle Tom's Cabin appears onscreen and serves as the inspiration for Diana's nightmarish pursuers in episode 8.

captainsunbeam: After his trip through the portal, Tic brings back a copy of Lovecraft Country, which in the world of the show is authored by his future son, George Freeman. In a skillful meta-reference, the differences Tic outlines between his son's book and his "real" story are the same differences between the original novel and the show.

captainsunbeam: A portion of the poem "Catch a Fire" by Sonia Sanchez is heard during the climax of episode 9.