Black Sound, Sonic Emotion, and Racist Violence in Lovecraft Country

Abstract

This article addresses race and inequality through the horror sci-fi genre and the musical landscape of two episodes of Misha Green’s TV series Lovecraft Country (2020). Moral responsibilities are mediated throughout the series via sonic culture; through analysis of the series’ aurality, focus is on the sonic reimagining and resignifying of two episodes: Episode One (E1) “Sundown” and Episode Five (E5) “Strange Case.” The unique blend of sci-fi and Cthulhu Mythos adds an additional layer of horror when situated against the backdrop of the racial realities of African Americans in the 1950s and guides the viewer to experience the familiar horror trope by disrupting the ways we experience sound in TV viewing. The soundtrack produces and thematises different sonic emotions and the result is a 21st-century representation of the 1950s: one that reframes racial inequalities of the time for contemporary sensibilities, while actively using the past as raw material for a new present. In this analysis of historical injustices of Black culture through sonic emotion, this article provides a demonstration on how Lovecraft Country engages with race, gender, and sonic culture while embracing the rich tapestry of Black sound by disrupting narratives, challenging racial temporalities, and inviting change.