HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” Is Getting a Social VR Experience

As if HBO’s new hit show “Lovecraft Country” wasn’t haunting enough, the network has decided the next step for the show will be a VR experience. HBO is launching Lovecraft Country: Sanctum, a series of exclusive virtual reality events transporting invited guests into a world inspired by the show.

Given that the show deals with the monsters of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and the horrors of racism in the 1950s, one has to wonder who in their right mind would want to experience that world in a virtual reality experience.

Nevertheless, Lovecraft Country: Sanctum is coming soon. It will act as a companion to the HBO series, and will feature three events that combine a number of virtual experiences. Escape rooms, puzzles, immersive theater and even a live concert will all be apart of the VR events via the Occulus Quest headset. Sanctum will also simultaneously run VRChat, a real time interactive environment where guests can talk with each other during the events. It will all be streamed on YouTube Live, and YouTube live viewers can also interact by solving puzzles and triggering new spells that will effect the experience.

“We were very inspired by the deeply layered and dynamic world Misha Green has brought to life in LOVECRAFT COUNTRY and wanted to create a digital experience for fans that is just as innovative as the series itself,” said Dana Flax, Vice President, Program Marketing at HBO.

“It is an alternate universe, built for Social VR, that tests, and exceeds, the boundaries of what we believe possible,” said Rama Allen, Executive Creative Director at The Mill and lead creative on the Sanctum experience.

Considering the shows dark subject matter, not mention some of the most absurd monsters even brought to television, this whole VR experience seems like a bold choice. But then again, it seems exactly like the kind of thing such a bold show like “Lovecraft Country” would put forward. With HBO fully invested as well as series stars Jonathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance, and Michael Kenneth Williams all lending their voices Lovecraft Country: Sanctum looks to have the best of the best creatively behind it.

So if experiencing Jim Crow America with a touch of monsters sounds like something you’re into, you can head over to lovecraftsanctum.com for additional times and information. The first event titled Garden of Eden will begin on September 3rd at 7pm PST.

You can watch the Sanctum teaser trailer here, or scroll down.