Full Moon recently announced that they will be transforming H. P. Lovecraft's fictional Miskatonic University into a series titled Miskatonic U, which may just change Lovecraftian horror for the better. The author is in the midst of a renaissance in the horror genre, with several creators utilizing his tales to critique him or reinvent his stories. Miskatonic U has the opportunity to completely change the Lovecraftian sub-genre for the better — here's how.
H. P. Lovecraft is one of the most well-known horror authors, but he is also one of the most controversial, as his racism is often included when discussing his body of work. Horror creators have worked tirelessly to highlight his issues, but his stories remain popular by-in-large despite Lovecraft's personal beliefs. Misha Green's Lovecraft Country subverts his racism by making Black history and Black characters central to the plot. It actively deconstructs the treatment of Black people in the United States by utilizing one of horror's most controversial authors. As Lovecraftian horror continues to grow popular in the 21st century, it's constantly under reinvention and has separated itself from Lovecraft himself in some ways. Green was able to pull it apart and shed light on the author's issues, whereas other directors are reinventing the traditional appearance of Lovecraftian horror, such as Richard Stanley's Color Out Of Space and its focus on the cosmic horrors of Lovecraft's work.
Miskatonic University is one of the most well-known fictional places in Arkham, Massachusetts. It's most well-known as the place where Herbert West of Re-Animator brought the living back from the dead. By transforming the university into a series' focal point, it offers the opportunity to expand on the stories of the people who are involved with Herbert West, the other students who may have attended, and explore what the centuries-old location has hidden behind its walls.
Horror creators have opted out of centering stories set in iconic locations on their characters and have focused more on the location itself in the last decade. For instance, Hulu's original series Castle Rock takes place in Stephen King's fictional city of Castle Rock, Maine and weaves together the storylines as well as the events that took place there. While it was cancelled after season 2, the series was largely successful, and reinvented the way that King's stories could be adapted for television.
Miskatonic U has the opportunity to follow the same structure as Castle Rock. Miskatonic University has a faculty composed of several haunting characters who are in charge of the anthropology department, the library, and other areas of study. Each of them are part of one or more of Lovecraft's stories that include creatures, the paranormal, and the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. With the opportunity to expand of their teachings as well as their students, the series can reinvent how characters interact in a Lovecraftian environment. They will likely intersect or work together in Miskatonic U, which has yet to be seen in the sub-genre. While Herbert West did work with faculty members at the university, he was part of its medical division, not humanities or social sciences.
This reinvention of Lovecraftian horror may be subtle, but it could change the sub-genre for the better. Arkham's cosmic atmosphere as well as Miskatonic University's unsettling education, faculty, and students could create an entirely new understanding of how H. P. Lovecraft's stories are told, especially when several of them are compressed into one series. In that regard, Miskatonic U could be one of the better decisions a creator has made when adapting Lovecraft's work for a modern audience.