ABSTRACT
True Detective (2014) is a criminal drama created by the novelist Nic Pizzolatto for HBO, whose plot revolves around the investigation of the ritualistic death of a prostitute named Dora Lange. In charge of this mission are two detectives: Rustin Cohle and Martin Hart. Apart from the two protagonists, the landscape can be said to play an important role in diegesis that, due to its gothic nature, contributes to the surfacing of an eerie feeling of constant uneasiness. In the show, two types of landscape intersect each other: the typical landscape of the Deep South of the US and an imaginary landscape which is strongly rooted in Lovecraft’s cosmic horror. Cthulhu is a lurking presence in True Detective: it appears reflected upon the massive oil refineries that are encroached upon the Louisiana landscape, and it is also alluded when the villains’ characterization (Reggie Ledoux and Errol Childress) turns them into Cthulhu-like monsters. Given the context, this essay aims at examining H.P. Lovecraft’s influence on True Detective: the eerie way the landscape is shaped, the inherent cosmic horror within the visual narrative, the ubiquitous presence of the Cthulhu mythos, and the character of the dreamer that appears as the protagonist in many Lovecraft’s tales.
