Holy shoggoth! 'Lovecraft Country' home release peels back the cosmic curtain on the show's various monsters

From pet shoggoths to basement-dwelling ghosts, HBO's Lovecraft Country doesn't skimp on delivering quality supernatural monsters. In an exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Season 1 home release (on sale tomorrow), you can find out how the visual effects crew incorporated the CGI beasties into the live-action series that blends the dark underbelly of American history with madness-inducing cosmic terrors of H.P. Lovecraft.

"The genre-bending aspect of the show is one of the things that the crew are most excited about," director of photography Robert McLachlan explains in SYFY WIRE's clip from the never-before-seen "Compendium Of Horrors" featurette. "For me, as a cinematographer, it comes back to what it is we're photographing and how I can engage the audiences as fully as possible."

"We had to move like those things were coming at us," says Courtney B. Vance ("George Freeman").

Check it out below:

In addition to "Compendium of Horrors" and all 10, one-hour episodes of the debut season, the home release — available on both DVD and Blu-Ray from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment — also includes the following pieces of bonus material: 

• "Orithyia Blue and the Imagination of Diana Freeman" (NEW) 
• "Crafting Lovecraft Country"
• "Exploring Lovecraft Country"
• "Lovecraft Country The Craft"

“Lovecraft Country is an entertaining and thought-provoking series with a unique story and important themes,” Rosemary Markson, WBHE Senior Vice President, TV Marketing, said in a statement. "[It] offers exceptional acting performances, top-notch production and outstanding cinematography. If you enjoy thrilling dramas with supernatural themes, this is a series you won’t want to miss."

Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country takes place in the 1950s when Korean War vet Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) sets out on an odyssey to locate his missing father, Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams), in Jim Crow America. Joined by his Uncle George (Vance) and longtime friend Letitia "Leti" Lewis (Jurnee Smollett), Atticus soon discovers that racism is just one of the many horrors lying in wait for him.

Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us), Wunmi Mosaku (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road), Jamie Chung (Once Upon a Time), Jada Harris (The Resident), Jamie Neumann (The Deuce), Jordan Patrick Smith (Vikings), and Tony Goldwyn (Scandal) co-star. Misha Green (Underground) serves as showrunner, with Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams attached as executive producers.

Credit: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Recently speaking with Deadline, HBO content boss Casey Bloys revealed that Green and the writing team are mapping out a potential second season.

“Misha is working with a small team of writers and they’re coming up with a take," Bloys said. "She had a book to go on in the first season, she and the writers wanted to go off and take some time to go out and figure out without a book with these characters, what’s the journey we want to go on. We all want to be sure she’s got a story to tell. That’s where she is right now, working on those ideas. I’m very hopeful, as is Mischa, so we’re giving them the time to work."

Lovecraft Country's first season arrives on DVD ($29.98) and Blu-Ray ($39.99) tomorrow — Tuesday, Feb. 16. It's currently available to purchase via digital platforms such as Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play, Vudu, PlayStation, Xbox, and more. Certain Blu-Rays will come with digital download redemption codes.