H.P. Lovecraft and Extraterrestrial Pop Culture

In his new book The Cult of Alien Gods, author Jason Colavito reveals for the first time that the theory that aliens visited the Earth in the ancient past (and may even have genetically engineered humankind) began not as science fact but as science fiction in the work of master horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. His comprehensive survey of Lovecraft’s work examines the author’s influence on maverick historians, occultists, pop culture and modern UFO cults including those trying to clone human beings. Larry Mantle talks with Colavito about everything from flying saucers to lost civilizations and how Lovecraft created the first ancient-astronaut story, which threatened to permeate mainstream science.