High and Low Intensity Mythology in the Pop Mediascape: H. P. Lovecraft’s Case

This contribution considers a theme that calls into question the persistence of myth in the contemporary world. The contemporary pop mediascape1 is characterized by a proliferation of contents and products that appeal to the imaginative dimension: literature, comics, movies, television series, and video games. This article presents Peppino Ortoleva’s myths of high and low intensity, which are greatly suited to account for this modern context. It will take into consideration the cultural references and the theoretical foundations on which his thought is based, connecting it with a broader dimension of media and historical-religious studies. From this point of view, there will be an examination of A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman and of the fourth season of the television series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, allowing us to introduce the figure, the work and the thought of H. P. Lovecraft, one of the most important pillars of the mythopoeia of the twentieth century, who continues to be an inescapable reference point for the religiosity of media products and pop consumption with continuous re-appropriation and reinterpretation.