The Haunting of Hill House: A History

The Haunting of Hill House: A History

Robert J Gannon
Film, Books/Print, TV, News, Views

Yesterday, Netflix announced that Shirley Jackson's gothic masterpiece The Haunting of Hill House is coming to the streaming service as a 10 episode series. Mike Flanagan, the writer/director of Gerald's Game and Ouija: Origin of Evil, is the show runner. I'll be perfectly honest. I did not expect this. I don't know if there was an earlier announcement I missed, but I never could have anticipated The Haunting of Hill House would be adapted into such a long format.

The Haunting of Hill House is a touchstone of literary horror. Originally published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's masterful haunted house story is one of the rare horror novels to be a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction (1960). It is undeniably a gothic horror in the Victorian rather than Southern tradition, set in a sprawling mansion where scientific research standards are used to prove the existence of ghosts. The novel comes complete with a tragic and lonely heroine, doors that open and close on their own, locals who refuse to go anywhere near the mansion (especially at night), a phantom dog, and a dark secret in the attic. It is an especially sophisticated entry in the genre, as much a woman's journey of self-discovery as it is a terrifying text. 

The Void Review (Film, 2017)

The Void Review (Film, 2017)

Robert J Gannon
Film, Reviews

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase "80's horror movie?" Is it low budget? Is it bloody? Is it a lot of effects held together by a flimsy plot? Or is it innovation? The origins of modern special effects? Highly political works commenting on major issues and trends in society through an absurd escalation of violence and characters representing sides in the conflict? A little bit of everything?

The Void is very much an 80's-inspired horror film. It teeters between the violence of the video nasty era and riffs on John Carpenter's The Thing and James Cameron's Aliens.

Emelie Review (Film, 2015)

Emelie Review (Film, 2015)

Robert J Gannon
Film, Reviews

It's hard to get a bead on what Emelie is trying to do at first. The opening scene features a teenager being abducted into a car. Abduction horror is a thing and the scene, though really quiet, is well shot. Then we go to parents trying to get their kids ready for the new babysitter. The oldest boy is a handful, shown actually yanking one of his siblings off the bed over a phone dispute. An evil child film, perhaps? Then we pick up the new babysitter who seems nice but starts interacting with the children in strange ways. Evil babysitter films are a disturbing spin on home invasion horror, relying on the trust of a relative stranger having reign over your home and family while you're not there.

XX Review (Film, 2017)

XX Review (Film, 2017)

Robert J Gannon
Reviews, Film

I think there's nothing quite like a good anthology horror film. It's like a horror buffet. You get a little taste of everything. The shorter time for each individual story allows for wonderful and bizarre stories to be fully told onscreen. The directors and writers get to share the wealth. Their vision comes to life in a format that allows a scary film to be made at a length that can be incredibly focused and effective. There's no unnecessary padding to bring a short film concept to a feature length; the form of anthology carries that burden.

Anthologies allow for as much or as little of a connecting theme as you want. XX is an anthology of horror films written and directed by women. The stories told are all unique with radically different tones and styles. Some recurring elements pop up, but each short film stands on its own. The condition of the anthology is horror written by women, directed by women, and starring women. 


The Boy Review (Film, 2016)

The Boy Review (Film, 2016)

Robert J Gannon

Evil doll stories are a mainstay in horror. From the iconic "Living Doll" episode of Twilight Zone to the never-ending Child's Play series, stories featuring puppets, toys, and decorative dolls that come to life for nefarious means have terrified audiences for decades. There are layers to the horror that are just taken for granted at this point--corruption of the innocent, uncanny valley, fear of immaturity defined by imagination, betrayal of everyday objects--that can still create  wonderful scares when embraced and explored.

The Boy is not a great film. The narrative is needlessly complex and the dialogue leans too heavily on literal exposition. Yet, as an exploration of the evil doll trope, it succeeds on so many levels.

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