Posted on 11/10/2017 7:23:03 PM PST by simpson96
Literary fiction, the two most depressing words in the English language, leaves very little space for horror. It’s a claustrophobic, dusty attic in a mansion peopled by “serious” writers.
Sure, the holy trinity of Poe, Stoker and Lovecraft is held in high regard, but with the passage of time horror writing stopped being taken seriously. By horror I don’t mean just ghosts and witches, but all that frightens us–loss, deprivation, loneliness, mental instability, self-loathing and personal dissatisfaction.
That’s where the writing of Shirley Jackson makes a powerful case for the kind of horror that doesn’t depend on jump scares. Her last novel before an untimely death, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, plumbs the human psyche to prove that the inner workings of a character’s mind can sometimes be scarier than any ghost you’ve read about.
Widely read in America, Jackson is not as popular in other parts of the world. This could be put down to the fact that she juggled her roles as a mother of four and as a writer with some unease. She hardly gave any interviews, refused to elaborate on the meaning of her fiction, and wanted her work to speak for itself.
Another reason she may have been ignored by the literary canon is that she was instantly pegged as a horror writer. Genres exist to benefit two kinds of people–librarians and booksellers. This genre-lizing further alienated Jackson’s work and she came to be known as a writer who creeped you out and nothing more. As an Associated Press reporter put it, “She writes not with a pen but with a broomstick.” Another critic nicknamed her “Virginia Werewoolf.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. Castle reveals the horrifying murder of a family that sits heavy on the survivors and perpetrator.
(Excerpt) Read more at scroll.in ...
I picked up “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” at the library. Deliciously spooky, I loved it.
I haven't read The Haunting of Hill House, but it's always been a favorite "spooky movie". The original, that is. I thought the remake in the 2000's was execreble.
‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’
I have read it every YEAR since I was in High School. OMG! It’s an amazing MASTERPIECE that I will never, EVER forget. If they make it into a movie, I will kill myself, LOL!
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ is also a classic - they made it into a movie and it was...BLECH!
Shirley Jackson was an author that I found by accident. When I was in High School, I would go to our local Library, hit the Adult Fiction *GASP* racks and pick a book off of each shelf, alphabetically.
Jackson’s short stories (The Lottery) are simply amazing and jaw-dropping! ANY of them - they’re ALL jewels.
I found SO many amazing Authors that way, from Atwood to Baldwin to Heller to Jackson to O’Hara to Vonnegut.
I loved H.P. Lovecraft stories in high school. This lead me into Shirley Jackson novels in college, including We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The dark tone of her books gave me the chills. And without the slice and dice of today’s film.
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ is also a classic - they made it into a movie and it was...BLECH!
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WHAT?! The movie is almost universally hailed as the scariest ghost movie ever. Or are you talking about the wretched remake?
I have the original book, by the way, and the 1963 film is very close - even using much of the dialogue.
Personally, I prefer the Haunting of Hill House to We have Always Lived in the Castle. Jackson is one of the greatest writers of horror.
Yes — the original is great. The remake — boring CGI crap.
Do you remember the 2 books about a family, written from the mom’s perspective?
One was called “Life Among the Savages”
I agree. In the genre we call Gothic fiction, it's absolutely brilliant. Concise, atmospheric, just enough but never too much horror. I'm sure that a movie would be just awful.
I have not read "The Haunting of Hill House."
Thanks! I didn’t know there was a previous movie other than the one I saw. I’ll look it up. :)
No, I do not. Sorry, no idea what you’re talking about.
I didn’t know about the 1963 version - I only saw the latter.
And again I say, ‘BLECH!’ Catherine Zeta Jones? Owen Wilson? Liam Neeson? Laughable!
Yes! She wrote some very funny stuff as well, that still managed to carry her unique style.
In agreement with everyone here. “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” is a fantastic book.
You’ll devour “Hill House.” It’s a marvel of suspense, atmosphere, and her uncanny way of drawing characters like a pure artist. It’s a must, and will leave you shaken.
Relieved to hear you were talking about the remake - and you’re right, it was absolute garbage.
Now... go find the original film. :-)
I’ll check it out when I’m in the mood to be shaken!
I watched the movie when I was seven or eight, from my bed in the top bunk. I leaned out and watched over the top of the bedroom door. (Upside down.)
I do not remember the much plot, but I remember that it terrified me. (Paranormal activity; A young girl is called to suicide by ghosts I seem to recollect?)
I will keep it on my list to read after retirement. (Shirley Jackson looks like my late Aunt.)
The scene where the ghost baby cries while the camera pans in on the wall carving of an open mouth is one of the greatest moments of terror in American cinema.
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