Spooky/angst/ghost are the three words I'd use to describe Mike Flanagan's take on Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Miniseries trailer here, book synopsis here. If you haven't tried either, I highly highly highly recommend. I like how the miniseries is not a word for word adaptation, so you can enjoy both in their own right. The miniseries builds towards its climax by alternating between the past (when the Crain siblings were children and had just moved into Hill House) and the present (the Crain siblings are all adults down, still haunted by the fall out of their stay at Hill House) and it weaves such an emotionally cathartic experience that I feel is rare nowadays. A lot of horror will scare the crap out of you, but very few can punch you in the heart.
As for the book, the opening paragraph is still my favorite opening paragraph in a horror novel ever:
No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against the hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.
And if you do end up enjoying Mike Flanagan's work, he's also done an Edgar Allan Poe adaptation miniseries called The Fall of the House of Usher which releases on Netflix today. It looks fun!
Two more movies with some angsty spooky ghosty feels:
The Others (2001) -- Trailer -- Grace moves into a new house with her two photosensitive children in Jersey. When a series of inexplicable events occur, Grace starts believing that her house is haunted.
Last Night in Soho (2021) -- Trailer -- An aspiring fashion designer is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer. However, the glamour is not all it appears to be, and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.
And if you want some lighter, more fun horror to even things out, I really enjoyed Ready Or Not (2019) -- Trailer -- After the wedding ceremony of a young woman, her new in-laws force her to participate in a seemingly innocent game. Things soon turn bloody and sinister, revealing the sick rituals of the family.
Now, books...
If you can get a copy of this, I highly recommend Camilla Grudova's Children of Paradise. It's a relatively short book about a group of misfit employees working at one of the longest running (aka haunted lol) cinemas in their town.
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix is also enjoyable. Another group of employees working at a haunted workplace, except this time it's pretty much an IKEA.
Steve/Nat recs:
Technically, this is Steve/Nat, Steve/Bucky, Steve/Bucky/Nat, with some Steve/Bucky/Peggy thrown in, but I think it's an amazing one: Ghost Story by Speranza.
A darker, explicit Steve/Nat that is dripping in lovely, lovely angst: Body on Fire by glittercake.
A angsty fic about where Natasha goes after dying on Vormir. Don't worry, it has a happy ending! I Turn Around, and There You Are by chalantness.
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Date: 2023-10-12 08:37 am (UTC)Spooky/angst/ghost are the three words I'd use to describe Mike Flanagan's take on Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Miniseries trailer here, book synopsis here. If you haven't tried either, I highly highly highly recommend. I like how the miniseries is not a word for word adaptation, so you can enjoy both in their own right. The miniseries builds towards its climax by alternating between the past (when the Crain siblings were children and had just moved into Hill House) and the present (the Crain siblings are all adults down, still haunted by the fall out of their stay at Hill House) and it weaves such an emotionally cathartic experience that I feel is rare nowadays. A lot of horror will scare the crap out of you, but very few can punch you in the heart.
As for the book, the opening paragraph is still my favorite opening paragraph in a horror novel ever:
And if you do end up enjoying Mike Flanagan's work, he's also done an Edgar Allan Poe adaptation miniseries called The Fall of the House of Usher which releases on Netflix today. It looks fun!
Two more movies with some angsty spooky ghosty feels:
The Others (2001) -- Trailer -- Grace moves into a new house with her two photosensitive children in Jersey. When a series of inexplicable events occur, Grace starts believing that her house is haunted.
Last Night in Soho (2021) -- Trailer -- An aspiring fashion designer is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer. However, the glamour is not all it appears to be, and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.
And if you want some lighter, more fun horror to even things out, I really enjoyed Ready Or Not (2019) -- Trailer -- After the wedding ceremony of a young woman, her new in-laws force her to participate in a seemingly innocent game. Things soon turn bloody and sinister, revealing the sick rituals of the family.
Now, books...
If you can get a copy of this, I highly recommend Camilla Grudova's Children of Paradise. It's a relatively short book about a group of misfit employees working at one of the longest running (aka haunted lol) cinemas in their town.
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix is also enjoyable. Another group of employees working at a haunted workplace, except this time it's pretty much an IKEA.
Steve/Nat recs:
Technically, this is Steve/Nat, Steve/Bucky, Steve/Bucky/Nat, with some Steve/Bucky/Peggy thrown in, but I think it's an amazing one: Ghost Story by Speranza.
A darker, explicit Steve/Nat that is dripping in lovely, lovely angst: Body on Fire by glittercake.
A angsty fic about where Natasha goes after dying on Vormir. Don't worry, it has a happy ending! I Turn Around, and There You Are by chalantness.
Happy spooky season!