Episode 106. Home Sweet Home: The Haunting (1963)

 
Time to walk the halls of the terrifying Hill House with Andrea and Alex as they explore what it means to be haunted, gender dynamics in times of duress and why it’s hard to remake a classic. 
 
 

REQUIRED READING

The Haunting. Dir. Robert Wise, 1963. 
 

EXTRA CREDIT

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life. Ruth Franklin’s wonderful biography that explores Jackson’s life through her work. 
 
Rue Morgue #170 – September 2016. Featuring a cover story and roundtable interview on Shirley Jackson’s life and influence.
 
The Haunting and the Power of Suggestion. An article by Pam Keesey in Monsterzine #6.
 
Haunting Experiences: Ghosts in Contemporary Folklore. An in-depth look at why our past continues to return to us through ghosts and the supernatural.
 
American Nightmares: The Haunted House Formula in American Popular Fiction. Dale Bailey’s examination of how the haunted house narrative has served and subverted the American Dream. 

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4 thoughts on “Episode 106. Home Sweet Home: The Haunting (1963)

  1. FictionIsntReal says:

    I like Flanagan’s movies, but I’m glad you agree on his overrated miniseries “adaptation”. It was fundamentally a bad idea to turn this story into an 8+ episode family drama. The constraints of that genre preclude the unhappy ending of the horror story, with Flanagan saying he was unwilling to doom his characters (despite all of the setup retained from the original heading there) after spending all that time with them. That’s why horror is better suited to shorter lengths.

    I haven’t read Shirley Jackson’s non-fiction, but they have been described as “warm, funny household memoirs”, so the titles are supposed to be joking hyperbole rather than a marker of horror.
    https://blog.pshares.org/shirley-jackson-madeleine-lengle-and-motherhood/
    I was aware of some of that, which is why I found it so odd that in the film “Shirley” she’s portrayed as childless in contrast to the fictional protagonist.

  2. Boo says:

    The 63 version of the Haunting is my favorite horror movie to date. I qas alright with the Netflix adaptation despite the many changes from the 63 version and from the book because I went into it expecting to hate it, I think. However, I was bored to death during Bly and I loathed Midnight Mass. I also remember seeing the 90s version in theatres when it came out, best part was Owen and that fireplace. Other than that, I hated that version as well. Anyway, thank you soucu for doing this movie. The ambiance, the score, the fx and special effects, and the majority of the cast are why I adore it so much.

  3. Samuel says:

    Is there an issue with this episode? I tried listening here and it doesn’t work, and the apple podcast app gives me a message that the episode is not available

    • Andrea says:

      Hey! Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Samuel – the upload was indeed being friggy. I think I’ve sorted it – the player on this site appears to be working but it might take a little while for iTunes to update.

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