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Sunday, November 25, 2018

The Haunting of Hill House Scares Us!

I'm hoping that some of you listening to this episode are fans of Netflix's adaptation of Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House, which also happens to be my favorite novel of all time.  I understand why you liked it -- many, many people did; you're not alone -- but I'm hoping you might check out the book, and give the original Eleanor Vance a shot.  Enjoy the semicolons; enjoy, heartily, the adverbs; enjoy the shifting of reality, and see if you agree with me or not:  if Hill House is haunted, what is it haunted by?


If you're playing along at home and you're trying to guess the number of copies of HoHH  I possess, you can start counting the hardcovers.  Many of them are gifts from my friend Angie (the blue British edition in the top left hand corner; the gorgeous embossed copy from Easton Press; the blue and yellow hardcover on the bottom row).  The two with the creepy yellow flowers and the house lurking in the background were Holy Grails for me; one I found on Etsy for a bit of a price, and the yellow copy (with the jacket attached), which was rebranded in 1968, three years after Shirley's death, I found for a song on Abe Books, I believe (check 'em out).  I am not, however, a huge fan of the copy from Guillermo Del Toro on the bottom left.  The copy displayed on its spine is the Reader's Digest Condensed version I found in a thrift shop in Glasgow the summer of 1994, when I discovered Shirley initially; it has stunning illustrations that perfectly encapsulate the characters for me, exactly as I pictured them.  I'll post those below as well.


Here are the paperback copies.  It's amazing to me how many different editions exist, especially in softcover; as I've said before on the podcast, if I like a book I will buy as many different editions asI can get my paws on (which explains why I have sixty billion copies of The Wizard of Oz, Dracula, and King's 'Salem's Lot).  The two copies in the bottom right corner are the two I referred to during the episode:  the one with the gingham-looking border, featuring Luke glaring at the audience, was the first copy I ever owned, and the one beside it is the first copy I actually ever read, donated to me by the librarians of Hellgate High School.


An excellent British paperback edition I do not possess (yet).


A closeup of the Penguin edition from 1984, and the first I ever owned:  there's Luke, looking directly at us, and Eleanor, huddled in the corner; headless Dr. Montague; and Theo, tucked neatly into the chair with her legs over the arm.  I have been known to attack a chair myself in just that manner.  While I enjoy it, it certainly doesn't seem to proclaim that this is a horror novel, or even a ghost story.  (Although I do enjoy the "fatuous little cupid" statue Jackson describes perched up on the mantle.)


Summer of 2010, showing Ryan my (as-of-yet unowned) Holy Grail (in the Glasgow library). 


A closeup of the first edition dustjacket.  Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon, has a signed first edition for $2000.


The illustrations by Ben Stahl from the 1959 Reader's Digest Condensed version.

 

Eleanor tries to run over Dudley-at-the-gate.

 The core four hanging out in the shadows of Hill House.


Theo tempts the statue of Hugh Crain.


Eleanor and Theo clutch each other as something unseen bangs on the door.  What was it?  Stephen King insists that the door be opened; I disagree.

A giant shift in tone:  the arrival of the irascible Mrs. Montague and cowardly Arthur Parker.

Eleanor spies on Theo and Luke, who aren't talking about her at all.


Eleanor, going higher and higher ...

Monday, November 19, 2018

The Haunting of Hill House Scares Us


Hello Dear Listeners,

The week of feasts is upon us and we hope you enjoy this episode as you travel to see family, hunker down in your bunker, or enjoy basking in the glow of your retail therapy.  If you need a good read for your holiday time, This Place Scares Us suggests reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

This week's episode is in fact about The Haunting of Hill House which has seen several screen adaptations both in movie form and now as a popular Netflix series.  Laramie shares his opinions about all of the iterations of The Haunting of Hill House and why sometimes never seeing a monster is scarier than anything.

Katya and Laramie debate why the origin of a monster, or a happening is so important and discuss at length the horror community's view on to show the monsters or not.  What do you think listeners: is it scarier to see the monsters, or to never see the monsters?  With that we leave you to your Thanksgiving.

**Clinkies**

Katya and Laramie


Come listen to the episode

Sunday, November 18, 2018

(Re)Recorded Tonight!

(Also, our episode focusing on The Haunting of Hill House will be released tomorrow ...)


Sunday, November 4, 2018

Hereditary Scares Us! (Among Other Things)


Missoula greets 45.


I love this town.  Thank you plucky Missoulians.


The Trump rally in Missoula, October, 2018.



Still classier than Trump.  Black eyes and all.



HEADLESS BOWING BODIES IN THE POSTER!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!


Charlie and friend.  Both soon to share common traits.  One in particular.

Genre expectations:  scary children commencing ... NOW!



Alien monster children in Village of the Damned ...


Regan in The Exorcist ...


And how can we forget Damien from The Omen?  Let's try.  Go ahead.  Give it a shot.

So ... I'm not going to post a shot of Charlie's head.  I'm not going to do that to you guys.  Just ... watch the movie.  (ANTS!  ANTS!  ANTS!)


... never mind. I'm going to give you what you all obviously want.  LONG LIVE KING PAIMON!!!  Ick.  Or maybe not.


The naked witch cult of Rosemary's Baby ... just switched their alliances to Paimon?


"Give Gramma a hug!"  Gramma from The Twilight Zone adaptation of Stephen King's "Gramma."


All of them witches. 

Hereditary Scares Us


Hello Dear Listeners,

We hope you had a spectacular Spooktober, a haunting Halloween, and an amazing All Souls Day!  We have been hard at work getting back on our recording schedule after our big life changes.  Coming at you this week is the scariest movie we have seen in a good long while.

This week's topic is the terrifying 2018 film Hereditary by Ari Aster.  Go watch this movie before listening to this week's episode, but find a friend because this is one crazy, scary, disturbing film!  Katya and Laramie dissect all of the things that should scare you about this film and some of the things you may have missed your first time watching. 

Also, Katya gives you a run-down of graduate school hell, and Laramie discusses surviving Trump-land Missoula.  Before we leave you this week remember: Your life does not start with choice, so why should it end with it?

**Clinkies**

Katya and Laramie


Come listen to the episode