Tag Archives: horror

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Spin-Offs: Books and Movies

Posted on by
Reply

The release of Guillermo del Toro’s new movie has inspired a resurgence of interest in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Ever since I read Anne Edwards’ 1972 pulpy gothic novel, Haunted Summer, I have been fascinated by the history of Mary Shelley and the “lost” summer of 1816 in Switzerland when she wrote the story. Here are a few books and movie spin-offs that sparked my interest in the topic.

Mary’s Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge. This beautifully drawn and written (in poetic prose) account of Mary Shelley’s life, rife with tragedy, is succinct and perfect for teens or anyone else who wants to learn more about how she wrote the masterpiece novel Frankenstein.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a dual-timeline gothic suspense novel that was inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle. While it doesn’t involve Mary Shelley, the plot has the same trajectory. It was exceptionally well done in audio.

Love, Sex and Frankenstein by Caroline Lea is a moody novel that centers on the summer in 1816 when Mary, her stepsister, Claire, and Percy Shelley stayed at the Lake Geneva villa with Lord Byron and the convoluted relationships that ensued. Later that summer, Lord Byron challenged everyone to write a ghost story, which led Mary to develop her masterpiece. The flow of the storytelling isn’t particularly smooth, but it’s fascinating for anyone wanting a more “adult” perspective on the lost summer.

Writers Between the Covers by Shannon McKenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon includes a chapter on Lord Byron’s extensive (and sordid) love life, with a brief mention of his stay in Switzerland with the Shelleys. For the record, the rest of the book is riveting and eye-opening and remains one of my favorite books about books and authors.

A few years ago, we ran across the movie Mary Shelley (2017) featuring Elle Fanning, and while it wasn’t accurate (what movie based on history is?), it was still entertaining and fairly well done. My husband and I both enjoyed it.

And of course, I have to mention Mel Brooks’s wildly entertaining movie, Young Frankenstein. I think it’s time for a rewatch, as I could use a good laugh.

“[Froederick and Igor are exhuming a dead criminal]

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: What a filthy job.

Igor: Could be worse.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: How?

Igor: Could be raining.

[it starts to pour]”

I haven’t seen the new Frankenstein movie, and I’m not sure I will, but if you have, please leave a comment on whether it’s worth watching.

Revisiting HELL HOUSE by Richard Matheson

Posted on by
Reply

So this was an interesting read in a couple of different ways. Please forgive my rambling review.

I first read this in the 1970s, during my horror phase (which I guess I’m still in), when I read Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings. I recall being impressed by how frightening this was and how effectively the setting was portrayed. For some reason, I decided to reread it to see if it affected me the same way it did 50 years ago, and here is what’s different — I don’t remember the obvious uncurrent of sexual tensions of the women, and at times, the lewdness of the house’s history. I’m not judging, I’m just surprised I didn’t remember that aspect of the storyline. However, that all being said, it was still very scary (Stephen King said it was, “the scariest haunted house novel ever written.” I’m not sure I agree with our friend Stevie, as I think The Haunting of Hill House was way scarier in its subtlety.) I did feel the anticlimactic ending went on too long.

I followed up by watching the 1973 movie, The Legend of Hell House, and it was reasonably well done, although somewhat condensed; however, the setting was perfect. (Fun fact: my spouse and I saw this at the local drive-in, probably in the mid-1970s. Near the end, the bathrooms were closed due to a sewer problem, and we had to pee so bad we had to leave before the ending, and it wasn’t until last night that I saw finale!)

And here’s one more observation that about drove me bonkers during my recent read. Do you ever read a book and notice a repeated term or description that a good editor should have caught? In this case, the word “hiss” (or hissing or hissed) was used sixteen times according to my Kindle!

Richard Matheson also wrote the time travel love story, Bid Time Return, which was adapted into the romantic movie Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jayne Seymour. (Loved the book but never saw the movie.)

Anyhoodles, if a reader is looking for a good haunted house story, one can’t go wrong with this book as long as the content isn’t objectionable. However, for the best haunted house story ever written (IMO), you can’t go wrong with The Haunting of Hill House (and the original movie, The Haunting), and the sequel, Elizabeth Hand’s A Haunting on the Hill. For a fun look at horror novels from the 1970s/1980s, get a copy of Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell (click on the title for my Goodreads review).