The Call Is Coming from Inside the Bookstore: Our Favorite Book Adaptations 📚

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Issue 044’s Letterboxd list can be found here

The first trailer for David Franco's TOGETHER has been released. Oh boy, this looks good. [iHorror]

New photos from The Conjuring: Last Rites are making their rounds online. Check out the latest pictures from the final film in the series here.

Woof! Shudder acquired the rights to Ben Leonberg's Good Boy. No date has been announced for when it will stream on the service.

Dangerous Animals swims into theaters on June 6th. Bloody Disgusting's John Squires says it "looks like a terrifying mix of Wolf Creek and The Shallows". [Our thoughts]

One of Stephen King's best stories brought to life on the big screen by Stanley Kubrick, The Shining still stands strong today as one of the greatest films of all time (and rightfully so). This week, sticking to our Book Adaptations theme, we picked a number of films you may want to watch if getting trapped (or, in this case, paid to be "trapped") in a hotel (or anywhere) and going crazy is your thing (not your average Saturday night is what we mean). Check out the list on Letterboxd.

Nobody does literary horror like Mike Flanagan. He reads between the lines (literally) and drags to screen what's lurking in this shadows of the text. Flanagan's adaptations don't just scare, they linger. Whether it's the quiet dread from Gerald's Game, the grief-soaked corridors of Hill House, or the cosmic despair found in Midnight Mass, his stories sit with you, creep under your skin, and ask the tough questions about death, life, and why we're so afraid of stillness.

Many kids have an imaginary friend but probably not like this. In 1988’s Pin, directed by Sandor Stern, two young siblings, Ursula and Leon, bond over a shared delusion that their father’s anatomy doll, affectionately called Pin, is a real brother. Based on a 1981 novel of the same name, written by Andrew Neiderman, the film sees Ursula and Leon’s father use ventriloquism through Pin to teach them about the body. But the psychosis runs much deeper than that. Pin is treated as a real person, with thoughts, feelings, and intentions. He even wears a suite! Throughout the film, Leon’s reality begins to blur, as it becomes evident that he suffers a mental break that causes him to forget what’s real. Pin leans into the hilariously absurd, with situational humor driving the chaos. Through Leon’s troubled eyes, you start questioning whether it’s all in his head or, in fact, Pin is a live, animated person. Pin is a peculiar dissection of imagination and vulnerability, and how when a kid is very lonely, they’ll turn to anyone (or anything) for companionship. Bonds of friendship are sometimes forged through tragedy. As Leon and Ursula experience unimaginable loss, Leon’s connection to Pin grows stronger and more odd. Instead of turning to other kids, Leon invents a connection he so desperately needs. Loneliness can make a person do strange things. Because the film takes place in the late ‘80s, chat rooms and various instant messengers don’t exist, so there’s no outlet for Leon to find human friendship anywhere else. This further disconnects him from the world, leaving him feeling dejected and alone. If you think that’s weird, the film takes it up a notch in the last 25 minutes – demonstrating that once a line is crossed, there’s no coming back.

Herbert Wise brings Susan Hill's novel The Woman in Black to the small screen in this little-known 1989 TV film. Feeling like a forgotten campfire tale, the legend of the woman in black haunts the small seaside town of Crythin Gifford, England. Arthur Kidd (Adrian Rawlins) travels from London to handle the funeral of Alice Drablow and also settle the late widow's estate. Through a series of eerie events, Arthur begins hallucinating the visage of the mysterious women in black, as well as suffers auditory delusions of a horrible drowning. When you cross paths with the woman in black, there's no escaping her clutches, as Arthur and his family soon learn. Through incandescent lighting, Wise exploits the unknown for a frightful slow-burn that nestles inside the brain. What's fantasy and imagined soon transforms into reality. While blanketing the viewer in immense dread and suspense, The Woman in Black unravels as a spool of thread. It doesn't matter that illusions fade into and out of viewer; it's the dreadful sense that something lurks over your shoulder and seemingly inhabits your body that shatters perceptions. It might be lowscale as a made-for-TV movie, yet there's something sinister about the experience. Something deadly transmits from the wires to the eyeballs. The images are not unlike a candle's flickering wick that casts hypnotic shadows on the wall. What you see and what is real are two different things, and The Woman in Black excels in bringing that terror straight into your living room.

Can a great premise be ruined by two fantastic actors? In the case of Locked, yes. Taking place mostly in a locked, yet controlled SUV, not even both Skarsgård's cosplay and Hopkins' perfect, sinister voice can save this poorly-executed film from becoming a laughable mess. [Review by Brett]

If you're lookig for an injection of adrenaline, Rory Karpf's Grace Point will certainlty do the trick. Starring Rob Lowe's son, John Owen Lowe, the thriller follows Brandon Hayes (Owen Lowe) on the run from the locals of Grace Point, a small, secluded town. With a tightly wound script, courtesy of Karpf and Paul Russell Smith, the film revs up from the beginning and it's a high-octane race to the finish line. Brandon has everything working against him. While Owen Lowe's performance is, at times, strained, he has enough charisma to keep you on the hook until the heart-pounding finale. Grace Point doesn't reinvent the genre, but it does twist the knife perfectly to offer up a damn good time. Twists and all! [written by Bee]

This week, Bee and I were guests on the Final Girls Feast Podcast to talk about Peter Hengl's Family Dinner. While less along the lines of horror and more on the suspense/thriller spectrum, the film features a girl who spends a weekend at her aunt's remote home during the Easter holiday. We know that not everything's peachy as there's something very off when the aunt, a once successful author, seems to be struggling, especially with connecting with her son, who seems to be at his wit's end. Hengl takes a simple (and great) concept with a very well-rounded cast, offers a visually satisfying location, and lets it all go loose (in a good way). It's predictable all around, but it works, and the film may end up being one of your favorite watches of the year (especially after you listen to our conversation around it). Well done, Mr. Hengl. You can listen to our episode here. [written by Brett]

I never hear enough chatter about The Seventh Victim, one of my Top 5 favorite horror movies of all time. I returned to that well this week, and I was still blown away by its depiction of suicidal ideation and depression. Sure, it's technically about a satanic cult, but there's so much to dig into below the surface. I'm no stranger to openly discussing these things. If we don't talk about it, it becomes taboo. So today, I'm re-sharing a personal essay I wrote around the film for the fine folks over at Certified Forgotten. Dig in, think a little bit, and watch easily one of the best films out of the Hays Code era. [written by Bee]

Why read a book for hours when you can watch the film in under two? Kidding aside, we do encourage you to support authors and their creativity, especially when their stories and ideas hit the small or big screen. Check out our list on Letterboxd featuring our favorite book-to-screen adaptations and let us know what your favorites are!

The Chattanooga Film Festival makes its triumphant return to the Chattanooga Theatre Center for the 12th edition of what MovieMaker Magazine calls one of The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World! It all goes down in-person June 20-22 with the virtual side of the festival continuing through the 28th.