Readings In Genre: The Haunting

After much soul-searching (otherwise known as orgies of obsessive self-doubt), I’ve made the decision to pursue an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. My first residency was in June 2020. (It was virtual, thanks to the current pandemic). Now it’s time to dig into my first course syllabus in over twenty years—Readings In Genre: The Haunting.

• The Haunting of Hill House (novel) by Shirley Jackson
• Hell House (novel) by Richard Matheson
• Paranormal Activity (2007 film)
• Ghost Story (novel) by Peter Straub
• Nightmare House (novel) by Douglass Clegg
• The Others (2001 film)
• Amityville Horror (novel) by Jay Anson
• Grave’s End (novel) by Elaine Mercado
• Poltergeist (1982 film)
• The Shining (novel) by Stephen King
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005 film)
• The Exorcist (novel) by William Peter Blatty
• Ghostbusters (the 1984 and the 2016 films)

Seriously?! I get to re-read classic ghost/horror stories and re-watch some of my favorite movies of all time in the guise of homework? (Insert evil laugh here.)

As a student of Popular Fiction, I can’t simply relax and enjoy the stories that once made me sleep with the lights on.  I also need to review and comment, hopefully with some level of intelligence. After years of avoiding any semblance of blogging, it is now necessary to add a review blog to the website. So, as my TV girl crush says, watch this space.