Shirley, The Much Awaited Biopic about Shirley Jackson
I am so looking forward to this film, mostly because it will feed my obsession with all things Shirley Jackson, but also because she is regularly forgotten and probably not as well known as she should be across the pond.
Jackson was a complex character with a unique mind, often misunderstood and judged harshly for simply being a woman in the horror scene with an interest in witchcraft and how the mind works. She was ahead of her time and I wish she didn’t die so young, imagine the body of work she would have produced?
I find Shirley a kindred spirit, her love of cats and witchcraft, and her talent for finding the uncanny in the little things; her kitchen sink scenes sometimes show so much more pathos than intended. The times she lived in were not conducive to women writers, especially writers of horror and with children to raise.
In her biography, ‘Shirley Jackson – A Rather Haunted Life’ Ruth Franklin paints a candid but affectionate portrait of the author, a view into her mental health and the difficulty in having her work accepted. The well known fact that Jackson received a large amount of abusive letters, on publication of her breakthrough story ‘The Lottery’ in 1949, many containing death threats, is very telling of an age when women were only expected to be housewives.
I have high hopes for this film, I hope they are kind to Shirley and showcase her immense talent.
Watch the trailer below: