This month on Unnatural Selection, join Emma and Kaylee on a journey through Hill House, not sane, as they compare Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House to its first film adaptation, 1963’s The Haunting. Let’s see how two men in the 1960’s managed to portray the lesbian situationship at the heart of this harrowing story, what makes black and white film such an interesting choice, and how sound design kind of goes hard. And don’t worry, our old friend the Hays Code makes an appearance.

Content warnings for The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson include: suicide, death of a parent, death of a loved one, abandonment issues, a labyrinthine house, mild gaslighting, and repressed lesbianism.

Content warnings for The Haunting (1963) include: suicide, death of a parent, death of a loved one, abandonment issues, a labyrinthine house, mild gaslighting, and repressed lesbianism (but in a slightly different way).

The articles and book Emma references in this episode can be found here:

The Films of Robert Wise by Richard C. Keenan

https://www.tcm.com/articles/behind-the-classics/961615/behind-the-classics-the-haunting-1963

https://frontrowfeatures.com/features-category-of-interviews-and-spotlights/in-retrospect-robert-wise-and-julie-harris-converge-on-hill-house-33927.html

https://www.loa.org/news-and-views/1208-terror-suspense-and-the-power-of-suggestion-in-the-haunting/

https://thelastdrivein.com/category/literature-the-novel-and-the-screenplay/nelson-gidding/

http://www.monsterzine.com/200201/haunting.php

You can find Emma on bluesky @crabmoney.bsky.social and Kaylee most anywhere @kayleerowena. You can find more of her work at https://kayleerowena.com, including preorder information for her debut graphic novel with Jordan Alsaqa, Affairs of the Haunt, which releases April 2027. Unnatural Selection is a part of the Moonshot Network. If you like what you’ve heard and want to support, you can become a patron at https://patreon.com/moonshotnetwork

The music for this podcast was composed by Jake Loranger. You can check out more of his work at https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com

It’s been a while since we’ve covered a movie on Unnatural Selection that’s plagued with production problems, riddled with lawsuits, and suffering from abysmal CGI. Join Emma and Greg for a special Emma’s birthday episode where they talk about the 2005 adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s short story A Sound of Thunder. This episode is short, it is detailed, and it features a surprisingly detailed description of a manga trope. For the best listening experience, Emma recommends reading A Sound of Thunder before listening. It will take you five minutes and it’s free online.

Content warnings for A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury include: gun violence, trophy hunting, and the origin of several time travel tropes.

Content warnings for A Sound of Thunder (2005) include: gun violence, trophy hunting, death of a loved one, drowning, the only Black actor in the party dying first in a weird and drawn out way, bugs, and terrible CGI.

The articles Emma references in this episode can be found here:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/mar/08/news

https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/19/renny-harlin-and-pierce-brosnan-hear-a-sound-of-thunder

https://www.denverpost.com/2005/09/03/thunder-a-jurassic-farce/

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-sep-02-et-sound2-story.html

https://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/a-sound-of-thunder-1200523576/

https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/elie-s-new-chapter-1117909400/

https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2005-2/a-sound-of-thunder/

https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/sound-thunder-combining-futuristic-prehistoric

Emma can be found on bluesky @crabmoney.bsky.social. Greg can be reached via the Moonshot discord or directly at hamamelis. Unnatural Selection is a part of the Moonshot Network. If you like what you’ve heard and want to support, you can become a patron at https://patreon.com/moonshotnetwork

The music for this show was composed by Jake Loranger. You can find more of his work at https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com

Crack open those D rations to snack on as Emma and Theo break into new territories for the pod—nonfiction and multi-stage adaptations. They break down Louis Zamperini’s life story three ways: through Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 novel Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, the 2014 Angelina Jolie-directed Oscar-bait film Unbroken, and the 2018 Pureflix-produced sequel Unbroken: Path to Redemption. There’s a lot to unpack in this one folks, and the audio may be a little wonky since Emma edited it while on an airplane.

Content warnings for Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand include: WW2-typical violence, graphic descriptions of starvation, graphic descriptions of POW camps, descriptions of PTSD, abuse, death, injuries, fascism, alcoholism, mild spousal abuse, a handshake with Hitler, and 1930’s anti-Italian sentiments.

Content warnings for Unbroken (2014) include: WW2 movie-typical violence, actors visibly starving themselves, depictions of POW camp violence.

Content warnings for Unbroken: Path to Redemption include: depictions of PTSD flashbacks, alcoholism, mild spousal abuse, and evangelism.

The articles Emma references in this episode can be found here:

https://scriptmag.com/reviews/cross-road-the-unbroken-path-of-matt-baer

https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/unbroken-path-to-redemption-sequel-on-louis-zamperini-focuses-on-faith-his-return-home/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/making-unbroken-angelina-jolie-fought-758081/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/coen-brothers-rewrite-angelina-jolies-424417/

https://collider.com/angelina-jolie-jack-oconnell-unbroken-interview/

https://www.postmagazine.com/Publications/Post-Magazine/2015/January-1-2015/Editing-Unbroken.aspx

You can find Emma on bluesky @crabmoney.bsky.social and Theo @fourwholemoons.bsky.social. You can find more of Theo’s projects at www.theodoremonk.com or on his podcast The Friendship Factory. If you’re interested in more collaboration from Emma and Theo you can check out the vod of Sonic and the State of Denmark on the Moonshot Youtube channel. Unnatural Selection is a part of the Moonshot Network. If you like what you’ve heard and want to support, you can become a patron at www.patreon.com/moonshotnetwork.

The music for this show was composed by Jake Loranger. You can check out more of his work at https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com