I wonder if The Haunting of Hill House would fit the bill. It certainly shares some characteristics with The Shining. It’s a story more of atmosphere than plot which might work in its favour.
I feel like somebody needs to do an opera of the Hunchback of Notre Dame (I don't know, maybe one already exists?) Not exactly a horror story but I'll never forget the way the ending made me feel as an angsty 14-year-old who had never before experienced a tale so beautifully messy and melodramatic.
Turn of the Screw is one of my favorite ghost stories (although I had to read the beginning like three times to figure out the narrative structure) so I'm delighted to find an opera of it exists!
I know it's a cliche, but honestly, Frankenstein would make an amazing opera. And I'd pay good money to see Crowley's Moonchild on stage. Or how about Something Wicked This Way Comes?
Wind-swept isle off the coast of Scotland in 1921. Unorthodox family isolated in the castle and shunned by the mainlanders. Occult mystery. Local detective comes to investigate unsolved horrific murders...
High drama and horror; questions of identity and morality. Bloody murder. What's not to like for a libretto?
My first thought (which is always the most off the rails) was it would be fascinating to see Don’t Breathe or Quiet Place, both movies that have a really intentional relationship with sound engineering (both feature characters who are HOH) staged as operas, and the second was anything Guillermo del Toro (but especially Shape of Water—though that doesn’t count bc it’s technically a romance)
I can see both of those sets of films working really well, but now I particularly want to see an opera of Pan’s Labyrinth where the Pale Man staggers around groaning wordlessly…
I wonder if The Haunting of Hill House would fit the bill. It certainly shares some characteristics with The Shining. It’s a story more of atmosphere than plot which might work in its favour.
YES and a great cast of characters too with some quite deep passions...
I feel like somebody needs to do an opera of the Hunchback of Notre Dame (I don't know, maybe one already exists?) Not exactly a horror story but I'll never forget the way the ending made me feel as an angsty 14-year-old who had never before experienced a tale so beautifully messy and melodramatic.
Turn of the Screw is one of my favorite ghost stories (although I had to read the beginning like three times to figure out the narrative structure) so I'm delighted to find an opera of it exists!
I fell asleep during The Shining though haha.
So apparently there is an opera of Hunchback (which is indeed a great idea) but I've also now stumbled across a musical version where Frollo appears to be being played by Mr Bean so that's my evening sorted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lefbtf5jjbg&list=RDLefbtf5jjbg&start_radio=1
You fell asleep during the Shining! Did you wake up when it does the sudden scene transitions like... TUESDAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zetuefpVGfA
Forget about Quasimodo, the real tragedy here is Frollo's eyebrows 😭🤣
And in fairness to Kubrick, I also found the book to be a real snooze fest!
I know it's a cliche, but honestly, Frankenstein would make an amazing opera. And I'd pay good money to see Crowley's Moonchild on stage. Or how about Something Wicked This Way Comes?
All good options! Frankenstein would be absolutely incredible.
That turn of the screw set!!!
It’s beautiful isn’t it?
Little Eve by Catriona Ward.
I don’t know it! What kind of features make it operatic?
Wind-swept isle off the coast of Scotland in 1921. Unorthodox family isolated in the castle and shunned by the mainlanders. Occult mystery. Local detective comes to investigate unsolved horrific murders...
High drama and horror; questions of identity and morality. Bloody murder. What's not to like for a libretto?
That sounds ideal and I now desperately want to see it!
What a good conception of the Overlook Hotel in the watercolour.
It’s lovely isn’t it? That artist has uploaded a series on X, I think the theme is just ‘place’ and some of them are fictional.
My first thought (which is always the most off the rails) was it would be fascinating to see Don’t Breathe or Quiet Place, both movies that have a really intentional relationship with sound engineering (both feature characters who are HOH) staged as operas, and the second was anything Guillermo del Toro (but especially Shape of Water—though that doesn’t count bc it’s technically a romance)
I can see both of those sets of films working really well, but now I particularly want to see an opera of Pan’s Labyrinth where the Pale Man staggers around groaning wordlessly…