Every year I think about the movie Picnic at Hanging Rock, I get a terrible dread. The first time I saw it, I was so creeped out because I felt that the movie events happened in real life.

However, I did a quick Google search and saw that it was a novel by Joan Lindsay that was published in 1967:

The movie was later released in 1975 and directed by Peter Weir. It starred Helen Morse, Jacki Weaver, and Dominic Guard. It is about a girl’s private school in Australia who went on a field trip near a set of rocks called Hanging Rock and just disappeared in the rocks.

Some fun facts about the movie:

Park rangers at Hanging Rock claimed that all the actors from the movie have visited the formation since the film was made.

Writer Joan Lindsay said the novel’s publisher claimed the book was based on actual events, but that was untrue.

Producers of the movie said in interviews that the film is creeped out about the Hanging Rock formation. One of the executive producers, Patricia Lovell, visited Hanging Rock in 1985 but did not stay long because she was genuinely freaked out by the location and has never made any returning visits since.

Sofia Coppola was influenced by this film when she made The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette.

The film was shot in South Australia and took six weeks to shoot.

Have you seen this movie? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

Until next time!!

I love my birthday, reading books, and listening to books. So it’s no surprise that friends ask me, “Clarissa, what do you want for your birthday?” I usually reply, “Books or money for books or gift cards… to buy books!” So, since my birthday is near the end of the month. Here are five books that are currently on my birthday wish list

The Brooklyn Crime Novel by Jonathan Lethem is set in the 1970s and in the New York City backdrop filled with violence, unwritten but well-known rules of the streets, and chaos.

The Link to buy is here: https://atomicbooks.com/collections/new-fiction/products/brooklyn-crime-novel-a-novel.

Death Valley: A Novel by Melissa Broder. I read her book Milk Fed last year and thought it was interesting. It is a tale about a woman’s enormous grief set in a desert. When she runs away to a Best Western and takes a hike, she realizes this is more than she wants to take on.

The Link to buy is here: https://atomicbooks.com/collections/new-fiction/products/death-valley-a-novel

Every man For Himself and God Against: A memoir by Werner Herzog. I am a fan of this director’s earlier movies but have never read his books. But with a book title like this, I should dive head-on into this writing.

The Link to buy is here: https://atomicbooks.com/collections/new-books/products/every-man-for-himself-and-god-against-all-a-memoir

Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult by Maria Bamford. Comedian Maria Bamford writes about everything in her life and the craziness of her shows, mental health, and the struggles of childhood that never entirely leave you even if you grow up.

The Link to buy is here: https://atomicbooks.com/collections/new-books/products/sure-ill-join-your-cult.

Because he is one of my favorite directors!!!!!!

The link to buy is here: https://atomicbooks.com/collections/new-art-gift-cookbooks/products/john-waters-pope-of-trash-signed-pre-order-09-26

What books are on your wish list? Share your list and why!

Until next time!

Happy October 1st to those who celebrate! This is my favorite month because it ties two events together that are my favorite. My birthday is on October 28th!

And also Halloween!!!

Some scary things I like to do is, of course, watch scary movies!

Some great movie recommendations are

Phantom of the Paradise, directed by Brian DePalma. Part musical, love story, and the rest horror. This movie will leave you dancing and singing to the songs on the screen.

Black Sabbath, directed by Mario Bava. It is three movies rolled into one with a Boris Karloff introduction!

Mad Monster Party (1967) directed by Jules Bass because Halloween can be cute too!

Also, I am an avid reader. Here are some book recommendations to read this month:

This is one of the first books I ever read in kindergarten, and it’s a collection of short stories centered around the strange and scary.

What scary things get you in the mood to celebrate the month of October? Comment below!!!