The Yellow Wallpaper is a 2021 American gothic feminist horror film about a young woman who becomes obsessed with the titular wall covering.
Written and directed by Kevin Pontuti, based on the 1892 short story of the same name by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the Hysteria Pictures production stars Alexandra Loreth, Joe Mullins, Jeanne O’Connor, Clara Harte and Mark P. O’Connor.
Plot:
Jane (Alexandra Loreth), a writer and young mother, is prescribed a rest treatment by her physician husband John (Joe Mullins), who takes her to a remote country estate for the summer. She becomes obsessed with the peculiar yellow wallpaper in the bedroom he has chosen for her. In her isolation, she secretly writes about a woman trapped in the wallpaper—that she must free…
Reviews:
” …a delicately evocative horror story of the first order, rooted in the reality of post-partum depression and added burden of its pernicious denial.” Alliance of Women Film Journalists
“It is by its very nature a slow-burn exploration of madness exacerbated by society’s standards, but there are many a line and an ending shot sure to linger in your mind long after the film ends, perhaps even tinting your very thoughts the color of Jane’s struggle.” Killer Horror Critic
“Where other directors might have chosen to use special effect and post-production CGI to transform the wallpaper into a hallucinatory headscape, Pontuti relies on more old-fashioned methods (in keeping with his film’s period setting) to convey Jane’s uncanny untethering from reality […] the cuts introduced by Pontuti and Loreth’s editing start coming faster and more jarringly as Jane’s delirium progresses.” Projected Figures
“Turning a 10-page short story into a full-length feature is perhaps a bit of a stretch (there is a reason why it’s generally adapted as a short film); we understand it faster than the film allows us to proceed, and we’re left just a tad too long before it catches up to the place we need to be. But The Yellow Wallpaper is a strong and unsetting adaptation of this gothic tale, one that allows for the moments of silence and atmosphere to permeate our minds.” Screen Anarchy
Release date:
The Yellow Wallpaper had its world premiere at Cinequest on March 20th 2021 and was shown at various festivals.
In the US, Mutiny Pictures will release The Yellow Wallpaper on Digital platforms such as Amazon Prime to rent or buy on March 29, 2022.
Cast and characters:
Alexandra Loreth … Jane
Joe Mullins … John
Jeanne O’Connor … Jennie
Clara Harte … Mary
Mark P. O’Connor … James
Technical details:
1 hour 39 minutes
Notes:
Not to be confused with the 2016 adaptation of The Yellow Wallpaper directed by Kourosh Ahari and starring Katherine Celio, nor the 2012 adaptation directed by Logan Thomas and starring Aric Cushing. There is also a 1989 TV movie and several short film adaptations.
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