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Down a Dark Hall

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Down a Dark Hall
Cover of the book, showing a girl standing in front of a spirit with a brown mansion in the background
First edition cover
AuthorLois Duncan
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult fiction, gothic fiction, thriller
PublisherLittle, Brown
Publication date
September 26, 1974
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover & paperback)
Pages181 (first edition, hardcover)
ISBN0-316-19547-2 (first edition, hardcover)
OCLC866553
LC ClassPZ7.D9117 Do

Down a Dark Hall is a 1974 young adult gothic novel by Lois Duncan. The book follows Kit Gordy, who is sent to a boarding school where only four students are admitted including herself. The students suddenly develop new talents, with Kit waking up one night playing a musical piece she has never heard. After they are told that they have been channeling the spirits of talented historical figures, Kit tries to escape the school before the bond between the spirits and the students becomes permanent.

Duncan began working on the novel based on the suggestion of an editor who had never seen a gothic novel written for young adults. One version of the novel that she submitted to the publisher was returned to her for revision because all the victims in the story were female whereas all the spirits they were channeling were male. The publisher was worried that feminists would not like this idea, so after Duncan made one of the spirits a woman the book was accepted for publication.

A revised edition of the novel was released in 2011 with updates to modernize the novel. Critical reception to the book was mostly positive, with staff at the University of Iowa adding the novel to their Books for Young Adults list. A film adaptation of the book starring AnnaSophia Robb and Uma Thurman was released in 2018.

Plot

Background and publication history

Down a Dark Hall was originally published on September 26, 1974 by Little, Brown and Company in hardcover.[1][2] Duncan began writing the book after an editor, who had never seen a gothic novel aimed at young adults, suggested she try coming up with one.[3] Down a Dark Hall is the only gothic novel that Duncan ever wrote.[4] A challenge that she had while writing the book was creating new descriptions for Blackwood's upstairs hallway each time Kit used it to walk to and from her room. She dealt with this problem by describing Kit's journey across the hall at various times in the day.[3] Duncan modeled Kit after her daughter Kerry.[5]

One version of the novel she submitted to the publisher was returned to her for revision because all of the victims in the story were female while all the spirits the students were channeling were male. The publisher was concerned that feminists would have a problem with this idea, so Duncan changed the spirit of the dead poet from Alan Seeger to Emily Brontë, after which the book was accepted for publication.[6][7] For a scene in the novel which discussed how Madame Duret aged a painting, Duncan consulted her artist friend Betty Sabo, who explained how the process works and reviewed her manuscript to make sure she described it correctly. Down a Dark Hall is dedicated to Betty Sabo and her husband Dan Sabo.[8]

On April 19, 2011, a revised version of the novel was released with changes to modernize the content.[9][10] Down a Dark Hall, along with Stranger with My Face and Summer of Fear, was the second group of 10 novels by Duncan to be updated.[9] Duncan introduced cell phones in the revised edition, which presented a challenge because it meant that characters could just call for help.[8] To explain away the cell phone, Duncan writes in the story that the school had no cell phone service.[11] Duncan also changed the last name of Kit's mother and stepfather from Rheardon to Rolland because she felt that she had overused the surname Rheardon while updating some of her young adult novels.[8] An audiobook version of the novel was released by Listening Library in 1985,[12] and another, narrated by Emma Galvin, was released by Hachette Audio in 2011. A reviewer from AudioFile liked Galvin's narration, stating that she "eerily portrays the sinister school, staff, and faculty, as well as the terror of the students as events become more and more mysterious."[13]

Major themes

Cosette Kies states in Presenting Lois Duncan that Down a Dark Hall is about loss of personal identity and possession.[14] Deborah Wilson Overstreet, writing in The ALAN Review, says that the book explores the importance of taking responsibility for one's own self. In the novel, Kit demonstrates responsibility by actively being involved in her escape from Blackwood and helping the other students escape.[15]

Reception

Staff at the University of Iowa included the book in their 1975 Books for Young Adults list, which represents the popular reading choices of the junior and senior high school students they surveyed in Iowa.[16] Gloria Levitas from The New York Times thought that Duncan's "off hand treatment" towards Kit's romantic feelings let her focus on the character's intelligence and rationality. She felt that the "result is highly original; a gothic novel that is more a commentary on the dangers of education than on the perils of unrequited love."[17] A reviewer from Kirkus Reviews stated that Duncan is able to portray frightening ghosts in the story without focusing too much on their distinguishing features.[1] In a review of the 2011 revised edition, Tor.com's Mari Ness thought that updating the novel to the 21st century created problems with the book. She felt that it did not make sense that a school that states it provides advanced science lessons has no Internet access and said Kit's mother could have researched the school and its teachers online before sending her daughter there.[11]

Film adaptation

Main article: Down a Dark Hall (film)

Stephenie Meyer optioned Down a Dark Hall for film in April 2012.[18] Principal photography began in October 2016 in Barcelona and ended in December 2016. Filming took place over four weeks in Barcelona and two weeks in the Canary Islands.[19][20] It was released on August 17, 2018 with a limited release in theaters and a digital release through video-on-demand.[21] The film grossed $2.71 million during its theatrical run.[22]

The film was directed by Rodrigo Cortés and the screenplay was written by Chris Sparling and Michael Goldbach.[23] It stars AnnaSophia Robb as Kit Gordy and Uma Thurman as Madame Duret.[24] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50% based on 26 reviews, with the site's critics consensus reading: "Down a Dark Hall is more stylish than scary, although its foreboding atmosphere may raise a few goosebumps among younger viewers."[25]

References

  1. ^ a b "Down a Dark Hall". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  2. ^ Gray, John (April 1, 1974). "Down a Dark Hall". Best Sellers. 34 (1): 430. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Duncan, Lois (1979). How to Write and Sell Your Personal Experiences. Writer's Digest Books. pp. 190–192. ISBN 0-911654-74-7.
  4. ^ Duncan, Lois. "Teacher Guides". loisduncan.arquettes.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Duncan, Lois (March 1982). Chapters: My Growth as a Writer. Little, Brown and Company. p. 262. ISBN 0-316-19552-9.
  6. ^ Duncan, Lois; Abbott, Megan. "The Deep Bottom Drawer: A Conversation with Lois Duncan". Mulholland Books. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  7. ^ Duncan, Lois (1979). How to Write and Sell Your Personal Experiences. Writer's Digest Books. p. 182. ISBN 0-911654-74-7.
  8. ^ a b c Duncan, Lois; Han, Jenny (April 2011). "Q&A with the Author". Down a Dark Hall (eBook). Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-13435-4.
  9. ^ a b Lodge, Sally (September 23, 2010). "Lois Duncan Thrillers Get an Update". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "Down a Dark Hall". Hachette Book Group. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Ness, Mari (November 20, 2014). "When the Internet Doesn't Work With Your 1970s Plot: Down a Dark Hall". Tor.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Telgen, Diane, ed. (1994). "DUNCAN, Lois 1934- (Lois Kerry)". Something About the Author. 75: 50. ISBN 0-8103-2285-4.
  13. ^ "Down a Dark Hall". AudioFile. August 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  14. ^ Kies, Cosette (1993). Presenting Lois Duncan. Twayne Publishers. p. 51. ISBN 0-8057-8221-4.
  15. ^ Overstreet, Deborah Wilson (1994). "Help! Help! An Analysis of Female Victims in the Novels of Lois Duncan". The ALAN Review. 21 (3): 43–46. doi:10.21061/alan.v21i3.a.8. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  16. ^ Carlsen, G. Robert; Manna, Tony; Yoder, Jan (January 1976). "1975 BYA Book Poll". The English Journal. 65 (1): 95. doi:10.2307/814721. JSTOR 814721.
  17. ^ Levitas, Gloria (November 10, 1974). "Haunts And Hunts". The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  18. ^ Abrams, Rachel (April 18, 2012). "Stephenie Meyer options tome 'Dark Hall'". Variety. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  19. ^ McNary, Dave (October 7, 2016). "AnnaSophia Robb to Star in Supernatural Drama 'Down a Dark Hall' From Stephenie Meyer". Variety. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  20. ^ "Rodrigo Cortés finaliza el rodaje de 'Down a Dark Hall'". Cine y Tele (in Spanish). December 21, 2016. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  21. ^ "Down a Dark Hall". Lionsgate Publicity. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018.
  22. ^ "Down a Dark Hall". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  23. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (October 7, 2016). "Isabelle Fuhrman To Go 'Down A Dark Hall'; Owen Teague Joins 'The Empty Man'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  24. ^ Myers, Kimber (August 16, 2018). "Review: AnnaSophia Robb and Uma Thurman star in mildly chilling YA horror 'Down a Dark Hall'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  25. ^ "Down a Dark Hall". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
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