The Shape of Things: issue 22

issue no. 22

Film + Design

It’s our favorite time of year, so we are sharing some of our most beloved horror films + how their strategic spatial designs play with our emotions.

Please note that this is in NO way an exhaustive list + honestly just the very tip of a giant iceberg. We only hope it brings some continued awareness to the visceral impact space has on our emotions, even in 2D.

Of course, there are a few of the obvious choices…

Poltergeist- essentially, TV is bad for you, but so is building your home atop human remains. This one also quells our nostalgia for true 80s design. It turns out you can actually book a stay in the house.

Psycho- what’s scarier than an old Victorian + 30-something white male with severe mommy issues?

Rear Window- immobilization, confined space + the secret pleasure of peering into the lives + homes of neighbors. What’s not to like?

The Shining- massive scale, isolation, + expansive, seemingly never-ending spaces, combined with a stressed-out dad who just can’t find his creative voice? EEK

…buuuut, we’re going a little more modern

LIST IS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

The Invitation

Karyn Kusama, 2015

This one is an all-time favorite. Set in a California mid-century modern home with dim lighting, in a seemingly warm + inviting space, that does not disappoint in its total betrayal.

Longlegs

Osgood Perkins, 2024

Think 1990’s suburban interiors that evoke feelings of both familiarity + sinister - muted palettes, isolation, heavy wood paneling + a dash of hoarding.

Fun fact:

Osgood Perkins is the son of Psycho’s Anthony Perkins.

Lost Highway

David Lynch, 1997

The king of mood + subconscious evokes disorientation with spaces that feel familiar but off; disconnected hallways, rooms that seem to trap rather than protect, + lighting that shifts unexpectedly.

Fun fact:

The Los Angeles home shown below, used for the film, was actually David Lynch’s own home.

The Night House

David Bruckner, 2020

As if having an architect for a partner isn’t scary enough, add in isolation, forest, parallel lives, an exact replica of your home built in reverse?

Scenes in this film note the exposure + vulnerability that can come when living in nature- a sense that no one is watching. In addition, the constant presence of water relates to the subconscious mind + those things that remain hidden.

Us

Jordan Peele, 2019

It’s impossible to stop at just one of his films but we had to. This one is an intentionally crafted study in contrast + duality.

The vacation home is warm + inviting, with natural materials + earthy tones, which highly contrasts that of the underworld with its stark lighting + institutional-like setting. For every space, it’s contrasted counterpart.