Shirley

2020
R
1h 47m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

14K

YOUR RATING

Renowned horror writer Shirley Jackson is on the precipice of writing her masterpiece when the arrival of newlyweds upends her meticulous routine and heightens tensions in her already tempestuous relationship with her philandering husband.

Play trailer1:36

4 Videos

72 Photos

Biography Drama Mystery Thriller

A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.

Director
- Josephine Decker
Writers
- Sarah Gubbins
- Susan Scarf Merrell
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

14K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Josephine Decker
Writers
- Sarah Gubbins
- Susan Scarf Merrell
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 wins & 25 nominations

Videos4

Elisabeth Moss Isn't Done Playing Shirley Jackson

Photos72

+ 64

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The missing Bennington College student referred to in the film was Paula Jean Welden who, while off campus, disappeared on December 1, 1946 while walking on Vermont's Long Trail hiking route.

Goofs
The death cap mushrooms Shirley points to don't resemble death cap mushrooms at all, which are usually white and flat-capped. It's entirely possible this is another example of Shirley's psychological manipulation.

Quotes
Shirley Jackson: [to Rose] Let's pray for a boy. The world is too cruel to girls.

Connections
Featured in Chris Stuckmann Quick Movie Reviews: Guns Akimbo, Honey Boy, Da 5 Bloods, Becky, The Lovebirds & More! (2020)

Soundtracks
I'm in Town
Written by Frantic Faye Thomas (as Faye Thomas)
Performed by Frantic Faye Thomas
Courtesy of Tuffamerica, Inc.

User reviews150

Review

Featured review

Fictional story based on real author Shirley Jackson.

"Shirley" takes place soon after the publication of Jackson's piece of short fiction, "The Lottery", published in 1948. While both the novel and film adaptation of "Shirley" document aspects of the writer's life, the central narrative of Rose and Fred Nemser, a couple who moves into the writer's Bennington home, is completely fictional.

Elisabeth Moss who also was a producer stars as Shirley Jackson, rude, crude and inappropriate most times but successful as an author of horror stories. I can't say I really enjoyed this movie, Shirley and her husband were not very nice people. But Moss does a wonderful job in the role and it is good to know something about her life.

I watched it at home on DVD from my public library, my wife skipped.