Shirley

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

Elisabeth Moss gives a tour-de-force performance as Shirley Jackson, one of the greatest horror writers of the 20th Century, in this unconventional biopic from the brilliant mind of director Josephine Decker (Madeline’s Madeline), a powerful new voice in independent filmmaking.

Set in the early 1950s, the film charts an imagined chapter in the life of Jackson, who has recently become a literary sensation. When her philandering professor husband (Michael Stuhlbarg) invites a newlywed couple into their home, the reclusive writer is forced to change her routine, which heightens tensions in their already tempestuous household. This change acts as a catalyst, sparking inspiration for the anxiety-prone writer. As she becomes enamoured with Rose, her unsuspecting new muse, Shirley’s obsession plunges her into a quasi-delirium, awakening a repressed femininity that could inspire her next masterpiece.