If you know who Michael Cunningham is, you know that his name is not exactly synonymous with “psycho slash er flick”. Nevertheless, the author of acclaimed novels like AT HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD and THE HOURS (for which he won a Pulitzer) is going genre with A BEAUTIFUL GIRL, a thriller he’s writing for Screen Gems.
The story concerns a shy but brainy high school girl who returns for senior year after having slimmed down six dress sizes. She finds herself flirting with the handsome English lit teacher, but the mutual crush turns deadly when the teacher’s obsession with the student compels him to exact maniacal revenge on everyone who was cruel to her.
Cunningham had a chat with EW and explained the decision to get bloody:
“I’ve always been a huge fan of horror films. I’ve seen all the horror movies. I have no limits when it comes to that. I’Ave seen all the Saw movies. Do you know the writer Amy Hempel? She and I will go to any hack-’em-up movie, the gorier the better. So the genre has always appealed to me. Now, I should say that I have the highest respect for those who teach English literature, particularly in high school. But this individual is just a psycho.”
And for more of Cunningham’s inner nutcase, here’s a quote of his from back in June regarding his love of gore: “While I was writing about Virginia Woolf, my mind was never far removed from the idea of girls in bikinis being hacked up by guys wearing hockey masks, and I vowed that if I ever had a good idea, I would write one of these scary movies.”
I happen to think this is awesome, for whatever reason. I really can’t to see what pops up when this highly-respected literary type uses his Pulitzer Prize as a bludgeon. (Figuratively, of course…)