Join Film Lady for a working retreat at the Crawford house in Vermont, where the coffee is strong, the husband is grieving (but hot), and the bestselling author upstairs hasn't moved or spoken in months. Supposedly.

From Colleen Hoover's sensational 2018 thriller to the 2026 big-screen adaptation, Film Lady pulls up an ergonomic chair at Verity's desk and reads the one manuscript that should have stayed in the drawer.

Darkness ahead. You’ve been warned!

Content warning: violence, death, suffocation, strangulation, child death, car accident, serious injury, child abuse & endangerment, a parent intending harm to their children, attempts to self-induce miscarriage, pregnancy, sex scenes, infidelity, obsession, possessiveness, psychological manipulation, emotional abuse, grief, mental illness, gaslighting, deception, unreliable narration, strong language.

Spoiler warning: detailed discussion and analysis of the book & movie! All the twists revealed!

Cold Open & Warm Close: p.61-62 & p.304 respectively from the novel: Verity by Colleen Hoover | Goodreads

Pod rec: Read Rant Review

Madwoman in the attic book

Mentioned: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover | Goodreads

Associations:

Housemaid (2025)

Rebecca, Jane Eyre, other gothic novels & their various screen adaptations

50 Shades of Grey (2015)

Gone Girl (2014)

Titane (2021)

Paranormal Activity (2007)

Music - Free Music Archive - CC BY License:

• Alex Morgan - Dark Suspense Thriller Underscore

• Alex Morgan - Scary Soundscape for Suspense Podcasts

• Tommaso Motteran - Horror Chase Music - Dark Orchestral Suspense

• TRAMOS - Suspense Theme - TRAMOS.mp3

Find me: @filmladyroyal on Letterboxd, Bluesky & Instagram

Email: kinoroyalepodcast@gmail.com

All eps & more on website: kinoroyale.net

Last chance to vote for November theme - on socials, email or under ep on Spotify (ep 22)

Acknowledgement of Country

I would like to acknowledge that I live, work, and learn on the traditional lands of the Dharug and Darkinjung peoples. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.