Haunted Summer (1988)

In 1815, authors Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley get together for some philosophical discussions, but the situation soon deteriorates into mind games, drugs and sex.

Director:

Ivan Passer

Writers:

Lewis John Carlino, Anne Edwards (novel)

Stars:

Philip Anglim, Alice Krige, Eric Stoltz

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Philip Anglim	...	Lord Byron
Alice Krige	...	Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin
Eric Stoltz	...	Percy Shelley
Alex Winter	...	Dr. John William Polidori
Laura Dern	...	Claire Clairmont
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Berling	...	Maurice
Donald Hodson	...	Rushton (as Don Hodson)
Giusto Lo Pipero	...	Berger
Antoinette McLain	...	Elise
Terry Richards	...	Fletcher

Storyline

Based on the infamous Summer of 1816 when Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein", it chronicles the mind games and manipulations that were the halmarks of the intense and neurotic relationships that existed among Byron, Shelley, Mary, and her step-sister Claire Godwin.

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Plot Keywords:

mary shelley | sex | author | summer | percy shelley | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Förtrollad sommar

Filming Locations:

Lake Como, Lombardia, Italy

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally scheduled to be directed by John Huston before Ivan Passer was assigned the job.

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Quotes

Dr. John William Polidori: I have written a play. I think it quite good.
Lord Byron: Do shut up, John.

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Connections

Version of Gothic (1986)

User Reviews

Waste of Time

Don't waste your time on this dreck. As portrayed, the characters have no redeeming values and watching them interact is sheer torture. "Gothic" was entertainment at least, this is crap. If you like watching pretentious and spoiled poets straining to outwit each other, this may be right up your alley. Lord Byron is portrayed as a complete jerk, and why the others would choose to spend more than five minutes with him is truly bewildering. Mary Shelly appears to be the only character with any spine whatsoever, but even she comes out of the whole ordeal without an ounce of respect. What a waste of time. See Gothic instead. I also remember seeing another superior movie based on the same subject matter, but didn't catch the title. I was hoping this was it, but no such luck. Not recommended.