2024/01/16 by Alison Peirse · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Artistic and Creative Research #Cinema and Media Studies #Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary Criticism
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/screen/hjae001
openalex publication_date 2024/01/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
In 2010, I was working on a research project on seances in British horror cinema. Professor Peter Hutchings, my research mentor at the time, recommended that I watch the British–Canadian horror film Full Circle, released in the USA as The Haunting of Julia (Richard Loncraine, 1977). An adaptation of Peter Straub’s 1976 novel Julia, it features Mia Farrow as the eponymous protagonist, a grieving mother haunted by a demonic child, in a canny piece of intertextual casting that trades on Farrow’s star image in Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968). I had not heard of the film, which I soon discovered to be a common state of affairs. Full Circle had been neglected both academically and critically, and as recently as 2017 it was described as ‘one of the great “lost” British horrors of the 1970s’.1 As this ‘lost’ suggests, it had neither a DVD nor a Blu–Ray home release, and I eventually found a poor-quality pirated copy on YouTube. Once found, the experience of watching this film created new questions. There was a distinctive brown wash coating the film, muting the colours and making some scenes genuinely hard to see, and it was unclear whether this was an artistic choice or archival deterioration. In addition, I found the film itself profoundly unsatisfying: I struggled to make sense of the narrative, and the viewing experience was alienating. Yet Full Circle continued to nag away at me, and a few years later I explored the archives at the BBFC and BFI Special Collections in London. There I discovered it had been roundly trashed by international critics at its Cannes premiere in May 1977, and duly re-edited for theatrical release in the UK a year later – whereupon most British critics followed suit in its pulverization. John Pym for Monthly Film Bulletin wryly noted that ‘Full Circle succeeds in getting almost everything wrong, from the location of the newspaper section of the British Library to the ludicrous […] effect of having Julia finding a mutilated tortoise in a park sandpit’.2 Failure is fascinating. For the next couple of years I tried, on and off, to write about this film, but could not find my way in. It was only when I studied historical poetics that I seemed to have found a suitable point of attack. In his 1989 essay, ‘Historical poetics of cinema’, David Bordwell explains that the ‘poetics of any medium studies the finished work as a result of a process of construction’, and that this process includes ‘a craft component (e.g. rules of thumb), the more general principles according to which the work is composed, and its functions, effects and uses’. For Bordwell, the questions underpinning poetics are ‘what are the principles according to which films are constructed and by means of which they achieve particular effect?’, and ‘how and why have these principles arisen and changed in particular empirical circumstances?’3 In his 2008 book, Poetics of Cinema, Bordwell reworks and substantially extends his original 1989 essay. He simplifies his ‘central question’ of film poetics to become ‘how are films made in order to elicit certain effects?’ 4 He then suggests a three-stage poetic analysis, composed of the ‘analytical’ (film narrative and style, theme and subject), followed by ‘the principles of filmmaking as they inform films in their particular historical circumstances’ (norms of production, craft practices, how filmmakers’ choices are affected by, when and how they make films), and finally the ‘poetics of effect’ (how the film creates reactions in its audiences).5 In the case of Full Circle, I want to consider why the textual construction does not work and thus why the film fails, with a specific focus on the way that the film story is told. Straub’s source novel was well received, but the film adaptation’s contemporaneous critical mauling centred on its inability to deliver a compelling story: the Observer commented that ‘suspension of disbelief becomes increasingly difficult’ as the story progresses, while the Daily Mirror pronounced ‘there are more loose ends in this film than in a tipsy knitting contest’.6 The study of this little-known film is therefore an opportunity to widen the remit of scholarship on the history of British horror cinema. The research then goes further, utilizing historical poetics to ask how and why Full Circle’s story fails, and what elements of the film’s narrative operation make it so unsatisfying to watch. As I will demonstrate, engagement with poetics and horror has, to date, been limited, and this research offers an opportunity to think more deeply about the value of historical poetics as a method for analysing specific film genres. Yet the essay ultimately moves beyond contributions to film history. In what follows, I draw upon archival screenplay drafts and screenwriting methodologies to illuminate when and how structural decisions were made about Full Circle, and I focus on what impact these decisions had on the stories that the censors and the critics then wrote about this film. In her introduction to the 50th anniversary issue of Screen, published in 2009, Annette Kuhn asks, ‘what is theorizing for?’ She suggests that ‘theorizing ought to equip us with tools for thinking about, understanding and explaining the objects with which a body of knowledge concerns itself. Ideally, theorizing should also take on board any shifts or changes in those objects.’7 In my analysis of Full Circle, I suggest that the time has come for such a shift, and make a case for the screenplay as an object working together with screenwriting as a practice to create new knowledge in film studies Screenwriting studies is a relatively new area of study in academia: Craig Batty demarcates 2009 as the beginning of the ‘screenwriting turn’ in screen and cultural studies, Intellect launched the Journal of Screenwriting in 2010, and in 2013 Palgrave inaugurated the Studies in Screenwriting book series with monographs by Ian W. MacDonald and Eva Novrup Redvall.8 MacDonald’s Screenwriting Poetics and the Screen Idea is grounded in Bordwell’s ideas, and suggests that ‘a poetics is an explanation of how a work is constructed’.9 MacDonald’s main aim, however, is the development, naming and explication of concepts – his ‘screen idea’, the ‘screen work’, the ‘Screen Idea Work Group’ – none of which serves me here. In this essay I turn away from screenwriting studies’ engagement with practice with studies, and film studies – the of historical the of film and the of film Full Circle is an adaptation of Julia, Peter Straub’s novel but his horror in in the a opportunity in the for both for and new so as particular of horror were was to not only a novel that be well what as the of in the but also a novel that had The for this was Peter novel The and film adaptation in The film has been as ‘the horror an that ‘a of both in the and was a in the of what as ‘the of the ‘a of the by an horror at the time were or in the well as films – The and Rosemary’s both and it be for me to those Straub’s to was noted by the Observer in its of that but with the for the book as well the of a book to be for the British film Peter Julia and for the film He a from The which to the source was then on to the but Julia ‘a and so in the horror He that the to was ‘the to make a film in which of was to The as the which on with from a new by the of Julia with a about a with The as Julia, a in her at the of She is by a about to her the to the for the inability to the to the with a to her then Julia the and followed by a of so as to make her […] is not a of home and the has had of his her as and to the point of while is Julia then the that ‘the could not be was the It the that the of the does or is Julia Julia in the of and to the of her In addition, to the and his that the grieving Julia is not only but In the the the most story is the of in the of the screenplay offers a beginning with a which are of in on a few There is about about Julia at the of the and Julia to a as an new on 4 the as the Julia in a in The is thus the that the story in while the is in a has and Julia is for release, does not to her She the to her new in and in a In the on the in the to the from Julia and her the but then and a and and the The in is in its and of In than Julia has time in a from her and a a with her The has the elements that the of the novel and created a so so that have time to take or to In addition, the of such the the the are for the to In the introduction to Julia, the narrative then the of the Julia, her her her Yet the of to point of and it is her that the the scenes as Julia experience is by her and the time, the of a that will be a of the is as of her does not so how the In the the of in the Julia then the – for with of her this the Julia, is and has to when is in but what is thinking a to us has for the of and thus Julia is so so to her that with the has the to for her in or to what about a or when is in it is almost to create of some this is in the film’s with the that is a to make the and the in Full Circle from the than from a point when to what Julia is The screenplay on to has a with my everything a more than that includes and me, and I for was for me to that screenwriting be to it is a is to a are as as in an what is not great principles are not to in the been almost for most of the Julia what is thinking and in addition, the of the is to the to Julia and There is a of in this and in of the screenplay as a is from an archival however, is that this is in the – the of further, it is a few about the of the a that suggests, but does not the of the while the as a for the is the it the and from a is and are The are a to the of this archival In changes on is a common and these changes are in then then As the screenplay in the BFI is a production, and to at the time, as noted it does not have the of a which suggests that this is a of the screenplay and that the has been to and and to with a particular in that was not the filmmaking As are to so of it is for the or or what or be that are the that screenplay analysis is an area of study that offers to the as the of The with the archival so is that of the work is to development, ‘the process of a project from a to an a and is a in screen screenwriting studies, it is only recently that this specific of has been to any As and Craig Batty is the of the study of screenwriting to in the it a was in any The Journal of Screenwriting published its issue in and the book to this area in In the study of to the studies of in to and in the published and as its objects of this is the the and – of the which a work and which a textual with that The screenplay itself is in this that adaptation studies focus on such as the source novel and the finished film, and in so to consider the For the screenplay is a and that in order to be and from and stories which have to on the screenplay as and his of the screenplay as a – a […] their source and their is for the novel Julia, the screenplay the and the horror film Full to the that and therefore the of the – from novel to screenplay to – are by and in the only on what the of have and analysis is to the or that and this I is make the in the to the effect on the and the of work beyond this specific case with of the to find value in this In screenwriting studies, when horror does it to be in for the or the of screenwriting as a Studies of the poetics of horror to be with as a in the to a to the and the narrative of a film, and the in which these work together to create For in poetics of more than the that in a horror film is the of the from which the film is constructed and the of the in which they are beyond a of that is as as this in study of the in that it is to ‘the of the from the and of the film as a The only time poetics is is in the essay and is explanation of what poetics or it have come in of horror a a case for how the He the for analysis, but poetics is only in a a to the that this is a of or ‘a of historical poetics and are in their of their research as but is an that what a poetics of In her book on of horror film, a more engagement with the poetic She ‘the poetics of as and later on this as ‘the and of the and and as well as the stories and the in which they are She the history of this Bordwell, but then suggests the of his in a understanding of horror film. to an which as the that the not only on a but also in to the historical in both the film to be ‘the in which its viewing is book offers a new to the historical poetics of horror its of and As it becomes of the few to genuinely horror film studies and screenwriting studies essay on of as and my study of in of the suggests that research and are in with a process that both an understanding of screenwriting practice and a understanding of the and which it is process and for analysis are also with my historical poetics of the horror the for analysis not beyond the film itself to the but beyond that to the and specific of of that I the impact that the of the had upon the and of Full Circle, and how this in of filmmaking in the and upon Bordwell’s ‘analytical’ poetics to the release of the screenplay and film in that the story they is almost I also Bordwell’s ‘poetics of effect’ an of the film’s critical I will in understanding of Full Circle’s to Full Circle more by the work of the British film censors this which are to the British filmmaking are a of the cultural at the in Full Circle made its at Cannes in May It was then and with an by the BBFC in The BBFC on the film at this how ‘a sense of this film – the of of – but it is He then a the film’s with their that ‘the film is in its and in order to achieve a that the horror is that the film’s theme is that the film is with its than and that the effects are more to than to and both it as an is which the film for The film then a year to theatrical in the and was and by the BBFC in time an BBFC that Full Circle is ‘a relatively on an theme […] with that it was made years thus that the for its had and that ‘a of a its of to release the film and its will it It a theatrical release in UK in May whereupon the and UK theatrical was noted by the John for the that is it has for so have had such from The as the and that that ‘the is beyond point about is As while film have a historical to in to particular and particular and they an the of films and the of As noted at the time of Julia, was to a in horror In this sense Julia was on Full Circle, however, was The for Full Circle are of that horror film but it is not a history of it is not the history should David or on British cinema. the Monthly Film Bulletin suggests that while Full Circle the of it in getting almost everything The and that Full Circle is haunted by Rosemary’s for The that in Farrow’s in a of about demonic which have from the to the to that critical are and in to in film while at the time these then goes on to the of Full Circle’s a Rosemary’s in this is in the which suggests that ‘the of those have on the demonic and been sense of a to a specific of films in to the film’s UK be in to horror filmmaking in the which ‘a in focus to and the of the as the in its of Full Circle, it In addition, this the British film was As ‘the of from British film in the made it increasingly for to British while and that the of horror the than but by the of the the most of were finding it to their in their home as more and Full Circle’s UK was The film’s then had international explaining that it was for that it or that it was the why had such with be to the of the release this is is a upon and and it that a story have a of Straub’s novel Julia has a to the of a of the novel is by a to which Julia is to find the and to the next In the Julia is the of her She has a to a new but soon the to be She to find is it is but that it is a was by her the why is In in of the screenplay later the Julia to a on her and in the process She is to a and upon her release her and moves of the In her new a at which the a Julia it to be In of the Julia that her then was and by Julia in a and explains that was the why was at the of the the of the screenplay and film is a series of Julia from a that in the to then was in the a new David that was by her and Julia has his is a of and is then in the The most is He when the but these are the at was to and this was only and the film Full Circle’s premiere at to the addition, and are not neither they any of the the of the Julia that is haunted not by or but by both screenplay and film the of why the is haunted – the in the section of the this point in the screenplay and film, not David and nor why they The as the but are or to what In any the of these have to effect on She does not when her a of the way the film, the nor does seemed when to for a to The of a of in the film was commented on by Film which the of impact the have on Julia, and that of is not a means of compelling it is an from a In the that are with and as In of the the has not Julia her why is of in the British the in a her her then with her is both of his were to There is a and of which the not is the of the to what to be is the of the – their this is a Julia to the of the novel is and the that is Julia as a of for Julia in for Julia for the of in the way as creates a of and for and their It Julia, to her and most that her The novel with Julia to her her by In the of the screenplay and film, the is that her was the to the of why was – a at the of the The film with Julia in her her The and Julia In addition, the – why is Julia – is The as is was in the UK with that the film is that and is that it how it to the Daily the film in narrative and the Monthly Film Bulletin the as and while the that the is In the Julia goes on a to the about that at her in the but her is not it is a of her the story is about her that her As have this in the of the what while for the Julia an to is is to and the novel as the The novel Julia as making finally to her and only as a the that is new to her not to the The novel is thus a as a story of and at her of of the has for the Julia The most about the the screenplay and the film is that a grieving mother in a haunted and to with an The screenplay and film with Julia and the of what soon the in her and of her at is in any and thus the at the of the novel is in the screenplay in the film’s The result is a a Full Circle was eventually by and in the USA in May the new The Haunting of As well as a the film had a new The and with had a effect on the film The film had a brown the that so me when I the film on YouTube. have been but it was by the of the commented that it is in while in the that the brown ‘the film its only of The of the film was not the only Full Circle was of with British horror filmmaking in it was more at with filmmaking in the Full Circle in the was released was for and at the and noted and created the which was to a and and a was – and a demonic in Full Circle was thus released in the of the when of the films May and a of a new It for in an with such as and The for Full Circle in of when it was roundly by most the narrative as were in the UK time and for the commented that it to draw on horror and make of the that The Haunting of Julia the of its and for the that are of with Circle made impact at the I have the to a story beyond screenplay a story that and critical while this is an analysis of what the film was than an analysis of the decisions made about the film it is in the story a narrative that is of how and are as they and and thus the of to a understanding of a film and its I have on the way that stories are told. I have how the from novel to screenplay to film, is affected by and as well as and however, is only of the In the original to this essay, in I noted that Full Circle was not on home release, and film that while the they not a a of is the that of the original have away and the have been As it the and thus Full Circle a on which my essay in BFI released a from the original with the UK and release Full The Haunting of The brown wash of film had been the film was more the colours were the scenes of the questions in my viewing of the pirated on a had been The BFI and DVD release, with and an of and that the film will become a to British horror film than a great ‘lost’ film. to this in film and in my thinking the film, is by on new film in and In this suggests that ‘what is from the studies of film history is ‘a more of the historical changes their that ‘how come to film’s As film are and by the the in which suggests a for in as Kuhn to the to and shift, as thinking and In this my essay be as a historical poetics of how film and time, and that thinking as Bordwell the of any or that is grounded in and to understanding its and and its in the time, some not the of the the the from decisions made the of the the the at the BFI in May that a but I think a He the the the and the but ‘a year I this I to the in the and in the He then questions about ‘what to that they and re-edited and the story is of that of release, the The film – – does not As I this essay, screenwriting studies is in its The Journal of Screenwriting has released its while studies of screenwriting and are published in an of and and Palgrave has published on screenwriting screen studies, with the Palgrave of Screenwriting Studies the most essay is in with these in the but at the time it is also with film studies more and Screen in It a of historical poetics with a the of screenwriting studies from the of and its as a that is to understanding of film history. I to and for their on an of this essay, the from Screen for their and and for their for this essay was by the British