Aahana Swrup
Directed by Michael Showalter, ‘Verity’ presents an intriguing story about a ghostwriter who becomes haunted by the manuscript of the author she has been hired to replicate. Verity Crawford is a highly successful author whose upcoming release is much anticipated among her readers. Tragically, an accident leaves her paralyzed, preventing her from finishing her novel. As a result, her husband, Jeremy, seeks out Lowen Ashleigh, a writer whose career has mostly flown under the radar so far. Once the latter agrees to become Verity’s ghostwriter, she’s welcomed into the Crawford residence to do her research on the novel’s existing bare bones.
At the house, Lowen ends up discovering something far more sinister. She discovers the manuscript of Verity’s autobiography, which recounts the story of her marriage and family life. However, a series of dark confessions lies within the pages of the manuscript that ties up the Crawford family in an elaborate internal conspiracy. The psychological thriller film remains largely confined to the storylines of these three characters and their complicated interpersonal dynamics. In exploring these relationships, the film grounds its narrative in realistic, relatable themes of truth and its precarity.
Verity is Based on Colleen Hoover’s Erotic Thriller Novel
The story presented in ‘Verity’ remains a work of fiction, free of any real-life inspirations. Instead, it has direct ties to Colleen Hoover’s eponymous novel, which was published in 2018. By then, the author had already published a number of books and made a name for herself in the romance genre. Yet, with this title, she decided to explore a different genre. The inspiration for the novel came in the aftermath of an underwhelming movie-going experience. In a conversation with Ana’s Attic, the author spoke about her experience and said, “(But) The idea for Verity came to me as my mother and I left the theater earlier this year. We had seen a scary movie, and I left disappointed because I hated the ending.”
Hoover further shared, “I thought the first half of the movie was brilliant, but then when the paranormal aspect was introduced, I was let down. Paranormal things don’t scare me. Real-life situations—things that can actually happen to you—is what scares me. I was complaining to my mother about how I was hoping the movie would end with it being something that could possibly happen to me in real life. When I got home, I started writing an outline. Several hours later, I had completed the outline for ‘Verity.’” Thus, rather than a real-life instance, the book was born from the author’s inclination to explore the tense, adrenaline-fuelled genre of thrillers with a realistic and impactful ending.
Hoover drew inspiration for corners of the story from other aspects of her life. For instance, the earliest foundation for the character of Jeremy was set by the author’s own husband, Heath Hoover. Much like the literary character, the latter also avoids reading his wife’s books because he has a hard time separating the characters from their writer. Thus, in the novel, Jeremy inherits this pivotal characterization from Heath Hoover. Nonetheless, outside of these small tidbits, the novel itself has no other basis in real-life people or events. For the most part, the film strives for a faithful adaptation of Hoover’s novel, recreating the themes and aiming to capture the emotional core of the story. Even so, some facets of the story inevitably end up different on the screen.
Michael Showalter Drew Inspiration From Classic Erotic Thrillers for Verity
In adapting Colleen Hoover’s ‘Verity’ for the screen, director Michael Showalter had a very clear and steadfast vision for the story. He was inspired by a certain genre of Hollywood films that encapsulate a glamorous world full of aspirationalism and escapism. Titles like ‘Rebecca,’ ‘Jagged Edge,’ ‘Fatal Attraction,’ ‘Basic Instinct,’ and ‘Body Double’ were the primary sources of influence and inspiration for the filmmaker. On the other hand, Showalter wanted to tap into a Hitchcockian feel with the central cast for the project. Interestingly enough, one of the lead actresses, Dakota Johnson, comes from a family of thespians who have starred in some of the classic thrillers of Hollywood. Johnson’s mother, Melanie Griffith, stars in ‘Body Double,’ while the actress’ grandmother, Tippi Hedren, is in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Marnie.’
For Showalter, ‘Verity’ is the first erotic thriller in his filmography. Thus, his preexisting love for the genre helped him find the right approach to the project. He spoke about the same in an interview with the New Jersey Monthly, “I grew up loving Alfred Hitchcock movies and all of the great thrillers of the ’80s and ’90s, the Adrian Lyne films and the Joe Eszterhas movies. It was such a big genre when I was at my sort of peak viewing age. All those movies are just really ingrained in me, and they’re very cinematic. They’re entertaining. They’re great roles for movie stars and great costumes, and there’s just a lot of Hollywood kind of razzle-dazzle to it as a genre. And then, of course, it just always has a great propulsive kind of mystery plot to it that kind of keeps you hooked. I just thought the story of Verity felt very original to me and sort of unusual, like something I hadn’t seen before, and I just got really excited about it.”
Verity Crawford and Lowen Ashleigh Are Fictional Authors
Much like the overarching story itself, the central characters of Verity Crawford and Lowen Ashleigh are also works of fiction confined within the bounds of the story. The on-screen characters are faithful adaptations of their literary counterparts. Yet, outside of this connection, they share no tangible roots in real life. In the story, Verity herself is a best-selling author who is forced to employ a ghostwriter in the wake of a devastating car accident. Thus, Lowen, a published but still struggling writer, enters the picture. In real life, the practice of ghostwriting, in which a person is hired to work on the projects of other artists, isn’t uncommon. Still, given the nature of the arrangement, it tends to be a secretive affair.
Famously, V. C. Andrews, a novelist from the 1980s, has some books in her collection that were actually written by a ghostwriter. The author passed away in 1986, following a breast cancer diagnosis. In the aftermath, her family hired a ghostwriter, Andrew Neiderman, to finish her manuscripts based on the author’s original outline, notes, and other resources. These novels, ‘Garden of Shadows’ and ‘Fallen Hearts,’ were originally published under Andrews’ name alone. Crawford Verity and Lowen’s situation is evidently much different and takes a more outlandish and thrilling turn. Nonetheless, the premise of their respective roles in the story as fictitious authors is somewhat grounded in real life.
Read More: Verity Ending Explained: Which is True, the Manuscript or the Letter?
You must be logged in to post a comment.