In hundreds of reviews, DiLouie’s novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real.
These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. He is a member of the HWA, SFWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA.
Here DiLouie shares some ideas for an adaptation of his new novel, Episode Thirteen:
Episode Thirteen is a novel about a ghost-hunting reality TV crew that explores a haunted house only to get way more than they bargained for. An epistolary work, it’s a mosaic of journal entries, video transcripts, emails, and the like that blend to tell a complete story about how everything went horribly wrong.Visit Craig DiLouie's website.
If the novel were made into a film, I’d love to see Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead direct it. You may know them for The Endless, Resolution, Synchronic, and Something in the Dirt. These guys are wizards at drilling the viewer deep into weird concept without needing any kind of major budget to do it, simply by staying focused on the characters and how they react to the strange. While Episode Thirteen is a haunted house story, by the end it goes way beyond the traditional tropes into cosmic horror territory, and I think these directors would perfectly adapt it onto the screen. They’d also give it plenty of rough edges and the right character development instead of a sanitized, polished product that I think might interfere with the reality TV aspect of it.
If they weren’t available, then I’d cross my fingers for Ti West, director of films like Testament and X. He has a real love for horror, and every one of his films is solid, focusing on a simple story well told with an intriguing concept that sucks you in and a focus on character that makes you care.
Regarding who I’d ideally cast in it… As Episode Thirteen is really the literary equivalent of a found footage horror movie, putting it on a screen for real I think would require a different standard for suspension of disbelief. What I’m saying is to push the reality aspect I think it’d be ideal to go with actors who aren’t yet recognized brands, similar to what The Blair Witch Project accomplished. While in a perfect world I’d stack it with my favorite actors—which would be heaven, as I’m a major film buff—the adaptation I don’t think would be served by it. This is a story where you should just let yourself go and enjoy the ride with maximum believability, a gritty sense of reality, and an open sense of wonder.
My Book, The Movie: One of Us.
The Page 69 Test: Episode Thirteen.
Writers Read: Craig DiLouie.
--Marshal Zeringue
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