Book to Film: Anticipating Wait Till Helen Comes

Originally published in 1986, Mary Downing Hahn’s classic horror story Wait Till Helen Comes has remained a favorite of children and librarians everywhere due to its deeply frightening, malevolent ghost and realistic family dynamics. The story of a troubled young girl named Heather, her concerned stepsister Molly, and an evil ghost named Helen bent on revenge, Wait Till Helen Comes‘ staying power is a testament to the primal fear it evokes in readers.

Now Hollywood has come calling, with the announcement last month that Helen is being developed for film. Maria Bello is starring as the mother, while two actress sisters (Sophie and Isabelle Nelisse) will star as Molly and Heather. Isabelle was previously in the extremely frightening Mama, so her casting seems to indicate plans for a very scary movie, but producers say they’re aiming for a target audience of 8 and up. No release date has been announced, but tweets from the sisters indicate filming has begun, so perhaps we’ll see the film just in time for Halloween 2015!

The cultural power of Wait Till Helen Comes is so vast it was recently chosen for the website Jezebel’s Halloween throwback bookclub, “a week of straight of throwbacks to the spookiest stories from your childhood.” It’s always interesting to read a non-children’s librarian perspective on children’s literature. While my teeth were grinding at the post’s continued referral to the book as a “YA” novel, I loved how surprised the bloggers were that there was no parental supervision in the book, which we know is a hallmark of any great middle grade adventure!

There are many other delightfully spooky movies based on children’s books. While we wait for Wait Till Helen Comes, why not read and watch Paranorman or Coraline or The Witches?