To celebrate spooky season – the best season – Rae and Andi talk all things haunted house-related. What is the most eerie architectural style? What are the best examples and what makes those houses so wonderfully spooky? Get yourself a seasonally-appropriate beverage and join us as we talk about mansard roofs and other spine-chilling features. 👻
historic preservation stories with Rae & Andi
Terrific episode, as always. The psychological breakdown of why Second Empire is associated with creepy was fascinating. I think part of it is that attics are associated with, as Rae put it, “secrets” — whether it’s old dolls, unsavory family history, or mama Bates herself. With a Mansard roof, the attic becomes part of the visible form, not just the leftover space hidden among the rafters. The location of the secrets now becomes tangible, and importantly for movies, visible. Unlike other attic spaces, you get to see those darting shadows and mysterious movements with a Mansard Roof. All that said, the onion dome at Tokyo Disney is pretty rad, too.
Candidate for non-gothic creep: The spaces in A Clockwork Orange. There’s Alex’s parents’ tiny, color-saturated apartment that feels like a claustrophobic circus that’s masking all kinds of psychological disturbance. And then there’s the modernist house with its cold, unfeeling interior and unflattering lighting. Both send a shiver down my spine every time.
Oh yes, my droog! That’s a good one.