While Rebecca has always been a famous screen story thanks to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic adaptation, the story originates in Daphne du Maurier’s hugely influential gothic romance novel. And now, as Netflix prepares to release a new take on the tale by British filmmaker Ben Wheatley – starring Armie Hammer as Maxim de Winter, and Lily James as his new beau who can’t escape the looming legacy of Maxim’s dead ex-wife, the titular Rebecca – a new published edition of the novel is arriving with some striking artwork, courtesy of British graphic designer Julian House.
This isn’t the first time House and Wheatley have worked together (they previously collaborated on materials for Wheatley’s psychedelic history-horror A Field In England), and the pair’s artistic sensibilities are perfectly matched here – take a look at the finished design.
And that’s not all – here’s a sneak peek at three other designs that were created along the way.
“Working with Julian House is always a great pleasure,” says Wheatley, pointing to the artist's historic work with Primal Scream and the striking poster for Peter Strickland’s In Fabric as particular favourites. “He lives and breathes design. I’ve admired him for years.” It’s a creative relationship that House enjoys too. “I can talk to him about strange old Hammer Film trailers, analogue optical title sequences, strange Czech and Polish film posters – we both have the same reference points,” says the designer. “The main thing the designs all share is a relationship between the three main characters. The romantic image of Mr. and Mrs. de Winter is thrown off balance by the shadowy presence of Mrs. Danvers. Collage and montage allow you to hint at the psychological undercurrents of a story.”
Wheatley’s take on Rebecca streams on Netflix from 21 October.