Poe "Haunted" Trivia Quiz

Answer: House of Leaves

Poe, a.k.a. Anne Danielewski, has a history of supporting her brother Mark's literary efforts. Not only did she send the manuscript for "House of Leaves" to the agent who would secure its initial publishing deal, but she once rescued a short story he'd physically ripped apart by taping the pages back together. A lyric from "Hello" begins chapter XX of "House of Leaves," and Poe herself is implied to directly appear on a few occasions, most notably talking to protagonist Johnny Truant following an intimate performance of "5 1/2 Minute Hallway."

The single version of "Hey Pretty" replaces Poe's sung verse with readings from "House of Leaves" performed by Mark himself, and the titles "Exploration B" and "Dear Johnny" are also direct references to the novel. Both works are broadly inspired by the death of their father, Tad Danielewski, whose voice is featured throughout the album.

Answer: Four

Two of them are presumably hers, adorned with rhinestones; the other two are those of a child. This is in keeping with the concept of the album, as Poe reflects on her childhood and her strained relationship with her father.

Answer: Wild

"Wild" is one of the more openly experimental songs on the album, with long instrumental sections and looping samples. A promotional single was released, but the planned commercial print was halted along with the album following the AOL/Time Warner merger in early 2001.

Answer: If You Were Here

The lyric is credited solely to Heitor Pereira, a.k.a. Heitor TP, who has since become a Grammy winner and accomplished soundtrack composer, frequently in collaboration with Hans Zimmer. He's particularly noted for his work on the "Despicable Me" franchise, though he's also recorded for the likes of k.d. lang and Elton John. "If You Were Here" is the final track on the original version of the album and Pereira's only credited contribution.

Answer: Lemon Meringue

"Lemon Meringue" is one of the shorter non-interstitial songs on the album at just over three minutes, including spoken word bookends; to that end, it's also upbeat and fairly catchy, on the subject of "finding a better way" after facing dissatisfaction in life and love.

Answer: False

The first track is spoken word and presented in the form of a voicemail, but it's not "Dear Johnny" - that's track eleven. "Exploration B" is the first track on the album, in which Poe's mother calls to inform her that her father has died. Both titles (and, in fact, the entirety of "Dear Johnny") are direct references to the novel "House of Leaves."

Answer: Could've Gone Mad

"Could've Gone Mad" appears just after "Dear Johnny" on the album; if you're asking me, it could've been a single, too. The lyrics read as an invitation to a romantic relationship with potentially a little too much enthusiasm (to the point of making a religion out of it).

Answer: Hey, Pretty

"Hey, Pretty" was the first single released from the album alongside a music video directed by Matthew Rolston; as previously mentioned, the single version features Mark Z. Danielewski reading portions of "House of Leaves;" Poe has stated that this version was recorded specifically because a number of radio station DJs and managers told her they liked the song, but weren't interested in playing female artists.

The video saw some rotation on MTV, and the single charted in the US on both Adult Top 40 and Modern Rock Tracks, hitting number 30 and number 13 on each chart respectively.

Answer: False

"Haunted," in fact, contains no instrumental tracks across its 70-minute runtime. The instrumentation across tracks does vary, ranging from the lengthy and experimental "Wild" to the practically unaccompanied "Exploration B" and "Dear Johnny." Instrumentalists credited on the album include Mike Elizondo (songwriter of Eminem's "Just Lose It" and Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova," among others), Josh Freese (a session drummer with a resume longer than your arm), and David Campbell (viola player and arranger with a similarly long resume, as well as father of the musician Beck).

Answer: Alan Wake

"Haunted" plays over the credits of the game's second episode - David Bowie's "Space Oddity" plays over the final credits. Poe also released the original song "This Road" in 2023 as part of a DLC pack for "Alan Wake II". Sam Lake, the director of both games, has also said that the game's tone and story were inspired by "Twin Peaks," the works of Stephen King, and... say, have you heard of this book called "House of Leaves?"