Books by and for independent women

Top 10 Halloween Book to Film Adaptations

I’ve always been terrified of horror films. My experience of watching the Texas Chainsaw Massacre at the cinema involved two hours of sitting underneath my seat, clutching at the ankles of my friends as I frantically chewed on my popcorn box, fingers in my ears.

With many of my friends incorrigibly dedicated to the horror genre, I gradually realised I wouldn’t be able to beat them. As I grew older, I tentatively joined them, turning to early horror films and the comedy of their cranky special effects to alleviate my fears.

Each time I was about to run from the room, a bat bobbing up and down on a string, or a melodramatic line delivered with unexpected and mistimed hysteria would keep me planted, giggling in my chair.

From then on I have progressed, slowly. I find if I’ve read the book first, I’ll better equipped to face the film adaptation because I know what’s going to happen. The power of the sadistic director is lessened and I can sit proudly amongst my brave friends with a bold face and steady hands.

Nevertheless, all ten of these are both excellent and terrifying. If there are any you haven’t seen, order them immediately and you’ll have all the ammunition you need for an epic horror movie marathon. Just don’t blame us if you end up having nightmares afterwards…

1. The Shining

This is one of the first horror films I ever watched, and remains one of my favourite. Stephen King is the master of horror and I’ve deliberately only included him once on this list – he could easily have dominated my selection. Whether you love or hate Jack Nicholson’s performance, the film’s unnerving portrayal of the psychological power of environment over the human mind is undeniable. Get the DVD for £4.25 or buy the book for £4.99.

2. Psycho

Hitchcock transformed the novel by Robert Bloch after purchasing the rights to it for less than $10,000. The film’s legendary shower scene appears in the book as follows: ‘Mary started to scream, and then the curtains parted further and a hand appeared, holding a butcher’s knife. It was the knife that, a moment later, cut off her scream. And her head.’ Nab the DVD for £9.99, or the book for £3.84.

3. The Silence of the Lambs

This is another example of a film that far outshines the original novel. Thomas Harris imagined the character of Hannibal Lecter but Anthony Hopkins immortalised him. Worth watching again and again. Buy the book for £5.19, or the DVD for only £2.99.

4. In Cold Blood

Adapted from Truman Capote’s novel of the same title, which was based on a true story. It is also worth watching Capote, a brilliant biographical film that documents the intense psychological effect that In Cold Blood had on its author, both during the writing of it, and for the rest of his life. You can get the book for £5.69, while the DVD is only £2.18.

5. The Call of Cthulhu

This silent adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story is made in mythoscope – meaning it has been aged to look as if it might have been made in 1926 when the story was written. At under an hour long, this is by far the shortest film on my list, but is suitably spooky nevertheless. Get your mitts on a copy from £8.74, or buy The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories for £6.49.

6. Frankenstein

A minimal, expressionist adaptation of Mary Shelley‘s masterpiece of gothic fiction. For a long time it was the best I’d seen, until Danny Boyle’s stunning theatre adaptation starring Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch blew my socks off. The kind people at the National Theatre have suggested they may release it on DVD, so watch this space. In the meantime, the 1931 adaptation will set you back only £3.99, or buy the book for £4.01.

7. Vampyr

Adapted (loosely) from J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s novel Carmilla. Much of the film is silent and intensely atmospheric, particularly the dream sequence in which the hero, Allan Gray, opens a coffin only to find himself inside it. Buy it on DVD for £9.99, or investigate the novel version for £5.33.

8. The Haunting

Adapted from Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, this is an archetypal haunted house film. It was remade in 1999 starring Liam Neeson, Owen Wilson, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lili Taylor, but this version is nowhere near as good as the original. Buy the book for £6.59, or the DVD for £3.49.

9. Nosferatu

Adapted (illegally) from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. If you watch only one from this list, let this be it. A German expressionist horror film of immense genius, it barely attempts to disguise its reliance on Stoker’s novel. Much of it is shot in Eastern Europe and this silent, sinister and eerie film is a haunting visual masterpiece. Get the DVD for £2.99, or buy the Bram Stoker classic for £3.99.

10. We Need To Talk About Kevin

Adapted from Lionel Shriver’s book of the same title. This is a slightly tenuous addition to the list, because I haven’t watched it yet. But I had to add it because I’m so excited about it. I can’t wait to go and see it this Halloween. The film adaptation is in cinemas now, and you can buy the tie-in edition of the book for £3.99.

Which book-to-film adaptations (horror or otherwise) would make your top ten list? And which should be consigned to the bargain bin?

Clare Hammond

(Image courtesy of ieshraq)