The relationship between horror movies and horror literature goes way back. In fact, some of the best and most terrifying horror movies were based on classic novels, some of which were written well before the advent of film. Plenty of beloved horror stories are perfect to be adapted to the silver screen, giving filmmakers entire worlds populated by richly detailed characters and wonderfully descriptive terrors which are more than enough to serve as the foundation for a great horror film. Some horror movie adaptations fail to capture what made the source material so chilling, but there are some shining examples of movies that managed to turn the written word into horrifying moving images.
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Adapting anything from the written word to the big screen is no small feat, as so many classic novels employ narrative techniques and styles that simply don’t translate well into the medium of film. However, there are a fair number of horror films based on beloved novels that have gone on to be almost as highly regarded as the source material that inspired them. Let’s take a look at five of those films here.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
This film tells the story of solicitor Jonathan Harker as he travels from London to Transylvania to ensure that a real estate transaction with the elderly and elusive Count Dracula goes smoothly. Unfortunately for Harker, Dracula is a vampire and he is now a slave to his bloodthirsty brides. Meanwhile, Dracula heads to London to be with Harker’s fiance, Mina, who he believes is his long-lost wife.
While this movie loses a few points for Keanu Reeves’ less-than-stellar attempts at an English accent, it more than makes up for it with its opulent production design, elaborate costumes, and innovative special effects. Also, in case it wasn’t obvious from the title, it stays very faithful to the original novel, and goes even further by incorporating elements from the life of Vlad the Impaler, who was said to have been an inspiration for Stoker when creating his immortal vampire.
The Shining
Struggling writer Jack Torrance takes a job as the winter caretaker of the stunning Overlook Hotel and brings his wife and young son along to accompany him. However, the hotel has a dark past which is gradually chipping away at Jack’s sanity. Jack’s son Danny is now starting to see morbid visions of the hotel’s secrets, as well. While Jack is supposed to be working on his novel, something unseen is gradually turning him against his family.
The film is based on Stephen King’s famous 1977 novel of the same name, though he’s said to have hated this adaptation. Still, it’s hard to ignore the supreme artistry Stanley Kubrick brought to the film; there is an inevitable sense of dread that’s felt in every scene, even when nothing frightening is happening. Like most of Kubrick’s works, The Shining leaves us with more questions than answers, but the ambiguity only deepens the terror.
The Silence of the Lambs
Clarice Starling is an FBI agent in training who’s just been assigned to track down a serial killer called Buffalo Bill. First, she must first consult with Bill’s old psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, for some insights into his mind. Lecter is himself incarcerated for his cannibalistic crimes, yet even behind bars, his brilliant intellect is more than enough to engage with Starling in a manipulative cat-and-mouse game.
This film is a terrific adaptation of Thomas Harris’ 1988 novel. In the hands of a lesser director, this could have been a cheap exploitative horror flick, but Jonathan Demme manages to elevate the gruesome material into a genuinely suspenseful thriller with amazing performances by Jodie Foster as Starling and Anthony Hopkins as Lecter. It’s no wonder this film swept the Oscars after its release.
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Frankenstein
Dr. Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with creating a superior human being, and in order to do so, he and his assistant Fritz must confiscate body parts from the recently deceased. Fritz accidentally brings him the brain of a criminal instead of a healthy brain, though, so when their experiment results in successfully reanimating a human being, they lose control of it and it goes on a rampage in town. This violent creature wants to be loved, but the locals see it only as a monster and are determined to destroy him.
James Whale’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel takes numerous creative liberties with the source material, but it’s a classic for a reason — for multiple reasons, actually. The German Expressionist-inspired cinematography is gorgeous, its themes around concepts like acceptance and prejudice are still thought-provoking today, and Boris Karloff’s performance evokes both ferocity and sadness in equal measure.
The Haunting
Dr. Markway is investigating the possible existence of ghosts at the old and storied mansion, Hill House. He’s accompanied by Luke, the inheritor of the house; the clairvoyant Theodora; and the hyper-sensitive Eleanor, who may have established a psychic connection to the house. During the group’s stay, it appears that there is indeed a supernatural presence in the mansion, and it doesn’t want visitors.
Adapted from Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House, this film relies far more heavily on the implication of ghosts rather than explicitly depicting them, forcing the audience to conjure up something far worse in their imagination than what could be shown with special effects. The film’s cinematography is terrific as well, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that makes the characters appear as if the house itself is trying to consume them.
These iconic horror flicks can be viewed on streaming or physical media.
