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The History of Horror Stories

How Religious Guides Turned Into Horror Fiction

“Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.”
— Charles Addams, American Cartoonist and Creator of the Addams Family

You’re vacationing inside a small, simple cabin at a campground in the middle of rural Ohio. Your nearest neighbors are down the hill behind your cabin, but they’re out of earshot. As it becomes nighttime, you decide to walk down the road to the shower house.

The closer you get to the shower house, the darker the road gets until you can barely see the path in front of you. Your heart races as your mind creates images of creatures that could be lurking in the darkness. You’re debating the idea of turning around, but you force yourself to continue until you reach the shower house.

The scenario painted above is one that played off two common fears that most people have, which is the fear of the darkness and being alone. It’s something that popular horror movies such as Friday the 13th or Halloween constantly showcase.

As horror movies are meant to scare you, it’s the reason that it draws people to theatres or their TVs in darkened basements. While most parents want to admit that it’s a bad habit, horror movies do well in the marketplace.

According to statista.com, horror movies have grossed well over $11.5 billion U.S. dollars within the years of 1995 to 2019. It might not be as high as action or comedies, but it has endeared the hearts of millions within the last decade.

Before horror movies came into existence, literature terrified people with its descriptions of scenes straight out of people’s twisted imagination and acted as life lessons.

Origin of Horror

The original horror literature started off in the early 14th century with books written about witchcraft and the devil. It was not meant for entertainment as many horror stories were guides on how to combat witchcraft.

An example would be Dante’s Divine Comedy, which deals with a journey through the floors of Hell and the complexity of human nature. It also touched on struggling with spirituality, the repentance of sinners, and God’s love.

Even in modern horror literature, there are elements of fighting off the forces of evil. It’s a common theme for any story where the many threat to humanity is a supernatural force.

Novels such as The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (1971) and Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin (1967), which inspired the famous horror movies of the same name, deal with innocent females against the devil or demons.

Gothic Literature

During the 18th century, horror shifted as Gothic Literature came into the picture. It was considered scandalous to read Gothic literature due to its themes that went against religion at times.

Themes in Gothic Literature Includes:

Damsels in Distress
A Hero (Usually males since they need to save the female)
Romance
Monsters or other supernatural force (to threaten the female)
Gloomy settings
Curses or prophecies
Intense emotions

The first Gothic Literature ever recorded was in 1764 with Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto. The damsel (Isabella) faced off against a prophecy and her lover’s father, Mafred, who threats to rape her.

Many books such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula emerged, which led the way to subgenres such as science fiction and vampire literature respectively.

Nowadays, Gothic Literature is still around with modern day writers such as Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft. However, it’s important to know that not all horror novels are considered part of Gothic Literature as they must include an air of mystery and the supernatural.

Modern Horror Literature

Inside the shelves of many book stores, you’ll find either a whole section dedicated to horror or popular authors like Stephen King or Anne Rice, yet horror books shifted once more as horror movies came into the picture.

Popular Horror Books Turned into Movies:

Psycho by Robert Bloch (1959)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959)
Jaws by Peter Benchley (1974)
The Shining by Stephen King (1977)
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (1983)
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker (1986) (Hellraiser series)

Besides the Hellbound Heart, you might know the name of every single book on the list and its movie counterpart. Some of the most popular horror movies were loosely inspired by fiction.

While you might remain split between if the book or the movie is better, the horror genre is still rich with history and knowledge of human nature.

Top Ten Worst Horror Adaptations of 2020

“It’s always very interesting to bet who’s going to go first and who’s going to have the most unbelievable death. It’s always fun to play with that and create more expectations. It’s an interesting part of horror movies.”
-Alexandre aja, director of “Mirrors” (2008) and “Crawl” (2019)-

With every great adaptation out there, there’s at least ten horrible ones waiting to be released. You might find that the film industry attempts to grab as much money as possible by producing movies based off the most popular horror novel out there. It doesn’t always mean that they’re a success.

Depending on the trailers, many movies that would have otherwise flop somehow manage to catch the attention of the public. An example of this are movies like “Ouija” (2014) or “the Nun” (2018).

From paranormal horrors like “The Haunting” (1999) to B-rated films like “Maximum Overdrive” (1986), this list will be covering the top ten worst horror adaptations.

The Wicker Man (2006)

(Based off “The Wicker Man” by Robin Hardy and Anthony Shaffer)

The original was a work of art. The remake with Nicholas Cage, however, might as well be a parody version. It has the same scenes as the original. It’s the ending that really ruined the whole movie.

Nicholas Cage tried to make the sacrifice scene as horrifying as the original. It’s just that it’s almost overdramatized with him shouting “not the bees” over and over again. You can’t help watching him burn alive and thinking about how grateful you are that it’s over.

The Mangler (1995)

(Based off of “The Mangler” from Stephen King’s Nightshift)

It might sound ridiculous that a machine becomes possessed by a demon after a virgin’s blood sprays on it, but that’s the entire premise of the movie. If you don’t believe it, watch the trailer!

The Mangler attempted to be good. It even brought in Robert Englund, the actor who played Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, but it fell apart. It’s just hard to make a demon possessed machine scary on the big screen.

The Amityville Horror (2006)

(Based off “The Amityville Horror” by Jay Anson)

Honestly, there’s a lot of shirtless wood chopping done to the point you’re wondering if you’re supposed to be scared or not. The concept of a ghost girl with a bullet wound in her forehead is cool, but it’s just never clear what her purpose is.

If you want a better film that depicts the Amityville Horror, you should watch the Conjuring II. If you’re looking for a movie featuring shirtless Deadpool, this is the movie for you!

Children of the Corn (1984)

(Based off “Children of the Corn” from Stephen King’s Nightshift)

The beginning scene where the kids murder all the adults in the town of Gatlin is great! Nothing is more frightening to watch than adults being killed off in a diner while a little boy watches in horror over a milkshake. It’s after this that it goes downhill.

A married couple happened to get lost and end up in Gatlin. They befriend two children, who happened to be the only pair not affected by the influence of the corn demon. Honestly, the movie would have been better if it focused on kids murdering adults.

One Missed Call (2008)

(Based off of “Chakushin Ari” by Yasushi Akimoto)

This falls under the same trend as the Ring/Ringu series. It’s originally based off a novel written by the director of its Japanese film counterpart. The main issue is that instead of just sticking with the original version, someone decided to recreate an American version.

Thankfully, the film takes place in the U.S. unlike most of the films converted over from Japan to America. However, it suffered from cliches such as victims walking alone at night and ghostly figures that are never explained.

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

(Based off “Trucks” from Stephen King’s Nightshift)

Taken from an already out there Stephen King short story, Maximum Overdrive follows the plot of murderous machines. Everything from cursing atms to a truck with the face of the Green Goblin from Spiderman attacks all the humans and animals.

You can think of this movie as more of a comedy or a horrible B-rated film than something actually scary. Everything from the characters’ deaths to even Stephen King’s cameo couldn’t save Maximum Overdrive from being torn apart by critics and fans alike.

Psycho (1998)

(Based off “Psycho” by Robert Bloch)

While remakes can improve with special effects or the storyline, this is literally a shot-by-shot remake of the original Alfred Hitchcock classic. If you’re going to make a remake, you’re going to want to add something different to the fandom!

This version of “Psycho” was voted Worst Remake of 1998. Though, they should have known when they chose Vince Vaughn, an actor known for playing in comedies, for the role of Norman Bates.

Graveyard Shift (1990)

(Based off “Graveyard Shift” from Stephen King’s Nightshift)

Giant mutated rats with a taste for human flesh hidden in a secret underground cavern below the basement of a textile mill. This could have been great if it followed the original plot of the Stephen King short story.

Instead, the director chose to thrown in a rat exterminator played by Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky from “Child’s Play,” into the mixture. Then, there’s the giant rat/bat creature they chose to showcase as the main villain. It looked too rubbery to be real.

The Haunting (1999)

(Based off “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson)

Like “Psycho” (1998), this was voted the Worst Remake of the year. With that in mind, the only saving grace is that the reason that brings Nell and the gang to the Hill House is an insomnia study. They aren’t told about the ghosts until their first night.

Other than that, it’s hard to take the movie seriously with Owen Wilson, another actor known for his romantic comedies, starring as Luke. The movie comes off as confusing with its ending where Nell sees herself as the only one able to stop the hauntings.

Carrie (2013)

(Based off “Carrie” by Stephen King)

Cannot stress this enough. Remakes should provide something new to the fandom. It shouldn’t be made just to show that special effects have improved over the years. Though, there might be people out there that disagree with this.

It was a shot-by-shot remake of the original “Carrie” (1976). Sure, there was a few difference such as the use of cellphones and more advanced technology, but it still retained the same plotline as the original with little added to advance the fandom.

And that’s been the top ten worst horror adaptations marked for the 2020 season. If you feel as though there’s a movie that deserved a slot on this list, keep in mind that there’s thousands of horrible adaptations that could have been chosen.

If you enjoyed this list, please be sure to like or comment. There might be a part 2 coming out soon.

What makes a good horror adaptation? Follow this link to see what was used to make this list.

Top Ten Best Horror Adaptations of 2020

“Horror movies often work better when we have a stake in the game. The more we care about the characters, the more human they are to us, the more appealing they are to us, and the more effective the horror tends to be.”
by Stephen King

With every genre of movie, it’s hard to come up with original ideas to put on the big screen. For horror, Slashers or monster flicks become recycled to the point remakes of “the Nightmare on Elm Street” (2010) and “Cabin Fever” (2016) have people turning off their TVs.

In the past year, we have found that the horror genre is making a comeback with series such as “the Haunting of Hill House” (2018) on Netflix or “It: Chapter Two” (2019). It seems like a lot of the more successful horror movies are taking inspiration from horror fiction.

From psychological thrillers like Thomas Harris’s “Silence of the Lambs” to supernatural vampire flicks like Anne Rice’s “Interview with a Vampire”, this list is covering the top ten best horror adaptations.

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

(Based off Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris)

When it came to the book, it seemed as though it’d be a hard movie to pull off with the ever charming Hannibal Lecter and mommy obsessed Buffalo Bill. However, this movie does so well with its actors and actresses throughout the filming.

Anthony Hopkins’s portrayal of Hannibal Lecter came off creepy from the first moment you see him in his cell. While Hopkins mentioned that the key to being creepy came from not blinking, his British accent along with his smile makes his delivery just unnatural.

Hannibal (2001)

(Based off Hannibal by Thomas Harris)

There were major differences between the film and the book, such as the fact that they took out a key character and changed the ending, but it was still a masterpiece. Anthony Hopkins returned for his role as Hannibal Lecter. Unfortunately, Jodie Foster doesn’t return as Clarice Starling. She’s replaced by Julianne Moore.

For those who are interested in psychological thrillers, this film can be more intense than Silence of the Lambs since the death scenes are more graphic. What can you really say though, it involves Hannibal Lecter on the run from the law and a psychotic child molester?

Pet Sematary (1989)

(Based off Pet Sematary by Stephen King)

This might come off as dated in comparison to the 2019 version, but it’s actually pretty accurate when compared to its book counterpart with the exception of excluding the Wendigo. Gage Creed actually died instead of his older sister, Ellie, which made it more emotional.

The only thing you should be warned about is that Dale Midkiff really doesn’t show much emotion throughout the film besides Gage’s accident. He comes off as robotic as Mark Wahlberg as Elliot Moore in the Happening. Though, this makes it a little easier to relate to Jud or Rachel.

The Exorcist (1973)

(Based off The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty)

The plot of the movie and the book stay relatively the same. A little girl gets possessed by an ancient demon. The mom of the little girl is a famous actress, who assumes her little girl is suffering from either a disease or mental illness. When she finally figures out that something unholy is wrong, the mom calls in two priests to conduct an exorcism.

The scene where Reagan vomits pea soup while spinning her head scarred even grown men. People walked out of the theater and put flashlights under their pillows because the movie was just that scary to them.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

(Based off Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin)

Slow paced near the beginning, the sense of paranoia caused when Mia Farrow suspects something is seriously wrong with her neighbors will haunt you. The scene where Farrow screams out “what have you done to it” left people wondering what happened to the baby.

The director/screenwriter, Roman Polanski, fell in love with Ira Levin’s “Rosemary’s Baby” almost as soon as he picked it up. He was right to turn it into a movie since it really is a cult classic (pun intended).

Psycho (1960)

(Based off Psycho by Robert Bloch)

The shower murder scene. Is there really any more to say than that?

In all seriousness, this movie was beautiful and stayed true to the plot of the original novel by Robert Bloch. While Norman Bates was supposed to be a middle aged fat man, Anthony Perkins was amazingly creepy. Something about a young good looking man turning out to be a psychopath made the movie stronger.

1408 (2007)

(Based off “1408” from Stephen King’s Everything’s Eventual)

Many people might get “The Shining” vibes off “1408,” but it’s in a single room. The room plays with your mind, making you think that you escaped before revealing you never left. There’s nothing more psychological than a room messing with you to the point that suicide seems like the only solution.

That’s basically what John Cusack faces throughout the film. It’s intense from start to finish, and depending on which copy you get your hands on, there’s four different endings.

Carrie (1976)

(Based off Carrie by Stephen King)

A high school girl who lives with an overly religious mother has her first period and suddenly becomes psychic. When she’s at her very first prom, she finds herself covered in pig’s blood and seeks to kill everyone who crosses her path.

It would be a hard movie to pull off since so much could go wrong with the special effects or the shower scene in the beginning. However, it does well to make you feel uncomfortable and sympathize with Sissy Spacek (as Carrie White) throughout.

Misery (1990)

(Based off Misery by Stephen King)

Most people remember the scene where Kathy Bates (as Annie Wilkes) hobbles James Caan (as Paul Sheldon). Caan’s screams in pain as Bates says “God I love you!” with a completely emotionless expression. This would later earn Bates the 1990 Best Actress award at the Oscars.

Besides that, it does help that the whole premise of the movie revolves around a poor author found by a deranged fan girl. There is nothing more terrifying than something realistic.

Interview with a Vampire (1994)

(Based off Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice)

It might seem strange to see Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise with long hair on the movie screen, but it’s worth it to showcase the beauty that’s Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire series.

Two really powerful scenes in the movie come from Brad Pitt (as Louis) attempting to talk Tom Cruise (as Lestat) from killing a woman or Kristen Dunst (as Claudia) having a mental breakdown because she’s forever trapped in a child’s body. Either way, you get a complexity of what it’s like to be a vampire.

And with that, we counted down the top ten best horror adaptations for the year 2020. Hopefully, you enjoyed the list.

If you liked this article, make sure to like and comment for more weekly content!

What makes a good horror adaptation? Follow this link to see what was used to make this list.

What Makes A Great Horror Adaptation?

About BB

During her childhood, BB sat behind the couch in her grandparents’ farm house in order to watch old horror movies without her grandma ever being aware. BB says the scene she remembered the most came from the Fly (1958) when the fly (with the scientist’s head and arm) is caught in a web screaming for help as a giant brown spider advances on it.

Just when the spider almost eats the fly, one of the men watching the ordeal decided to throw a rock at it, thus killing both the spider and the fly. While she can handle blood and gore from movies such as Wrong Turn and Saw, this movie stuck with her the most due to the close up of the spider. She hates spiders.

In Elementary School, she would spend her time reading R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series, Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, and Haunted Ohio by Chris Woodyard. Her favorite Goosebumps book happened to be Phantom of the Auditorium since she loved the plot twist at the end of the book.

BB graduated from a small private Christian college in May 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree for English and Creative Writing. She currently is working as a freelance writer and part-time at a Pharmacy. Her passion in life is collecting books–mainly Stephen King and Thomas Harris. Though, she is not against reading other writers or learning about new authors.