“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.
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