Writer Chuck Palahniuk is perhaps most-often recognized for Fight Club more than he is for his works of horror, but one in particular is long overdue for the recognition and adaptation it deserves. The author's 2005 novel Haunted is one of the most captivating as well as enthralling stories he has ever crafted. In comparison to all of his other works in the genre, here's why it would make the best horror movie.

Over the years, two of Palahniuk's books have been adapted into movies: Fight Club and Choke. In May of 2016, a fundraising campaign launched in order to garner enough money to adapt Lullaby, but there has yet to be word on whether or not it will actually happen. In fact, Palahniuk even doubts that it'll ever be made. Even further back than that, James Franco announced his intent on assisting in the adaptation of Rant in 2014. Just like Lullaby, Rant's fate remains unknown. Nearly every novel in Palahniuk's repertoire has had their film rights purchased by production companies, but Fight Club and Choke remain the only two to ever see the light of day. While Rant, Lullaby, Invisible Monsters, and others remain in development purgatory, it may be time to consider shifting focus towards adapting Haunted into a horror movie as both the social and political commentary of its contents perfectly coincide with the current zeitgeist of the horror genre.

Related: How The Purge Movies Troll Modern Society & Politics

Haunted includes 23 short stories, all framed by the larger plot about a group of people who are on a secret writer's retreat. As each day passes, their horrifying and unsettling backstories are revealed to one another. While their resources begin to dwindle, they resort to killing each other in order to commit acts of cannibalism to survive. It is later revealed that they are all being watched through hidden cameras. Their suffering and sabotage has been captured as a social experiment in order to better understand human behaviors in various circumstances. While the framing story is disturbing enough on its own, the individual short stories are enough to evoke physical distress, as rumored with one story in particular.

Haunted’s History Of Horror

Chuck Palahniuk Haunted

The most well-known story included in Haunted is the notorious tale, "Guts." Prior to appearing in the novel, it was published in a 2004 issue of Playboy magazine. It is rumored that when Palahniuk read the story aloud at his events, audience members would faint, get sick, or run out of the building in horror. While these claims have never been confirmed, an incident in 2011 did mandate that it shouldn't be read by the general public without warning. When an eleventh grade teacher allowed their students to read the short story, they were immediately suspended from working due to the mature nature of "Guts."

"Guts" tells the story of a man who is referred to as "Saint Gut-Free." He narrates three stories about masturbation where each one is more disturbing than the last. The final story is about Saint Gut-Free where he uses a pool filter to bring him pleasure. Its intense suctioning leads to severe injury that's not appropriate or necessary to detail. All that needs to be known is that a similar instance took place in the movie Final Destination 4 when Hunt Wynorski's organs are no longer inside his body. The story of "Guts" is so horrifying that it almost immediately qualifies Haunted as a story that would make the perfect horror movie. However, if the story is ever adapted, it's unknown whether it would ever appear as written.

Which Stories A Haunted Movie Could Include

Chuck Palahniuk Haunted

While "Guts" is a questionable short story to include, there are several that would undoubtedly be part of an adaptation of the novel. As it has the perfect framing story, it is likely that Haunted would become an anthology horror movie with characters whose stories could be easily linked to project a larger message. Palahniuk intended for his book to commentate on reality television and survivor game shows. Much like Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror, Haunted is an examination of the human psyche.

Related: Black Mirror: What The Show Could Look Like After COVID-19

Due to its intent, it is likely that a movie would include "Green Room" about a pregnant model who struggles to hide her pregnancy while trying to achieve fame. It may feature "Swan Song," the tale told by the Earl of Slander about a man who murders a former child star so that he may write an article about it. Comrade Snarky could make an appearance with "Speaking Bitterness," in which she tells her story of assault. Due to her critiques of other women, she is a likely antagonist among the other women at the writer's retreat. The Countess Foresight is a psychic who supposedly owns the unborn child of Marilyn Monroe, perfectly tying into a common theme of stardom. There are several other stories that could be included, but most anthology horror movies do not exceed three or four in a full-length feature film. If Haunted was adapted into a movie, the developers would have to carefully select which stories are told, unless they choose to do a TV show, which would open up the possibility of depicting all of them.

Why Haunted’s Story Is Perfect For Anthology Horror Movie

Chuck Palahniuk Haunted

Haunted would make the perfect anthology horror movie for several reasons. Firstly, it already has the structure that's familiar to the sub-genre. It also has a framing story that's carefully structured to highlight individual stories, which then weave together under the circumstances that brought these strangers together. Secondly, there are 23 stories to pick from, giving it the opportunity to expand from a single movie to several. Anthologies such as Tales From The Hood showcase how these movies can become bigger franchises or an ongoing yearly series.

Lastly, there is nothing like Haunted in the horror genre to date. While there are inventive and unique anthology horror movies, none of them are as haunting as Palahniuk's bookEach story has a quality that causes readers to carry what they've consumed with them, which is a rarity among movies in the genre. The social and political commentary of the novel assists in this ability as audiences can find a commonality in these characters' stories, no matter how disturbing or unsettling they are. Chuck Palahniuk may not be known as a master of horror or even recognized for working in the genre, but his 2005 novel Haunted is one of the most remarkable works to date and definitely could find a place among horror fans.

More: Why Tales From The Crypt Is Horror TV's Most Successful Anthology