Lovers of the scariest genre are in luck these days. There are currently several horror movies trending both on Hulu as well as Netflix. From supernatural ghosts to psychotic murderers, horror movies cause crazy rushes of adrenaline and intolerable sense of suspense. Some of the greatest horror movies are based on novels and short stories.
The first that come to mind are The Shining, Jaws and Rosemary's Baby - all considered timeless classics. The most recent major book adaptation was Stephen King's IT, but not many know that he is the mastermind behind many more. Even some of the scariest Asian movies that have made waves in the last two decades are actually based on written works of art. Here is a list of ten horror movies that are based on novels.
Pet Sematary (1989 & 2019)
Written in 1983 by Stephen King, Pet Sematary has so far been adapted twice: in 1989 and 2019. The Creeds have just moved to the countryside and befriended their neighbor Jud. He shows Dr. Creed a mysterious burial ground behind their house.
Whatever you bury there, comes back to life - but it carries certain consequences. At first, the father uses the cemetery to bring back her daughter's cat. After a tragic car accident, he heads out to the burial ground again, setting in motion a series of tragedies. There are some key differences between each movie (ex. who dies in said car accident), but the core themes about grief and death remain intact.
The Ring (2002)
The Ring - and the Japanese movie it's a remake of, Ringu - is one of the scariest horror movies of the 21st century and it's based on a series of novels by Koji Suzuki. After a perplexing videotape makes its rounds, those who watch it end up dead. Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is a reporter who wants to get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings.
The Ring was one of the first high profile English-language remakes of an Asian horror movie, and it has since spawned both a franchise and many more American remakes. The remake is said to be a little bit less scary than the originals, though, which is pretty hard to imagine since Ringu and its own sequels are considered to be some of the scariest horror movies in all history.
Misery (1990)
Stephen King is a prolific author and most know that he wrote IT, Carrie, and the aforementioned Pet Sematary, leaving many of his novels unnoticed. Misery was first published in 1987. The story of the movie slightly differs from the book, but that doesn't detract from the fact that Misery is one of the scariest Stephen King stories brought to life.
It follows Paul Sheldon, a famous author, who falls in hands of his psychotic super-fan, Annie Wilkes. Her portrayal of Annie brought Katy Bates an Oscar, a Golden Globe and several other noteworthy awards.
The Grudge (2020)
The Grudge is based on Kei Ohishi's novel of the same name that was first published in 2003. Since then, it was adapted several times, spawning a whole franchise out of the story. The most recent remake came out in 2020, though it failed to live up to the hype. What makes The Grudge unique is that the original Japanese movies came before the books, with Ohishi's works expounding on the events of the Ju-On franchise. The American remakes took notes from both the Ju-On movies and the books.
A gripping story about a cursed supernatural spirit that dwells inside a Tokyo house, The Grudge delivers the highest levels of fear imaginable. It's so scary it's sometimes hard to make sense of it, but reading the novel will definitely clear a few things up.
The Woman In Black (2012)
If it wasn't for Daniel Radcliffe's performance, The Woman In Black might have gone by unnoticed. Similar to The Grudge but notably less scary, its main antagonist is a supernatural spirit of a dead woman who is killing children.
Arthur Kipps goes to the mansion where the woman had lived and finds out about the motivations of the scary ghost that is terrorizing the whole village. The movie is based on a 1983 novel by Susan Hill.
The Turning (2020)
Adapted from The Turn Of The Screw, a ghost novella by Henry James, The Turning is a movie about a young optimistic nanny who just started taking care of two children, Flora and Miles. The children act strange from the very beginning. No wonder, since they live in a haunted house!
Unfortunately, the movie adaptation received several scathing reviews, since it relied on over-used jump scares and repetitive imagery.
The Mist (2007)
Another Stephen King movie adaptation, The Mist is actually one of the tamest movies on this list. This Sci-Fi/horror movie is set in Maine, where a mist moves in a brings with it enormous alien insects who kill anyone in their way. Equally scary is the fact that people lose all sense of solidarity and fail to show cooperation and compassion towards one another.
This movie might be easier to watch than Asian exports due to its relative lack of onscreen gore and violence, but those who can't stomach otherworldly insects and the worst of the human condition should consider themselves warned.
The Wicker Man (1973 & 2006)
Inspired by David Pinner's Ritual, The Wicker Man received positive reviews and it remains one of the most iconic British horror movies. Fans of HBO's True Detective will definitely love the plot: after a young girl disappears, a police sergeant comes to Summerisle to investigate the crime. However, what he finds shocks him to the core.
The girl's own mother claims that she never existed and the whole community engages in creepy pagan rituals. The original movie is perfect for a genuinely disturbing detective yarn mixed with the occult, though the infamous Nicolas Cage remake can be a source for comedy when you're in the right mood.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
While it may look more like a pastiche and darkly comical homage to the slasher movies of the '80s, the '90s cornerstone I Know What You Did Last Summer is actually based on a novel from 1973, written by Lois Duncan.
The story about the consequences of a hit-and-run was so successful it even got two sequels, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. Apparently, the author of the novel absolutely hated the movie. The movie was highly compared to Scream due to its self-aware approach to the genre's trappings. The comparisons aren't unfounded, since the two actually share the same screenwriter: Kevin Williamson.
Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece is actually a film adaptation of the 1959 horror novel by Robert Bloch. Psycho set the standard for the genre: it's suspenseful, psychologically twisted and thrilling. Without giving too much away, it's about a mentally deranged motel owner who kills people.
The movie is outstanding, but the novel is definitely well-worth a read as well. While the movie focuses more on the suspense, the book offers more insight into the protagonist's unstable character.