Horror movies often take inspiration from a whole range of different things, and every now and then, it is a book that provides that. While there have been many Stephen King novels that have become epic horror movies that people are well aware of, there are also plenty of horror movies that fans didn't know were inspired by a book.
Modern horror movies may not lean on written content as much to inspire them, but there have been plenty of recent movies that have taken inspiration and been based on something that an author has put down onto a page, proving that bringing the pages to life can still be just as scary today as it once was.
The Turning (The Turn Of The Screw)
This movie follows the story written in The Turn Of The Screw, updating it and giving it a modern twist which proved to be perfect for the scary movie in 2020. The movie focuses on a nanny that is brought in to look after two orphans, but both the children are in the knowledge of some dark secrets.
It's a story that has been adapted into movies and television shows multiple times, with different twists being put on them all. Perhaps the most famous version was the recent Netflix show, The Haunting Of Bly Manor.
The Invisible Man (The Invisible Man)
The Invisible Man proved to be a popular modern horror movie with Elizabeth Moss bringing a tremendous performance to this one. The movie follows her character who is stalked by her boyfriend following what is believed to be his suicide, and it is actually based on a novel by H.G. Wells.
She soon realizes that the stalker has gained the ability to be invisible, but nobody else believes her which sees a descent into madness as she attempts to prove herself right, while the Invisible Man continues to cause havoc to her life.
The Grudge (The Grudge)
The Grudge is another great horror movie that was based upon a novel that was written by Kei Ohishi and has actually been adapted multiple times. The 2020 movie is one of those examples, with this horror taking on the story.
This one is all based on the supernatural world, focusing on how when someone dies from sorrow they become cursed. This curse gets passed along throughout the movie and it creates a long-running problem that sees the horror ramp up as the plot thickens.
The Ritual (The Ritual)
Being based on a novel of the same name, The Ritual proved to be a mysterious and terrifying movie that left people questioning what would happen next. A group of friends come together for a hike in the wilderness, but they end up in a forest where evil lives, leading to the hike turning into a fight for their lives.
The evil follows the friends, who are forced to act fast and make important decisions in order to try and escape the forest alive. It has audiences on edge throughout, and a lot of that is down to how well written the book was.
The Woman In Black (The Woman In Black)
The Woman In Black saw Daniel Radcliffe put down his wand and take on a different, more sinister role as Arthur, who is an upcoming solicitor that heads to a small town in England to wrap up his business with a client, who has recently passed away.
However, when he arrives, Arthur ends up entangled in a classic ghost story with the Woman in Black haunting him, while she also continues to murder the local children in the town. It's based on a novel of the same name, and the movie does a fantastic job at bringing this story to life.
Bird Box (The Bird Box)
Based on a novel by the same name, Bird Box became a huge success for Netflix, providing an eerie tension that many found thrilling and scary to view. The movie follows Mallory and her two children who survive an apocalyptic event but that is only the beginning.
They must try to avoid a new mysterious force that is able to change itself into their worst imaginable fears. However, the real reason the movie is so scary is that they have to try and survive blindfolded, as seeing the force would lead to death.
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark)
This movie isn't just based on one book, but it actually takes its inspiration from a whole series of short horror stories for children. The movie follows a group of young friends who end up discovering a book inside a haunted and abandoned house.
However, the book continues to write new stories and different members of the group wind up becoming the victims of them. It leads to the friends needing to destroy the book before it takes them all one by one.
IT (IT)
While IT is a classic novel by arguably the most famous horror writer of all time, Stephen King, that doesn't mean that everybody was aware that it was a book beforehand. Because the movie is split into two, that only added to the confusion around it being based on a book.
A lot of fans simply felt this was a modern remake of the original television movie. While that was true to some degree, the story itself comes from the mind of Stephen King in what is a truly brilliant book.
World War Z (World War Z)
World War Z is a gripping movie that sees Gerry having to investigate a virus that is set to end the world as it has the potential to turn all humans into zombies, which would have catastrophic effects. The story is one that comes from a book of the same name and it worked perfectly as a movie.
The movie brings plenty of action as well as jump scares which helps to make it a fantastic modern horror, with Brad Pitt putting in a fantastic performance in the lead role throughout this one.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)
This particular movie has quite a crazy plot that sees the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln set out to destroy a group of vampires that threaten the country. But this plot is one that actually comes from a book of the same name.
The movie has action, with the President taking on different vampires while also growing his political career. It's an entertaining movie with some fun moments, but it is also one that all came about because of a book.