Many horror fans' favorite movies and TV shows were adapted from another source material. Whether it comes from a book or short story, a short film, or a play, seeing these works translated into something longer form is always interesting.
Very often when a movie or TV show is released and it's based on a book, the narrative goes something like, "The movie was okay but the book was better." or sometimes even, "That movie was terrible, the book was way better." Often, the source material is just the best version of the story. But there are absolutely some marvelous exceptions.
Jaws (1975)
The movie adaptation of Jaws has been incredibly influential in so many ways. To this day, it's still probably seen as the greatest creature feature of all time. It also features incredible special effects, an amazing script, and one of the most famous scores in all of cinema. The opening scene is one of the scariest cold opens in the world of horror, and it changed the game for the genre. It also changed the game for director Steven Spielberg, who went on to become a legend in the world of filmmaking.
Jaws is so iconic, that many people don't actually know that it originates from a book. It's a universally loved movie, but the book is a different story. Written by Peter Benchley in 1974, the book was very much commercially successful. However, the critical reviews are mixed, leaning negative. The most common criticisms revolve around the characters being unlikeable and unsympathetic, making it hard to care about them being in danger. Many have also said that it is full of clichés and is, ultimately, quite boring.
The Shining (1980)
This will be a controversial take. Stephen King is the most popular horror author in history and The Shining is very important to a lot of people. He notoriously hated Stanley Kubrick's adaptation, meaning die-hard King fans take issue with it, and the set was also said to be very toxic which people also take issue with.
That being said, the movie is a masterpiece. It's incredibly scary and atmospheric, and just really well-made. While it may not be the adaptation that King hoped for, it's undeniably a beautiful movie. The source material is very long and still an amazing piece of work, but its ending has been widely criticized. That's not the case for the film, which wraps everything up really nicely. The film also includes some of the most iconic horror imagery of all time, and many of these scenes are not in the book. That includes both the elevator of blood and the scary twins in the hallway, as well as the iconic hedge maze. Both versions of the story are formidable and have their strengths, but the movie ultimately wins out.
It (2017)
Another Stephen King works, and another potentially controversial take. 2017's It adaptation was one of the most successful horror movie debuts of all time. It's genuinely scary, beautifully made, and overall extremely well-crafted. This film really resonated with people. It tells a story of a group of children in a small town, who start to be terrorized by a clown named Pennywise who can transform into their greatest fears.
Part of that is to do with how much people love the book, and it's not at all that the book is lacking. In a way, it's the opposite. It's extremely long and contains some more taboo things that not everyone will want to read about. The movie is scary, but much more appealing to a wide audience. It should also be said that specifically, It from 2017 is better than the It book. The sequel, It Chapter Two, is still decent but the quality dips slightly and that portion of the book is probably better.
Candyman (1992)
Not everyone will know that Bernard Rose's iconic 1992 movie Candyman is actually based on a novella. The original story is called The Forbidden and it's by Clive Barker of Hellraiser fame. Barker actually did end up serving as an executive producer on the movie, which is great because it means the amazing changes were done with his blessing.
The Forbidden is widely different from Candyman. While the original is set in the UK and is largely about classism, with a white villain, Candyman takes those base ideas and transports them to America with a commentary on race. These changes have made the messaging lasting and relevant, especially after 2020 when racism was really at the forefront of everyone's minds.
Candyman is also just visually really stunning, very well acted, written, and shot. Barker's writing is like poetry and it's beautiful to read, but the movie captured that so well and added imagery making for a captivating watch.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
It is not at all that Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs novel is bad. It's that Jonathan Demme's film adaptation is perfect.
This film opened up the world to horror in a completely different way. It's one of the few horror movies ever to be honored by the Oscars, winning Best Picture. It's now 30 years old and holds up so well it could have been made last week. Truly, its effectiveness hasn't been lost at all.
Remembered mostly for Anthony Hopkins's amazing performance as the villain, Hannibal Lecter, this is a bit more of a crime thriller but also incredibly scary with a lot of horror elements. And in terms of being a movie, it's nothing short of perfectly made.