Instead of watching horror movies
this Halloween, why not curl up with the
real masters of terror? The original
books.
Who doesn’t love to ride a horror-
filled roller coaster film for an hour or
two? But for those who want to chase
longer and bigger scares, we recom-
mend picking up the source material for
your favorite horror flick. Aren’t the
books usually better (and way scarier)
than the movies?
Think about it.
Horror movies are often a communal
experience, usually shared with a thea-
ter filled with people or maybe a sofa
shared with friends. But reading is a sol-
itary affair.
A reader, alone, in the quiet, is the
perfect setting for a serious fright. And
though movie effects have come a long
way, can Hollywood really conjure up
anything as terrifying as our own imagi-
nations?
Here are 10 books that overshadow
their film adaptations:
‘Psycho’
We all know the famous takeaways
from the film: Think shower scene and
finally meeting Norman Bates’ mother.
But there is more to Norman than meets
the cinematic eye, and that is where the
book, by Robert Bloch, stands out.
‘Ring’
There have been several adaptations
of the novel (and its series) to “The Ring”
movies since its publication in 1991. The
videotape, a staple in the 2002movie, is
not as omnipresent in the books by Koji
Suzuki.The novels offer curses in other
frightening formats and more opportu-
nities for your imagination to get the
best of you.
‘Bird Box’
The book, by Josh Malerman, as a
psychological thriller, is far darker than
the film. After all, sometimes the why is
scarier than the how. The filmdoes not
address the internal terror as much as
the external. USA TODAY’S reviewcalls
the book “a tale that blends claustro-
phobic dread and the dark side of hu-
manity.”
‘The Haunting of Hill House’
Modern horror masters Stephen King
and Guillermo del Toro are counted
among the many huge fans of the book.
The novel by Shirley Jacksonhas been
adapted into feature films twice (and
later a Netflix series). Really, all adapta-
tions pale in comparison with the origi-
nal source material, thanks to Jackson’s
exquisite storytelling.
‘Misery’When discussing what book-to-film entry for Stephen King is far more
frightening as a novel, this title popped up more than any other. Not only does
the book win hands down for giving more insight into Paul Sheldon’sinner
voice than the 1990movie, but the iconic hobbling scene from the film is
played out far, far differently and far more frighteningly than in the book.‘The Exorcist’The screenplay for the film was writ-
ten by the author of the novel, William
Peter Blatty. When the film was first re-
leased, there were reports of theatergo-
ers having physical reactions. The book
will leave readers with more psycholog-
ical scars.‘Rosemary’s Baby’The 1967 book by Ira Levin was im-
mediately followed in 1968by the film.
The buildup to the gaslighting of Rose-
mary by her husband and neighbors is
far more drawn out in the novel, making
her descent into madness all the more
chilling.‘The Silence of the Lambs’The film won big at the Academy
Awards in 1992, and the film’s villain, Dr.
Hannibal Lecter, portrayed by Anthony
Hopkins, dominated. The book, by
Thomas Harris, delves far deeper into
Clarice’s psyche than Dr. Lecterever
does on film.‘Hell House’The 1971 novel by Richard Matheson
was made into the 1973film “The Legend
of Hell House.” There are differences in
what happens in the book, and the novel
does a better job of getting into the
heads of the characters and, as a result,
the heads of readers.‘Let the Right One In’A novel that stands up to the original
“Dracula” in both book and films takes
place in the late 1980s. This Swedish
thriller was made into two films, first the
Swedish version of the same nameand
later an English version called “Let Me
In.”This 2004 Nordic thriller by John Aj-
vide Lindqvistovershadows them both.BOOKS
When books are scarier than movies
Need a Halloween thrill?
Curl up, alone, and read.
Mary Cadden
USA TODAY
Lina Leandersson in “Let the Right One In,” based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist.MAGNOLIA PICTURESJanet Leigh in the famous scene from
“Psycho.”PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Sandra Bullock in “Bird Box,” based on
a Josh Malerman book. NETFLIX
James Caan and Kathy Bates in “Misery.”MERRICK MORTON/CASTLE ROCKMia Farrow, right, Ruth Gordon, center, and Patsy Kelly star in the 1968 film
adaptation of Ira Levin’s novel “Rosemary’s Baby.”WILLIAM CASTLE PRODUCTIONSAnthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster in
“The Silence of the Lambs” KEN REGANMax von Sydow and Linda Blair in the
1973 movie “The Exorcist.”WARNER BROS.4D z WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 z USA TODAY LIFE