Horror movies based on frightful written works

While it’s incredibly easy to get caught up in the bloodcurdling excitement of horror movies, in our opinion, it’s equally as riveting to read a mysterious horror novel if you’re looking for a literary fright-fest. Needless to say, while many horror-ific productions actually come from unique, creatively written scripts, there are also quite a few scares that have taken inspiration from some alarming written works. So, since you’ve probably seen some classic horror films that have clawed their way into a special place in your mind, how about immortalizing their plot sequences by reading the delicately detailed novels as well? Although, do you know which of your creep-tastic favorites were horror novels before they sprang to life on the big screen?

Hellraiser

Clive Barker’s seminal horror film, Hellraiser, was actually inspired by the writer/director’s novella that was first published in 1986. Entitled, The Hellbound Heart, this horror page-turner was actually the third installment in a trilogy about an extradimensional realm that contained inhabitants that were dedicated to sadomasochism and human torture. Just like the movie, sexual deviant Frank opens the puzzle box portal and unleashes the gruesome cenobites who begin by tearing his body limb from limb. Whether you’re feeling torn between binge-watching the franchise or simply binge-reading the series, both adaptations have a unique combination of words and imagery to get your chilling imagination stirring.

The Exorcist

William Peter Blatty first published The Exorcist, in 1971 detailing the fictional story of character Regan MacNeil’s demonic possession. Having also written the screenplay for the movie with the same name released in 1973, both adaptations offer almost a word for word conversion between the book and film. Needless to say, although the book was widely popular, it did not possess the same shock factor as its film counterpart. Many critics labeled The Exorcist the scariest movie for its time and to see the spiderlike demon crawling with her body arched was far more horrifying than ever reading about the scene — not to mention the distinct voice and personality that roars and thunders from the girl’s body. That being said, as impressively powerful and traumatizing as both adaptations were, they set the bar pretty high for the horror genre.

Psycho

Whether you enjoy relishing in killer cult film classics like Psycho or you’re more into the A&E network series Bates Motel, you still can’t help but wonder where the inspiration for the story came from. Well, the reality is that author Robert Bloch paved the groundwork for the monumental film in his novel entitled, Psycho, which was published in 1959. One year later the famous slasher by the same name was born and Alfred Hitchcock brought Norman Bates to life on the big screen. All in all, the bones of the book remain intact throughout the film but the movie took on a whole entity of its own.

Have you watched any horror movies and also read their horror movie counterparts? Tell us which of them you preferred in the comments section below.