40 Horror Movies You Didn’t Realize Are Based on Novels – menshealth.com

Men's Health

If you're a horror movie buff, chances are you know the classics. There are heavyweights like Misery and Jaws and newer flicks like The Ruins or American Psycho. And these classics are terrifying for a reason. There's blood and gore and everything that keeps us up at night, of course, but iconic films like these also make an impact because they teach us that true horror movie villains come in all scary shapes and sizesthey're not all axe-wielding dudes with face masks. And a lot these films are based on actual stories, toonot real life true stories, thank god, but books. So, in an effort to help you stop endlessly scrolling on Netflix, here are 40 classic horror movies that are adapted from best-selling novels, short stories, and other written material to help get you by during quarantine.

1 of 40

Misery

Another Stephen King classic and one you likely won't forget. (Remember the hobbling scene?) The 1990 film, starring Kathy Bates and James Caan, is based on King's 1987 novel.

Buy the book here.

2 of 40

The Shining

No surprises here. The Stanley Kubrick-directed film's origins are found in Stephen King's classic novel of the same name.

Buy the book here.

3 of 40

Bird Box

The 2018 Netflix film, featuring Sandra Bullock, John Malkovich, and Sarah Paulson, drew its inspiration from the Josh Malerman's 2014 novel, Bird Box.

Buy the book here.

4 of 40

American Psycho

The 2000 cult classic, featuring an especially chiseled Christian Bale, took its inspiration from Bret Easton Ellis' 1991 novel. It later became adapted into a musical for Broadway.

Buy the book here.

5 of 40

The Birds

Loosely based on the Daphne du Maurier story of the same name, the Alfred Hitchcock film was declared "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" by the U.S. Library of Congress.

Buy the book here.

6 of 40

Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock's iconic horror film starring Janet Leigh is an adaptation of the 1959 novel by Robert Bloch.

Buy the book here.

7 of 40

Jaws

Don't go to the deep end! This 1975 classic about a people-hungry shark is an adaptation of writer Peter Benchley's novel.

Buy the book here.

8 of 40

Rosemary's Baby

Likely of the most disturbing horror films of the 20th century, the film got its concept from the 1967 Ira Levin novel.

Buy the book here.

9 of 40

Cujo

Stephen King's 1981 novel about a terrifying dog became the basis of the 1983 film, which has since developed a cult following.

Buy the book here.

10 of 40

The Exorcist

This downright terrifying 1973 flick, starring Ellen Burstyn and Max von Sydow, found its origins in the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty.

Buy the book here.

11 of 40

Carrie

Another Stephen King classic. With performances from Sissy Spacek and John Travolta, the story also became the basis for a musical.

Buy the book here.

12 of 40

Dracula

With an impressive cast that features Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins, this 1992 film remake holds roots in Bram Stoker's 1897 famous novel.

Buy the book here.

13 of 40

Interview With the Vampire

The iconic 1994 film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt is based on famed writer Anne Rice's 1976 novel.

Buy the book here.

14 of 40

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

The 1978 film, starring Leonard Nimoy and Donald Sutherland, is a remake of the 1956 original. Both films are based on the the Jack Finney novel The Body Snatchers. (Avoid the 2007 film adaptation. That was terrible.)

Buy the book here.

15 of 40

Candyman

The 1992 film, starring Tony Dodd and Virginia Madsen, has origins in Clive Barker's short story "The Forbidden" published in his anthology, Books and Blood. Look out for Jordan Peele's remake of the film in 2021.

Buy the book here.

16 of 40

Frankenstein

One of the oldest horror films in history, this 1931 Boris Karloff feature has a story that began a century before in Mary Shelley's 1818 manuscript turned novel.

Buy the book here.

17 of 40

Hellraiser

The 1987 film, the first of a ten-movie franchise, was directed and written by Clive Barker, who used his novella, The Hellbound Heart, as inspiration.

Buy the book here.

18 of 40

The Amityville Horror

There are several movies based on the events surrounding the Amityville house, including the 1979 version starring James Brolin and the 2005 remake starring a very shirtless Ryan Reynolds. Many of the events of these films were depicted in the orignal novel by author Jay Anson.

Buy the book here.

19 of 40

Audition

The 1999 Japanese classic horror film is based on Ryu Murakami's novel of the same name published in 1997.

Buy the book here.

20 of 40

Don't Look Now

Daphne du Maurier's 1971 short story "Don't Look Now," originally published in the anthology, Not After Midnight, became the inspiration for the 1973 British horror film, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie.

Buy the book here.

21 of 40

Dreamcatcher

A more recent Stephen King story, the 2001 novel became the basis for the 2003 film, featuring performances from Morgan Freeman, Timothy Olyphant, and Jason Lee.

Buy the book here.

22 of 40

Flowers In the Attic

Known for addressing issues of incest and child abuse, the 1987 film (and its 2014 remake) is based on the V.C. Andrews novel of the same name, the first in a series of five books.

Buy the book here.

23 of 40

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Although the 1997 film is largely known as a teen slasher film, it actually has precedence in the 1973 Lois Duncan suspense novel.

Buy the book here.

24 of 40

The Silence of the Lambs

One of the most iconic films of all time, the 1991 Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster film is based on the 1988 Thomas Harris thriller novel.

Buy the book here.

25 of 40

The Invisible Man

Read more:
40 Horror Movies You Didn't Realize Are Based on Novels - menshealth.com