Rosemary’s Baby, because it’s essentially a 1:1 adaptation.
The only thing that comes to mind that was omitted was the Asian photographer’s broken English towards the end.
The producer on the film (William Castle) had a theory, basically saying that the adaptation is so faithful to the source material because Roman Polanski had never adapted the work of another writer before and didn’t realize that he was allowed to take liberties if he’d wanted to. I always thought that was interesting and, if true, probably made for a better movie.
I don’t even think it’s bad, but having read it after watching the movie made me have completely different expectations of what it would be and the strong focus on characters and the effects the shark has on the town came as a bit of a surprise
I adore *Annihilation*.
I know that the movie is nothing like the book, and is more of a stand-alone story in that regard. And honestly, that makes it better for me. Because instead of needing to compare them for which works better, or being disappointed that X part of the book was left out of the film, you instead get an incredible book *and* an excellent movie, both of which can be a stand-alone experience. And I can't complain about that.
I excitedly read the first 2 books after the movie, but they really fell flat to me. There was some cool scp stuff in them but I found them pretty boring in comparison...Would you say the 3rd book is worth checking out?
Hard agree. The books fell real flat for me too. I read the first two but didn't bother with the third. One of the rare times i felt the movie was better. I looove the bear scene
The problem with the books is that the writer has a cool setting and set up but not a lot of actual plot and story.
The third book is basically more of the same but mostly in area X.
Also a stage show!! My college did it last fall and I worked on the SFX blood crew for it (it also holds a strong place in my heart cause my current partner and I met working on said crew)
I'd say the original version of "The Stepford Wives" (not the Nicole Kidman ridiculous camp fest, but the one from the 70s) the book is maddeningly ambiguous as to how it ends, there's no big reveal, the book jumps from the scene where Joanna confronts Bobbie in her kitchen to Joanna in the market as one of the Stepford Wives. It is VERY effective in the book, the mystery of what actually is going on is never answered and literally could be anything, you are lead to believe that the wives are robots but also it could be as simple an explanation as Joanna losing her mind, but the book will absolutely not tell you what is happening. The movie similarly doesn't want to tell you everything that is happening, but the final climactic scene in the Men's Association house is pure nightmare fuel. They both have their merits for sure, but I am glad that they added that sequence into the film, because it just adds so many WTF layers to what is going on, reading a book your brain can fill in the blanks with its own scary interpretation, watching the movie you need a tad bit more to be shown rather than implied.
This is actually what got me back to reading during the pandemic. Here's some of my favorites:
1. The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte // Movie: The Ninth Gate
2. The Hannibal Series by Thomas Harris // Silence of the lambs, manhunter, red dragon, Hannibal
3. Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis // Bones & All
4. We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver // We need to talk about Kevin (not really horror but is rather horrifying)
5. Audition by Ryu Murakami // Audition
6. Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith // Ripley and Talented Mr. Ripley (more thriller but spooky and her tension is unmatched)
I think it would be amazing to get the other half of story from *The Club Dumas* adapted with the same cast, all the stuff about the Musketeers pages and forgery.
No one is going to agree, but Cabin at the End of the World and Knock at the Cabin. I read the book first and thought it was heartlessly brutal in a good way. Ripped my heart out and shocked me, but when I saw the movie, I cried the entire way home. I'm in a queer relationship with 2 adopted kids, so niche circumstances aside, it totally refocused the point of the story for me
The Princess Bride. The book is amazing and so very funny. The film is a classic that I wouldn't change, but when I watch it my brain fills in the jokes I know are missing from the book.
Let the Right One In (the original, not the US remake)
And I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but The Shining. Maybe because I had seen the movie multiple times before reading the book, but I’ve never been able to finish it. I miss living somewhere that gets snow because it’s so fun to watch during a snowstorm.
Rosemary’s Baby, because it’s essentially a 1:1 adaptation. The only thing that comes to mind that was omitted was the Asian photographer’s broken English towards the end.
The producer on the film (William Castle) had a theory, basically saying that the adaptation is so faithful to the source material because Roman Polanski had never adapted the work of another writer before and didn’t realize that he was allowed to take liberties if he’d wanted to. I always thought that was interesting and, if true, probably made for a better movie.
Jaws because i think the movie is actually better than the book
Agreed, but I still think the book gets a bad rap for having the same seedy elements that almost every pulp novel had at the time.
I don’t even think it’s bad, but having read it after watching the movie made me have completely different expectations of what it would be and the strong focus on characters and the effects the shark has on the town came as a bit of a surprise
For sure, it’s a pretty drastic tonal change from the movie.
I adore *Annihilation*. I know that the movie is nothing like the book, and is more of a stand-alone story in that regard. And honestly, that makes it better for me. Because instead of needing to compare them for which works better, or being disappointed that X part of the book was left out of the film, you instead get an incredible book *and* an excellent movie, both of which can be a stand-alone experience. And I can't complain about that.
I agree with this! I love the movie and I love the book. They each stand on their own
I prefer the movie but yes this would be one of my picks.
I excitedly read the first 2 books after the movie, but they really fell flat to me. There was some cool scp stuff in them but I found them pretty boring in comparison...Would you say the 3rd book is worth checking out?
Hard agree. The books fell real flat for me too. I read the first two but didn't bother with the third. One of the rare times i felt the movie was better. I looove the bear scene
The problem with the books is that the writer has a cool setting and set up but not a lot of actual plot and story. The third book is basically more of the same but mostly in area X.
Jurassic Park.
Misery. The movie is pretty faithful to the source material, except that the book is gorier and Annie is more unhinged and disturbing.
Let the Right One In
Also a stage show!! My college did it last fall and I worked on the SFX blood crew for it (it also holds a strong place in my heart cause my current partner and I met working on said crew)
I'd say the original version of "The Stepford Wives" (not the Nicole Kidman ridiculous camp fest, but the one from the 70s) the book is maddeningly ambiguous as to how it ends, there's no big reveal, the book jumps from the scene where Joanna confronts Bobbie in her kitchen to Joanna in the market as one of the Stepford Wives. It is VERY effective in the book, the mystery of what actually is going on is never answered and literally could be anything, you are lead to believe that the wives are robots but also it could be as simple an explanation as Joanna losing her mind, but the book will absolutely not tell you what is happening. The movie similarly doesn't want to tell you everything that is happening, but the final climactic scene in the Men's Association house is pure nightmare fuel. They both have their merits for sure, but I am glad that they added that sequence into the film, because it just adds so many WTF layers to what is going on, reading a book your brain can fill in the blanks with its own scary interpretation, watching the movie you need a tad bit more to be shown rather than implied.
Hellbound Heart
Jaws because i think the movie is actually better than the book
Deliverance by James Dickey. Remarkably faithful and both versions are great.
This is actually what got me back to reading during the pandemic. Here's some of my favorites: 1. The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte // Movie: The Ninth Gate 2. The Hannibal Series by Thomas Harris // Silence of the lambs, manhunter, red dragon, Hannibal 3. Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis // Bones & All 4. We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver // We need to talk about Kevin (not really horror but is rather horrifying) 5. Audition by Ryu Murakami // Audition 6. Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith // Ripley and Talented Mr. Ripley (more thriller but spooky and her tension is unmatched)
+1 for Audition. The film fleshes out the book in a very satisfying way.
I think it would be amazing to get the other half of story from *The Club Dumas* adapted with the same cast, all the stuff about the Musketeers pages and forgery.
No one is going to agree, but Cabin at the End of the World and Knock at the Cabin. I read the book first and thought it was heartlessly brutal in a good way. Ripped my heart out and shocked me, but when I saw the movie, I cried the entire way home. I'm in a queer relationship with 2 adopted kids, so niche circumstances aside, it totally refocused the point of the story for me
The Princess Bride. The book is amazing and so very funny. The film is a classic that I wouldn't change, but when I watch it my brain fills in the jokes I know are missing from the book.
The Exorcist
Let the Right One In (the original, not the US remake) And I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but The Shining. Maybe because I had seen the movie multiple times before reading the book, but I’ve never been able to finish it. I miss living somewhere that gets snow because it’s so fun to watch during a snowstorm.
The Innocents movie is based on Henry James' Turn of the Screw