Books On Film | The Exorcist

The classic horror film The Exorcist (1973) is based on the book of the same title published by William Peter Blatty in 1971. Inspired by the 1949 exorcism of Roland Doe, the author created the fictional tale of a mother who seeks help from doctors, and eventually a priest, for her daughter who has become possessed by a demon.

The film was wildly successful and was the first horror movie to be nominated for an Oscar. Although, it didn't win for best picture it did win for best screenplay which the book's author co-wrote. 

Happily, this means that a lot of the book was directly translated onto the screen. If you've never read the book before, you won't be getting a wildly different tale from the movie. However, everyone knows that your imagination is much worse than anything that can be put on screen. If you read this, PREPARE TO BE SCARED!

Covers courtesy of Library Thing.

Books On Film | Supernatural

We all know that books are frequently made into movies, but the reverse also occurs. The process of adapting a movie or television show into a book is called novelization.

Novelizations take two forms: direct screen-to-book adaptions and "spin-off" books. "Spin-off" books are written in the same universe with the same characters, but with plots not seen in the source material. Direct screen-to-book adaptations are more common with movies and "spin-offs" more common with television shows, particularly science fiction and fantasy shows with large fan-bases.

The fantasy, horror show Supernatural, which is about two brothers who hunt supernatural creatures, was first novelized in 2007. Since the show is in it's eighth season and the show has put it's own spin on classic monster mythology, there is plenty of story to draw inspiration from.

If you like to watch Supernatural check out the books below. Are they as good as the show? You tell me!

1. Nevermore by Keith R.A. DeCandido 

2. Witch's Canyon by Jeff Mariott  

3. Bone Key by Keith R.A. DeCandido 
4. Heart of the Dragon by Keith R.A. Decandido [Link+]

5. The Unholy Cause by Joe Schreiber [Link+]
6. War of the Sons by Rebecca Dessertine [Link+]

If you are looking for other supernatural novelizations, checkout out the Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Charmed books.

Have you checked out the novelization of one of your favorite movies or television shows? How did it compare? Comment below and let us know!

For more information about our Link+ borrowing system, please click here.
[Bibliographic Source: Good Reads - Supernatural TV Show Books] 
[Cover images uploaded by Candace]  

Books On Film | Goosebumps

It may be surprising, but many children love horror!

R.L. Stine has written over 300 horror books for young readers since 1986. His long-lasting series, Goosebumps, is very popular among elementary and middle school students. The books are scary and age-appropriate, without being gross.

In 1995, Fox and Scholastic Productions adapted the books into a television show (TV-Y7). It was one of several children's horror shows airing the mid-to-late 90s, which included series such as Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Disney's Eerie, Indiana. Goosebumps was on the air for four years and the DVDs from the show are still frequently checked out at the library.

Stine continues to write in the series today and has even created a spinoff series, Goosebumps Horrorland. If you have a child that likes the scary stuff have them check out the Goosebumps series or even Mostly Ghostly and Rotten School (other series by R.L. Stine).

Goosebumps (TV Show) Intro:

[Source: YouTube]

What was your favorite scary story as a child? Comment below!

[Bibliographic Source: rlstine.com - About R.L.]

[Book cover courtesy of LibraryThing] 

Books On Film | Stephen King

In honor of Halloween, I'll spend the month of October talking about several spooky adaptations of adult and children's books!

Stephen King has been publishing books for thirty-eight years and the large majority of what he's penned has been adapted into films, many of which are now considered horror classics. 

 

Hollywood Movies

His first novel, Carrie (published in 1974), was adapted into a film starring Sissy Spacek and with that, the title wave of Stephen King adaptations began. Some of his most famous big screen horror films are The Shining (1976) with Jack Nicholson, Firestarter (1979) with Drew Barrymore, and Misery (1987) with Kathy Bates. He also penned movie classics The Shawkshank Redemption (1981) and The Green Mile (2006) with Tom Hanks.

Television Movies & Miniseries  

Not only have his novels been made into big screen movie productions, but also into television movies by network and cable channels. Some of the most famous television horror adaptations include Salem's Lot (1975), IT (1986) with Tim Curry, The Tommyknockers (1987), and The Langoliers (1989).

Television Shows

King's stories have also been adapted into several television shows. The most well known adaptation is the USA Network series based on The Dead Zone (1976), starring Anthony Michael Hall. 

If you take a look at Stephen King's catalog of titles you will be very surprised at just how many of your favorite movies are based on his books.

Do you have a favorite Stephen King book or movie? Comment below! 

 
Bibliographic Source: StephenKing.com - The Library
[Cover images courtesy of LibraryThing]