Whether they’re told around the campfire, read off a page, or played on my TV screen, I love scary stories. The chilly breeze in the air and wilting leaves around me always signal that autumn is approaching.
While I’m not particularly fond of pumpkin spice — sorry — I am a sucker for large sweaters, a warm drink, and a good book. Fall is my favorite season, hands down. It always puts me in the mood to read a spooky story. I don’t have as much time anymore to dedicate to reading with school and work, but movies work just as fine to fulfill my need for a spooky tale. Fortunately, many have both a novel and film form.
Here are three of my favorite spooky stories that started out as books and were adapted to fit the big screen.
1. The girl who loved Tom Gordon – Stephen King
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is one of those not-scary scary books that I love. When I say “not scary,” I mean it in the sense that you aren’t going to be cringing at gore or pushing the book away from you. This book is a psychological thriller; it still gets the heart racing, but does so in a creeping, slow, and eerie way.
Trisha McFarland is on a hike with her mother and brother when she suddenly has to go to the bathroom. Her mother and brother are arguing about something, so Trisha decides to step away on her own, without notifying them, to relieve herself. Trisha strays further from the road than anticipated, unsure of which direction she came from. She cannot hear her mother and brother anymore, but decides to walk in the direction she assumes is correct. Unintentionally, she has wandered even further into the unforgiving wilderness with nothing but a radio to keep her company and the drive to find her way back. This story is one of resilience, struggle, and fear. Fear of the unknown: both in life and beyond.
This beloved cult classic’s movie adaptation is allegedly in production. There is no date set for the release of this movie, and no update of whether or not this project is still ongoing. It is difficult to gauge when or if this movie will be released, as well as who will be filling the cast list. As of 2020, Lynne Ramsay has taken on the project of directing the film. There have been no further updates on the movie, but I will be sitting front row if it ever is released.
2. The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Content warning: In-depth discussion of murder and Sexual Assault (in book)
The lovely Bones is a tale from the outside looking in. The main protagonist, Susie Salmon, is a ghost of her former self. Literally. The book explores the circumstances surrounding Susie’s death, as well as the recovery her family and friends must go through to process it. The book follows the characters from Susie’s perspective, who is watching from her heaven. The book is very heavy and can be confusing at times, as it skips through time and follows multiple smaller storylines surrounding the people in Susie’s life. I find it to be beautifully written despite this, and it truly shook me. While this book gives a sense of impending doom more than it does outright horror, it gives such a strong level of eeriness to constitute as a Halloween pick. Be warned that the first few chapters detail Susie’s murder, which is gruesome and involves talk of sexual assault.
The movie, while still maintaining that eeriness, is a bit more palatable. It features a star-studded cast, with Mark Whalburg as Jack Salmon, Susie’s father; Stanley Tucci as George Harvey, a neighbor of the Salmon family; Susan Sarandon as Grandma Lynn; and Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon. I feel that the movie did not hold the same sort of horror that the book held. They do a good job of filling in for subtext that is lost in the shift from novel to film, but there’s a lot more wonder involved in reading the book that I think is missed in this transition.
I like to know who I’m supporting when I consume media, so I’d like to mention: Sebold was involved in a controversy of sorts, according to The Guardian. In her memoir, Lucky, Sebold details the 1982 trial she went through in search of her assailant in a sexual assault case. It came out in 2021 that the man who was convicted of this crime, Anthony Broadwater, is innocent. As reported by The New York Times, Sebold apologized publicly, recognizing that this mistake robbed the man of a life he could have had. Sebold and her publisher have since removed Lucky from print. She is still a victim, with a different, unknown assailant. I believe the courts played a large role in this false incarceration. From what little evidence they had, I believe he should have never been convicted. Anybody interested in the heartbreaking case should do further research.
3. Coraline – Neil Gaiman
While not very scary, this is one of my favorite movies to watch around Halloween. Trust me, eight year old me was so terrified when I first watched it that I had to shut the movie off before it ended and forced my sister to sleep in my bed with me instead of her own. I only recently read the book, last year or so, because I am fairly fond of Neil Gaiman — most of his fans are — and I loved it.
Coraline moves into The Pink Palace, an apartment building, with her family. She finds a small door while exploring the house one day, and behind it, a world of wonder. The other world parallels her own. It is more wondrous and fantastical than her reality from the decorations in the house to the wacky neighbors in the adjoining apartments. She is captivated by this world and continues to go back and explore it, until things take a turn. Coraline must face her fears to save herself and those around her. It is a story of resilience and girlhood. Sadly, the book does not feature Wyborn (AKA Wybie) from the movies, who is my favorite character. Wybie was created for the film to fill in for the fact that Coraline’s inner dialogue was lost. Besides that and a few other changes, it is a very faithful adaptation.
The movie features Dakota Fanning as the voice of Coraline Jones, Robert Bailey Jr. as Wyborn Lovat, and Keith David as the Cat.