Movies of War

It’s easy to take the accessibility of movies for granted now that we live in a high-tech world populated by streaming giants and cheap video-on-demand. However, there was a time when you couldn’t simply rewatch any given scene at a moment’s notice, and that’s where merchandise used to be important. Not only were tie-in products a way of declaring your love for a certain movie or franchise, but they could also serve as standalone experiences, reminding you about what made you fall in love with that particular story in the first place. That’s exactly why I love film novelizations – especially of the horror variety. There’s nothing quite like experiencing an alternate take on your favorite scary stories, especially when they come furnished with internal monologues and more in-depth characters (as well as uncensored deaths). In honor of the novelization industry making a comeback now that titles like Terrifier 3 and even Return to Silent Hill are getting their own literary adaptations, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six of the best horror movie novelizations! As usual, this list is purely based on personal opinion, but don’t hesitate to comment below with your own favorite films-turned-books if you think we missed a particularly memorable one. With that out of the way, onto the list! 6. Godzilla by Stephen Molstad I know it sounds insane to put the novelization of TriStar’s Godzilla on this list when the western world finally received a properly translated release of Shigeru Kayama’s original novelizations of Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again, but believe me when I say that Molstad’s underrated little tie-in is a lot more fun than the movie it’s based on. For starters, this is an epistolary novel presented as an in-universe non-fiction book written by our main character, Dr. Nick Tatopoulos, with the character’s scientific descriptions and unique point of view transforming a mediocre kaiju movie into an incredibly intense piece of radioactive sci-fi! 5. Halloween by Curtis Richards So much of what makes Halloween tick as a phenomenal horror film involves John Carpenter’s mastery of music and visuals, so it really came as a surprise when I finally read Curtis Richards’ annoyingly hard-to-find novelization of the story and found myself having a blast. The book may follow the same overall narrative (albeit with some added details filling in events that were skipped over in the film), but Richards’ interest in the supernatural elements of this seasonal yarn makes it feel like a completely different beast altogether – especially where Michael is concerned. Not only that, but the kills feel a lot more gruesome as well, which is why I’d recommend this one to any fan of the original film. 4. The Funhouse by Dean Koontz It’s not every day that an established author takes a stab at novelizing your film, but that’s precisely why Dean Koontz’s literary adaptation of Larry Block’s script is such a special little book. Though I’m a huge fan of the original film due to its grimy photography and overall sleazy atmosphere, Koontz managed to elevate the material while staying true to its B-movie origins. In all honesty, I actually prefer Koontz’s more psychological take on this classic slasher. It may diverge from the source material at times, and certain sections feel like a completely different story altogether, but it’s still one hell of a spooky standalone experience that I’d recommend to any fan of 80s schlock. 3. The Lords of Salem by Rob Zombie & B.K. Evenson Movie novelizations usually aren’t treated like the main course when it comes to horror franchises, but I’ll be damned if Zombie and Evenson’s The Lords of Salem adaptation isn’t the definitive version of this nightmarish story. Not only does it reach further into the main character’s psyche and add horrific context to things that seemed innocuous in the movie, but this moody little read ends up fixing most of the narrative jank in Zombie’s homage to the demonic thrillers of yesteryear. That’s why I think this book is so much more than a mere companion piece, and I’d even recommend it to folks who dislike the original movie. 2. Event Horizon by Steven McDonald I know it’s almost certainly impossible at this point, but I’m still holding out hope that someone out there can recover the lost footage from the original cut of Event Horizon. However, while we wait for this unholy miracle to take place, Steven McDonald’s original novelization is still one hell of a consolation prize. Based on earlier drafts of the script, this novel takes the classic route of fleshing out characters and backstories in order to fill up the page count. However, it also includes most of the mind-bending terror that was removed from the theatrical cut of the film prior to release, which is why it makes it onto this list. 1. Alien by Alan Dean Foster An established writer of original speculative fiction in his own right, Alan Dean Foster is also known for being the master of tie-in novelizations, especially where sci-fi is concerned. From Star Trek to Transformers and even The Chronicles of Riddick, Foster has a clear passion for transforming cinematic space operas into literary adventures that you often forget are based on a pre-existing story. Foster’s adaptation of Alien is a prime example of this, with this incredibly intense horror story feeling like it was conceived as a book first. I especially appreciate how the novel explores certain aspects of the crew’s mission and backstory (not to mention the alien craft) in ways that the theatrical cut simply didn’t have enough time to show, all the while providing us with a slightly different take on the xenomorph. Related Topics:AlienBooksEvent HorizonGodzillaHalloweenLords of SalemnovelizationThe Funhouse Luiz H. C. Born Brazilian, raised Canadian, Luiz is a writer and Film student that spends most of his time watching movies and subsequently complaining about them. Advertisement You may like ‘Wrong Turn,’ ‘Martyrs,’ ‘House’ Novelizations to Be Published in April Titan of Television: A History of King Kong on the Small Screen ‘Godzilla’ Meets ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ in Crossover Comic This Summer Titan Books Brings ‘Event Horizon’ Making-Of Book to Fans This Fall [Exclusive] ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Season Two Review – A Titan X-Sized Improvement Over Season One Godzilla and Kong Attack Hollywood in Epic Kaiju Drone Show to Promote ‘Monarch’ Season 2! [Video] Click to comment