When reading an effective story of horror and monsters, gruesome images should infect the reader’s mind like the light of a film projector penetrates the darkness of a movie theatre. What better way to bring the images of uncontrollable, inhuman creatures to life than the moving image? Library programs, book clubs, and educators alike will benefit from pairing these books with their cinematic counterparts—bringing the readers’ worst nightmares to life with glorious black-and-white cinematography, breathtaking special effects, and iconic performances that remain unparalleled.
Silent Transformations
Before sound film technology became a standard aspect of movie-going, filmmakers relied even more heavily on visual cues to tell a story. It’s no surprise that over a century later, some of the early monster transformations of silent film continue to haunt viewers through a combination of practical effects and hair-raising performances.
Frankenstein (1910), dir. J. Searle Dawley
The product of Thomas Edison’s film studio, this short film is often referred to as “Edison’s Frankenstein.” Very loosely based upon Mary Shelley’s pioneering science-fiction novel of the same name, the last print of 1910’s Frankenstein was thought lost until the 1980s and finally restored by the Library of Congress in 2017. Clocking in at only thirteen minutes and change, the century’s first Frankenstein adaptation would make for an interesting pre-show for a screening of a later, longer adaptation of the story.
Purchase Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley on paperback.
Frankenstein (1910) is available free digitally through the Library of Congress.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), dir. John S. Roberson
Considered one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, John Barrymore’s physicality breathes life into his dual role as the civil Jekyll and heinous Hyde of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel. His onscreen transformation into this monster of a man was thought to have the ability to mentally disturb and physically distress children and pregnant women. While admirable adapts have been made to adapt the novel since 1920, most notably Fredric March’s performance in 1931, John Barrymore laid out the blueprint for serving the audience a physical manifestation of man’s capability for evil they won’t soon forget.
Purchase Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson through Simon & Schuster.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is available through Kino Lorber on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital.
Universal Monsters – Setting the Standard
Apart from the Creature from the Black Lagoon’s Gill-man, the majority of the classic Universal Monsters were derived from works of literature, ranging from Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking science fiction tale of a modern Prometheus to Bram Stoker’s fictional diaries and letters of the guests of a certain Count Dracula. While these novels have been adapted repeatedly in the ninety-plus years since Carl Laemmle Jr. produced his first horror picture, the Universal Monsters are the versions that first cemented the now-iconic visages of Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Invisible Man.
Dracula (1931), dir. Tod Browning
While technically based on a Broadway production based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula as an Eastern European, sophisticated, and well-dressed gentleman has become the cultural touchstone for the character. The combination of suit, cape, arched eyebrows, slicked-back hair, and Lugosi’s Hungarian accent has become synonymous with Dracula and the film’s influence on culture and future adaptations are hard to ignore.
Purchase Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker through Simon & Schuster.
Dracula (1931) is available through Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital.
Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), dir. James Whale
Despite numerous adaptations—including studio productions as recent as the 2010s —the 1931 and 1935 Universal Frankenstein movies remain unrivaled in their atmosphere, performances, and make-up design courtesy of cosmetic maestro Jack Pierce.
When comparing James Whales’ duo of Frankenstein movies, Bride of Frankenstein scores points for its prologue (starring Elsa Lanchester as a young Mary Shelley, only to turn up again as the titular Bride) and overall faithfulness to the source material. However, the first film is still required viewing for the premiere of Jack Pierce’s now ubiquitous Frankenstein’s Monster makeup as applied on Boris Karloff, as well as scenes that continue to reverberate through pop culture. “It’s alive! It’s alive!” even after all these years.
Both Frankenstein (1931) and the Bride… (1935) are available through Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital.
The Invisible Man (1933), dir. James Whales
Based on H.G. Wells’ 1897 novel, James Whale’s film is worth viewers’ time for its faceless but powerful performance by Claude Rains (Casablanca, Notorious), as well as the “invisible” special effects used to spectacular effect even by modern standards. Rains’ Dr. Jack Griffin is arguably the only original Universal Monster with an openly evil agenda. Dracula wants to survive (and acquire some vampiric brides along the way); Frankenstein wants a friend. What does the Invisible Man want? To terrorize and dominate the world.
Purchase The Invisible Man (1897) by H.G. Wells through Penguin Random House.
The Invisible Man (1933) is available through Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital.
The Masters of Horror: Stephen King and Clive Barker
Fast forward half a century from the reign of the Universal Monsters and two writers have made a name for themselves both in their prolific output of horror fiction, but also for their work’s adaptability in Hollywood: Stephen King and Clive Barker. Their book-based monsters—Pennywise, Pinhead, Kurt Barlow, and Candyman to name a select few—scarred generations of horror fans and casual cable viewers alike.
Salem’s Lot (1979), dir. Tobe Hooper
The plot of Salem’s Lot is simple: an ancient vampire named Kurt Barlow has moved to town and is turning everyone into vampires. Only King’s second published novel, Salem’s Lot was adapted into a television mini-series in 1979, helmed by Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper. What makes Salem’s Lot stand out from the novel is, contrary to the book’s portrayal of Barlow as a Lugosi-like gentleman, Hooper’s movie provides viewers with a Nosferatu-like creature that relies on others (namely, actor James Mason) to do his dirty work. Reading and watching the book and mini-series subsequentially could lead to interesting conversations about the aesthetics of vampirism.
Purchase Salem’s Lot (1975) by Stephen King through Penguin Random House:
Salem’s Lot (1979) is available through Warner Bros on Blu-ray.
Hellraiser (1987), dir. Clive Barker
Besides a few minor details, Barker’s directorial debut and adaptation of his own novella, The Hellbound Heart, stays truthful to the source material and delivers a gory, sexy drama with glorious character design for the “interdimensional explorers” known as Cenobites. Originally intended to be a minor character, the Cenobite known by fans as Pinhead instead became the symbol and only recurring character in the ongoing franchise.
Purchase The Hellbound Heart (1986) by Clive Barker on paperback through HarperCollins.
Hellraiser (1987) is available through Arrow Video on Blu-ray.
Stephen King’s It (1990), dir. Tommy Lee Wallace
With over 1,100 pages of source material from Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name, the original It mini-series of the early ‘90s manages to keep a tight pace at three hours and twelve minutes, but its crowning achievement lies in Tim Curry. As Pennywise the Dancing (and Shape-shifting) Clown, Curry’s gruff voice and sad eyes lent a sinister edge to a cannibalistic monster in the guise of a children’s circus clown. A generation of kids caught glimpses of Curry’s Pennywise on cable television and could never look at the jolly red-nosed performers the same again.
Purchase It (1986) by Stephen King through Simon & Schuster.
Stephen King’s It (1990) is available through Warner Bros on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital.
Candyman (1992), dir. Bernard Rose
Based on Clive Barker’s, short story “The Forbidden” from Book V of the Books of Blood anthology (published in the United States as In the Flesh), the film adaptation of Candyman places the story in Chicago’s Cabrini Green housing project instead of Liverpool, England and gives the Candyman mythology rooted in America’s history of violent racism. Both stories, regardless of location, examine urban myths and the cyclical nature of violence.
Purchase In the Flesh (1986) by Clive Barker through Simon & Schuster.
Candyman (1992) is available through Shout! Factory on Blu-ray.
Remakes Bring Classics into the 21st Century
From the early days of horror cinema to modern classics, these stories with literary backgrounds provide plenty of ideas for filmmakers to revisit. By digging into prior adaptations and the original source material, audiences have the privilege to enjoy a rich cultural and historical history of monsters in fiction, both onscreen and on the page.
In the past decade, Leigh Whannell’s Invisible Man and Nia DaCosta’s Candyman breathed new life into their literary source material by infusing their films with searing social commentary. And Stephen King remains, well, the king, with three remakes in just the past few years—Pet Sematary in 2019 and a two-film adaptation of It in 2017, and It: Chapter Two 2019.
With new adaptations of King’s Salem’s Lot and Barker’s Hellbound Heart on the horizon, horror literature continues to make its mark on screens of all sizes. Whether curating your next public film screening, designing a syllabus for your literature class, or selecting a unique library program for the Halloween season, consider teaming up the monsters of horror fiction with their onscreen counterparts and let the screaming start.