If you’re a fan of horror, chances are you’ve seen plenty of scary movies. Between the classics and newer fare; gory slashers and ghost hauntings; horror movies are known for their creative stories and chilling adversaries. What you might not realize is that many of these stories originally began in books.

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Horror fiction is a rich source of movie adaptations. While not every book-to-screen version is successful, there are movies that manage to not only follow the source material but even elevate it. After watching these horror movies, you might want to give the books a try!

The Exorcist (1973)

The Exorcist - Regan floating over bed while two priest watches
Image via Warner Bros.

Chris (Ellen Burstyn) notices that her child Regan (Linda Blair) has started behaving strangely, including speaking in tongues and showing abnormal strength. She contacts the church and asks for help to save her daughter. Two priests are sent to perform an exorcism, but it’s not as easy as they believed.

Considered to be one of the scariest horror movies ever made, The Exorcist is based on the best-selling book by William Peter Blatty inspired by a real-life exorcism case in the 1940s. The author himself adapted the book for the screen, which kickstarts a franchise that includes numerous movies and a TV series.

Psycho (1960)

Psycho - Norman Bates standing below an eagle statue
Image via Paramount Pictures

A secretary (Janet Leigh) is on the run after stealing money from her boss. During a heavy rainstorm, she stops at a motel where she meets the polite but reclusive owner (Anthony Perkins). She overhears his conversation with his mother, but she has no idea the secrets he keeps.

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is famous for its killer shower scene and shocking ending. These ideas came from the book Psycho by Robert Bloch. While the movie adaptation is pretty faithful, it enhances the material through suspenseful scenes and masterful acting from Perkins who plays the notorious Norman Bates.

The Ring (2002)

A woman watching the cursed tape
Image via Dreamworks Pictures

After four teenagers died in mysterious circumstances, a reporter (Naomi Watts) investigates the case. She discovers that they watched a videotape filled with nightmarish images one week before their deaths. Curious, she decides to watch the tape, and now she has just seven days to solve the mystery.

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It’s well-known that The Ring is an American remake of the Japanese horror movie Ring. But both stories originated from the 1991 novel by Koji Suzuki. The book and original Japanese movie lean towards paranormal and psychic elements, while the American version is a more straightforward scarefest.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

The Amityville Horror - George holding up a cross with both hands
Image via American International Pictures

The Lutz family moves into a new house in Amityville, New York. Unbeknownst to them, a mass murder was committed on that property just a year before. Soon the family is affected by sudden illnesses, things moving on their own, and horrible nightmares. They have to battle a malevolent force to survive.

The Amityville Horror is based on the book of the same name by Jay Anson, which is allegedly based on a true story. The book was embroiled in controversy due to questions about its accuracy, but it hasn’t stopped various movie adaptations from being made. After the 1979 movie, there have been more than a dozen movies inspired by the events in Amityville.

No One Gets Out Alive (2021)

No One Gets Out Alive - Ambar screaming from an apartment window
Image via Netflix

After her mother’s death, Ambar (Cristina Rodlo) relocates to the US from Mexico. Undocumented and desperate, she moves into a gloomy boarding house run by Red (Marc Menchaca) who demands payment upfront. Creepy things start happening, and she finds herself trapped in a hellhole.

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Netflix’s No One Gets Out Alive is adapted from Adam Nevill’s award-winning novel of the same name but gives its own twist on the story. Instead of a British setting, the main character in the movie is a Mexican immigrant trying to survive alone in an American city. The horrors come from the human and the supernatural in this moody tale of vengeance.

Jaws (1975)

Jaws - two men looking at a shark in the ocean
Image via Universal Pictures

In a resort town in New England, beachgoers are under attack by a fearsome great white shark. A shark hunter (Robert Shaw), a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss), and the police chief (Roy Schneider) work together to catch the creature before more people are killed.

Steven Spielberg's Jaws is a thrilling summer horror movie adapted from the book of the same name by Peter Benchley. The movie differs in a few ways from the book, but the dangerous threat of the shark is frighteningly similar. Going to the beach will never be the same again!

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Mia Farrow - Rosemary standing and holding a knife
Image via Paramount Pictures

A pregnant woman (Mia Farrow) suspects that her elderly neighbors have bad intentions toward her. She becomes convinced that they are Satanic cult members and that they want her baby for their rituals. When her husband ignores her concerns, she decides to seek help from the outside.

Rosemary’s Baby is based on Ira Levin’s psychological horror novel of the same name. Served by Farrow's committed performance, it looks at a cult's controlling power as well as motherhood through a paranoid lens. Though some scenes are cut for brevity, the movie is overall a faithful adaptation.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

I Know What You Did Last Summer - four people standing in a circle
Image via Columbia Pictures

A year after accidentally running over a man and dumping his body, four friends reunite when one of them receives a threat. They realize that someone knows what they did, and they are all in danger of being killed one by one.

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The 90s horror movie I Know What You Did Last Summer is loosely based on the YA novel of the same name by Lois Duncan. While the book is mystery-based with a surprising identity reveal, the movie is a bloodier, slasher horror where every character could be a victim. It also spawned a franchise with two sequels and a TV show.

The Ruins (2008)

The Ruins - four people standing facing the camera
Image via Sony Pictures

Four friends are vacationing in Mexico when they meet a fellow tourist searching for his brother. His last known location is at an archeological dig in the jungle. They venture into the area and reach the ruins of a Mayan temple, where they face a dangerous enemy.

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Based on the horror book of the same name by Scott Smith, The Ruins is adrenaline-fueled survival horror. The screenplay is written by the book’s author, though the movie is different in several ways compared to its source. Gory and relentless, it will make you never want to step into the jungle.

The Woman In Black (2012)

The Woman In Black - Daniel Radcliffe looking out the window
Image via CBS Films

In 1906, a widowed lawyer (Daniel Radcliffe) travels to a village to collect documents left by a client. He hears weird noises and sees visions of a woman dressed in all black. Terrible accidents start happening to the village children. He learns that there’s a vengeful spirit wanting to kill those children.

The Woman In Black is adapted from the 1983 book of the same name by Susan Hill. It was previously adapted into a TV movie and a stage play. The 2012 movie differs from the book in the structure and ending, but retains the haunting influence of the title character. It’s a gothic ghost tale that doesn’t guarantee a happy ending.

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