An ominous graveyard at night with the headline "Halloween Books to Screen."

Recommended Reads, Trends

13 book-to-screen adaptations for your Halloween watchlist

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Oct 23, 2023

Do you dare watch scary movies? This time of year is a favorite for horror fans. Even those who don’t always dabble on the dark side may invite an ax murderer or vampire onto their screens this month in the spirit of Halloween. Some of the most spine-chilling stories start out as books first, and we’re shining the flashlight on a few that turned into frightening films so good you’ll freak.

Big on blood-curdling scares or are more into mild creeps? Whatever your tolerance level, we have scary, not-so-scary, suspenseful and ghostly good book and movie pairings you can watch on Kanopy and read on the Libby app from your library.

And get ready to scream with delight: it’s free with your library card. Indulge in these wicked treats all month long.


Rosemary's Baby

Book: Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Movie: Rosemary’s Baby starring Zoe Saldana, Patrick J. Adams and Carole Bouquet

A young married couple move to Paris in hopes of leaving their past behind, but after a series of unfortunate events, Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are presented with an offer they can't refuse—an apartment at the most prestigious address in New York City. They soon realize it comes with a haunted past and an immeasurable price.


Let the Right One In

Book: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Movie: Let the Right One In starring Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson

Lonely 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his classmates. A new friendship develops when Eli, a pale, serious young girl who only comes out at night, moves in next door. But coinciding with her arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. As Oskar becomes more aware of Eli's tragic plight, he cannot forsake her. However, Eli knows that to continue living, she must keep relocating. When Oskar faces his darkest hour, Eli returns to defend him the only way she can.


Audition

Book: Audition by Ryu Murakami
Movie: Audition starring Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina and Tetsu Sawaki

Recent widower Shigeharu Aoyama is advised by his son to find a new wife. Having been out of the dating scene for many years, Shigeharu seeks the advice of a colleague. Taking advantage of their position as a film company, they stage an audition. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu becomes enchanted by Asami, a quiet 24-year-old woman who is immediately responsive to his charms. But soon things take a very dark and twisted turn as we find that Asami isn’t what she seems to be…


Dracula

Book: Dracula by Bram Stoker
Movie: Dracula starring Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom and Klaus Kinski

In 1970, cult director Jess Franco and screen legend Christopher Lee collaborated on what they promised would be the most faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel ever filmed. From its remarkable performances to its lush locations and atmosphere of sinister sensuality, it remains a spellbinding adaptation of the classic tale.


My Amityville Horror

Book: The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
Movie: My Amityville Horror starring Daniel Lutz and Laura DiDio

For the first time in 35 years, Daniel Lutz recounts his version of the infamous Amityville haunting that terrified his family in 1975 and inspired the novel. This documentary reveals the horror behind growing up as part of a world famous haunting and while Daniel's facts may be others' fiction, the psychological scars he carries are indisputable.


Jamaica Inn

Book: Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
Movie: Jamaica Inn starring Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara and Robert Newton

A young woman discovers her uncle heads a gang of ship-wreckers and murderers under the secret patronage of the local squire. Her efforts to stop their wicked ways leads her down a path filled with murder and betrayal.


Endless Night

Book: Endless Night by Agatha Christie
Movie: Endless Night starring Per Oscarsson, George Sanders and Patience Collier

Michael works as a Rolls Royce chauffeur for rich Americans on tours around Europe. When he meets Ellie, a lovely young American, a love affair soon develops between them. But they are interrupted by a strange, sinister old woman...


Book: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Movie: The Woman in Black starring Janet McTeer, Daniel Radcliffe and Ciarán Hinds

Author Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a widowed lawyer, is sent to a remote village to sort out the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric. But upon his arrival, it soon becomes clear that everyone in the town is keeping a deadly secret.


Mary Shelley

Book: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Movie: Mary Shelley starring Elle Fanning, Maisie Williams and Douglas Booth

While not a true book-to-movie adaptation, this film does tell the torrid true-life tale of how a passionate love affair fueled the creation of trailblazing writer Mary Shelley's Gothic masterwork, Frankenstein.


Rebecca

Book: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Movie: Rebecca starring Faye Dunaway, Geraldine James and Emilia Fox

Beginning in Monte Carlo, our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives—presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.


Dark Water

Book: Dark Water by Koji Suzuki
Movie: Dark Water starring Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno and Mirei Oguchi

Based upon on a short story by Ring author Koji Suzuki, Dark Water follows Yoshimi, a single mother struggling to win sole custody of her only child, Ikuko. When they move into a new home within a dilapidated and long-forgotten apartment complex, Yoshimi begins to experience startling visions and unexplainable sounds, calling her mental well-being into question, and endangering not only her custody of Ikuko, but perhaps their lives as well.


For kids

Creepy Carrots

Book: Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
Movie: Creepy Carrots featuring James Naughton

Jasper Rabbit loves carrots. He eats them on the way to school. He eats them going to Little League. He eats them walking home. Until the day the carrots start following him...or are they?


Dem Bones

Book: Dem Bones by Bob Barner
Movie: Dem Bones featuring Chris Thomas King

This familiar African American spiritual is brought to life as frolicking, instrument-playing skeletons are accompanied by interesting, informative “bone facts.”

*Title availability may vary by region.

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About the Author

Annie Suhy has been working in the book industry since 2006. When she’s not working, practicing yoga, or petting cats, she’s doing paint-by-numbers and buying more plants. An avid poetry fan, her favorite collection is "The Splinter Factory" by Jeffrey McDaniel.

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