I usually cover movies here, but today I have decided to break the proverbial mold and step out of the realms of normality. As much as I love a good horror movie – and holy smokes I have seen my fair share – my real love has been with me since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Reading is how I escape the hustle and bustle of life and enter new worlds. While movies offer the same, to a degree, I will always prefer to use my own imagination to paint the scenes.
Of course, there often comes a time when these two loves combine. Just like with movies, the horror genre is one of my go-to categories when choosing reading material. From the countless amount of horror books I’ve read that have been adapted for the big screen, there are two that have stayed with me for decades and remain my favorite horror books of all time.
The Exorcist – William Peter Blatty
1971
Aside from a few decent moments, I found the 1974 classic movie to be slow, boring and tedious. The book, however, was easily one of the best books I have ever experienced (because “read” here just doesn’t hit the spot).
Taking a deep dive into some of the back stories that were all but non-existent in the movie, the original publication paints a more detailed picture and offers an insight into relationships only touched upon in the needlessly long cinema release. We learn of Regan’s relationship with her absent father and the reason for his divorce (Chris was a famous movie star and Howard was sick of the paparazzi, for those interested; we learn more about the black mass rituals that were only mentioned briefly by Lt Kinderman in the movie and we are even treated to the origins of the mysterious Captain Howdy.
It just doesn’t make sense to me that so much was missed out for the cinematic release. If we’re all honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that the 1974 production could have been used as a healthier (and far less addictive) alternative to sedatives. On the other hand, the book offers far more information but has more pace than a knife fight in a phone booth.
The Shining – Stephen King
1977
Often hailed as “The King of Horror”, Stephen King is a true master storyteller and his 1977 best-seller, The Shining, stands as a true testament to this honor. While the movie still stands as one of my favorite horrors of all time, the book once again outshines the big screen.
Stephen King has a real knack for taking his readers by the hand and walking them through the darkest recesses of his talented mind. He brings you into his creations with carefully chosen words and leaves you hanging over the edge of a cliff at the end of each chapter. The way he hooks his readers and keeps those pages turning has always been something I have admired about the homegrown author.
Here we see yet another example of a book offering far more information than the movie. I first read the book before I had seen Jack Nicholson playing what is arguably his defining role; imagine my disappointment when I discovered the topiary animals that toyed with and scared young Danny Torrance hadn’t even made the cut.
** SPOILER ALERT **
If the lack of topiary terrors wasn’t enough, the whole ending to the book was altered for the benefit of the movie adaptation, adding salt to those open wounds. While the movie ends with Jack chasing Danny and Wendy through a snowy hedged maze; a fantastic scene, don’t get me wrong, but the books ending was far more climatic as we saw The Overlook Hotel being burned to the ground.
