Summary
- Horror genres have been popular since ancient times, with TV series adapting books for a loyal fanbase.
- Series like The Shining and Interview with the Vampire stay true to source material, more so than movies.
- Shows like The Strain, Hannibal, and Penny Dreadful are modern horror adaptations with unique twists.
Horror is consistently one of the most popular entertainment genres, and that's not a new trend. People have been telling scary stories for centuries, long before Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein and popularized horror as a literary trend.
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TV producers often look to horror books and stories for inspiration when creating a series because they already have an established fan base and a wealth of material to draw from. A movie adapted from a book is often missing a lot of the original material, but a series can include everything without skipping backstory, extra characters, or additional exposition.
7 The Shining
A Chilling Miniseries
The Shining
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1997 - 1997-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Network
- ABC
- Cast
- Rebecca De Mornay, Steven Weber, Wil Horneff, Courtland Mead, Cynthia Garris, Mickey Giacomazzi, Melvin Van Peebles, John Durbin
- Directors
- Mick Garris
- Seasons
- 1
The Shining miniseries is more true to the Stephen King book, and it's interesting that the prolific writer famously hated the Stanley Kubrick adaptation for deviating too much from the original story. Just like the infamous movie adaptation, The Shining follows the Torrance family as they struggle through some trying times that go from bad to worse, but the series follows the book more closely.
Jack, the husband in the family dynamic, has lost a lucrative teaching job because of his temper and alcoholism, and takes a job at the Overlook Hotel mostly for the paycheck. His wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, are hoping the change of scenery will improve Jack's mood and overall situation. However, Danny's "imaginary" friend Tony keeps telling him to stay away from the Overlook, and the spirits that want to use his power eventually drive his father to madness.
6 Interview With The Vampire
The Ultimate Character Study
Interview with the Vampire
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 2, 2022
WHERE TO WATCH
- Network
- AMC
- Cast
- Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Assad Zaman, Delainey Hayles, Ben Daniels, Bailey Bass, Bally Gill, Choppy Guillotte, John DiMaggio, Roy McCrerey, Mary Risener, Gabriel Freilich, Jan Hofman, Delroy Atkinson, Matěj Beneš, Bryan Fenkart, Stephanie Hayes, Kameron Lopreore, Martina Babišová, Sean Brodeur, Jude Severin, Guillaume Bursztyn, Christian Robinson, Sarah Jane McMahon, Sam Barlien, Stephen JF Walker
- Showrunner
- Mark Johnson
- Seasons
- 2
This goes to show that the vampire craze sparked by these books in the late 20th century never really died; it just went to sleep in a cold, dark place for a while and was resurrected in TV form. Interview with the Vampire is more detailed when it comes to the queer elements in the original books, along with other themes concerning race and abuse, factors that were considerably muted in the 1990s movie adaptation.
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The first two seasons cover the novel of the same title, but the third season is set to adapt the events from the sequel, The Vampire Lestat. The settings are updated and characters are changed slightly, but the story of Louis the reluctant vampire and spawn of Lestat remains the same. This time, Louis is a closeted brothel owner, seething over the social prejudice he suffers despite his money and success, instead of a former plantation owner pining for a lost wife and child.
5 The Strain
Guillermo Del Toro Also Writes Books
the strain
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2014 - 2017-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Kevin Durand, Jack Kesy, Mia Maestro, Richard Sammel, David Bradley, Corey Stoll, Jonathan Hyde
- Showrunner
- Carlton Cuse
- Seasons
- 4
The Strain is about vampires, but it's a creative, modern take that makes the cause of their presence a virus, rather than being bitten or exchanging blood. The series is based on the trilogy of books by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, and del Toro was also the writer of the show's pilot episode. The first book is where the series gets its name, while the second is called The Fall, followed by The Night Eternal.
It's a horror series primarily, but there's also some overlap into science fiction, forensics, and investigative drama. The main character, Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, is called to the scene of a plane landing where everyone on board is dead, stricken by a virus that causes a condition similar to vampirism.
4 Hannibal
The Cannibal
Hannibal
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2013 - 2015-00-00
- Network
- NBC
- Showrunner
- Bryan Fuller
- Cast
- Hugh Dancy, Caroline Dhavernas, Aaron Abrams, Mads Mikkelsen, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson
- Seasons
- 3
Thomas Harris wrote several novels about his compelling and grotesque villain, Hannibal Lecter, and although this series uses the title from the 1999 novel, it also covers two additional books: Red Dragon and Hannibal Rising. The 1986 movie Manhunter also covered some of this ground, but the series goes into much greater detail, and the most infamous movie in the franchise, Silence of the Lambs, barely talks about the source material at all.
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Will Graham appears again, as the FBI agent tasked with tracking down a serial killer, and Hannibal chronicles how he first became acquainted with the titular Dr. Lecter, who recognizes the investigator's ability to empathize with serial killers on a dangerously deep level. The show lasted three seasons, enjoyed critical and viewer acclaim, developed a cult following, and remains one of the most highly rated horror series in TV history.
3 The Haunting of Hill House
A Chilling Modern Take On A Classic Idea
The Haunting of Hill House
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2018 - 2018
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Kate Siegel, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Victoria Pedretti, Timothy Hutton, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Polly Craig, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Christine Horn, Samantha Sloyan, J.P. Valenti, Katie Parker, Katie Carpenter, Mimi Gould, Fedor Steer, Paxton Singleton, Justin James Boykin, Jordane Christie, Tiffany Denise Hobbs, Wes Jetton, Lulu Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Julian Hilliard
- Showrunner
- Mike Flanagan
- Seasons
- 1
The idea that Hugh and Olivia had wasn't that unusual. They purchased the old house intending to renovate and then sell it before building their own dream home. In the meantime, there's plenty of space for their five kids. But the repairs take longer than expected, and the longer they stay, stranger and more terrifying things start to happen. The family manages to escape, but a child is left behind, and the horror reverberates into the future when the kids return to the house decades later.
The Haunting of Hill House is based on the 1959 Gothic horror novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. Mike Flanagan, who produced the Netflix series, created an anthology called The Haunting based on the book, which also includes a sequel series, The Haunting of Bly Manor.
2 Penny Dreadful
A Compilation Of Literary Greats
Penny Dreadful
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2014 - 2016-00-00
- Network
- Showtime
- Showrunner
- John Logan
- Cast
- Timothy Dalton, Josh Hartnett, Eva Green
- Seasons
- 3
Penny Dreadfu l isn't an adaptation of a single book, but rather several, borrowing plotlines and characters from various Gothic and Victorian horror novels. The title originates from the name given to the generic books that were popular at the time, in response to the new horror genre and the considerable attention it was receiving.
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The main character, Vanessa Ives, was created for the show, but she was childhood friends with the Murrays and their daughter, Wilhemina, who would go on to become Mrs. Jonathan Harker. These are prominent characters in Bram Stoker's Dracula, and the Prince of Darkness is one of the main antagonists. Dr. Frankenstein is also a recurring character, a nod to Mary Shelley, who gave the world the horror literary genre. His friend, Professor Van Helsing, also makes a few appearances, along with Dorian Gray and others.
1 Salem's Lot
The Fief Of A Vampire
Salem's Lot
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- November 17, 1979
- Cast
- David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia, Lew Ayres, Julie Cobb, Elisha Cook Jr., George Dzundza
- Seasons
- 1
The 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King was adapted into this series four years later in 1979, so both the book and the series have a gritty, ethereal feeling that has aged surprisingly well for an older TV show. Salem's Lot is consistently popular in both written and on-screen form, with another show that was released in 2004 and a recent HBO original movie from 2024.
The 1979 series consistently receives the best reviews among the various adaptations, and it remains faithful to the novel's plot, although it does make some significant changes. The most glaring difference is the appearance of head vampire Barlow, from a charming socialite into a wordless, vampiric monster, like something from the classic Nosferatu. King was mostly pleased with the changes made in the adaptation and thought the screenplay by Paul Monash successfully blended several characters without losing any of the horror.
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