Popular novels have been one of the biggest inspirations behind the creation of many cult films. One very famous example is Lord of The Rings Trilogy by English writer J.R.R. Tolkien. He wrote The Hobbit as a bedtime story for his children. However the work was so popular that his editors requested that he write a sequel. The sequels in the series were developed into a more adult centred work. The series was written between 1937 and 1949 and it became one of the most popular stories in the 20th century especially in the genre of fantasy. The films were released between December 2001 and 17 December 2003 and were as popular as the books.
Interestingly enough, the novelisation (adaptation of films into books) began back in the early 20th century in the 1910s and 1920s with novel adaptations of the silent films such as What Happened to Mary in 1912, Les Vampires in 1915, London After Midnight in 1927, and King Kong which was one of the first films with verbal dialogue in 1931. The novelisation of films is also a very useful way to market the release of new films and garner interest before the film appears on the big screen.also helps serve as a very effective form of advertising for the release of the film.
Popular Film Series Are Increasingly Spawning Book Adaptations and Expanded Universes
In the 1970s and 1980s the novelisation of films reached peak popularity when going to the cinema was still a luxury for many. Before the modern day era of home cinema being able to purchase novelised adaptations of favourite films which offered fans the opportunity to relive the experience as many times as they wanted in an inexpensive manner.
There has been a lot of criticism around the subject as many consider writers who novelise films are lacking in creativity, lazy, lack imagination and are writing these books to gain fast profit as these books are centred around films that are already very popular. The novels often delve deeper in areas that were not covered by the film and offer readers a more detailed story with aspects that were not addressed in the films such as psychological effects or background history. There are many films that have been successfully adapted into successful novels:
Zombie thrillers
These films have always had a large following, viewers are fascinated by the macabre characteristics of these slow moving horrific creatures. They have been around more than a century with the first modern Zombie film “J’Accuse!” by Abel Gance being released in 1919.
Night of The Living Dead screenplay was co-written by John A. Russo and George Romero. After the film was released in 1968, he then adapted it into a book which contained many details that were left out of the film. The book offers in depth insights left out in the film such as the detailed descriptions about each of the characters and what motivated them.
Shaun of the Dead is more of a comedy than a horror film and was actually a really good film that is centered around Shaun, an unmotivated guy that was happy to spend most of the time in the pub with his friend Ed. The more humorous book version was written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright the creators of the film and delves deeper into the stories behind the different characters.
Science Fiction
Alien the 1979 sci-fi classic horror film is probably one of the best novel adaptations from a film. Writer Alan Dean Foster had access to a vast amount of information to work with and even critics of film novelisation agree that he did a spectacular job of transforming the film. He focused on details such as describing the brains of the sleeping characters and revealing personal details about different characters that are not shared in the film. He also does not describe the actual details of the horseshoe alien spaceship instead presenting it as being gruesome and disturbing. He leaves out many details of the film but very successfully creates a story that is thrilling and intriguing to readers, changing many details of the story so that reading it creates an entirely different experience from watching the film.
The Thing is another film that was transformed into a brilliant novel by Alan Dean Foster added an additional part to the story and details such as Child’s secret marijuana farm that is destroyed by the creature as well as the team listening to audio tapes of a fight in the Norwegian base. The book offers in depth details that were not touched on in the film creating an exciting adaptation for fans of the film to enjoy.
Cult favourites
The Deer Hunter was released as a film in 1978 which won the Academy Award for the Best Director and picture. A year later the Oscar winning film was novelised by a mysterious writer named E.M. Corder who had no other known novels. The story delves deeper into the story of the three main characters in the film before and after their service as infantry in Vietnam as well as a deep insight into the effects of PTSD that affects many soldiers. It includes a disturbing Epigraph from Ernest Hemingway: “There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood released in 2019 by Quentin Tarantino tells the story of the Manson murders through the eyes of a failing actor. Quentin has written a novel that continues the story from the end of the film creating a back story that is focused around the life of stunt man Cliff Booth and also tells the story of Charles Manson’s attempt to create a music career.
Will 28 Years Later Inspire New Reads?
In 2002, the story 28 Days Later brought fame to director Danny Boyle. It has recently been announced that there could be a new trilogy of films. There has also been speculation as to will 28 Years Later inspire new reads?. According to reliable sources there is talk about some new book adaptations as well. The first film also was adapted into a book version as well as a series of comic books.
The story is based around a world that is ravaged by plague and it was focused around a few main characters. The sequel 28 Days Later: The Aftermath and the film sequel 28 Weeks Later were released in 2007. They inspired writer Steve Niles to write a book that incorporated new stories focused around the rage virus that bridged the gap between the two films. The novel was very successful and filled in gaps that addressed the original onset of the pandemic as well as what was needed in order to bring order back to London. The book was a massive success among fans.
The latest sequel 28 Years Later was released on 20 June 2025, this terrifying “auteur horror” and is focused around how the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory. Though there currently is no indication that a book will be written based on the film, it could only be a matter of time before a writer is inspired to fill in the thirty year gap since the release of the first film.