List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

Ranker: The Most Terrifying Horror Movies That Are Based on Books

Some of the best horror movies based on books are those where the director that can take the words off the page from the author and turn them into some of the most memorable and visually horrifying scenes in film history. Scary movies based on horror fiction have been around since the days of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and have been making moviegoers scream in terror and delight ever since! The reason for the success of horror movies adapted from books is due to the reader's yearning to see if the film matches up or surpasses their own imagination while they were reading the book. New movies based on horror novels have been huge hits at the box office as of late and thus we are likely to see even more of them terrorizing us in theaters in the coming years.-Ranker
602 users · 1,860 views
 
from ranker.com · made by K.S. Smith
avg. score: 20 of 58 (34%)
required scores: 1, 9, 16, 22, 31 
type to search

How many have you seen/read?

Page 1 of 2
The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist (1973)
1
The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty)
The Exorcist
2
William Peter Blatty
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
3
Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme)
Silence of the Lambs
4
Jonathan Demme
IT (Miniseries) (1990)
IT (Miniseries) (1990)
5
It (Stephen King)
It
6
Stephen King
Psycho (1960)
Psycho (1960)
7
Psycho (Robert Bloch)
Psycho
8
Robert Bloch
The Mist (2007)
The Mist (2007)
9
The Mist (Stephen King)
The Mist
10
Stephen King
Carrie (1976)
Carrie (1976)
11
Carrie (Stephen King)
Carrie
12
Stephen King
Jaws (1975)
Jaws (1975)
13
Jaws (Peter Benchley)
Jaws
14
Peter Benchley
The Birds (1963)
The Birds (1963)
15
The Birds (Daphne Du Maurier)
The Birds
16
Daphne Du Maurier
The Shining (1980)
The Shining (1980)
17
The Shining (Stephen King)
The Shining
18
Stephen King
Hellraiser (1987)
Hellraiser (1987)
19
Hellraiser (Clive Barker)
Hellraiser
20
Clive Barker
Pet Sematary (1989)
Pet Sematary (1989)
21
Pet Sematary (Stephen King)
Pet Sematary
22
Stephen King
Dracula (1992)
Dracula (1992)
23
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
Dracula
24
Bram Stoker
1408 (2007)
1408 (2007)
25
1408 (Stephen King)
1408
26
Stephen King
Cujo (1983)
Cujo (1983)
27
Cujo (Stephen King)
Cujo
28
Stephen King
The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Amityville Horror (1979)
29
The Amityville Horror (Jay Anson)
The Amityville Horror
30
Jay Anson
Christine (1983)
Christine (1983)
31
Christine (Stephen King)
Christine
32
Stephen King
Children of the Corn (1984)
Children of the Corn (1984)
33
Children of the Corn (Stephen King)
Children of the Corn
34
Stephen King
Red Dragon (2002)
Red Dragon (2002)
35
Red Dragon (Thomas Harris)
Red Dragon
36
Thomas Harris
Interview With the Vampire (1994)
Interview With the Vampire (1994)
37
Interview With the Vampire (Anne Rice)
Interview With the Vampire
38
Anne Rice
Let the Right One in (2008)
Let the Right One in (2008)
39
Let the Right One in (John Ajvide Lindqvist)
Let the Right One In
40
John Ajvide Lindqvist
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Ranker: The Most Terrifying Horror Movies That Are Based on Books'
9 Terrifying Books That Aren't Shelved as Horror
9 Terrifying Books That Aren't Shelved as Horror
328
10
Whatculture's 10 Most Terrifying Books Horror Fans MUST Read
Whatculture's 10 Most Terrifying Books Horror Fans MUST Read
235
10
The Most Terrifying Horror Comic Books to Read at Night
The Most Terrifying Horror Comic Books to Read at Night
115
44
Ranker: The Scariest Horror Books of All Time
Ranker: The Scariest Horror Books of All Time
573
186
YA Books to Read Based on Your Favorite Horror Movie Types
YA Books to Read Based on Your Favorite Horror Movie Types
78
24
Horror Experts Recommend Terrifying Tales
Horror Experts Recommend Terrifying Tales
244
62
33 Terrifying Horror Manga That Everyone Should Read
33 Terrifying Horror Manga That Everyone Should Read
135
33
THE 13 MOST TERRIFYING HORROR STORIES
THE 13 MOST TERRIFYING HORROR STORIES
129
18
Reading by Terrifying Horror Tropes
Reading by Terrifying Horror Tropes
126
48
Horror Experts Recommend Terrifying Tales for You
Horror Experts Recommend Terrifying Tales for You
97
61
Banned Books That Were Made Into Movies According to Ranker
Banned Books That Were Made Into Movies According to Ranker
192
13
Disturbing/Terrifying/Uncomfortable Books to Read
Disturbing/Terrifying/Uncomfortable Books to Read
687
145
BuzzFeed's 17 Terrifying Books That Genuinely Seriously Disturbed Readers
BuzzFeed's 17 Terrifying Books That Genuinely Seriously Disturbed Readers
497
17
The Most Terrifying Books
The Most Terrifying Books
437
30
14 Terrifying Books
14 Terrifying Books
242
14
The Most Terrifying Books - 15 Titles Not for the Faint of Heart
The Most Terrifying Books - 15 Titles Not for the Faint of Heart
232
15
12 YA Books That Are Equally as Terrifying as the Handmaid's Tale
12 YA Books That Are Equally as Terrifying as the Handmaid's Tale
221
12
Great Books Based on Other Great Books - Flavorwire
Great Books Based on Other Great Books - Flavorwire
1,987
80
Movies Based on Nora Roberts' Books
Movies Based on Nora Roberts' Books
356
11
1001 Movies That Are Based on Books
1001 Movies That Are Based on Books
345
130
Books That Disney Based Their Movies On
Books That Disney Based Their Movies On
329
41
Single Movies Based on Multiple Books
Single Movies Based on Multiple Books
311
38
Read and Watch: Movies I've Seen Based on Books I've Read
Read and Watch: Movies I've Seen Based on Books I've Read
234
308
G's Books Her Favorite TV Shows and Movies Are Based On
G's Books Her Favorite TV Shows and Movies Are Based On
177
142
Books Based on the Movies Pt2
Books Based on the Movies Pt2
52
38
Books Ranker Thinks You Will Never Finish Reading (Assuming You Even Start)
Books Ranker Thinks You Will Never Finish Reading (Assuming You Even Start)
16,549
129
Ranker.com's 30 Books Everybody Lies About Having Read
Ranker.com's 30 Books Everybody Lies About Having Read
2,572
30
Ranker: Books You'll Never Finish Reading
Ranker: Books You'll Never Finish Reading
2,373
162
200+ Great Books of the Western World According to Ranker
200+ Great Books of the Western World According to Ranker
1,899
270
101 Books That Changed Your Life (Ranker)
101 Books That Changed Your Life (Ranker)
1,880
101
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN