The world of film and movies is full of horrors, thrillers, and ghost stories. Some of the best and most successful movies are adapted from books, and the horror genre is no different. There are many that have taken their stories or basis from written media. While many don’t realize it, some of the best movies about ghost stories are taken from books.

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8 The Haunting/The Haunting of Hill House

     DreamWorks Pictures

The 1999 film The Haunting had a rockstar cast and a great story. Set at a sprawling estate, a doctor holds a study with three participants on the psychological effects of fear. During the stay, the participants are told of the house’s history and all the tortured souls who perished there. The study is interrupted when real ghosts begin to intervene. Unfortunately, the film’s execution did not meet expectations. The film was loosely based on the 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. The novel has been adapted many times. There are multiple movies, a stage play, and the most recent, is a limited series on Netflix.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 The Shining

     Warner Bros. 

The 1980 Stanley Kubrick film The Shining revolutionized the cinematography world. The story follows a family as they travel to an isolated hotel that has a sinister presence. The father becomes violently possessed while his psychic son is tormented by the spirits that dwell in the hotel. The film was adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The book was a huge success that gave way for a very successful film. Unfortunately, King actually came out against the film, saying that it was not an accurate depiction of his work. This, however, does not deter fans from saying that the film is one of the best classic horror films.

6 The Legend of Hell House

     20th Century Studios

The 1973 classic horror film The Legend of Hell House created an entire horror trope that is still followed into current films. The film takes place at the “Mount Everest of haunted houses” as a physicist investigates the afterlife. The group of researchers is confronted with the former owner’s evil past as a sadist and murderer. The group must survive the house’s evil intentions before they are killed like the prior victims. The movie’s screenplay was written by Richard Matheson, the author of the original 1971 novel Hell House. While the film was met with mixed reviews, it is still one of the greats among the many classic films in Matheson’s filmography.

5 The Woman in Black

     CBS Films

The Woman in Black is a popular film from 2012 that starred Daniel Radcliffe. Set in 1906, a widowed lawyer travels to a remote village where the ghost of a vengeful woman is terrorizing the locals. The black spirit targets the village’s children as penance for her own child being taken from her. The film was based on Susan Hill’s 1983 novel of the same name. The book was originally adapted in 1989 for an ITV TV movie that aired on Christmas Eve. The 2012 version was successful enough at the box office for a sequel that came out in 2015.

4 Ghost Story

     Universal Pictures

Ghost Story is a supernatural horror movie from 1981 that stars the legendary Fred Astaire. The movie shows four aging friends as they gather together as an informal men’s club to share horrifying tales. When one of them suspects a woman’s ghost is haunting them, they begin to discuss their involvement in the woman’s death from some years ago. The movie has a phenomenal cast with Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. on screen together for the last time. It was based on Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, published in 1979, and Roger Ebert even gave a review saying the film was an improvement on the novel’s material.

3 Don’t Look Now

     Paramount Pictures

Don’t Look Now is a thriller film from 1973. The film follows a married couple as they travel to Venice after the death of their daughter. While working to restore a church, the couple meet a clairvoyant woman that claims their daughter is trying to contact them from the beyond. At first the couple are skeptical, until mysterious sightings begin to appear. The film is renowned for its editing style that drove the audience into the emotions and themes of the film. The successful film was adapted from the Daphne du Maurier short story of the same name that was published in 1971.

2 Ringu

     Toho

The Japanese supernatural horror film Ringu from 1998 was what revolutionized horror film and brought Japanese horror elements to Western cinema. The movie show a reporter who races to solve the mystery behind a videotape that kills its viewers in seven days. The film was based on a mystery horror novel of the same name, written by Koji Suzuki in 1991. The film was so popular that multiple sequels were made. Then, in 2002, an American remake was released that sparked an era of Japanese horror remakes.

1 The Amityville Horror

     Photo Credit - Cinema 77, Professional Films, Inc.

The 1979 film The Amityville Horror is a terrifying thriller film that was based on allegedly true events. The story shows the Lutz family that buys a home in Amityville, New York. The couple discovers that a mass murder took place in the house and now there are supernatural forces threatening the family. The film was based on the 1977 book of the same name by Jay Anson. The book was the collection of claims that the Lutz family made about living in a terrifying haunted home. The film was one of the highest grossing independent films of all time, and in 2005, a remake was released to welcoming reviews.