The 10 Best Horror Movies Based on Books, Ranked

Many of the best horror films of all time are adaptations of legendary novels, from Psycho to The Exorcist.

February 2, 2025 · 1 min · 69 words · Alyssa Johnson

Jack soon becomes overwhelmed with a violent rage and uncontrollable desire to murder his wife and son.

NEXT:The Best 2024 Movies Based on Books, Ranked

Jack Nicholson in The Shining

Image by NImesh Niyomal Perera

“Preacher” Harry Powell with “Love” written on his fingers in The Night of the Hunter

Image via United Artists

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Frankenstein’s monster (Boris Karloff) peeking over some bushes in Frankenstein

Image via Universal Pictures

Carrie holding a rose bouquet and smiling while on stage in Carrie

Image via United Artists

Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman wielding an axe in a fancy apartment in American Psycho

Image via Lionsgate

Martin Brody screaming at someone off-camera in Jaws.

Image via Universal Studios

jaws

Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula peering out behind a wall in Dracula

Image via Universal Pictures

Hannibal smirks and looking intently ahead in The Silence of the Lambs

Image via Orion Pictures

Jack Torrance pushing his face through a broken door in The Shining

Image via Warner Bros.

Linda Blair as a possessed Regan MacNeil in ‘The Exorcist’

Image via Warner Bros.

Marion Crane screams in the shower in Psycho

Image via Paramount Pictures

Movie

Horror

The Exorcist