Top 10 Horror Movie Questions That Are Answered in The Books
#10: Has Humanity Encountered Alien Life Before?
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“Alien” (1979) Alan Dean Foster is a prolific writer of horror and science fiction who may be known by movie fans for his many novelizations of big-screen hits. “Alien” is one of Foster’s most popular adaptations, and it explains a number of plot points that aren’t as clearly addressed in Ridley Scott’s horror / sci-fi classic. Specifically, Foster’s novel reveals that the crew of the Nostromo actually aren’t shocked to encounter alien life, since it’s detailed that Earth has done its fair share of spacefaring up until this point. The crew, when discovering the derelict spaceship on Acheron (LV-426), make it known as such with their conversation, which heavily implies that this isn’t the first time an Earth ship has encountered alien life.
#9: What’s Freddy Krueger’s Backstory?
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“A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” (1987) Although later films in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise would expand Freddy Krueger’s backstory, only the novelization of “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” utilizes plot points for that film written by series creator Wes Craven. Jeffrey Cooper adapted Craven’s original screenplay for the novelization, which contains a large number of differences from the final, “Dream Warriors” product. For starters, the tone is much darker and more violent, and more is revealed about Freddy Krueger’s human life, including a ranch house, where he grew up. It’s this ranch house that appears in the dream world for the novel’s protagonists, as opposed to the iconic setting of 1428 Elm Street. Freddy’s mother Amanda also isn’t a nun in this novel, and dies in childbirth.
#8: When Did Carrie’s Powers First Awaken?
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“Carrie” (1976) Director Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “Carrie” does a great job at showcasing a slow, deliberate awakening of Carrie White’s telekinetic abilities. However, King’s source novel specifies a much earlier time for this awakening, specifically during a pivotal scene where a younger Carrie is caught spying on a sunbathing neighbor. Her punishment is swift and brutal, and as a result of this trauma, a hailstorm begins pelting the White home. De Palma and crew shot this scene, but it’s now considered lost. Additionally, the production’s intended shooting of a finale where the White house is demolished by a fully-powered Carrie summoning a shower of stones was also nixed, although this is still referenced in the film’s ending, and by Carrie’s rock-strewn grave.
#7: What Happens to Nauls?
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“The Thing” (1982) Alan Dean Foster returns, this time with his novelization to John Carpenter’s 1982 cult classic, “The Thing.” Carpenter’s ambiguous ending remains intact, but the setting is much different in Foster’s book, while Nauls’s demise is described in no uncertain terms. It’s assumed that Nauls is assimilated by the Thing in Carpenter’s film, but Foster’s book switches the finale setting from the camp’s generator area to the rec room, where the survivors fortify their final stand. Nauls is chased by the Thing, and, when all seems lost, he makes a drastic decision. He chooses self-destruction over assimilation, and does so in shockingly violent fashion. Meanwhile, Childs and MacReady are still the last two left alive, and play chess while they await their frozen death.
#6: Who Is the Man in the Bear Suit?
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“The Shining” (1980) Stephen King famously dislikes director Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of his novel, “The Shining,” so much so that King helmed his own miniseries in the 1990s. Kubrick’s vision is deliberately surreal, vague and nightmarish; it’s definitely its own thing, and doesn’t really care if the audience has questions. Questions, perhaps, like, “What’s up with the guy in the bear suit?” Well, King cared, and he explains it quite well in the novel, although it’s a dog costume here, not a bear suit. The man’s name is Roger, and he’s a lover of Horace Derwent, who owns the Overlook Hotel. Roger is demeaned to wear said dog suit by Derwent, a sign of the owner’s desire for domination and control.
#5: What’s Tangina’s Backstory?
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“Poltergeist” (1982) Although we’re given a little bit of information regarding the parapsychological credentials of Tangina Barrons in Tobe Hooper’s “Poltergeist,” the novelization by James Kahn answers a lot of questions about her backstory. It’s established in Kahn’s novel that Tangina, though she is a medium, is also suffering from visions about her own childhood trauma. This expands upon the relationship between her and Dr. Lesh, who is attempting to assist Tangina through her issues. Their meeting, collaboration and friendship is described in great detail, and it fleshes out both characters in a manner much different from Hooper’s original film.
#4: What Is the Origin of Michael’s Evil?
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“Halloween” (1978) Fans are largely split as to how much backstory they want with the Shape, Michael Myers. Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake went its own route with the incidents that influenced Michael’s madness, but the John Carpenter original largely forgoes this, in favor of a less defined sense of “evil.” Curtis Richards’s novelization of the film has no such qualms, however, and goes all in with a backstory about not only Michael, but his sister Judith, and even their grandmother. The book dates the curse of Samhain back to the dawn of the Celts and how it could connect to the Myers family. There’s even a moment where the grandmother worries about Michael’s episodes of seeing things and hearing voices. It’s all remarkably well-written and compelling stuff.
#3: Why Is Christine Possessed?
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“Christine” (1983) Is there any car in the horror world as iconic as the 1958 Plymouth Fury known as Christine? Both Stephen King’s source novel and John Carpenter’s film adaptation enjoy a symbiotic relationship of style and substance, but King’s story does a better job at explaining exactly why Christine is so evil. Both versions explain the car’s history of death and tragedy, linking it with the LeBay Family, but the book more specifically outs the spirit of one Roland LeBay as the primary, driving force of Christine’s evil. Carpenter’s film, in contrast, presents Christine as pretty much evil from the jump, taking victims right from the assembly line in a manner that points more towards a self-driving motive. No pun intended.
#2: Where Do Mogwai Come From?
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“Gremlins” (1984) So far, we’ve examined some book-to-movie differences that are interesting, but not beyond the realm of possibility. But, what about novelizations that go ALL IN with answers to questions you didn’t even know you had? This is where George Gipe’s novelization to Joe Dante’s “Gremlins” comes in. In the book, the mogwai and gremlins don’t only get an origin story: they freakin’ TALK. Yup, Gipe’s novelization has Gizmo, Stripe and the gang engaging in full-fledged conversations with each other, including discussions about their home beyond the stars. Didn’t you know that mogwai were actually aliens? Gipe certainly did, although it’s since been revealed that the author actually hadn’t yet seen “Gremlins” before being tasked to write his book, so he had to improvise.
#1: Where Did Pennywise Come From?
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“It” franchise (1990-) He goes by many names, from Pennywise the Dancing Clown and “It” to… Bob Gray? Yup, Pennywise actually has a pretty nondescript name in Stephen King’s original novel, although the story of his origins is anything but simple. To paraphrase, there’s a celestial turtle named Maturin, a Macroverse and the idea that Pennywise is definitely not from this solar system, or even dimension. “It Chapter Two” leans more into the idea of Pennywise being a clown possessed by It, as opposed to a clown simply being a favorite form of the entity. It’s… honestly confusing in both iterations, but Pennywise’s history as a being hungry for fear gets a timeline that’s more detailed and specific in King’s original novel.