MovieChat Forums > The Secret of Crickley Hall (2012) Discussion > James Herbert adaptation that would work

James Herbert adaptation that would work


Okay, So we've had...

The Secret of Crickley Hall
Haunted
Fluke
Deadly Eyes (The Rats)
The Survivor

All of which are adapations of James Herbert novels, and (though I've not seen Deadly Eyes) all of which IMO have failed to come close to living up to the book.

Any suggestions on which JH novels would make good viewing?

Personally I think 'The Ghosts of Sleath' would adapt very well to the screen. (though they might have to explain how David Ash from Haunted suddenly skips from the 1920's to modern day... "Attack of the Time Travelling Psychic Researcher!")

And 'Moon' would be a good thriller...

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Would love to see '48 on the big screen, and I'm surprised 'The Fog' has never been adaptated.

My favourite Herbert book is 'Nobody True', but I don't think it would adapt to film very well...

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Don't really see how- the only thing they have in common is the title.

The two stories have no similarities at all...

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The Others... brilliant twist at the end

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Yeah, he's a private investigator that gets asked to find a baby that went missing at birth... I would say its my favourite James Herbert book, and I've read most of them. The story is really good and gruesome in the way only James Herbert can do, but its the way it starts and ends that blew my mind!

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Shrine.

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The Magic Cottage or Creed would be good

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Magic Cottage was the last Of James Herbert's books I read. I was soooooooooooo disappointed with it. It said to me, hey I've made it, I can churn out any old rubbish. Now before anyone jumps down my throat I've not read any subsequent books, so I apologise if they were any better. By the same token, the last book or rather tome I read of Stephen King's was The Talisman, 672 pages that could have been condensed to 400

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the last book or rather tome I read of Stephen King's was The Talisman, 672 pages that could have been condensed to 400

That's Stephen King in a nutshell, though. He can spend 3 pages describing the finer details of a mundane, irrelevant object like a coffee mug. It will have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the plot, nor does it progress the narrative. It's just filler to look like there's more to his writing than there really is. It's his way of coping with writer's block. He just disguises writer's block for descriptive storytelling, when really it's just empty fluff. He's been doing it forever. I'm sure he thinks he has everyone fooled. I grew tired of King in my early twenties.




EDSKRPHW

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The problem here, as you have said, is that all the previous films have fallen well short of the books (all of which I have read and enjoyed despite not being a horror fan). IMHO any of his books could be brilliant films but it needs a producer/director combo who really appreciates the master's ability to play mind games with the reader and that will be where the problem lies.
I am reading Ash now and can't believe there will be no more new stories to eagerly await and devour. RIP James, may you find a way to share your genius with us again from the other side.

Kids - 10 seconds of joy, 30 years of misery.

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