10 Dark & Twisted Books Hollywood Needs to Adapt into Films
Courtesy of Tuur Tisseghem
Hollywood has a long history of adapting books, but some of the most daring, visually striking stories still haven’t hit the big screen—or deserve a fresh reinterpretation. As a filmmaker obsessed with blending bright, whimsical visuals with dark, unsettling themes, I can’t help but imagine how these novels could come alive in a cinematic world that balances beauty with horror.
Here’s my curated list of 10 dark and twisted books that Hollywood needs to adapt—and how I’d envision each on screen.
1. Tender Is the Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica
A dystopian nightmare where cannibalism becomes normalized. The horror isn’t hidden in shadows—it’s in sterile, brightly lit factories and pastel supermarkets. Imagine a world so visually pristine that the moral decay hits harder. This is a film that would disturb and mesmerize at the same time.
2. Lapvona – Ottessa Moshfegh
A grotesque, medieval village of cruelty, superstition, and human vice. It begs for a surreal, almost painterly approach—a village that’s both beautiful and horrifying, where every bright sunset hides twisted secrets.
3. Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka
Sure, it’s been adapted in theater and shorts, but a modern, surrealist cinematic take could fully explore isolation, alienation, and body horror. Picture a world rendered in hyper-real, saturated colors, where the grotesque stands out against everyday normalcy.
4. Home Is Where the Bodies Are – Jeneva Rose
A tense domestic thriller where family drama collides with chilling suspense. On screen, the bright suburban facades could contrast sharply with the sinister truths lurking behind closed doors—an A24-style exploration of domestic terror.
5. A Happy Death – Albert Camus
Existential, intimate, and haunting. Camus’ meditation on mortality and desire could become a slow-burn arthouse film, using light, airy visuals to heighten the contrast with the story’s darker philosophical undertones.
6. Dante’s Inferno – Dante Alighieri
A faithful cinematic descent through Hell would be a feast for the eyes and mind. Each circle could have a distinct palette, lighting, and visual style, creating a surreal, nightmarish journey that blends spectacle with allegory.
7. The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
A heartbreaking exploration of beauty, race, and societal pressure. Cinematically, bright, nostalgic visuals could juxtapose the internalized trauma and darkness of the narrative—turning the story into a haunting, poetic experience.
8. A Certain Hunger – Chelsea G. Summers
A bold, unapologetic tale of a female cannibal with sharp social commentary. Its mix of wit, horror, and excess makes it perfect for a darkly comedic yet visually decadent adaptation.
9. Rouge – Mona Awad
A surreal, Gothic horror story following Belle, a woman obsessed with beauty, who travels to California after her mother’s mysterious death. She discovers La Maison de Méduse, a spa promising rejuvenation, but hiding a cultish, dangerous underbelly. A dark, unsettling fairy tale in the vein of Snow White and The Red Shoes, the novel critiques the beauty industry while exploring maternal relationships, self-loathing, and the blurring of reality and fantasy. On screen, it could be visually intoxicating—lush, hyper-stylized, and eerie—where every glamorous surface hides a terrifying secret.
10. The Idiot – Fyodor Dostoevsky
A profound study of innocence, morality, and societal corruption. Elegant, bright interiors could contrast with the dark complexities of human behavior, giving the story cinematic depth and tension.
Why These Books?
Each story thrives on contrast—light vs. darkness, beauty vs. horror, innocence vs. corruption. They’re perfect candidates for films that don’t just tell the story, but visually amplify it, creating worlds where the brightest visuals hide the darkest truths.
These are books I’d love to see on screen—not just adapted, but reimagined through a lens that marries whimsy with horror, satire with beauty.
Books and films are cousins in storytelling, and sometimes the most unforgettable adaptations embrace both visual splendor and moral darkness. These ten stories are begging for that treatment—and I can’t wait to see which daring filmmaker takes the leap.
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