Two Horror Novels That Would Make Great Movies

-

I’m spending more time watching television and movies, as I’m sure others have because of the pandemic. I’m about to watch “The Little Stranger,” the 2018 movie based on Sarah Waters’s 2009 gothic novel about a haunted mansion set in 1940s post-war Britain.

I liked the novel when I read it some years ago. If my memory serves me right, it’s slow, measured and atmospheric, not exactly something that’s easy to translate into film. The book was as much about Britain’s class system as it was a ghost story.

My to-watch list also includes “The Ghost Bride,” a Netflix series based on Yangsze Choo’s 2013 book of the same name. I loved the book, even more so because it’s set in Malaya, the country in which my parents and grandparents were born.

Photo: Netflix's "The Ghost Bride" webpage

Given that many of my favorite horror novels have been made into movies, I’d like to suggest two more: “Soon,” by Lois Murphy, and “The Fifth House of the Heart,” by Ben Tripp. Both books made a big impression. They were so crisp and vivid in their descriptions that it was like watching a movie. 

“Soon,” published in 2019, takes place in a small, isolated town in Australia during the late 1990s. An eerie mist descends during the winter solstice, and reappears nightly after that. Any person or animal caught out after dark when the mist comes either disappears, or is found dead and horribly mutilated. Even worse, the dead seem to return in the mist.

Photo: stokpic at Pixabay.com
The novel centers around the few residents—and their loyal dogs—who are stuck there because they can’t or won’t leave, or have nowhere else to go. I won’t venture any further for fear of spoilers. Suffice it to say there is a heart-pounding climax.

“The Fifth House of the Heart,” published in 2015, is a stylish vampire story that visits so many exotic locations it could be a James Bond movie. The protagonist is an antiques dealer with the outlandish name of Asmodeus Saxon-Tang. “Sax,” as his friends call him, has a unique inventory because he kills vampires and takes over their property. Unfortunately, he encounters the wrong vampire …

The book has colorful and memorable characters, especially Sax. He is a contradiction in terms: sly, yet sweet; a self-confessed coward yet unbelievably brave. There also is fast-paced action, and a white-knuckle standoff in a French farmhouse.

Read the novels if you can. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spend a Haunting Halloween With These Ghost Movies

-
Image
As many of you know, Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (it’s Gaelic and pronounced SAH-win). The Celts believed that between October 31 and November 1, the boundaries between the physical and spiritual worlds were weak and could be breached. That meant that the dead, fairy folk and even monsters could cross into the human world at this time. The Celts left offerings for the Sidhs, or fairies, outside their villages and in fields. They also dressed up as animals and monsters to fool the fairies into not kidnapping them. For this Halloween, I thought it might be fun to breach the walls between the world of the living and the world of the dead. How about watching a few movies about ghosts while waiting for the trick-or-treaters to arrive? If you’re interested, I have a few recommendations for you. My list is in no particular order. Some of these are older movies and/or classics. They are among my favorite horror movies, and they all br
Read more

The Asian Myth of the Queen of the Night Cactus

-
Image
I couldn’t resist buying this little Easter cactus. I’ve never seen blooms this color on these plants. Aren’t the flowers pretty? I’ve got a thing about Easter and Christmas cacti because they remind me of a very special plant in Asia. It’s the “tan hua” or “keng hua” (in Hokkien, a southern Chinese dialect). The plant is a night-blooming cereus (epiphyllum oxypetalum) also known as Dutchman’s Pipe or Queen of the Night. You may have seen a reference to the plant in Kevin Kwan’s book, Crazy Rich Asians , or the movie . The main character’s future in-laws throw a party to celebrate the blooming of their tan hua. Epiphyllum Oxypetalum The tan hua has blossoms that can grow up to 6 inches across. The white flowers have a very heady scent (the better to attract moths and other pollinators). The flowers bloom only at night, and they last just for that night. The plant is special not only because its flowers are so beautiful. Some people believe your household will have good luck and pro
Read more

'Jiangshi': the Hopping Vampire in Chinese Folklore

-
Image
My latest book  The Corpse Ritual features a vampire-like Chinese folklore monster that some of you may recognize. It’s a “jiangshi,” which means “stiff corpse” in Mandarin. Those of you who’ve watched the Mr. Vampire Hong Kong comedy movies from the 1980s will be familiar with this creature. It’s basically a reanimated corpse. Its appearance depends on how long it’s been dead. It hops because its limbs are stiff from rigor mortis.  In Chinese popular culture, the jiangshi usually is shown wearing clothes from the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911). Although it’s called a “vampire” in the movies, there are major differences between a jiangshi and a vampire.  A jiangshi— doesn’t drink blood. It sucks a person’s life essence, or qi. isn’t good-looking or suave. behaves more like a zombie. doesn’t turn into a bat. doesn’t command other creatures of the night. doesn’t sparkle in daylight and won’t ever get the girl (or guy). The hopping corpse folklore supposedly dates back to olden t
Read more