Short story adaptation

[Magnus85]

Hi folks,


I an MA student on the hunt for a short horror story which I can turn into a 30 min screenplay. (It's an exercise, so do not worry about rights).

I am fairly new to this forum, so forgive me if I should have searched more.

What I'm looking for is a story which preferably hasn't been adapted to death before, which preferably has some passages which are visually stunning or eerie, has some layer of ambiguity, intersting character(s), more eerie/disturbing than gory/violent, isn't much longer than 30 - 40 pages.

Doesn't have to be strict horror, it could be anything from surrealism like Kafka's Metamorphosis to H. G. Wells scifi elements. It's the atmosphere I'm after.

In short, a damn good short horror story. Maybe even one you'd love to see on screen?

Please just mention one or two each. I have so many to read and just a month to get through them before this exercise begins.


I'll try to comment on all the stories I read/have read.


:M:
Magnus Aspli creator & writer

 

[Heck Tate]

I would look into some Lovecraft for this if I were you. There's a thread on here somewhere about "At the Mountains of Madness," IMO one of his best stories, which is currently being adapted for a movie set to come out in 2013. Lovecraft horror is more about psychological terror, rather than the blood and guts gory horror which is popular in movies today, which sounds like what you're looking for. Unless of course you meant something from a not well known author, in which case nothing comes to my mind for now.

 

[Magnus85]

Well-known, unknown. Doesn't matter.

I've read some Lovecraft, yes. Currently I have The Statement of Randolph Carter scribbled down on my notes. It's a bit short (though it's great!), but it could work quite well.


Thanks!


:M:

 

[J Riff]

Taking on HPL is always going to be daunting though, and will be critiqued mercilessly up against the many other attempts. If you can pull it off, great.
The Upper Berth by Marion Crawford. The Rag Thing by D. Grinnell (D. Wollheim)... uhh... Black Destroyer by AE Van Vogt. anything by Robert Bloch. Lots of old anthologies full of great horror shorts.

 

[Magnus85]

Hehe, yeah, I know. Whatever I choose, I can post the script for everyone to see once finished and explain my choices.


Thanks for the recommendations. I see The Upper Berth has been mentioned in several threads here.


:M:

 

[Fried Egg]

I would love to see something like "The Hospice" by Robert Aickman adapted to the screen. More of a weird, strange and disturbing tale than outright horror. It oozes atmosphere with a hint of menace lying just under the surface.

 

[Magnus85]

Cheers, Egg!

I'll try to hunt it down.

 

[Fried Egg]

It's available in the collection entitled: "Cold hand in mine".

 

[Magnus85]

Read Upper Berth by M. Crawford yesterday. Great story and creepy as hell. Definitely on my list.

 

[jojajihisc]

Canavan's Backyard by Joseph Payne Brennan might work. If I remember correctly you never see whatever is lurking in the densely overgrown, urban backyard setting and maybe that environment is the monster.

 

[High Eight]

High Eight by Keith Roberts - Haunted electricity substation. Spooky, with gruesome bits. Can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Mammoth-Book-Science-Fiction/dp/0786710047 His 'evil car' story The Scarlet Lady is good, too.

Delta Sly Honey by Lucius Shepherd - a subtle story set during the Vietnam War. The Ends of the Earth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

#ifdef DEBUG = "WORLD/ENOUGH" + "TIME" by Terry Pratchett - It is a love story, a Ghost Story and an SF story. And it is great.

The Ball Room by China Mieville (with Emma Bircham and Max Schaefer.) - Really nasty, this one. A haunted playground (and if you think that can't be nasty, you haven't read the story!) Looking for Jake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Magnus85]

Cheers!

I'll try to get through most of the stories mentioned these coming two/three weeks.

Thanks a lot!


- Magnus

 

[Magnus85]

BIg cheers to each of you for your suggestions. I didn't find all of them in time, and didn't have the time to read them all. But I'll be sure to find them during them year and check them out.


I chose The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford. A classic horror story with some really bone chilling moments. If there's any interest, I can try to update this thread with the process of adapting it...?

Thanks again!

 

[dlsevern]

Stephen King's "The Sun Dog" or "The Library Policeman", both were chilling to me and I'd love to see them on film.

 

[colin fenwick]

I would love to see something like "The Hospice" by Robert Aickman adapted to the screen. More of a weird, strange and disturbing tale than outright horror. It oozes atmosphere with a hint of menace lying just under the surface.

Actually there's already been an adaptation of 'The Hospice' for TV, from a long-forgotten anthology series called 'Night Voices'. Actually there were another three of his stories adapted it too; 'Hand in Glove', 'The Trains' and 'The Inner Room'. And having watched 'the Hospice' I have to say it was a mostly excellent and faithful adaptation indeed.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Agreed with 'The Sun Dog' ; possibly the scariest story I've ever read.

My suggestion however would be The Monkeys Paw by W.W.Jacobs.

 

[dlsevern]

What about Robert Bloch's Sweet's to the Sweet or Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown?

 

[Magnus85]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Got my hands and eyes full now. Definitely stories to think about for a future next time.

As of now, I've written a rough draft of Crawford's THE UPPER BERTH, which will be workshopped this coming Thursday. Looking forward to hear the critiques.

Once I've done another draft, I can enclose some samples of scenes and such, if there is any interest in that here.


Thanks again for everyone who help suggest a story!

 

[BAYLOR]

Camera Obsura by Basil Copper Night Gallery did a very adaptation of it in the early 70's.