American literature has seen some really influential works over the years. Some are pretty recent, too, with more fantastic entries coming out pretty frequently. Some of the greatest classics, are, to this day, still given as assigned readings in schools all over the United States, with the works often addressing some important societal issue or dilemma. Some of the authors have even gone down in history for changing the landscape of literature itself.
A lot of these novels, unsurprisingly, have been adapted to fit the silver screen. Sometimes, this is fine, like in the case of Harper Lee‘s To Kill A Mockingbird. Now that’s a movie adaptation done right! Other times though, adaptations fall flat on their faces, missing the point, or omitting a lot of crucial context about the book that doesn’t do them any justice. These are the worst movies based on great American novels.
10
‘Native Son’ (2019)
Based on: ‘Native Son’ (1940) by Richard Wright
Native Son did get good reviews from critics and audiences, but unfortunately, it didn’t reflect the book in any way at all. The book is about a young Black man named Bigger who gets a job as a chauffeur for a White family. One day on the job, he accidentally kills the daughter of the family, becoming a wanted fugitive. The movie does this part justice, but falls apart afterwards. In fact, the central messages of the book and the movie are completely different.
The final third of the book is about Bigger’s trial where the entire point of the story is laid out in front of him. The movie omits the courtroom scenes entirely, and shoehorns in an abrupt ending that doesn’t give the same message that Richard Wright penned. Ashton Sanders does do a good job bringing Bigger to life, but the movie took a different route in all other aspects that just doesn’t hit as hard or have the same impact. It’s a fine effort, but it’s not quite good enough.
9
‘The Great Gatsby’ (2013)
Based on: ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald
To give credit where credit is due, a lot of people did actually enjoy the 2013 iteration of The Great Gatsby. The original novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered a quintessential American classic, but the movie? Not so much. As mentioned, many did enjoy this movie thanks to its star-studded cast. Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio take leading roles in this flick, and it’s overall a pretty comedic and fun-filled movie. But therein lies the problem. See, the original novel is actually pretty somber, and is nowhere near as light-hearted.
On top of that, the movie’s soundtrack was pretty terrible, and did nothing to reflect the time period. Nothing says “Roaring 20s” like Jay-Z‘s “$100 Bill.” It is a relatively faithful adaptation of the novel, but the problems lie elsewhere. The issues come from a lot of questionable decisions that don’t fit the theme–the soundtrack is just one of these problems. It’s satisfactory as a film, but is a truly terrible adaptation of the work that doesn’t match what Fitzgerald was trying to say at all.
8
‘Salem’s Lot’ (2024)
Based on: ‘Salem’s Lot’ (1975) by Stephen King
Let’s be real, there are certainly no shortage of bad Stephen King adaptations out there. But the most recent one, Salem’s Lot, was a unique sort of travesty all on its own. This was a remake that nobody asked for, and that was a really subpar iteration of the source. First and foremost, if one wants to see an actually good version of Salem’s Lot on screen, the 70s miniseries is infinitely better. It’s not perfect, but it’s better. Secondly, the movie version is completely forgettable. Seriously, who saw this? And if you did see it, do you remember anything about it?
This is supposed to be a story about vampires, one from arguably the most famous horror writer in the world right now. It’s taking two popular things, mashing them together, but setting the results on fire. The Salem’s Lot movie had abysmal pacing, lacked any depth, had zero scare factor or suspense, and felt bland as white bread. There’s just no reason to see this movie at all, even for Stephen King fans.
7
‘I Am Legend’ (2007)
Based on: ‘I Am Legend’ (1954) by Richard Matheson
I Am Legend is another movie that a lot of viewers liked, but that is honestly an awful adaptation of the source material. The original novel by Richard Matheson has an entirely different storyline, and isn’t even about zombies. In fact, it came out when zombies were hardly even a thing in pop culture. Instead, the novel is about a vampire plague, with the protagonist coming to realize that he is the last man left on Earth. He eventually figures out that the world isn’t ending, it’s just that humanity is being replaced by a more advanced species.
As such, the original novel is a piece of existential fiction that addresses humanity’s place in the world. The movie is just a generic zombie flick, and has little else to offer. Sure, it’s pretty emotional at times, and yes, Will Smith does a good job as Robert Neville, but the storyline loses all of its impact. It doesn’t address any themes of existentialism, it doesn’t send a powerful message, heck, Neville isn’t even the last human on Earth. It’s just a zombie movie. If that’s what it’s trying to be, then fine. But maybe don’t slap the title of a beloved novel on it.
6
‘Fahrenheit 451’ (2018)
Based on: ‘Fahrenheit 451’ (1953) by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 is about a dystopian future where books are banned. Any books that are found are burned by “firemen.” One day, a fireman named Guy Montag becomes disillusioned with his cause and commits himself to preserving knowledge and protecting books from being destroyed. Truth be told, while books being banned are obviously horrible, this movie probably should have been banned, too. It really is that bad.
Michael B. Jordan‘s performance is pretty much the only redeeming factor about this movie. The script is so far removed from the central message of the book that it’s almost completely unrecognizable. Entire characters and plotlines are omitted. On top of that, the vision of the dystopian future didn’t really match what author Ray Bradbury was going for. The story was meant to be timeless, but this version felt dated, looking at past events rather than current, more concerning events. It sucks to say it, but honestly, the script should’ve been burned long before it entered production.
5
‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ (2011)
Based on: ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ (2003) by Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler’s Wife is a sci-fi romance about a man with a rare disease that causes him to randomly travel through time. This is hard on his wife, who is forced to cope with his frequent and unavoidable absences. It was actually written as a metaphor for failed relationships, something Audrey Niffenegger was very frustrated with at the time of writing (and yes, this author is aware that he shares the same uncommon last name as the author of the novel). The movie doesn’t really reflect the themes of the book well.
The movie tried to be a generic romance flick, which doesn’t do the book justice at all. The original book is profoundly sad, exploring themes of grief, loss, and family, which are core tenets of the narrative. The movie threw all that away, instead focusing on an uninteresting romance without addressing what made the book so well-received in the first place. This adaptation is truly awful, and should be seen by no one.
4
‘Dune’ (1984)
Based on: ‘Dune’ (1965) by Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert became a renowned American author with his 1965 sci-fi epic Dune, taking viewers on a journey to the desert planet Arrakis. For years, this novel was considered “unfilmable” due to the sheer scale of it, but that didn’t stop filmmakers from trying. 1984’s Dune was the first to take a crack on it, and it failed tremendously. Not only was it in developmental hell for a while, but it was way too ambitious for its time.
The lack of modern 21st Century filming techniques meant that many of the visuals were inconsistent, or just downright ugly. On top of that, the novel was way too huge to cram into a two-hour movie, so a lot of important things got left out and abandoned. This means that the story is almost completely incoherent, and the film is chaotic and messy. If you’re a fan of Dune, you’re better off watching the 2020s film adaptations. They’re much better, more rewatchable, more visually stunning, and much more coherent.
3
‘Psycho’ (1998)
Based on: ‘Psycho’ (1959) by Robert Bloch
Alfred Hitchcock‘s original film Psycho is often seen as one of the defining slasher flicks in cinema history, as well as a superb adaptation of Robert Bloch‘s original novel that was released the year prior. The book and the movie are about Norman Bates, part-time motel owner and part-time serial killer, who preys upon the guests in his inn. 1998 saw a shot-for-shot remake of the 60s film, which was honestly a terrible idea.
For one, nobody asked for a remake–the original is perfect as it is. Secondly, the casting was truly awful. Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates does not work at all, especially considering that he’s primarily a comedic actor, and this is a deeply serious and sinister role. This movie made just about every bad decision it could’ve possibly made, and felt like a slap in the face not just to Hitchcock, but to Block, too.
2
‘The Haunting’ (1999)
Based on: ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ (1959) by Shirley Jackson
The Haunting is based on Shirley Jackson‘s The Haunting of Hill House, a 50s horror novel that is one of the all-time classics when it comes to American Gothic. The book is about a haunted house (obviously), but the house itself is an allegory for patriarchal society, since it traps women and forces them into horrific situations. This is reflective of Jackson’s feminist nature. Apart from being a genuinely scary book, it had an important message, too.
1999’s The Haunting was atrocious. It wasn’t scary, it destroyed the original premise of the book, and the CGI was so, so bad. It got rid of the psychological horror elements of the book, instead focusing on loud, in-your-face jumpscares, and an extremely weak script. The movie gives the viewer no reason to care about the protagonists or what’s happening to them. It’s better to watch the Netflix miniseries for this one. Even though the miniseries is very, very far removed from the source material, it’s much more entertaining and meaningful than whatever this movie was trying to be.
1
‘The Scarlet Letter’ (1995)
Based on: ‘The Scarlet Letter’ (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter is widely considered to be one of the worst book-to-movie adaptations ever made, especially with how it butchered an American classic. The original novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne was about a woman whose husband is presumed lost at sea, so she has a child with someone else. She later discovers that her husband is indeed alive. However, in the Puritan culture, this brands her an adulterer, and she is forced to wear a red letter “A” on her hand. It’s a poignant and depressing commentary on religious stigmas, as well as a critique of Puritan culture.
The movie likely had Hawthorne rolling in his grave with how it altered his message and completely changed the genre. Instead of being about guilt, sin, and Puritanism, the movie tried to be an erotic romance, which is not at all what the author intended. The worst part is, the romance isn’t even good. It’s bland, with cringe-worthy dialogue and embarassingly bad casting. Worse still, they gave the story a happy ending, which is totally different from the ending the book got. It’s not just a different story, it’s a terrible story that felt more like it was trying to sell itself purely on the concept of sex rather than a core message.
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