Summer Blockbusters: 5 Great Book-To-Film Adaptations You Should Watch

With summer here, so are the rumors about introverted book lovers. For some reason, people believe book lovers want to be locked in the house all day reading when, in reality, they’re watching summer movies. What? Contrary to popular belief, it seems that people who love reading actually like book-to-film adaptations as well. 

If you’re a book lover, you know how powerful the human imagination can be. How else would you describe the worlds your mind creates just from the words of your favorite novels? Add in book-to-film adaptations, and it’s like a power boost to your imagination as well. So, to find that extra juice, you should probably find summer movies based on books to watch.

Horror Book-to-Film Adaptations

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One summer movie you must watch is the supernatural horror film The Watchers, which is a book-to-film adaptation of a Gothic horror novel by A.M. Shine. Also worth mentioning is that M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter, Shyamalan, makes her directing debut with this film. However, time will tell if she lives up to her family name.

Want more? This summer movie incorporates Gothic horror elements so you can expect to see hauntings throughout. Starring Dakota Fanning, this summer movie follows a group of strangers who must survive against monstrous creatures killing victims who wander outside the bunker. Once you finish watching this summer movie, horror fans should check out the novel it adapted next.

True Crime Book-to-Film Adaptations

Maybe you’re not into horror films and prefer book-to-film adaptations that won’t make you sick to your stomach from all the gore. Well, why not go see Lady in the Lake instead? As another summer movie based on books, you’ll find plenty of suspense in this true crime movie depicting an unresolved murder investigation.

Lady in the Lake is a 2019 film adaptation of Laura Lippman’s novel, centered around the two unresolved murders of an 11-year-old Jewish girl and a 33-year-old black woman in Baltimore. Considering the age period and plot, you can tell this film adaptation will have commentary about gender and racial tensions in 1960s America. 

Children’s Book-to-Film Adaptations

Even children can join in on the fun as there are summer movies based on books just for them. The book-to-film adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon will be released later this summer. The 1955 children’s book that inspired this summer movie follows a young boy named Harold who can bring his imagination to life with a magical crayon. 

What makes Harold and the Purple Crayon great is that it would be a sequel to the novel. The film adaptation will follow Harold as an older man who finally decides to return to the real world with the help of his magical crayon. Even people who were fans of the books in their childhood may feel joyous nostalgia as Harold goes on an adventure while entering adulthood.

Romance Movies Book-to-Film Adaptations

Finally, for you lovebirds out there looking for a book-to-film adaptation of your favorite novels, look no further than It Ends With Us. Although this romance novel was released back in 2016, it’s experiencing a resurgence after becoming a trending topic on #BokTok. As a result of its revival, It Ends With Us shot back to the top of the New York best-seller list in 2022.

You should know that this book-to-film adaptation was originally written by popular romance author, Coleen Hoover. So, if you like summer movies to break and heal your heart then It Ends With Us is a great choice. In addition to its romantic plot, you should know that this book-to-film adaptation will focus on the challenging issue of domestic violence and its effects on families.

Dystopian Book-to-Film Adaptations

How about an apocalyptic summer movie to watch? The Electric State is an upcoming sci-fi summer movie based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Simon Stålenhag. Within the story, a young girl and her robot companion will travel through a ravaged Southwestern United States after it was destroyed by a new VR technology called Sentre.

What? The plot doesn’t excite you. Well, how about the news surrounding the film? For starters, directors Joe and Anthony Russo of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame fame are set to bring The Electic State to life. Besides the directions, the buzz will grow louder with Milly Bobby Brown from Stranger Things and Chris Pratt from Marvel and Jurassic Park films in the cast. 

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