Book-to-screen: Screaming for Movies to Move Away from Book Adaptations.

By Caoimhe McCloskey

WARNING: DISCUSSION OF HEAVY TOPICS

As the saying goes, art inspires other art. It’s a concept that has been around for as long as the artistic industry has been around, and so generally, it should come as no surprise when there is an announcement of a story being adapted from one medium into another. Most famously, book-to-screen adaptations have practically become the norm within recent filmmaking, and it seems that once a book is published, it’s practically a waiting game for when its visual successor is announced. 

Recently, however, there has been a book-to-screen announcement which has received a fair amount of discourse amongst fans. First gaining fame and recognition on TikTok, the ‘dark romance’ book Haunting Adeline by H.D Carlton was recently confirmed to be amid being developed as a film adaptation after a long stint of speculation and rumours circulating of an adaptation without confirmation. While this is confirmed, it seems to be the case that that is all that is confirmed at the time of writing this article; no studio, director, screenwriter or cast has been announced. [1] 

Again, book-to-screen adaptations are nothing new and have always held a consistent level of popularity; however, recently it seems like BookTok, the community on TikTok dedicated to discussing anything and everything bookish and literature, appears to be a hunting ground for filmmakers and studios to find stories. Recent and famous examples include The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han and the Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy, both becoming hit shows streaming on Amazon Prime. What makes this upcoming adaptation different from its predecessors, however, is the graphic content within the source material. 

Haunting Adeline was originally released in 2021 and follows the titular character of Adeline Reilly, who is stalked by Zade Meadows, a vigilante who targets human traffickers. While I personally have not read the book, the novel and its sequel, Hunting Adeline, are infamously known to depict very heavy and graphic themes of violence, stalking, as well as various explicit sexual scenes, which, since the adaptation’s announcement, have created a cause for concern as to whether they will be depicted, to what degree and how. These themes are, of course, very serious and if discussed should be done with the utmost care, concern and consideration, but even then, is this something that should be on screens?

That question seems to not need to be answered, as with the announcement of the adaptation there has also been a creation of a petition to stop production from going forward. At the time of writing, the petition has over 17,000 signatures [2], with the creator stating that this story romanticises sexual assault, violence and other immoral ideals as well as being overall ethically irresponsible. There is the point to be made that film is arguably more manipulative in shaping audience opinions; a deliberate choice in sound, lighting and cinematography can completely change how a scene influences an audience. Written work, on the other hand, is more personal; readers are put at a distance and must use more critical thinking to create their opinions.

It really begs the question: how can a story be told without telling the bones of what makes it? The book is marketed as a ‘dark romance’ on social media (I personally think the horror genre is more appropriate, but that may be up for debate among loyal fans), and while romance films and book adaptations are of course seen on screen often, romance is not the confounding factor to the story or its characters. For example, in the Off Campus series, both audience and original readers can see that the main characters have lives, interests and plot outside of their romance with each other while simultaneously developing these feelings as they live. From what is known about Haunting Adeline, it appears that these themes are vital to the plot and exclusive to the development of characters and their story. 

To say that graphic content has never been seen before on screen would be a lie. There has been a long-standing pattern of depictions of graphic content across various genres, from horror to action; however, what makes Haunting Adeline a standout is its attempt to romanticise and gloss over the seriousness of what it presents to its audience. 

1. https://www.hauntingadeline.com/news/haunting-adeline-movie-announced 
2. https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-production-of-the-haunting-adeline-movie 
3. https://screenrant.com/haunting-adeline-movie-adaptation-hd-carlton/
4. Image credits: collider.com