posted
The title says it all. I've been trying to find a list of all the 80's movies that had novelisation’s written. Because it looks like such a list doesn't exist, we should try and make it here!
Just to clarify, the list should be books that would never have existed without the film itself. You can give honourable mention to books that have been forgotten because of the films success (i.e.: 'First Blood'), and you can stray into other decades if you like, but let's try and keep it focused on the 80's (for the 70's list see here: 70's Movie Novelisations - The Big List!.
**EXPANDED LIST BELOW**
[ 02. April 2011, 13:21: Message edited by: Logan 5 ]
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posted
The library in town has the novelization for Dead Poet's Society.
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posted
I know for a fact that there is an Adventures in Babysitting novelization. I've known about it since grade school, and I often see copies on eBay.
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Friday the 13th Part 3 if you can believe it. Hilarious if you're a fan of those movies, which I am (shamefully).
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I have Howard the Duck by Ellis Weiner...and no, I'm not kidding! That is the author's name!
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It's worth pointing out that many of these books would be based on an early draft or the actual shooting script (before final edits). Therefore the books themselves can have scenes that were shot but never released, or scenes that they decided not to film at the last minute ('Back to the Future', 'Goonies' and 'Explorers' spring to mind). So if you're fans of any the films mentioned... pick up the novel!
**EXPANDED LIST BELOW**
[ 24. February 2009, 12:05: Message edited by: logan5 ]
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Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
There were various times that I read the novelizations to An American Tale (this version starting with an introductory segment by a centenarian Fievel telling the tale to his grandson), Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Spaceballs, and The Little Mermaid (Ursula was still Triton's sister here, so that apparently was an absolute last minute deletion)
[ 18. February 2008, 20:40: Message edited by: Chris the CandyFanMan ]
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posted
Ok, we're really rolling now! I've done some more digging myself and the updated list is...
Absence of Malice Abyss, The Accused, The Adventures in Babysitting Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, The Agnes of God Aliens Aliens 2 Aliens 3 An American Tale An Officer and a Gentleman Annie April Fools Day Baby... Secret of the Lost Legend Back to the Future/2/3 Batteries Not Included Big Blob, The Blues Brothers, The Bride, The Bronco Billy Buckaroo Banzai Cannonball Run, The Clash of the Titans. Coca-Cola Kid, The (Woo-Woo Kid) Cocktail Cocoon Conan the Barbarian Conan the Destroyer Condorman Creepshow D.A.R.Y.L. Dangerous Summer, A Dead Bang Dead Poets Society Desperately Seeking Susan Down and Out in Beverly Hills Dragonslayer Dressed to Kill E.T. Empire Strikes Back, The Enemy Mine Ewoks: Battle for Endor Explorers Exterminator, The Fade to Black Fame Fatal Attraction Ferris Bueller's Day Off Final Countdown, The Flash Gordon Fog, The For Keeps For Your Eyes Only Fort Apache, the Bronx Friday the 13th Part 3 Friday the 13th Part 6 (Jason Lives) Ghostbusters Ghostbusters 2 Golden Child, The Goonies Grease 2 Gregory’s Girl Gremlins Gremlins 2 Halloween 2 Halloween 3 Harry and the Hendersons Heartbreak Ridge Heavy Metal Herbie Goes Bananas Honey I Blew Up the Kids Honey I Shrunk the Kids Honky Tonk Man Howard the Duck Indiana Jones: Last Crusade Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom Inseminoid Invasion U.S.A. Jake Speed Jazz Singer, The Journey of Natty Gann, The Karate Kid 1, The Karate Kid 2, The Karate Kid 3, The Killing Fields, The King of the Mountain Kitty and the Bagman Krull Labyrinth Ladyhawke Last Starfighter, The Lean On Me Legal Eagles Lethal Weapon License to Drive License to Kill Little Darlings Little Mermaid, The Living Daylights, The Long Good Friday. The Lost Boys, The Mad Max 2 Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome Manhatten Project, The Mask Meatballs Melvin and Howard Mona Lisa Morning After, The Music Box My Bodyguard My Science Project Next Karate Kid, The Nightmares on Elm Street 1, 2, 3 (1 book) Nightmares on Elm Street 4 & 5 (1 book) Nomads Nuts Oh! Heavenly Dog Omen 3 – The Final Conflict, The Outland Outrageous Fortune Over the Top Platoon Poltergeist Poltergeist II Porkys Porkys 2 Predator Predator 2 Pretty in Pink Psycho II Rambo III Rambo: First Blood Part II Resurrection Return of the Jedi Return of the Swamp Thing, The Return to Oz Return to Snowy River Rocky III Rocky IV Ruthless People Santa Claus the Movie Scarface Seduction, The Short Circuit Short Circuit Some Kind of Wonderful Southern Comfort Spaceballs Spacecamp Spies Like Us Splash Star Trek II/III/IV Staying Alive Streets of Gold Sudden Impact Supergirl Superman III Survival Run Terminator 2: Judgement Day Thing, The Three Amigos! Time Bandits Top Gun Tough Guys Toy Soldiers Tron Twilight Zone the Movie Vice Squad View to a Kill, A Visiting Hours Wall Street Wargames Who Framed Roger Rabbit Willie and Phil Willow Windows Yellowbeard Young Sherlock Holmes
Honourable mentions to books from which movies were made (some have been eclipsed by the movie):
Bladerunner (Originally ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’) Fast Times First Blood Fletch Honky Tonk Man Outsiders, The Princess Bride, The Rumble Fish Something Wicked This Way Comes Tex That was Then - This is Now Thing, The (Novel based on film based on original novel) Watcher in the Woods
I’ve included sequels from the 90’s if they’re spin-offs from 80’s originals.
Movies that had comic-book adaptations:
Annie Big Bladerunner Buckaroo Banzai Conan the Barbarian Dark Crystal, The Dragonslayer Flash Gordon Howard the Duck Krull Labyrinth Last Starfighter, The Little Shop of Horrors Octopussy Raiders of the Lost Ark Robocop Rock and Rule Santa Claus the Movie Sheena Star Wars - Empire/Jedi Supergirl Superman III Who Framed Roger Rabbit Willow Xanadu
[ 13. January 2012, 19:58: Message edited by: Logan 5 ]
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quote:Originally posted by logan5: It's worth pointing out that many of these books would be based on an early draft or the actual shooting script (before final edits). Therefore the books themselves can have scenes that were shot but never released, or scenes that they decided not to film at the last minute ('Back to the Future', 'Goonies' and 'Explorers' spring to mind). So if you're fans of any the films mentioned... pick up the novel!
This is so true of Some kind Of Wonderful. The early shooting script and the novel actually fill in a lot of gaps that the finished edit leave hanging (such as Watts' first name...!) and there's a whole deleted scene with Duncan and Cliff Nelson in the school corridor that adds loads of color to the relationship between Keith and Duncan.
If you've not read it, the shooting script can be downloaded from Robert's excellent SKOW shrine site here: WWW.SOMEKINDOFWONDERFUL.ORGPosts: 3646 | From: Shermer, IL - where else? | Registered: Mar 2001 | Site Updates: 37
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posted
Exactly, when you're a fan of a film reading the novel can be a real eye-opener about how it could've been. That's part of why I wanted to put the list together: Pretty in Pink has the original ending; Goonies had scenes with the Octopus and Gorillas; Explorers has the birthday party scene; Back to the Future has the original intro set in high school. Novels aren't always that well written, but they're a great source of information for how a film was intended to be.
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posted
I'm sure there are many many more! When (if) people add other titles I'll just update the list above, rather than reposting it.
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posted
I have these plus a ton more up in my attic. I'll try and make a better list but these are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
Battlestar Galactica Battlestar Galactica photo novel For Keeps Friday the 13th 6 Jason Lives Grease Grease photo novel Gremlins Halloween Halloween 2 Halloween 3 Lost Boys Nightmares on Elm Street 1, 2, 3(1 book) Nightmares on Elm Street 4 & 5(1 book) Porkys Porkys 2 Some Kind of Wonderful The Wanderers
Bob
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oooh, battlestar galactica is good, i hear.
if i'm not mistaken, there is also one for HALLOWEEN 4, and supposedly.. it's really good as well.
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Bumping this to say I've updated (with many thanks to Lovers With Cassie for his additions). I've removed the 70's stuff and will create a separate 70's list.
This is far from complete, and some of the movies will have been based on a source novel. Where possible I've removed the movie from the list and added it to the 'eclipsed' list at the bottom. Sometimes it's hard to tell which came first.
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posted
I actually have a copy of the Gremlins novelization that I bought from a used bookstore two years ago. George Gipes (the author) did a very good job of translating the movie into a novel, and as is the case with so many movie novelizations, based his upon an early draft of the screenplay. In the book, Mr. Futterman gets to explain more about the gremlins he and other pilots in WWII supposedly encountered on their planes. The movie only briefly touched on this, so it's nice to have the novelization as a companion.
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I have the novelizations for April Fool's Day and Poltergeist 1 & 2. Haven't gotten around to reading them yet though.
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Quite right Zack. As pointed out by you, and by some others (including myself) above; if you really like a movie it's always worth checking out the novel, because they often have scenes from earlier drafts which don't wind up in the final movie - some of which are really good.
quote:I have the novelizations for April Fool's Day and Poltergeist 1 & 2. Haven't gotten around to reading them yet though.
The curse of the novelisation!
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