24 Wonderful Movie Adaptions of Books That Outlined the Nineteen Eighties

Posted On Mar 15, 2024 By admin With Comments Off

While the 1980s was a decade known for the birth of the last of Generation X and big-hair bands, it also produced some of the best reading material of the last 40 years.

Names like Stephen King, Jean M. Auel, Alvin Schwartz, Robert Ludlum, and Carl Sagan have turned these stunning literary works into movies or shows, with some authors having several titles pulled for the big or small screen.

But as any word nerd knows, a book is almost always better than its film, even if we like them both. There are some great book-film crossovers you might recognize, even if you’ve never read the book.

Warning: this article contains spoilers.

1. The Handmaid’s Tale (1985)

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a horrifying story about the rigors of life as a handmaid in the imaginary Republic of Gilead. You’ll follow the realities of Offred, a human baby machine. Valued for her ability to carry a child, she exists in limbo, caught effectively between the horror of her reality and the life she knew before coming to live with the Commander and his wife.

The eponymous novel inspired the television series, which began in 2017 and streamed on Hulu for five seasons, with a sixth and final season premiering in 2025. Based on the book, a film starring Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway, Aidan Quinn, and Natasha Richardson was also made in 1990. Given its intense subject matter, the 1980s gave The Handmaid’s Tale the perfect setting to approach the issues of women’s rights, social and population control, and climate change.

2. Ender’s Game (1985)

This novel by Orson Scott Card is a fast-paced, alien apocalypse, doomsday adventure you’ll stay up to read. If you want the big screen experience, you’ll enjoy meeting “Ender,” the last commander humankind will ever need.

Ender’s Game emerged in 2013 and stars Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield as Ender. Mostly filmed from Ender’s point of view, you’ll get to experience the desperate attempt to save humanity. Ender, who thinks he’s taking his last test in Command School, is actually fighting the final battle in the Third Invasion.

While this book indeed centers on space with a science fiction flair, its military angle is so well-written that it’s considered suggested reading for many militaries around the globe, including the United States Marine Corps.

3. The Color Purple (1982)

Alice Walker had an epic year in the early 1980s. She published a book that would go on to see not one but two screen adaptations.

The 1985 film starred Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover, while Taraji P. Henson and Fantasia Barrino starred in the 2023 remake. “Sisters are forever.”

If there was ever a book that gave a voice to women of color, The Color Purple is that book. It is a defining read that brings women together in their fight for equality and empowerment. It also received praise for its well-written use of Black English vernacular.

4. Matilda (1988)

A master at writing children’s fiction, Roald Dahl penned Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG, but his 1988 hit Matilda helped define children’s literature in the 80s.

The book became a film in 1996 that starred Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, and Embeth Davidtz. This film is perfect for your children when you want peace and quiet on a rainy afternoon.

More than just a fun read for children, this book is one of the first to make reading and a love of books cool. Book nerds no longer have to stay confined to the library.

5. It (1986)

When Stephen King published Carrie in 1974, he began his journey to becoming known as “The King of Horror.” His horror-clown story, likely his most notable, was adapted into a mini-series in 1990, a film in 2017, and a second-chapter film in 2019.

While Charles Dickens is credited with creating the “scary clown,” Stephen King turned Pennywise (his creepy clown) into a money-making machine. With more than 300,000 copies sold, the book that inspired the highest-grossing film of King’s career is worth a read — unless you’re afraid of clowns.

While It is supremely horrifying in a way only King can manage in the written word, it has themes that every adult can relate to: the age-old loss of innocence, relatable events that make children grow up too fast, and childhood trauma. It also embodies that timeless, sometimes generational fear of clowns.

6. The Joy Luck Club (1989)

Penned by Amy Tan in 1989, this beautiful portrayal of the bond between mothers and their daughters became a smash hit on the big screen in 1993, grossing three times its budget in box-office payout.

The novel follows four women who leave their homeland to offer a better future to their daughters in America. While each girl grows up believing her mother doesn’t understand her, they discover more in common with their matriarchal counterparts than they bargained for.

Sometimes, it’s what the author doesn’t put in their book that makes it exceptional. While The Joy Luck Club has notes that are autobiographical for Tan, her ability to laugh at herself and her book makes it all the more endearing and explains why a book such as this is required reading in many U.S. high schools.

7. Love in the Time of Cholera (1985)

How long would you wait for love? A young couple answers this question as time and circumstance test their love repeatedly. Written by Gabriel García Márquez in 1985, this epic love story has elements of real-life decisions we make for all the right and wrong reasons.

Meet Florentino and Fermina. When Fermina chooses to marry to please her family, Florentino must wait fifty-one years, nine months, and four days to love her again. It’s one of the greatest love stories ever to be put to paper or film. The 2007 movie adaptation stars Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, and Benjamin Bratt.

Love in the Time of Cholera takes a heartwarming look at the depths people will go through to find fulfillment. In this beautiful tale, Márquez examines human elements like love, longing, fulfillment, and death with a flair of experience that shines through on the page.

8. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, and So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1980-1984)

Hitch-hikers guide books — Image Credit: Pan Books, UK; Harmony Books, US.

Douglas Adams wrote like a crazy man in the 80s, publishing three novels in his hilarious and entertaining The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, named after the first book in the six-book set. Books two, three, and four all came out by 1984, and it was one of the best space-adventure stories ever to grace the big screen.

The series turned into The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy film in 2005, in which you meet Arthur, a stranded Earthling, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and a depressed robot named Marvin.

Noted for its easy humor and cast of unique characters, these three installments of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy were the bulk of Adams’s work on the series. He added Mostly Harmless in 1992 before his untimely death in 2001. The last book, And Another Thing, was authored by Eoin Colfer, author of the notable Artemis Fowl (2009).

9. Howl’s Moving Castle (1986)

Published in 1986 by British author Diana Wynne Jones, Howl’s Moving Castle is the first in a trilogy of tales about a mystical wizard and his moving castle, Calcifer.

You’ll meet Sophie, a young woman whose only hope lies in finding Howl’s moving castle and the Witch of Waste, who destines Sophie to a miserable curse that only Howl can help her heal. The Japanese studio, Studio Ghibli, animated the story for all to enjoy in 2004.

While the movie and book are vastly different in many ways, the bones of each — those masterful story arcs — remain intact. In each telling, Howl learns to stand in the face of his biggest fears, and Sophie gains the confidence to be herself, no matter who she turns out to be. These lessons resonate and reach each reader where they are.

10. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (1987)

Fried Green Tomatoes and the Whistle Stop Cafe — Image Credit: Random House.

Adapted into the film Fried Green Tomatoes in 1991, the novel by author Fannie Flagg, first published in 1987, is an endearing story of love, loss, and the power of friendship.

Starring Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, Jessica Tandy, and Cicely Tyson, the story will stay long after you turn the last page.

While many Gen Xers and millennials may have seen the film, reading the book is a different tale altogether. In the movie, the director and producer shied away from explicitly calling Ruth and Idgie (the main characters) lesbians or inferring that they were in a romantic relationship. However, the book doesn’t avoid the distinction. For many who might rewatch the movie or pick up a copy of the book, it is an affirmation that came well before its time and speaks to the beautiful way LGBTQ+ community support shone through before a community existed.

11. Misery (1987)

Another Kathy Bates special, Misery comes to us from the King of Horror himself, Stephen King. Published in 1987, Misery follows the recovery of author Paul Sheldon as Annie Wilkes cares for him after an automobile accident. Wilkes, who is self-described as Sheldon’s number one fan, demonstrates why changing the ending to his signature novel would undoubtedly be in his best interest. The master of fright wrote several memorable titles in the 80s we still love today. Misery is just one of them. It was adapted into a film in 1990 and remains a favorite for fans of King’s work.

During the 80s, Stephen King struggled with a drug and alcohol addiction, and for him, the main character in his Misery novel exhibited that addiction. “Annie was my drug problem, and she was my number one fan. God, she never wanted to leave,” King told The Paris Review. His drug issue also caused him to have almost no memory of another of his famous works, Cujo. In his memoir On Writing, he says it’s a novel, “I barely remember writing at all.” The struggle was intense for King, requiring intervention from his family and friends. However, in the late 80s, he was able to get clean and stay sober.

Seeing Annie Wilkes in relation to King’s addiction gives a new angle to this must-read for new and old King fans and lends itself to opening a window into how King created such a disturbed woman as Annie Wilkes.

12. Lonesome Dove (1985)

Published in 1985 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for literature, Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove was turned into one of the most memorable mini-series to hit television in recent history. An all-star cast including Robert Duvall, Diane Lane, Tommy Lee Jones, Ricky Schroder, D.B. Sweeney, Danny Glover, and Robert Urich made the story as memorable onscreen as it is in paperback.

If you could experience the breadth of human emotion in one telling, it’d be Lonesome Dove. One review praises, “Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.”

13. The Silence of the Lambs (1988)

Thomas Harris wrote one of the creepiest characters to ever grace the written page when he published The Silence of the Lambs in 1988. Psychologically riveting, Clarice Starling and Dr. Hannibal Lecter fill the time as Clarice tries to catch a serial killer by getting to know one with a penchant for eating his victims.

The film adaptation was released in 1991 and starred Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. To this day, it is one of the most-watched psychological horror thrillers and one you should add to your must-watch list.

Only one book has ever been the basis of a horror film that won an Oscar for Best Picture; shockingly, it isn’t one of Stephen King’s works. The Silence of the Lambs won the Oscar in 1992 and delivered Best Actor Oscars to both Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. Imagine how much better the book is if the film grabbed three Oscar nods.

14. The Cider House Rules (1985)

First drafted by John Irving, the novel The Cider House Rules was published in 1985. Inside its pages, you’ll meet Homer Wells, a bright, searching soul with a tender heart and a seeking mind.

When allowed to travel with a young couple, he jumps to see what’s beyond the orphanage where he grew up and discovers a life he never imagined. The film, released in 1999, starred Charlize Theron, Tobey Maguire, Michael Caine, and Paul Rudd.

In a man vs. himself internal conflict, The Cider House Rules explores the nature of humanity’s disposition in a world fallen from grace and the consequences that follow. It touches on innocence, adventure, finding oneself, and coming full circle to end up where you started.

15. Pet Sematary (1983)

They don’t call Stephen King The King of Horror because he writes about daisies. His stories are powerfully moving and poignantly creepy and stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. Drawn from a real-life experience involving his son, Owen, King wouldn’t publish the book for several months because he found it too disturbing.

To this day, it is one of his nastiest books. Two adaptations of the original tale have been seen, one in 1989 and the other in 2019, with a sequel titled Pet Sematary 2.

While death is a topic many authors steer clear of, King embraces it in all its horror. Despite King’s reluctance to publish Pet Sematary, this all-too-real tale of mystery, intrigue, unbearable grief, and exploring what happens after we die remains a must-read for horror fans and anyone who likes examining spiritual matters.

16. V for Vendetta (1990)

Alan Moore penned a dystopian future where the rule of law rules all. Its 2005 movie adaptation gives a sense of fullness to Moore’s story. “Remember, remember the 5th of November…” echoes through the pages as a renegade vigilante, appropriately named V, encourages citizens to revolt by joining him. V’s last message to Creedy is the simple truth, “Ideas are bulletproof.” Will you join the revolution?

Sometimes, it’s a second or third reading of a book that cements the author’s work in a reader’s heart or mind. V for Vendetta explores themes of freedom in a hyper-controlled world and, while certainly not the first or last to do so, reaches readers for its stark contrast between V and the entities that seek to squeeze freedom until it surrenders. Like 1984 by George Orwell, it offers a look at what the world might look like without innate freedoms like those the Constitution protects in America.

17. A Time to Kill (1989)

In a time when race still segregates and justice is anything but blind, a lawyer seeks grace and mercy for the father of a young girl who is assaulted, beaten, and left in a river. When the man hears that the two men who hurt his daughter may walk on their charges, he takes justice into his own hands, inadvertently injuring a deputy in the process.

Through the power of imagination, the lawyer helps an all-white jury understand the depths of a father’s love for his child without color getting in the way. After an acquittal, the father and the lawyer celebrate a successful result. The 1996 film based on the novel stars heavy hitters like Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Spacey, and Brenda Fricker.

Because of the heavy adult-centered scenarios in this book, John Grisham saw several rejections before a publisher gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing. However, it led to other bestsellers like The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and The Client, which some libraries banned for objections over their content. Law-based thrillers that discuss real-life issues are some of the best reads, and while A Time to Kill isn’t Grisham’s breakout novel, it is still an excellent read. This is largely because of Grisham’s time as a lawyer before he became a published author. After the success of his other novels, A Time to Kill also became a bestseller.

18. The Hunt for Red October (1984)

The hunt for read october — Image Credit: Naval Institute Press.

Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October went to print in 1984 and became one of the best pieces of fiction concerning military might ever to become a novel. When a Soviet commander starts charging west with a state-of-the-art sub loaded with missiles, Washington goes on high alert. America wants that sub, and Russia wants it back, but only the commander knows his true intentions. The film came out in 1990, starring the likes of Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Scott Glenn, and Sam Neill.

When The Hunt for Red October hit shelves, it well outperformed the expectations of Naval Institute Press, its publisher. It also cemented Tom Clancy as an author who knows how to depict war-time strategy and all the feelings that go with it. To this day, it’s considered one of the best depictions of Cold War era feelings and is a must-read for anyone interested in naval warfare, war-time strategy, or Clancy fans who haven’t read the book yet.

19. Contact (1985)

In 1985, Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sagan penned a beautiful tale of communication between extraterrestrial beings and Ellie Arroway, a young astronomer. When Ellie joins the “Argus” space-listening program, she’s keen to pick up any abnormal signal and eventually finds a message that ignites a firestorm of military and government secrecy.

After discovering plans for a vehicle that seemingly allows people to travel into space, she’s given clearance to contact the beings who sent the message. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jodie Foster, James Woods, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, and Angela Bassett, the 1997 film brings Sagan’s story to life for the big screen.

Contact is a must-read for science nerds, novices, and anyone interested in extraterrestrial occurrences. Carl Sagan does a masterful job of building a believable encounter between Ellie and beings beyond our world. Her experience is one you can completely understand and envision for yourself. It’s emotional, hopeful, and bittersweet all at once.

20. The Bourne Identity (1980)

If there were ever a case of dangerous amnesia, Jason Bourne’s issue in The Bourne Identity would be it. Written by Robert Ludlum in 1980, this action-packed story takes you into the mind of a trained assassin and never lets you go. The 2002 movie, based on the novel, stars Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first adaptation of the novel. In 1988, Richard Chamberlain played Jason Bourne, although the film is a bit different, considering Chamberlain was 54 years old at the time. Even though plenty of actors went through the selection process, Bourne came alive in Matt Damon’s action-packed performance.

Fast-paced, high-energy, and just plain fun, The Bourne Identity gives you a new appreciation for the job professional assassins acquire when trained and hired by world governments. Whether or not they exist in real life is a guess. Imagine waking up without a memory of who you are, where you are, or what you did just 24 hours before. Now add in expert-level martial arts knowledge, knowing how and where to find specific information, and trained killers on your trail and you can imagine the adrenaline rush you’d feel. The movie is excellent; the book is even better.

21. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981)

Everyone loves a good haunted house on Halloween, but you’d better know what you’re doing when you take something home. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark came out in 1981 from Alvin Schwartz and crept onto big screens in 2019. The story follows a young woman named Sarah Bellows, whose family tortured into believing horrid things about herself.

Her revenge was writing scary stories about those who tormented her. When a girl takes the book from Sarah’s home and asks Sarah to tell her a story, the girl’s friends start to disappear one by one. I saw this film recently, and you can pick your poison, but my money’s on the sickly smile of the dough girl who slowly makes her way to you and hugs you until her pasty flesh engulfs you.

While some horror stories grip you by the collar and don’t let go until the end, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark slowly immerses you into a world filled with horrifically fantastic stories. It sends you down the rabbit hole with little hope of ever coming back up for air. For horror fans who want something a little slower-paced or a story you can chop up into bits for slower digestion, this book will fulfill all your slow-simmering horror needs.

22. Sarah, Plain and Tall (1985)

First released in 1985, Sarah, Plain and Tall is a story about the pain of loss and the beauty of love as a man cares for his two children after his wife’s death. Knowing his children need a mother, he advertises for a wife, and Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton answers his call.

While not expecting love, Sarah keeps pushing the man and his children to mourn for the wife and mother they lost and overcome all obstacles, finally finding her place in this beautifully broken family. The adaptation of Patricia MacLachlan’s tale stars Glenn Close and Christopher Walken.

This beautiful story embraces the unknown by showing the reader that love can grow anywhere, even when the soil is hard, rocky, and dry from being unattended. When Sarah first appears, Anna and Caleb, who are motherless, can’t help but wonder what she’ll be like. Through the eyes of a child, you’ll experience the slow blossoming of love that chases away all those childhood fears, soothes tiny souls, and embraces the hope and possibility of the future.

23. The Polar Express (1985)

From the author of Jumanji (1981) comes a tale of a mysterious train and a boy who wonders if it’s still worth believing in Christmas. When the boy arrives at the North Pole, Santa grants him one gift: a bell from the harness on the reindeer.

On Christmas morning, his mother laments that the bell doesn’t make a sound, but the boy realizes that only true believers can hear the sound. The 2004 animated film stars Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen.

As all children do, we grow up, and the magic of believing in Santa Claus gets lost to adult aspirations. For one boy on the cusp of that change, a ride on the Polar Express offers a choice to continue believing in the magic and spirit of Christmas. Fun, engaging, and delivering that same whimsical choice to every reader, the book is an invitation to re-embrace that playful, fun-loving spirit that goes beyond Christmas to touch every season of life.

24. Firestarter (1980)

1980 saw another brilliant turnout from Stephen King. Firestarter tells the tale of a young girl named Charlie McGee who can start fires with just her mind. Unfortunately, that makes her a target for many people with many different motives.

Charlie wants to be like everyone else, but her ability doesn’t allow normalcy. The book’s first successful 1984 film version stars a young Drew Barrymore as Charlie. The newer adaptation in 2022 takes a twist on the tale as Charlie’s parents (Zac Efron and Sydney Lemmon) try to help her control her ability.

In 1980, interest in paranormal activities and abilities surged. With books like Firestarter that explored what a world government might do to weaponize someone with the ability to start fires with their mind, the paranormal became accessible in ways it hadn’t been before. Even with the 1984 movie adaptation, the book remains a worthwhile read, especially for fans of King’s work.

Lucky Ones

If you’ve ever read a book, seen the film adaptation, and loved them both, you’re among the lucky ones. These 80s books have turned into some of the best films you’ll find on their subjects and offer a peek into the creative license that can take a book on a whole new journey.

Many of these titles even gave some of your favorite modern actors roles they will certainly be remembered for. While other great books came to print during the 1980s, these titles shine for their grit, humor, and easy horror. One even encapsulates the spirit of Christmas in a tale children can love even as adults.

I’m also betting that even if you haven’t read all the novels that inspired these movies, you’ve seen at least one of the films on this list.

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