1. “The Lottery” – Small Town Horror
Source: Shirley Jackson’s short story
Adaptation Style: Dystopian folk horror
Concept: Expand on the original tale by following a new arrival to the town as they uncover the layers of ritual, indoctrination, and societal complicity behind the town’s annual lottery. A slow-burn descent into cult-like madness.
2. “The People of the Pit” – Cosmic Underground Horror
Source: A. Merritt’s 1918 tale (public domain)
Adaptation Style: Cosmic horror like The Descent meets The Thing
Concept: Explorers discover a lost city buried in the Arctic, home to an ancient, glowing pit that whispers promises of knowledge. One by one, they succumb to its lure. Great opportunity for strange creature design and Lovecraftian dread.
3. “No Exit” – Existential Horror Loop
Source: Jean-Paul Sartre’s play
Adaptation Style: One-room psychological horror
Concept: A modern twist—three strangers wake up in a sterile, futuristic room. They slowly realize they’re dead, and their punishment is being trapped with each other, forever exposing their darkest truths. Claustrophobic, cerebral horror.
4. “The House on the Borderland” – Reality Collapse
Source: William Hope Hodgson (public domain)
Adaptation Style: Apocalyptic sci-fi horror
Concept: A recluse documents strange events in his house that sits on the edge of reality. Time collapses, swine-things emerge from caves, and the cosmos tears open. High concept and unsettling
5. “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” – Survival and the Supernatural
Source: Stephen King (film rights available)
Adaptation Style: Intimate, wilderness horror
Concept: A young girl lost in the woods starts hallucinating—or is it real?—a stalking presence she calls “The God of the Lost.” Minimal cast, maximum tension, like The Witch in the forest.
[category News, Video/TV] [tags Stephen King, Shirley Jackson]
