The Ruins (2008)
Say what you will about the movie (I like it, except for it’s “happy” ending), but Scott Smith’s The Ruins is a brilliant and terrifying novel. In fact, it’s in the running for one of my favorite books of all time. Yes, it’s about killer vines, but it reads a lot better than it does being seen. The film is mostly faithful to the book, with most of the things that happen remaining the same, just to different characters. Also, the book’s ending is much better (read: bleak and depressing). Interestingly enough, Scott Smith has only written one other novel: A Simple Plan, which was adapted to a film by Sam Raimi in 1998.
