and that's how we'll end Halloween

[impy]

I decided to top my Halloween off with a semi scary-ish movie. Well, to be fair, it's not really a scary movie, but considering the book it was based on, it could very well have been super gross. Anyway, Dark Places has been on my "to watch" list for a bit. I'm fairly certain that if I go looking, I'll find a book review around here (and I know I have a brief one on Goodreads) but I don't remember much about it other than hating the ending. Hating it so much that it retroactively ruined the whole thing for me.
Oh, and that it's a take on true crime, sorta. Those two things.

I'm going to say that in this case, the movie is... easier than the book. The book explains some things better but the reveal of What Really Happened works better in the movie. Probably because for a movie you're only along for maybe two hours and you're invested in a different way than you are in a book. The book involves building a world in your head (either with the author's help or without, it's still world building) and then living there, even when things are seriously not okay.
I enjoyed the movie more than I remember reading the book, but I'm in a weird position where I'm not sure if it's because I knew the 'twist' or if it's because I don't really remember all that much about the book beyond that. Well, I'm also assuming the characters in the movie are more likable because Gillian Flynn's books are usually lacking in anyone who isn't at least partially awful, and if memory serves, Libby's pretty upfront about being a jerk. Charlize Theron just infuses her with something extra (must be the height, book!Libby's a shrimp, I do believe) and the rest of the cast does good things with what they have. Or, y'know, maybe the movie realized that Flynn's habit of making everyone unlikable might not work if you can't walk away and come back whenever.

Whichever. Not really a traditional scary movie, but then again neither is The Worst Witch, which is my usual Halloween fare.

Comments

[luxken27]

I had to go back and look - apparently its been five years since I read Dark Places. I have to say, having read all 3 of Flynn's novels, that she started out with a bang and has definitely gone downhill ever since. Sharp Objects remains the best of the bunch, IMO. Dark Places was just a little too much at the end - the twist was too clever by half, and felt very dues ex machina to me.

[snarky-imp.livejournal.com]

DP's twist was just way too much for the book. It worked way better in the movie format because it didn't seem quite so "are you serious right now?" as it happened and instead seemed sorta reasonable. Y'know, as reasonable as these things are, anyway.

Holy cow. I knew it had been awhile but dude.

And now I'm curious as to whether she's got something coming out any time soon, or how she'll do things in the wake of Gone Girl.

[luxken27]

Looks like she released a Kindle single last year, but nothing since then. On the one hand, I can't imagine her coasting on her laurels, but on the other...I don't know how she can top the phenomena that was Gone Girl (even if it was the least interesting of her three novels). I think I heard somewhere that they were going to make a movie version of Sharp Objects? Though I might have totally made that up, LOL.