12 Short Stories That Were Made into Movies

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Literary adaptations have always been a staple in the film industry. Most of them come from books, but short stories have received their fair share of attention.

There are thousands of films that you may be surprised to know were actually based on short stories. In fact, some of the most celebrated films of all time are short story adaptations!

Best Short Story Adaptations

I’ve curated a list of the best short stories that were adapted into films. I’ve limited this to true short stories, which means you won’t find The Shawshank Redemption or Breakfast at Tiffany’s in here, as they’re considered novellas.

Similarly, I’ve also left out short story collections that were turned into movies. I’ve included a few of each movie’s achievements to better show how these short stories are a huge potential for successful on-screen storytelling. Check them out below!

1. The Sentinel by Arthur C. Clarke

The Sentinel was the short story that changed Arthur C. Clarke’s writing career. It tells of humanity’s discovery of a tetrahedral artifact on the moon that the narrator speculates to have transmitted warning signals into space.

It later served as the foundation for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is regarded by critics and the public as one of the most influential films of all time. Clarke later turned the movie into a full novel three months after its release.

2. We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick

We Can Remember It for You Wholesale is the story of a normal man who’s had his memories tampered with. It became the basis for the film Total Recall (both 1990 and 2012 versions). Roger Ebert called the first film as “one of the most complex and visually interesting science-fiction movies in a long time.” It’s also one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most popular films.

Aside from this, a lot of Dick’s other short stories were adapted into movies, including Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner), Adjustment Team (The Adjustment Bureau), and A Scanner Darkly (A Scanner Darkly).

3. The Fly by George Langelaan

The Fly is about a scientist who invents a machine that can teleport matter through space. When he tests it on himself, his genes are mixed with that of a housefly and slowly turns into a monster.

It was adapted into screen twice (in 1958 and 1986). Both films were a success, with the second achieving fame as a horror classic thanks to Jeff Goldblum’s performance and director David Cronenberg’s body-horror mastery.

4. The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft

In 2005, a group of filmmakers (with the help of the  H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society) successfully adapted Lovecraft’s magnum opus, The Call of Cthulhu. It follows a man who discovers a malevolent cult that worships an ancient creature asleep beneath the ocean.

The movie was filmed to mimic the black-and-white quality of the 1920s. Despite the belief that many of Lovecraft’s stories were impossible to adapt, the movie was well-received and currently holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

5. The Birds by Daphne Du Maurier

Du Maurier’s The Birds is at the core of Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece of the same name. Though both have major differences, their plots focus on the sudden and bloodthirsty attack of birds on humanity.

The movie’s proven to be so impactful to film history that the U.S. Library of Congress selected it for preservation.

6. Eisenheim the Illusionist by Steven Millhauser

Millhauser’s Eisenheim the Illusionist tells of a magician who wows the crowds of 1900s Vienna, so much that people widely believe he made a pact with the devil. Though the 2006 movie The Illusionist takes a lot of liberties from the short story, the core of the story remains the same.

The movie was both a financial and critical success, being well-received by the public and earning more than four times its budget in the box office.

7. The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr

The Wisdom of Eve is the basis for the hit movie All about Eve. Both tackle the intrigues of living life as a Broadway star, both in front or away from an audience.

The film is considered one of the greatest films ever made. It received 14 nominations for the Academy Awards and won six. It was also one of the 50 films that were selected to be preserved by the U.S. National Film Registry.

8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button concerns a man who is born full-grown and seems to age backwards into an infant. The 2008 adaptation largely stays true to it’s source material, capturing the overall themes and sense of wonder that it conveyed.

The film was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, winning three and has been nominated for many more prestigious awards including the Golden Globes and Saturn Awards.

9. Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

Brokeback Mountain tells the story of two men who develop a special bond that affects all aspects of their lives. The adaptation is one of the rare productions that stay true to the source material’s storyline.

This is one of the most successful short story-to-film- adaptations, having won multiple prestigious awards (including 3 Academy Awards), and is considered a key component to how the LGBTQ community’s presentation in movies improved.

10. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, penned in 1939 by a New Yorker magazine cartoonist, was adapted into two films (one in 1947, the other in 2013). It tells of a man with a larger-than-life imagination who spends more time daydreaming than focusing on real life.

The 2013 version was well-received by the audience and earned nominations for various awards. The short story itself has become culturally significant, with the word “Mittyesque” (a person who spends more time in heroic daydreams than real life) having entered the English language.

11. The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern

The Greatest Gift is the story of a severely dissatisfied man who contemplates suicide but finds joy in life in the end. Its 1946 adaptation, It’s a Wonderful Life, stays close to its source material but takes a few liberties in its storytelling.

The film is considered one of the best American films ever made and has been selected to be preserved by the National Film Registry.

12. In a Grove by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

The title and frame story of the film adaptation was taken from another of Akutagawa’s short stories, but the bulk of the film was taken from In a Grove. It relates three unreliable accounts surrounding the death of a samurai.

This is one of the rare non-English movies that became internationally renowned during its era. It has frequently appeared in various Top 100 lists, earned an Academy Award nomination, and has far-reaching influence in film culture.

Can Short Stories Be Turned Into Movies?

Books are probably the most popular source material for big-screen productions, but it’s not always easy to adapt a written narrative into a movie.

Translating words into visual media can be a challenge. It’s either the story’s concept is hard to portray visually, or the story’s too detailed to be properly adapted into a movie that runs an average of only 90 minutes. Not everyone has Peter Jackson’s luxury of creating three-hour-long epics.

A short story’s brevity gives movie maker’s more room to exercise their creative nature. While a novel is already a complete story filled with details, a short story can be built on through expansion, improvisation, or alteration without fear of losing its identity.

More importantly, short stories heavily rely on the simplicity of language and strong visual imagery to capture the reader’s attention. These two qualities translate well into visual media, making short stories easier to adapt to the big screen.

Do you have a favorite movie that was based on a short story? Share it in the comments below!

 

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