Firstly, I am absolutely fed up of all of the sequels/remakes that Hollywood is currently pumping out. Where has the originality gone? Why cant the ‘geniuses’ that run the great machine think of any interesting concepts?

I watched a video the other day of the ‘best’ films coming to cinemas in 2018. Most of them were remakes or sequels. All that has changed is the camera techniques and technology. I mean, who really wants a sequel to Avatar…

I want something new…something that takes us back in time to adaptations and original storylines.

Admittedly I am not the most avid reader, but when I start reading a book that grabs my attention, I can’t put it down.

Of course I have read all of the Harry Potter series (I mean not a lot of people haven’t), embarrassingly to admit the Twilight books and a number of cheesy romantic books by Nicholas Sparks. Although it wasn’t till last year that I began to read Stephen King.

It is now clear to me that I find thriller/horror/crime/mystery novels the most interesting. My partner loves to read and in particular loves books of that genre, so when he gave me In the Dark by Richard Laymon to read with a great degree of recommendation for it, I thought id give it a go.

I read that book, all 512 pages in three days. Three days. I did finish university a few months ago so do have a lot of spare time on my hands but still. Anyhow back to what this article is all about.

Often I have heard that films that have been adapted from great books rarely are up to scratch (bar The Shawshank Redemption, which although I have yet to read the book, is one of my favourite films so I can’t see how it isn’t as good as the book). Nevertheless In the Dark is one of, if not the best book I have ever read. I’d compare the plot to something like Silence of the Lambs, Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls or Identity­; not in the vain that it is necessarily about a serial killer but that it shares their mystery and suspense, bewitching you to carry on reading.

The plot consists of a young librarian who one day at work finds an envelope of money on her chair at her desk. The envelope also contains a note with a clue, enticing her to find another envelop, turning it into a game. The book includes twists and turns, extremely dark scenes and compelling characters. I 150% recommend this book and think it could be a brilliant movie. For the character of  Jane Kerry I think someone like Rooney Mara would be perfect – she is such a talented young actress and I think this role would suit her down to a tee. Off the back of the success of 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, Dan Stevens would fit the supporting character, Brace but for the character of Master of Games (or MOG as he is known as in the book) I am not 100% sure of who I would choose for the role.

So yeah Hollywood you should make this happen. It’s such a clever book and I believe it would be an intriguing, original and suspense-fuelled movie.