15 Iconic Monsters As Described in the Script Vs. How they Appear On Screen

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15 Iconic Monsters As Described in the Script Vs. How they Appear On Screen

When adapting written work, it’s almost a given that fans will complain about the casting or the visual depiction of their favorite characters. Well, the sad reality is that producers usually don’t consult each and every fan about the character they envisioned while reading the novel. Even if they did, there are other factors at play. The written description might not be all that visually interesting, the character traits might change based on the movie’s story line, or maybe the technology isn’t quite sophisticated enough at the time to bring a really descriptive character to life.

Adaption-wise, villains and monsters might be the trickiest to get right. Eliciting fear and intimidation in a visual (and audible) medium is a lot different than on the page, and these movies did their best to mold plain old words into some of the most iconic antagonists in movie history. Here are 15 villains and monsters that are a lot different on screen than they were on the page.

Severus Snape - Harry Potter

Alan Rickman is much older and subdued than the OG Snape. HARRY POTTER CRACKED.COM Rickman's Snape is a quiet, looming presence, but in the books he's quick to anger and shouts at Harry often. Rickman is also 20 years older than the novel's Snape.

Spark Notes

Ursula - The Little Mermaid

The unnamed Sea Witch wasn't that bad. THE LITTLE MERMAID CRACKED.COM The Disney movie made Ursula the clear villain, but Hans Christian Andersen's story describes a nameless sea witch who warns the mermaid that going to the surface is stupid.

SDU / Fandom 

Hans Gruber - Die Hard

One man's villain is another man's freedom fighter. DIE HARD CRACKED.COM Hans Gruber was a pure villain, but the book's Anton Little Tony the Red Gruber was trying to expose a corrupt corporation's association with a Chilean dictatorship.

Screenrant

Jane - The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Dakota Fanning is small, but that's about it. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON CRACKED.COM In the novel, Jane is as tiny as Alice, with lank, pale brown hair trimmed short. The body under the cloak-which was darker, almost black - was slim and androgynous. They casted the pale, blonde and not androgynous Dakota Fanning.

Ranker / IMDB 

The Mothman - The Mothman Prophecies (2002 Film)

Really cool (but untrue) dialogue. THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES CRACKED.COM In 1966, over 100 Point Pleasant, West VA residents reported a 9-foot-tall, black, winged creature with glowing red eyes. In the 2002 film, when asked about his appearance, the Mothman says, depends who's looking.

LA Times / IMDB 

Gollum - The Lord of the Rings

Gollum has many wrong iterations. THE LORD OF THE RINGS CRACKED.COM More human-like in the films, and more amphibious in animated versions, a more accurate Gollum is a middle ground between a Hobbit and the broken figure of a lizard beast.

Screenrant / Geeks 

Dracula (1931 Film)

Dracula is much hairier. CRACKED.COM Bela Lugosi's 1931 portrayal has an iconic look, but the 1897 novel describes him as having massive eyebrows, bushy hair, and a heavy mustache.

BBC / IMDB 

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