Amidst the current wave of nostalgia novelizations, author Christian Francis stands apart. Not only has he made it his mission to bring cult faves of the past to the printed page, he formed his own outfit, Echo On Publishing, to do so. Debuting last fall with the adaptation of Brad Anderson’s acclaimed Session 9, Echo On has since issued Francis’ book versions of The First Power and the Maniac Cop trilogy. Coming up are The Gate, Night of the Comet, Strangeland, In the Mouth of Madness (credited to the film’s fictitious author Sutter Cane), Beneath Perfection (based on the original screenplay for Tremors) and, just in time for Christmas, 3615 Dial Code Santa Claus.
A horror fan since childhood, Francis first fell in love with fright-film paperbacks while attending a British school in Paris during the 1980s. “Going to the cinema was tricky,” he recalls, “since all films at the nearby cinemas were dubbed into French without subtitles, and video stores weren’t exactly bursting with original-language options. So I was stuck with only being able to see what could be recorded from TV, or bought when I returned to the UK with a meager amount of pocket money.
“I was already an avid horror book reader by then,” he continues, “and it was around 1986 that I discovered novelizations, the perfect solution to not being able to experience newer or unavailable films. Suddenly, bookstores became my cinemas, pages my screen. Gremlins, Aliens, The Lost Boys, The Goonies, The Blob—I experienced them all through words long before I saw the films themselves. When done well, novelizations aren’t just substitutes; they’re sublime experiences in their own right, so I began to seek them out. And in the subsequent years, even if I could see the films, I would try to read the novelization first.”
Eventually, Francis began penning his own scary fiction, and fell into the novelization world via a conversation with Peter Atkins, who revealed that he owned the literary rights to his script for Wishmaster. “I casually suggested he write it himself, knowing how brilliant an author he is—go read his books! He declined, with enthusiastic profanity, and I promptly threw dignity out the window, begging him to let me tackle it. He stupidly let me. Peter’s script was a dream to work with—beautifully vivid, needing only prose expansions and added dialogue.
“Then, after finishing that novelization, I was hooked on writing them. Sure, I have written my own novels [including The Devil and the Deep and The Dead Woods], but this was so much more fun. Strangely, nobody at the time was resurrecting classic genre films as novels, so I decided I’d become that guy.”
Wishmaster and Francis’ next two novelizations were published by Encyclopocalypse; first came Creature, published under that title and the movie’s original moniker, Titan Find. “Now that was tough,” the author reveals. “Bill Malone’s script was minimalist—built to direct, not to read, and licensing limitations meant I couldn’t use anything from the finished film. I basically had to remake the entire story from scratch, reimagining visuals, dialogue, everything. It took a lot of planning and troubleshooting!”
Then came Vamp, on which Francis had “total freedom,” which also meant “total chaos in terms of creation, and I embraced it wholeheartedly. Knowing the producer had aspirations for a contemporary miniseries, I built out backstories, deepened characters, and transformed comedic beats into emotionally resonant moments. The biggest challenge? Honoring the original spirit without going too far. I think I walked that tightrope pretty well.”
Soon, Francis decided to take publishing matters into his own hands, forming Echo On to put out both the movie tie-ins and his original works. For his first adaptation, he chose a movie that had long been on his “dream list.” “Brad Anderson’s fantastic storytelling in Session 9 deserved, even cried out for, a literary treatment,” he says. “Brad is genuinely delightful, making the negotiation surprisingly swift and enjoyable. He had a prequel film treatment I was allowed to include parts of, which I did under his guidance. Also, I wanted my first novelization from Echo On to be a statement piece. To say, ‘I’m here!’ I could not have chosen a better book to launch with.”
Since Session 9’s release last fall, Francis has been busily snapping up the rights for further films to adapt. When it comes to that translation process, he notes, “As novelizations are licensed from screenplays, there are exactly five rules you must follow:
1. Follow only the screenplay, not the film.
2. Follow only the screenplay, not the film.
3. Follow only the screenplay, not the film.
4. Follow only the screenplay, not the film.
5. Seriously, follow only the screenplay, not the film.
“And two more for good measure: What the rights holder says goes. It is their sandbox, you are just playing in it. And be smart, not precious. If a scene doesn’t work in prose, adapt creatively, just don’t break rules 1 through 5, and make sure the rights holder agrees!”
Following those protocols, Francis says the writing process usually happens pretty quickly. “Writing full-time, the first good draft takes around one to two weeks, fueled by energy drinks and mild existential dread. But realistically, I give myself about a month from start to an editable manuscript being handed over.”
And when it comes to the involvement of the filmmakers whose work he’s novelizing, “They have complete authority. If they choose to have input, they get it; my contract explicitly states their final approval is law. Some want involvement, some don’t. And sometimes it works the other way: If I do not agree with what they’re saying and we cannot work it out, I’ll walk away—even if the book is completed. At the end of the day it is their IP, but also my name on the book. If both of us are not 100 percent into it, it won’t happen.”
In the case of The First Power, writer/director Robert Resnikoff took advantage of the opportunity to alter the movie’s ending, which he was never happy with. “We worked tirelessly through many meetings crafting something he was proud of. He also had lots of ideas that worked brilliantly and made the book all the better.
“For The Gate, Michael Nankin had his original drafts, which were so much darker and more adult, as well as the shooting script. He wanted the book to reflect the tone of the first draft but the content of the second. Which I did, and boy does it work well!”
Francis’ biggest project so far has been adapting the complete Maniac Cop trilogy, including a Maniac Cop 3 book derived from scriptwriter Larry Cohen’s original draft of that much-troubled production. The Matt Cordell saga has been issued as individual trade paperbacks, along with mass-market paperback and jacketed hardcover releases of the combined trilogy. “The first one was pure, carefree fun. Writing the extra bits in the script that didn’t make it to film was like sneaking extra candy into the movie theater. The second was my favorite; I loved it, especially expanding the character of [serial killer] Turkell, who I felt needed more madness to truly come alive on the page. There’s always room for more madness, right?
“The script for Maniac Cop 3 was…challenging,” he continues. “Larry Cohen’s original draft needed considerable restructuring to make it coherent. It was a tightrope to walk, as the script is…well, it’s mad. It’s totally off the charts and should be committed to the asylum for wayward scripts! But I think I made it work, even given how far out it is.”
However, he says that his greatest difficulties in this field lay with In the Mouth of Madness—perhaps appropriately, given that it’s about written works with adverse effects on their readers. “It wasn’t just a film, it was a personal obsession, a creative Mount Everest I have wanted to climb since I saw it in the cinema twelve times. Adapting a John Carpenter movie is one thing—but being able to adapt from Mike DeLuca’s genius script was equally exhilarating and terrifying. It’s not only one of my favorite films, but also one of my favorite scripts. The pressure of doing it justice was…a lot.”
Lest it seem like Francis has gotten his hands on all the cinematic properties he has desired, he notes, “I have a sacred, ever-growing list of favorites I believe deserve novelizations; unfortunately, for every ‘yes’ there have been about ten polite—and sometimes not-so-polite—rejections. Some of the ‘no’s have been Jacob’s Ladder, Absentia, Bone Tomahawk, Tusk, Red State, Salute of the Jugger, Disturbing Behavior, Ravenous, Hatchet, Dust Devil, Hardware, Highway to Hell, I Come in Peace and 976-EVIL. But the ones that broke my heart were when Stephen King said no to me adapting Sleepwalkers, Storm of the Century, or Rose Red. He was lovely about it, but it was still a firm no. I am just hoping he changes his mind someday. Stephen, if you’re reading this…I’m begging you, come on! But the list endures, and so does my stubbornness.”
And sometimes, there are restrictions placed on a certain title due to rights issues. That’s what happened when Francis made an agreement with Stampede Entertainment to write Beneath Perfection, working from the script that ultimately became Tremors. As Universal Pictures owns the rights to that title and movie, the author wasn’t allowed to use the moniker or a graboid, as they appear in the film, on his cover. Nevertheless, he’s been enjoying his team-up with the original creators.
“I am currently working with S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock and [director] Ron Underwood to add some extra scenes that the fans will love. It’s been so much fun getting guidance on the characters as I write them, making sure new scenes and dialogue remain true to their vision. At the end of the day, it’s a collaboration, but one that needs 100 percent approval by all.”
And even in the midst of all this Echo On activity, Francis found the time to pen a tie-in for Neil Marshall’s The Descent for Titan Books, coming in October. “I wanted to write a new opening,” he says, “which Neil came up with the idea for, and which I wrote a few drafts of until he was happy with it.”
Looking further forward, Francis clearly has no plans to slow down in pursuing the craft he loves. “I have about five incredibly exciting titles lined up, but sadly, I can’t spill the beans yet,” he says. “I have been working on these titles from dusk till dawn every day for many, many months. Some are unseen gems, some are beyond well-known. Each has one thing in common: I adore them. I do have some dream adaptations, but that list is long, secret, and guarded…just in case.”
You can find out more about Francis and Echo On Publications at the official website.
