List of movies based on Dean Koontz books

With more than 100 novels to his name, and over 450 million copies sold, American writer Dean Koontz is one of the world’s best-loved and best-selling authors. His stories contain aspects of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, although predominantly they tend to sit within the genre of suspense thriller.

Koontz published his first novel, the science fiction tale, Star Quest, in 1968 at the age of 23. Other books in his portfolio include The Flesh in the Furnace, Night Chills, The Door to December, Odd Thomas, and The House at the End of the World, to name but a mere few.

Due to his success in publishing, a number of his books have been adapted for film. The first adaptation came in 1977 with Demon Seed, while other films have included Watchers, and The Face of Fear.

But what are the titles of all the Dean Koontz movie adaptations? For all the details and more, keep reading.

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Movies based on Dean Koontz books

Demon Seed (1977)

First up is the 1977 sci-fi horror, Demon Seed, which is based on the Koontz book of the same name. Directed by Donald Cammell, and starring Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver, and Gerrit Graham, the movie focuses on the forced impregnation of a woman by an artificially intelligent computer. (94 mins)

The Passengers (1977)

Up next is the French drama, The Passengers (aka Les Passagers). Directed by Serge Leroy, this movie is based on Koontz’s novel, Shattered, and tells the story of a man and his stepson who are terrorised while driving across Europe. (96 mins)

Watchers (1988)

Loosely based on Koontz’s novel of the same name, Watchers is a sci-fi horror starring Corey Haim, Barbara Williams, and Michael Ironside. Directed by Jon Hess the film follows the story of a boy who takes in a stray golden retriever, only to discover it is an ultra-intelligent animal being stalked by a dangerous creature. (91 mins)

Whispers (1990)

Directed by Douglas Jackson, Whispers is a horror-thriller starring Victoria Tennant, Jean Leclerc, Chris Sarandon, and Peter MacNeill. The story centres around a woman who is stalked by a psychopathic killer. (100 mins)

Watchers II (1990)

Picking up after the events of 1988’s Watchers, Watchers II continues the story of the runaway super-intelligent golden retriever and the hybrid creature sent to track it down. Directed by Thierry Notz, the film stars Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins. (101 mins)

The Face of Fear (1990)

In Face of Fear, a former mountain climber and his fiancée are forced to rappel down the outside of a New York skyscraper when they are trapped by a killer. Directed by Farhad Mann, Lee Horsley and Pam Dawber star in this television movie thriller. (120 mins)

Servants of Twilight (1991)

Jeffrey Obrow directs this horror thriller about a private detective hired to protect a young boy from a fanatical religious cult, who believe he is the antichrist. Bruce Greenwood and Jarrett Lennon star. (95 mins)

Watchers 3 (1994)

Directed by Jeremy Stanford, Watchers 3 is the third instalment in the Watchers horror series. Wings Hauser and Gregory Scott Cummins star. (84 mins)

Hideaway (1995)

Up next is the 1995 horror, Hideaway starring Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Alicia Silverstone, Jeremy Sisto, Alfred Molina, and Rae Dawn. Directed by Brett Leonard, the movie focuses on a man who finds himself psychically connected to a serial killer following a traffic accident. (106 mins)

Intensity (1997)

Directed by Yves Simoneau, and starring John C. McGinley, Molly Parker, and Piper Laurie, Intensity is a psychological thriller based on the Koontz novel of the same name. The movie – which originally aired on television in two chapters – tells the story of a young woman who accompanies her friend home for Thanksgiving only to come into contact with a serial killer. (186 mins)

Mr. Murder (1998)

In Mr. Murder, a group of scientist use cloning techniques to produce the perfect soldier. A few years later, a mystery novelist discovers his clone has the personality of a murderer.

Directed by Stephen Tolkin, and starring Stephen Baldwin, Mr. Murder originally aired on television as a two-part story. (193 mins)

Phantoms (1998)

Joe Chappelle directs this sci-fi horror about a peaceful town terrorised by something evil. Peter O’Toole, Rose McGowan, Liev Schreiber, and Ben Affleck star. (96 mins)

Watchers Reborn (1998)

The Watchers movie series comes to an end with this fourth and final instalment titled Watchers Reborn. Mark Hamill and Lisa Wilcox star, while John Carl Buechler directs. (90 mins)

Sole Survivor (2000)

Billy Zane, Gloria Reuben, and Isabella Hoffman star in this sci-fi thriller from director Mikael Salomon. Originally aired on television as a four-hour mini-series, Sole Survivor follows the story of a newspaper reporter who discovers the plane crash that killed his family may have been connected to a shadowy scientific experiment. (164 mins)

Black River (2001)

Directed by Jeff Bleckner, this 2001 sci-fi TV movie focuses on a writer who visits a town that isn’t what it appears to be. Jay Mohr and Lisa Edelstein star. (84 mins)

Odd Thomas (2013)

Anton Yelchin and Willem Dafoe star in this mystery thriller about a short-order cook with clairvoyant abilities. Stephen Sommers directs. (100 mins)

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List of Dean Koontz movies

Below is a list of movies which are based on or inspired by Dean Koontz books. This list includes theatrically released films, TV movies, and mini-series which were later edited into movies.

• Demon Seed (1977)
• The Passengers (1977)
• Watchers (1988)
• Whispers (1990)
• Watchers II (1990)
• The Face of Fear (1990)
• Servants of Twilight (1991)
• Watchers 3 (1994)
• Hideaway (1995)
• Intensity (1997)
• Mr. Murder (1998)
• Phantoms (1998)
• Watchers Reborn (1998)
• Sole Survivor (2000)
• Black River (2001)
• Odd Thomas (2013)

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Which is the best Dean Koontz movie adaptation?

According to IMDb, the Dean Koontz adaptations are rated as follows:

• Demon Seed (1977) – 6.3/10
• The Passengers (1977) – 6.4/10
• Watchers (1988) – 5.4/10
• Whispers (1990) – 4.5/10
• Watchers II (1990) – 4.5/10
• The Face of Fear (1990) – 5.4/10
• Servants of Twilight (1991) – 5.2/10
• Watchers 3 (1994) – 3.7/10
• Hideaway (1995) – 5.3/10
• Intensity (1997) – 7.1/10
• Mr. Murder (1998) – 5.1/10
• Phantoms (1998) – 5.4/10
• Watchers Reborn (1998) – 3.8/10
• Sole Survivor (2000) – 6.1/10
• Black River (2001) – 5.7/10
• Odd Thomas (2013) – 6.8/10

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Editor/Writer/Sci-Fi Character

Alex Wiggan

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post about movies based on Dean Koontz stories on It’s A Stampede! – I hope it has proved useful. For more useful posts, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.