Ink to Film

Rafe Judkins' delivers the best season of his adaptation to date, but how does it stack up to the novels it's depicting? In episode 345, join writer Luke Elliott and filmmaker James Bailey as they finish THE SHADOW RISING at the same time they finish the last 3 episodes of this season, get creepy with Moghedien, traverse the Hills of Tanchico, defend the Two Rivers with Perrin Goldeneyes, mourn so...

The first in the series of director Roger Corman's Edgar Allen Poe films sets a high bar for gothic horror adaptations. It stars the legendary Vincent Price as Roderick Usher, with a screenplay penned by Richard Matheson. The story is more faithful to the source material than Mike Flanagan's version, but there are still some significant changes. It's time for a classic in this former Patreon-exclu...

Rafe Judkins' adaptation returns with style for a third season tackling a pair of huge novels at once through condensed and remixed storylines—but how well is it working? In episode 344, join writer Luke Elliott and filmmaker James Bailey as they break down one of the most ambitious adaptations being attempted on tv right now, pick cast favorites, react to the possible Elayne & Aviendha ship, and...

Book 4 of the Wheel of Time series features some of the series most memorable scenes, but how will they hold up to adaptation? In episode 343, join Luke Elliott and James Bailey as they discuss a little over the first half of this gargantuan novel, learn about the ominous future of the White Tower, return to the Two Rivers with Perrin Aybara, find out how to fully enter the world of dreams, and tr...

Showrunner Rafe Judkins confirmed that season 3 of the Wheel of Time show will be focused on book 4 of the series, but why? In episode 342, join Luke Elliott and James Bailey as they review the entirety of book 3 and lay out what happens so they can keep an eye out for what they include in the show, what is lost, and how it might change things in the series going forward. Stay tuned for more as th...

Jan de Bont's adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel bears little resemblance to the source material, much less the 1963 Robert Wise film, but with all the talent that worked on the movie it should have still been a success. Stephen King and Steven Spielberg both pitched in, but for whatever reason they couldn't save the movie from critical disappointment. Stars Catherine Zeta Jones, Owen Wilson, L...

Osgood Perkins delivers a Stephen King adaptation to remember with his take on "The Monkey" from the SKELETON CREW collection, but how does it stack up to the numerous other King adaptations being produced by Hollywood in recent years? In episode 341, Laura from the "Why the Book Wins" youtube channel joins Luke Elliott & James Bailey to debate Stephen King films, find humor in the ubiquity of dea...

Bong Joon-Ho's adaptation of Edward Ashton's Mickey7 provides a colorful and hilarious look at a dystopian future, but how does the sharper social commentary stack up to the novel's more philosophical themes? In episode 340, Join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they react to Mark Ruffalo's on-the-nose performance, get lost in the sauce with Toni Collette, get into the garbage cycler with a little g...

Edward Ashton's expendable protagonist makes for a blue-collar hero for our times—someone who doesn't think too hard, ask too many questions, and most importantly, whose life doesn't matter… or does it? In episode 339, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they revisit some SF classics like the "Ship of Theseus," the "Teleporter Paradox," and a spicy new entry in a long running segment "would you do...

Edward Ashton's expendable protagonist makes for a blue-collar hero for our times—someone who doesn't think too hard, ask too many questions, and most importantly, whose life doesn't matter… or does it? In episode 339, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they revisit some SF classics like the "Ship of Theseus," the "Teleporter Paradox," and a spicy new entry in a long running segment "would you do...

The backstory behind Ted Hughes's original book THE IRON MAN is a tragic one, and the subsequent film by Brad Bird has a heartbreaking story all its own. In episode 338, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they discover an unexpected connection to Sylvia Plath, try to wrap their heads around a "Space-Bat-Angel-Dragon," defend animation's reputation as a medium, explore questions of consciousness a...

With his directorial debut, Gil Junger delivered an iconic romantic teen comedy with his adaptation of the controversial Shakespeare classic, "The Taming of the Shrew" that probably shouldn't have worked. In episode 337, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they react to the moment that audiences fell in love with Heath Ledger, explain the Julia Style poem's connection to the Kendrick/Drake feud, a...

Shakespeare's works are renowned around the world as some of the best ever written, so how should we feel about what just might be his worst play? In episode 336, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they try to find hidden meanings in the array of identity-swapping games being played by the characters, analyze a framing device that seems to go nowhere, unite in their hatred of the terrible Petruch...

Robert Eggers brings questions of coercion and consent to the fore as he takes on legends of both literature and film with his stealth adaptation of Dracula via the influential German silent film from the 1920s, Nosferatu. In episode 335, join Luke Elliott and James Bailey as they try their Count Orlok impressions out, get surreal in Transylvania, and praise a stellar cast for their memorable perf...

Francis Ford Coppola's influential adaptation of this Gothic masterpiece set the standard for vampire films to follow. In episode 334, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they react to a new spicier version of the vampire count, stab a cross and drink its blood, let things flop out, romance the wolf-man, and cross oceans of time for a set of high-fashion red armor. Then they finish out the episode...

Welcome to season 9! We kick things off with a seminal novel for Horror fiction, Bram Stoker's masterpiece, DRACULA. In episode 333, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they immerse themselves in the language of the era, learn all about Bram Stoker's relationship to Henry Irving, follow the modern epistolary format with surprise, and get a little bummed about Dracula's relatively easy demise. Join...

Season 8 of Ink to Film comes to an end with a retrospective on the year that was 2024. In episode 332, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they reflect on the ups and downs of an emotionally taxing year, try to compare masterful adaptations to one another across eras, recap the conventions they attended, appraise how the podcast is doing statistically, and look to the challenges ahead in 2025. Th...

Richard Donner's dark comedic take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is an over-the-top nostalgic ride, but is it the best version of this holiday classic? In episode 331, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they get visited by three strange ghosts, react to Bill Murray hamming it up, debate whether Frank Cross is worth redeeming, question Claire's taste in men, and finally cast their vote o...

Charles Dickens is arguably the most celebrated author of the Victorian period, but is his reputation deserved? How about Ebenezer Scrooge—should we grant forgiveness to greedy CEOs if they show enough generosity? In episode 330, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they chat about Luke's experience at Dragonsteel Nexus 2024, what people mean by "Dickensian," and how effective Dickens was at showin...

In this former Patreon-exclusive Luke and James explore a time b efore video game adaptations were the hot, billion-dollar franchises we see today. With this film a married couple of directors tried to bring Nintendo iconic plumbers to life with an infamous bob-omb at the box office. Come along as Luke and James relive a bizarre moment in film history, discuss the 30 mins added by an unlicensed "M...

Legendary director Martin Scorsese's psychological thriller continues to shock and enthrall audiences to this day, but does it work well as an adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel? In episode 329, join writer Luke Elliott & filmmaker James Bailey as they geek out about film preservation, try to untangle metaphors around fire and water, appreciate an all-star cast, examine how the US deals with viol...

Author Dennis Lehane is well known for the high-profile adaptations of his work, but none more than his book SHUTTER ISLAND which went on to be adapted by the legendary Martin Scorsese—but how does the novel hold up on its own? In episode 328, join writer Luke Elliott & filmmaker James Bailey as they revel in gothic vibes, learn about a surprising connection to "The Wire," learn not to trust a man...

Did you know John Carpenter's classic "They Live" was based on a short story called "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" by Ray Nelson? How do they compare? In episode 327, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they put on their special glasses and see through the lies, learn about the origins of the propellor beanie, have a five-minute brawl with a familiar face, tack "Nada" back to a comic adaptation, a...

Was this adaptation of Junji Ito's masterpiece cursed by the spiral? In episode 326, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they try to make sense of what happened, heap praise on a promising first episode, commiserate over a steep decline in quality, and try to put the whole thing into context in an industry where animators are overworked and underpaid. They finish by casting their votes on which wa...

Junji Ito is renowned for being a master of modern horror, and there's no better example of why than his magnum opus, "Uzumaki." In episode 325, Join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they discuss what compels them to seek out upsetting, disgusting, and unnerving horror, what the band Tool has to do with spirals, the unique strengths of comics in horror, who influenced Ito more than anyone, his backg...