The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
I've never actually seen the movie based on this book, and I have to admit that I didn't actually read the whole book.
I was too bored. I flipped through it, and caught the highlights, but I just couldn't really get involved in any of the characters, and since I knew what happened to them I just didn't bother.
Now, I was just saying the other night about how often I'll flip to the end of a book to make sure it works out the way I want it to. With most books, this doesn't affect my enjoyment because I still like the journey even if I know where it ends. Otherwise, I'd never reread a book, would I?
But this book, once I knew how it ended, I couldn't muster up the effort to care about how it got there. I'll probably watch the older version of the movie eventually, but I'm not really doing it out of any big desire to, it's more because I think I "should."
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
I can sum this book up very simply: watch the movie. Actually, between the two the book is probably slightly better because it's easier to put your own creepiness into it and imagine the people the way you want. But the movie is EXACTLY almost word for word a filming of the book. That's probably a good thing, it's a decent story. It gets a little creepy, and I think if it wasn't such a classic that I already knew the ending then I would be much more intrigued by it. But again, knowing the ending makes the ride less fun.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
I feel I should link to this one because I got it from the library at the same time as the other two, and I got it because I wanted to see if it was better than the movie.
But I just couldn't get into it, especially when I thought about the fact that I'm one of the fifty people in the world who didn't like the movie. I guess I've been horribly desensitized. But because the movie didn't really make me want to go out and learn more, the book didn't inspire me enough to get past the first three chapters.