The Trailer for ‘Do Not Enter’ is Here, and It Looks Very Different From Readers of the Original ‘Creepers’ Novel Might Expect
Why is there a monster in this adaptation of a novel that did not have any monsters?
Earlier today (August 5th) Lionsgate released the trailer for their upcoming horror film Do Not Enter. It’s about a group of urban explorers who enter an abandoned hotel for livestream content, and to see if they can locate a stash of money hidden there by a gangster decades ago. While inside the crumbling hotel, they encounter a dangerous group of people also searching for the treasure. There’s also a supernatural secret stalking them all. Take a look at the trailer below:
The film is directed by Marc Klasfeld who has nearly three decades of directing experience, mostly in music videos. Stephen Susco is credited as one of the writers, along with Dikega Hadnot and Spencer Mandel. Susco previously wrote the screenplays for The Grudge (2004), The Grudge 2 (2006), and Unfriended: Dark Web (2018) which he also directed. Overall the trailer looks pretty good, but it’s not really what I expected.
David Morrell’s Novel
Before changing to the title Do Not Enter, this movie was called Creepers. Or even if the film didn’t have an official working title, it was referred to as Creepers by default because that’s the title of the novel it’s based on. Creepers is a book published in 2005, written by author David Morrell. Most people probably know Morrell from his most famous book, First Blood, which is what the Sylvester Stallone movie of the same name is based on. Beyond First Blood, Morrell is primarily known for action and suspense thrillers.
I’ve been a fan of David Morrell for a long time, and I read Creepers many years ago. Probably around the time it came out. It’s been so long that I only remember the basic idea of the plot, and not many specifics other than a few characters that stood out to me and a couple of scenes that were particularly vivid. The basic idea of the movie looks pretty much just like the premise of the book. Urban explorers, an abandoned hotel, and deadly danger. However, one thing I really don’t remember from the book is anything supernatural.
The Apparent Changes
I looked up a few summaries to make sure I wasn’t blocking something out of my memory, but no. There’s nothing supernatural in Creepers. There’s not even a hint of anything supernatural as far as I recollect. The atmosphere is dark and spooky, but there’s nothing occult or paranormal about it. There are no monsters, and there are no inverted pentacles. The story doesn’t need any of that, because it is harrowing enough as it is. In Creepers, humans are the true monsters.
Do Not Enter might be a good movie. I’m still looking forward to it. I’m just hoping that they didn’t turn a story that I thoroughly enjoyed into some generic monster-in-the-dark horror movie. I’ve been wanting to see Creepers adapted to live-action for two decades. I do see moments in the trailer that I remember from the novel, which is good. I also think I have a decent idea of what they changed from the original story into something supernatural for the film. I won’t spoil it, but I’m pretty sure an unsettling twist in the book is now a supernatural twist in the movie.
I know changes are always made when adapting books to the big screen. I just hope they didn’t undermine the story by changing things just because they think audiences want monsters.
There is no official release date for Don NotEnter yet.
