Seventh Son

What type of person are you? Let’s do a little test to find out. I want you to imagine that you have just found out a beloved book or series of books is about to be made into a film. Are you type A, who upon hearing this news buries their head into their arms and silently weeps. Type B, who gets super excited exclaiming that you finally get a chance to enter an exciting land. Or are you type C, who reserves judgement until later. Well reader, which are you?

Right now I am quite firmly type A after seeing the second trailer for Seventh Son; the upcoming film 'inspired' by Joseph Delaney's Spook's Apprentice series of books. I put inspired in quotations because after seeing the trailer I can't imagine much inspiration came from the page.

To start with the main character Tom Ward, in the books, is aged twelve in book one. Seventh Son's Tom is played by Ben Barnes, a man aged thirty-three almost three times the age of his character. The same can be said of Tom's love interest Alice, played by Alicia Vikander who is twenty eight. In my mind these casting choices have been made so that the film can target an older age range. An age range that has had enough pandering to, in my opinion. Twilight, Hunger Games, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments and The Host, films whose central characters end up in an teenage angst-fuelled romance. Yes, Tom and Alice have a romance in the books, but at their age it's a subtle one that doesn't match the audience the film makers are targeting. That audience is rather removed from the original book's, which targeted children aged between nine and fourteen. I have to wonder why the makers are shifting the focus of the viewers, especially when this shift dramatically alters the story.

I will give them credit in casting Jeff Bridges as the Spook. He's tall, gangly and sports an impressive beard. He is a great choice for the role and matches the image in my head. The costume he has doesn't quite match. It has the appearance of a knight from the crusades but with a gothic twist: too much chain mail for my liking. Delaney's Spooks wear a long black cloak that leaves them rather fragile and their greatest defence is their knowledge of the dark. In my opinion plates of armour offer little protection from the magic of a witch or the mental torment of a boggart.

This brings me to my next gripe with the film. The book series fits comfortably in the horror genre, it even states on the back 'Not to be read after dark'. I remember when I first read the books feeling slightly uneasy at some of the horror found in its pages. An unease that came from a very psychological place as the story took advantages of very subtle, yet powerful fears. One part that was rather effective came early in the first instalment and young Tom Ward's training. He was tasked with spending a night alone in a cellar haunted by a ghost known for killing those who dwelled within. Before the task begins Tom is briefed on the ghost and the cellar's history, then the candles blown out and we are left alone with Tom in that cellar. Soon thumps and groans are heard from its darkest corner and Tom slowly begins to investigate. The tension created from the approach to the pile of sacks is almost unbearable with great detail made about the slow walk. I won't ruin it for you by detailing his grim discovery; you'll have to read for yourself.

I say this because I can't imagine the scene will be brought to the big screen. From the looks of the trailer subtlety flew out the window when the four-armed monster opened the blinds. It looks like horror isn't the genre the film sits in; instead it looks like a fantasy/adventure film. So, not only does the film want to get in with the tween romance trend, but also wants to ride The Hobbit 's tail-coat too. If the directors don't have enough confidence to allow the film to stand on its own merits why should the viewers?

Talking of The Hobbit, I can't help but think that it 'inspired' the setting of the film. The books are firmly set in England, specifically around Lancaster. It anchored the plot and made it more believable, which when dealing with the horror genre is very important. Freud's work The Uncanny tells us that when what we find familiar is altered it becomes unfamiliar and a sense of unease is created. Think about the view you get every time you open your front door, it's an image that I'm sure is pretty strong in your mind. Now I want you to imagine something that doesn't belong there, for instance a sinister clown, it would unsettle you to say the least, am I right? By changing the setting to something that looks a lot like Middle Earth shatters any familiarity and horror it may have. 

With his cloak on the Spook does look right I must admit.

Lastly, perhaps most tragically, the film appears to mess with the rich lore that the series created. In the trailer spooks are described as being 'noble knights'. Anyone who has even read the first chapter will know this isn't true. Spooks are seen as a blight on society, omens of death and misfortune, they are an unfortunate necessity. If one has to call a spook in then one would hope it leaves soon. They are seen as anything but noble. The books also utilize Celtic folklore and contain creatures and myths from the British Isles. I can't imagine much of these are included and indeed the monsters in the trailer look rather CGI and far removed from ancient.

It is a shame the film seems to deviate so much from the source material, especially when other films have shown it can be done, and done successfully. Harry Potter did it right, J.K Rowling kept a firm grasp on the treatment the films delivered and it paid off. The films are a gift to the fans of the book and a joy for them to watch. Twilight does this too, mainly because the makers had true passion for the books. If Twilight can get it right, then surely anything can, am I right?

I found this map which illustrates the books locations.

As you can tell I'm rather disappointed in how Seventh Son is shaping up. I have a feeling that Delaney signed away the rights to the film and ran with the money. Researching this post reminded me of a film adaptation being made of another of my favourite childhood series, Artemis Fowl. I then looked that up and it seems that the film will cover book one and two, this news sent my head right back into my arms, and I'm not coming out.

What do you think about film adaptations of beloved books, or perhaps the other way around? Let me know in the comments section.

Back cover image from Bookcrossing, Cast image from Comingsoon, Map from Larissabookgirl.