Jason Plautz
Lunchtime Quiz: Roald Dahl Story or Horror Movie?
by Jason Plautz - June 17, 2010 - 11:30 AM

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I think the moment I realized I was no longer a child was when I picked up a book of Roald Dahl stories and realized just how sick they were. The dark and ironic twists in his stories, not to mention the shocking plots, hardly sound like stories from the same person behind “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” or “The Fantastic Mr. Fox.” In this quiz, decide if the short plot describes a Roald Dahl story or a definitely-not-for-kids horror film.

And in the comments, tell us your favorite Dahl story or the moment his work creeped you out (“The Witches,” anyone?).

Take the Quiz: Dahl story or horror movie

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Comments (13)

  1. I read the “The Witches” as an adult, and I was so surprised at the first chapter.

    With the hating of children, and murdering them… But thats what roped me into the book because I found it odd that this was childrens reading.

    My favorite Dahl story is “Skin” with the guy with the tattoo. Good stuff.

    posted by Chrystani on 6-17-2010 at 11:41 am

  2. 9/12, mostly because I recognized the horror film plots.

    I don’t think I’ve reached the “Roald Dahl creeps me out” phase. My fourth grade teacher would read us his stories and even his autobiography, which was quite hilarious. It’s definitely a different take on kid’s lit.

    posted by Tracie on 6-17-2010 at 12:03 pm

  3. I loved all of his stuff as a kid because the books were not like other children’s books. I remember that they were a little twisted…and I kind of liked it. It kind of made me mistrust adults as a child.
    I always liked the outrageous tortures that the adults put on children in his books. They were so over the top that other adults would never believe that type of punishment would be afflicted onto children. The chokey is a prime example of that.

    posted by Addie on 6-17-2010 at 12:03 pm

  4. I remember that the “The Wish” drove me crazy because you never actually found out if he was ok or not, or even what really happened. I hated that. But the witches was supremely creepy as well, it gave me nightmares!

    posted by tessa on 6-17-2010 at 12:21 pm

  5. I got 11/12 (missed “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”).

    I always loved Roald Dahl and his dry sense of humour! Now I’m introducing my 7-year-old son to Dahl, and enjoying his books all over again.

    posted by Jon. on 6-17-2010 at 12:21 pm

  6. too bad half of the films mentioned were not horror films. Phone Booth? Interview with a Vampire? Uh, both not in the horror genre – I don’t care what IMDB says.

    posted by Ian from Baltimore on 6-17-2010 at 12:30 pm

  7. After reading all of his childrens books, I read some of his twilight zone material and was seriously spooked. Still love the story about the inn keeper who poisons her handsome guests and then turns them into stuffed pets.

    posted by Drew on 6-17-2010 at 12:39 pm

  8. 10/12 – I recognized #3, 6, and 8 (especially #3, as I’m a Twilight Zone fan).

    While I loved his stories as a kid, “George’s Marvelous Medicine” was a bit surprising (not to mention a little sadistic, too).

    posted by Steve from San Diego on 6-17-2010 at 2:01 pm

  9. 11/12 – I don’t know horror films but I know my Dahl.

    posted by Barbara on 6-17-2010 at 2:43 pm

  10. I think you’re missing the point that Dahl wrote for children and adults. Yes, his stories for kids do have those twists to them, but they’re significantly less scary than the adult stories.

    I think it’s a sign of his talent that he could write for both groups.

    posted by Case on 6-17-2010 at 4:23 pm

  11. 9 out of 12 some of this horror movies plot I recognize even if I haven’t seen them and the only Ronald Dahl books I know or heard of is James and the Giant Peach Charlie and the Choclate Factory and Matilda.

    posted by Kari on 6-17-2010 at 5:54 pm

  12. No. 3 is both a s (bad)Horror flick and a much better short story (Thanks Richard Matheson).

    posted by Ben on 6-18-2010 at 6:07 am

  13. I was seriously amazed, too, when I discovered what his stories for adults were like- some of them are downright creepy. Got 11/12- I too missed Baby Jane.
    Lamb to the Slaughter is one of my favorites; Royal Jelly is one of my least favorites. What about the gambler that jumped overboard to slow the cruise liner down- not realizing that the person he’d hoped would alert the crew was ‘not all there’… and he got left behind in the ocean? Or the one about the lady who left her pig of a husband in stuck in the lift of their house while she flew off to Paris? Good stuff!

    posted by ann on 6-19-2010 at 3:14 pm

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