I can understand that, but I read the novel in childhood. To me, the 70's film's scariness seemed superficial and insincere compared with the 00's version. (W

I can understand that, but I read the novel in childhood. To me, the 70's film's scariness seemed superficial and insincere compared with the 00's version. (Which is not what you'd expect, given that I was still a kid when I saw the first film version.) Maybe it's just Depp's portrayal pushing the "creepy" meter to 11 is what did it for me. (Wilder's seemed resigned to each child's fate, while Depp's possessed morbid fascination with each "accident.")