I have strange relationship with the writing of Stephen King. I have always found his plots and world building to be really good, but don’t like his writing style. This is why his stories can be so perfect for adaptation. With The Dark Tower coming out last month and IT due out later this month, it seems like a good time to remember King is about more than horror and take a look back at my favourite big screen adaptations of his stories:
- The Shining (1980 – based on novel from 1977) – King famously doesn’t like Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation, WHY? I first saw it when I was a kid and was understandably creeped out by it, as much by Jack Nicholson’s performance as by the movie itself. A couple of years ago I got to see it at the cinema in a sold out Halloween screening, it was even better shared with an audience.
- Stand by Me (1986 – based on the novella The Body from 1982) – The geniuses of Rob Reiner is the way he has always been able to convey nostalgia without sentimentality, Stand by Me is his masterpiece. It also helps that the young cast are all brilliant.
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994 – based on the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption from 1982) – #1 on the IMDb’s top 250 for as long as I can remember. A totally faultless movie, with perfect acting and direction, it could easily have been higher on this list.
- The Mist (2007 – based on novella from 1980) – The second Frank Darabont movie to make my list. A tense horror thriller that reminds us that humanity is more frightening than monsters. An already great film is elevated by a perfect and devastating ending.
- Carrie (1976 – based on the novel from 1974) – There is something dark and seedy about Brian De Palma’s direction that is perfect for this story, as are the performances from Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie.
- The Dead Zone (1983 – based on the novel from 1979) – If you want a creepy and unnerving movie is there a better combination than David Cronenberg and Christopher Walken? Probably not. Some of the political themes seem strangely relevant at the moment.
- Misery (1990 – based on the novel from 1987) – Rob Reiner again but with a very different film to Stand by Me. You will remember the film for a couple of moments of real horror, but there are other things that make it great. James Caan and Kathy Bates are both brilliant. Reiner’s direction manages to create an uneasy sense of dread without losing the ability to shock.
- The Running Man (1987 – based on the novel from 1982) – I had the VHS of this when I was a kid, it was one of my most watched movies for a few years. Successful on its original release but quickly dismissed as dumb action vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the light of reality TV, The Hunger Games, and the current political climate it’s time to re-evaluate. The dialogue is clunky, but the story is good and the direction is solid.
- Apt Pupil (1998 – based on the novella from 1982) – Three of the four stories that made up Different Seasons have been adapted into movies, this third movie isn’t as good as Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption but is still a compelling movie. Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro are both brilliant.
- Cat’s Eye (1985 – anthology horror film based on the short stories Quitters, Inc. from 1978 and The Ledge from 1976 and one written specifically for the film). Anthology of three short films linked by a cat. The best of the three features James Woods as a man who wants to quit smoking.
To give context, the other Stephen King movies I have seen that didn’t make the list are:
Creepshow (1982 – five short films; based on the short stories Weeds from 1976, The Crate from 1979 three written for the film by King) – Christine (1983 – based on the novel from 1983) – Children of the Corn (1984 – based on the short story from 1977) – Firestarter (1984 – based on the novel from 1980) – Silver Bullet (1985 – based on the novella Cycle of the Werewolf from 1983) – Maximum Overdrive (1986 – Directed, very poorly by Stephen King, based on the short story Trucks from 1973) – Sleepwalkers (1992 – original screenplay) – The Dark Half (1993 – based on the novel from 1989) – Dolores Claiborne (1995 – based on the novel from 1992) – Dreamcatcher (2003 – based on the novel from 2001) – Secret Window (2004 – based on the novella Secret Window, Secret Garden from 1990) – Carrie (2013 – Supposedly adaptation of the novel from 1974, but they clearly had one eye on the superior 1976 movie) – The Dark Tower (2017 loosely adapted from the novel series 1998 to 2012).
My most notable blind spot is The Green Mile (1999 based on the serial novel published in six parts in 1996) Directed by Frank Darabont who makes the list above twice.
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