He’s been dubbed the Master of Horror and plenty of his novels and novellas have been adapted into feature films and with the upcoming release of the Stephen King short story adaptation The Mist I thought it was the right time to take a peek at the ten best King adaptations so far.
I am not sure most people realize The Running Man is an adaptation of a Stephen King story. In fact I first read it in the “Bachman Books”, which was a collection of four short stories King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Also in the collection is “The Long Walk”, which Darabont has talked about bringing to theaters, but don’t ever count on seeing “Rage” as King himself has pretty much condemned the story and has asked it no longer be published. “Rage” is highly similar to a couple of school shootings, one of which the shooter had a copy of the book in his locker, and the other actually quoted the book saying, “This sure beats algebra, doesn’t it?” The story is intense, but giving kids the idea to kill is never good. At least The Running Man never did that.
I have a love/hate relationship with Carrie. Carrie harkens back to a time when director Brian De Palma was still relevant, and bringing us films that shocked and entertained. However, being a rabid King fan I still refer back to the original book being far better than the movie, but in terms of King adaptations this is a worthy entry.
I just saw this movie only three days ago, and I watched it only in anticipation of creating this top ten. I felt it would be highly irresponsible to write a top ten list of Stephen King adaptations without at least seeing the one directed by David Cronenberg. Released back in 1983, before Christopher Walken became a parody of himself, this film has as much going for it as it has against it. In terms of this top ten list it is one of the King books I have not read. The Dead Zone is not a perfect film, and at times I think Walken was terrible for the role, but then there are moments where he completely nails his character. The final act of the film is a bit “ho-hum” and this is easily one of Cronenberg’s least gruesome films, despite a nice little scissor to the brain moment.
Here is the film that got me into Stephen King. I saw the trailers on television and begged and begged my mom to let me see it – she wouldn’t. However, she would allow me to read the book, but she did say I had to buy it myself… Apparently she considered it “trash” and “garbage.” A King fan was born!
I picked up “Pet Sematary,” “Cujo” and “The Stand”. While “Pet Sematary” is a better book than it was a movie, the moment where Gage slices open Judd’s Achilles tendon and then proceeds to slash through his cheeks is priceless filmmaking. Did I mention he then tears the poor old bastard’s throat out?
Another King adaptation I am a bit wishy-washy on is Kubrick’s The Shining. “The Shining” and “Cujo” are easily my two favorite King novels. Both of them had different effects on my. While “Cujo” actually made me feel like I was witnessing the entire event of a rabid dog chewing up a few folks, “The Shining” legitimately gave me the chills. The moment Danny meets up with that old lady was one of the greatest moments ever written down. Unfortunately the movie didn’t have the same effect. Kubrick’s adaptation is more of an evaluation of a man gone mad than the terror inspired film King wrote down. Both have their charms, but the book still wins my vote when compared.
