Info on films inspired by King's work - the awesome, the obscure, and the just-plain-bizarre.
Super7 - for the best sample of King films, watch these:
- The Stand
- Rose Red
- The Shining (original Kubrick version)
- 1408
- Pet Sematery
- The Green Mile
- The Shawshank Redemption
Click on the titles to be linked to detailed reviews and plot summaries.
(links coming - UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
1408 (2007) - A skeptical writer, a haunted hotel room, and much mayhem. One of the best King films to date.
Apt Pupil (1998) - A boy becomes obsessed with an aging Nazi living in hiding, with messy results.
Bag of Bones (2011) - A writer is haunted by his dead wife - and by a long-dead singer who hides a deadly secret. Doesn't do the book justice.
Carrie (1976) - The well-known story of a tormented teenage girl with explosive psychic abilities.
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) - A survivor of the original "Carrie" rampage encounters a young girl with disturbingly familiar powers.
Carrie, TV remake (2002) - Surprisingly good remake of the original; starring the creepy-fabulous star of "May" (2002)
Cat's Eye (1985) - Three tales of Kingian terror: "Quitters, Inc.", in which a man quits smoking by hideous means; "The Ledge", which involves a cheating wife, her lover, and the viciously vindictive husband; and "The General", in which a young Drew Barrymore plays a child tormented by a tiny troll.
Children of the Corn (1984) - The original tale of evil children and a monster in the cornfield; and the only one truly worth watching.
Children of the Corn Umpteen Sequels + a Remake - Just don't.
Christine (1983) - A formerly sweet nerd becomes obsessed with a vintage car that is much more than it seems.
Creepshow (1982) - King teams with George A. Romero (yep, the original "Night of the Living Dead" guy) to present five creepy tales, ranging from zombies to evil meteors to a mysterious monster locked in a crate.
Creepshow 2 (1987) - Only three tales this time, featuring a vengeful Native American statue, a segment based on King's deliciously creepy short story "The Raft" (read: monster in a lake), and a zombie hitchhiker.
Creepshow III (2006) - Five more chilling stories: "Alice", in which a whiny teenager is shown a truly alternate lifestyle; "The Radio", featuring an evil talking radio; "Call Girl", featuring a skanky serial killer; "The Professor's Wife" - is she an android, or isn't she? Let's take her apart!; and "Haunted Dog", in which a hot dog leads to a haunting. As silly as it sounds.
Cujo (1983) - Even dog-lovers get nightmares from this tale of a huge canine beset by rabies.
The Dark Half (1993) - Forgettable film based on the forgettable book in which a writer's alter-ego tries to take over his real life. Some creepy moments, thanks to director George A. Romero (again, yes, the zombie guy).
The Dead Zone (1983) - Christopher Walken (!) awakens from a 5-year coma with psychic abilities.
Desperation (2006) - Bizarre but endlessly creepy tale of an abandoned town where passers-through are hijacked by the possessed former sheriff.
The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (2003) - Not based on a King novel, but included here because the original book was based on King's glorious "Rose Red". In this kinky and creepy tale, Ellen is a cheated-on wife in turn-of-the-century Seattle, and her mansion is coming alive in protest.
Dolan's Cadillac (2009) - Just as wickedly delicious as King's short story by the same name, a man seeks revenge for the murder of his wife.
Dolores Claiborne (1995) - Told partially in flashbacks, the story of Dolores Claiborne demonstrates that "thou shalt not kill" doesn't always apply.
Dreamcatcher (2003) - While the aliens in "Tommyknockers" were just silly, the ones in "Dreamcatcher" are delightfully evil - and even have a hideous sense of humor.
Firestarter (1984) - Little Drew Barrymore makes another King appearance as a little girl with pyrotechnic psychic abilities.
Firestarter 2: Rekindled (2002) - Charlie McGee is now all grown up and participating in unwelcome made-for-TV sequels.
Golden Years (1991) - Often billed as a series, but actually a miniseries, like "Rose Red" or "Storm of the Century". An explosion of experimental chemicals in a top-secret lab cause a man to grow younger.
Graveyard Shift (1990) - Evil rats in the basement! Yes, the special effects are cheesy, but the overall effect is extremely nasty.
The Green Mile (1999) - Gorgeous yarn starring Tom Hanks as the warden of a jail currently housing an extraordinary man, who may not be as guilty as he first appears.
Hearts in Atlantis (2001) - Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as always, playing a mysterious stranger who forever changes the lives of a young boy and his suspicious mother.
It (1990) - Horrible mini-series that mangles the amazing original book; the only bright spot is Tim Curry as the evil not-really-a-clown, Pennywise.
Kingdom Hospital (2004) - A mini-series that was supposed to be an actual series, but was tragically cut off because primetime viewers didn't appreciate King's bizarre genius. And yes, this series is genius. Stephen King + a haunted hospital ... you do the math.
The Langoliers (1995) - TV mini-series that perfectly captures the eerie fate of a group of travelers caught in the abandoned, deadly world of yesterday.
The Mangler (1995) - The awesome Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger!) deals with a demon-possessed laundry machine. Much creepier than the premise sounds.
The Mangler 2 (2002) - Horrid sequel in which the Mangler is now an evil computer virus. Don't bother.
The Mangler Reborn (2005) - Needless three-quel in which a man purchases the old Mangler 10 years after the original tale, and becomes bloodily obsessed with it.
Maximum Overdrive (1986) - Evil trucks stalk people stuck in a gas station. Yeah. Evil trucks. Sorry, Steve, not this time.
Misery (1990) - Fabulously demented tale of a writer trapped by his psychotic, obsessed #1 fan.
The Mist (2007) - A mysterious mist envelopes a small town, and monsters begin to emerge to feed on the human population.
Needful Things (1993) - A strange newcomer opens an equally strange little shop in the doomed down of Castle Rock, Maine.
The Night Flier (1998) -
** under construction!! **
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
Nightshift Collection 1995
Pet Sematery, II, III…
Return to Salems Lot
Riding the Bullet
Rose Red
Running Man, the
Salems Lot
Salem's Lot 2004
Secret Window
Shawshank Redemption, the
Shining remake, the
Shining, the
Silver Bullet
Sleepwalkers
Sometimes They Come Back
Stand by Me
Stand, the
Stephen King's Nightshift Collection 1985
Storm of the Century
Thinner
Tommyknockers, the
Trucks
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