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The Stephen King movie thread

post #1 of 309
7/18/10 at 10:43pm
Thread Starter 
Hey. Couldn't find one - although it seems there must be one somewhere.
If there is, link me - if not, curious about opinions of best/worst/underrated King adaptions.

Anyone seen Night Flier? Good little twist on the vampire idea.
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post #2 of 309
7/18/10 at 10:55pm
Creepshow is a personal favorite. They played it almost every year in the early 90s on WPIX's SHOCKTOBER in the NY area, so i saw the movie a bunch of times minus the entire "They're Creeping Up On You!" segment. I didn't even know it existed until a few years later!
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post #3 of 309
7/18/10 at 11:22pm
Carrie is definitely the best, and I can't imagine any film getting much worse than The Langoliers.

As a random aside, The "psychic" sound effect in Firestarter is one of the funniest things ever.
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post #4 of 309
7/18/10 at 11:23pm
The Mist.

End. Of. Thread.
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post #5 of 309
7/18/10 at 11:28pm
Your ass is the end of the thread. THIS THREAD DON'T END UNTIL SOMEONE MENTIONS MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.

What do you think the best Different Seasons movie is? I'd go Stand By Me, but part of me thinks I have some kind of backlash against Shawshank Redemption because it's overrated.
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post #6 of 309
7/18/10 at 11:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
Your ass is the end of the thread. THIS THREAD DON'T END UNTIL SOMEONE MENTIONS MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.

What do you think the best Different Seasons movie is? I'd go Stand By Me, but part of me thinks I have some kind of backlash against Shawshank Redemption because it's overrated.
I can see how anyone would think Shawshank is the best. I wouldn't hold it against them. But Stand By Me just works so much better for me personally. And it definitely ain't Apt Pupil.
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post #7 of 309
7/18/10 at 11:44pm
By the way, does anyone know anything about a remake of Creepshow in development? My friend mentioned this to me the other day, and I've found a few things online, but nothing that seems legit.
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post #8 of 309
7/18/10 at 11:52pm
Shawshank Redemption is absolutely incredible, but is slightly overrated. The Mist is the best horror film of the 2000s and entirely fucking underrated. The Shining (Kubrick's) is great, but way too different to really be considered an adaptation. The Green Mile rocks, as does Stand by Me.

But fuck The Tommyknockers, IT, and The Langoliers. Needful Things is mildly watchable.
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post #9 of 309
7/18/10 at 11:58pm
Yeah have to say Stand By Me, Christine and The Mist are by far my favourites. Then of course there's The Shining.

Has anyone seen any of the old B-Grade adaptations from back in the day like Cujo? The cover of that video used to freak me out in the store when I was little.
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post #10 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:02am
Thread Starter 
Kind of got a soft spot for Firestarter - probably one of the most faithful adaptions. Cujo was pretty solid too. Salem's Lot fucked my childhood.
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post #11 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:07am
I wonder if Dreamcatcher will ever become a real cult movie or just MY cult movie. What a deliriously stupid movie.

And I watched Dead Zone again recently. Another King favorite.
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post #12 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
Carrie is definitely the best
I'm a The Shining man, but it's close.

I'm on a Cronenberg kick, looking forward to revisiting The Dead Zone. For whatever reason, I was never big on that one.

I always thought Cujo was kinda underrated. Scream queen Dee Wallace trapped in a pinto by a snarling rabid dog makes for an awesome late nite classic.
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post #13 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewH. View Post
But fuck The Tommyknockers, IT, and The Langoliers. Needful Things is mildly watchable.
Tommyknockers is based on a completely batshit insane, ride it off the rails novel so given the fact that it didn't end the universe because of the level of suck is a point in its favour.

And fuck the haters, Shawshank is some great movie making.
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post #14 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:17am
I've always enjoyed the quasi-anthology structure of Dead Zone in both its book and film forms. I probably need to revisit Croneberg's film. It's been forever since I've watched it. Walken really gave a great sympathetic performance as Johnny Smith, and it being Walken, effortlessly imbued his psychic episodes with just the right amount of creep and dread. Love Sheen as Stillson. Might be my favorite King villain portrayed on screen behind Nicholson.

"The missiles are flying. Hallelujah, Hallelujah!"
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post #15 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewH. View Post
The Shining (Kubrick's) is great, but way too different to really be considered an adaptation.
I wouldn't say that at all, but yeah it's certainly it's own thing. I love the book, but I'm also a bigger Kubrick fan than a King fan.
That would totally apply to the Running Man, though. Just about the only similarity there is character name(s?) and the fact it involves a life or death game.

Personal faves:
The Shining
The Shawshank Redemption
The Mist
The Dead Zone

Remember them being great but haven't seen them in forever:
Misery
Stand By Me

I'm also a big fan of 1408, and especially Christine. No one talks about them very much though, it seems.
Of the miniseries of his I've seen, the only one I could even tolerate was the Stand, and that has it's own huge set of problems. Still, for the budget, I quite liked what they pulled off with some of it. A HBO 12-parter could be amazing. Like some of the others, I haven't seen that miniseries in forever, it may be worse than I remember. Thinking on some of the odd casting choices, it probably was. For every great casting choice there were two "wha?" ones. Some worked, some didn't.
Maximum Overdrive is dumb fun.
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post #16 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:23am
I'm looking at a list of King films. I had completely forgotten that Hearts in Atlantis even existed.

And there was a made for tv version of Desperation? Did it suck as bad as the book? Wait, of course it did. Why am I even asking?
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post #17 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:23am
Did anyone else like the Shining miniseries other than me? It can't hold a candle to the original but I thought it was a worthy take on it for a network miniseries, a true adaptation.
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post #18 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
I wonder if Dreamcatcher will ever become a real cult movie or just MY cult movie. What a deliriously stupid movie.
There's something about it, that makes me unable to hate it.
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post #19 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:26am
I think Hearts of Atlantis is among King's best work as a writer, and the movie adaptation of that is incredibly disappointing. The name doesn't even make sense with an adaptation of just the first story.

The straight-up happy ending of the Shining miniseries is awful, but I like Weber's take on the material.
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post #20 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Edmund Exley View Post
Did anyone else like the Shining miniseries other than me? It can't hold a candle to the original but I thought it was a worthy take on it for a network miniseries, a true adaptation.

I remember the kid being terrible. Don't think I ever watched the second half.


Quote:
I wonder if Dreamcatcher will ever become a real cult movie or just MY cult movie. What a deliriously stupid movie.
Dreamcatcher really is an amazing thing to behold.
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post #21 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Edmund Exley View Post
Did anyone else like the Shining miniseries other than me? It can't hold a candle to the original but I thought it was a worthy take on it for a network miniseries, a true adaptation.
*raiseshand*
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post #22 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:34am
Still perusing the list...Jesus, Sleepwalkers. Isn't that the one he wrote specifically for the screen? I think I went to the theater to see that piece of shit. Could possibly be the worst King film I've seen but I admit to not having seen them all.
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post #23 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:35am
Misery isn't getting nearly enough love. That's a real great one. Just such strong performances by the two leads. And the sledgehammer scene is otherworldly in its effectiveness. Just the thought of the image of those ankles snapping is enough to give me goosebumps.

Stand By Me is by far my favorite King film. It's been one of my favorite movies since I was real young.

I gained a new appreciation for Dead Zone recently. It was never a favorite of mine but I reexamined Cronenberg's filmography recently and I really enjoyed it this time. Walken is on fire in it. Literally and figuratively.

"THE ICE... is GONNA BREAK!"
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post #24 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erik Wacker View Post
Misery isn't getting nearly enough love. That's a real great one. Just such strong performances by the two leads. And the sledgehammer scene is otherworldly in its effectiveness. Just the thought of the image of those ankles snapping is enough to give me goosebumps.

Stand By Me is by far my favorite King film. It's been one of my favorite movies since I was real young.

I gained a new appreciation for Dead Zone recently. It was never a favorite of mine but I reexamined Cronenberg's filmography recently and I really enjoyed it this time. Walken is on fire in it. Literally and figuratively.

"THE ICE... is GONNA BREAK!"
I love Misery, and adore the sledgehammer scene, but the part of me that knows the book so well was dying to see some axe in that scene, instead.
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post #25 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewH. View Post
I love Misery, and adore the sledgehammer scene, but the part of me that knows the book so well was dying to see some axe in that scene, instead.
I've never read the book, but I always felt like a regular old amputation was just too, I don't know, tame. And unoriginal. The sledgehammer just seems so much more inventive and brutal.
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post #26 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu View Post
I think Hearts of Atlantis is among King's best work as a writer, and the movie adaptation of that is incredibly disappointing. The name doesn't even make sense with an adaptation of just the first story.
Damned right. The titular section of that book is King transcending a lot of his flaws and creating something beautiful. I'm a fan of much of his work as well done entertainment, but that story is just so far beyond almost all his other output. I can understand why the first section was more appealing to a film studio, but Hearts in Atlantis (from the novel) was far more complete and ripe with potential. Shame.

Most of the high and lowlights have been mentioned, but I've always had a soft spot for the hilarious Thinner. It was a Bachman book that was pretty middle of the road, but the movie was just a collection of actors devouring every bit of scenery available. Joe Mantegna seemed to be working so hard here. My favorite bit is a dinner scene that rivals Bill Murray's breakfast in Groundhog's Day for perverse display of joy in eating.
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post #27 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:49am
I like all the normal favorites, and dislike the usual ones. I think budget is a big reason some of his adaptations don't do so well.

Also, I liked The Stand miniseries.
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post #28 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:51am
Srazhenie ,a Soviet Short film from 1986, based off a King short story.
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post #29 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:56am
The Shining is the best. After that, probably Shawshank? Or Misery. Green Mile absolutely nails the novel, but then, the novel is just ok.

Of the TV movies, The Stand is best, or maybe just least awful. I think it has more to do with the resiliance of that story than the movie itself. Gary Sinise helps, and I liked their Flagg. If someone could find a way to do it as a real miniseries now, on HBO or FX or something, I imagine it would be pretty easy to improve on.
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post #30 of 309
7/19/10 at 12:57am
I'm more of a Carpenter fan than a King fan, so I like CHRISTINE more than I probably should. Carpenter actually takes an idea as silly as a killer car and makes it into an actual character, the way that he uses music helps, but everytime I watch it I'm amazed at how much of a crazy bitch that car is. Also, it has Keith Gordon.
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post #31 of 309
7/19/10 at 1:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by audioofbeing View Post
Damned right. The titular section of that book is King transcending a lot of his flaws and creating something beautiful. I'm a fan of much of his work as well done entertainment, but that story is just so far beyond almost all his other output. I can understand why the first section was more appealing to a film studio, but Hearts in Atlantis (from the novel) was far more complete and ripe with potential. Shame.
I recently read Hearts in Atlantis and think that novella could make a good film adaptation. It was actually my favourite story out of the bunch, even beating out "Low Men in Yellow Coats". I think it could work as a sort of coming of age movie in the style of American Graffiti or Diner where it would be more about the characters than the plot. King was really able to make me see those characters, like Carol, Ronnie, Skip, or "Rip-Rip". I think King should try to write more stories that don't depend of a supernatural element.
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post #32 of 309
7/19/10 at 1:09am
He's got CARRIE in the 70's, then the world was on fucking fire with King in the 80's. They're pretty much all solid-to-great, aside from SILVER BULLET (loved as a kid though) and I've never seen FIRESTARTER. PET SEMATARY is iffy - there's a lot of iconic shit from that film, but it's just not that good.

CREEPSHOW is amazing, but no love for CAT'S EYE? Not as good, sure, but the James Woods segment is fantastic. I'll also through out DOLORES CLAIBORNE, just cause I always forget it's King.

Quote:
I always thought Cujo was kinda underrated. Scream queen Dee Wallace trapped in a pinto by a snarling rabid dog makes for an awesome late nite classic.
I really like CUJO. It's JAWS with a car instead of a boat and a dog instead of a shark.
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post #33 of 309
7/19/10 at 1:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erik Wacker View Post
I've never read the book, but I always felt like a regular old amputation was just too, I don't know, tame. And unoriginal. The sledgehammer just seems so much more inventive and brutal.
It definitely read a lot better than "She chopped both of his feet off with an axe." It wasn't smooth, it was kind of surprising and brutal. But the hammer was easier for them to film (some interview I saw in which King said that -- he loves the hammer, too) and the feet bouncing back looks soooooooo awful. In a good way.
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post #34 of 309
7/19/10 at 1:17am
I haven't seen The Dark Half in long time, while not really being one of Romero's best, I remember liking it well enough. I don't really see the need to revisit it though.

The Night Flier is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.
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post #35 of 309
7/19/10 at 1:18am
As far as Cat's Eye goes, James Woods' segment isn't bad, and the Drew Barrymore segment has a cute little monster. That middle segment is total and utter shit.

I always liked the book Delores Claiborne, but never saw the movie. Kathy Bates seems like perfect casting, though.

Also, the short film version of Children of the Corn, "Disciples of the Crow" is also available on Youtube, made a year before the feature film.
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post #36 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:09am
I've actually never read a King novel, but from the film adaptations I've seen, I've always wondered if his written endings are as terrible as the filmed ones. Almost every one of the movies based on his horror/fantasy novels has an unbearably bad ending.

I think The Stand is a sort of measuring stick. Taking into account the miniseries format, I think the film freefalls from incredible promise and engaging storytelling to sickeningly-schlocky garbage.

I've rarely wanted so much of my time back.
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post #37 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:20am
Thread Starter 
The Lawnmower Man...? Anyone?.. erm..
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post #38 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:21am
Has a wonderfully kinky cyberpunk sex scene nearly worthy of Cronenberg.

The rest is pretty shitty.
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post #39 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:26am
Cujo is aging really well. It's incredibly well photographed (by Jan De Bont) and doesn't get enough credit for being a movie set 75% inside a Pinto.

The Dead Zone is a favorite of mine. It's one of the first times Cronenberg goes for any sort of emotional content, and shoots past the mark, spinning the fucker into Douglas Sirk territory. (In a good way!) It's an odd blend and still my favorite Christopher Walken performance. The score, along with the Klingon music from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, has been stuck in my head for 25 years. On Instant!
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post #40 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
The Dead Zone is a favorite of mine. It's one of the first times Cronenberg goes for any sort of emotional content, and shoots past the mark, spinning the fucker into Douglas Sirk territory. (In a good way!) It's an odd blend and still my favorite Christopher Walken performance. The score, along with the Klingon music from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, has been stuck in my head for 25 years. On Instant!
Agreed. This one manages to stay true to the novel and feel like a movie that can stand on it's own two feet. It's probably one of King's most mature early works, so that's why. Cronenberg had a solid blueprint to build his own vision.

Interesting, Phil, that your two favorites revolve around a linked antagonist. Doesn't the cop that kills himself in The Dead Zone eventually possess Cujo and is the reason he goes crazy? (In the novel, at least). I always thought that was so odd (cocaine is a hell of a drug).

As for the Lawnmower Man, it barely qualifies as a King movie since it's so far removed from his short story that he sued them for using his name.

I do miss the anthologies they used to crank out in the 80's, even if they were spotty at best. I know they had that TV show a few years ago, but I wish we'd get a modern anthology of King stories. Some of his short stories are his best work. I always thought The Finger would make a great short.
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post #41 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parker View Post

Interesting, Phil, that your two favorites revolve around a linked antagonist. Doesn't the cop that kills himself in The Dead Zone eventually possess Cujo and is the reason he goes crazy? (In the novel, at least). I always thought that was so odd (cocaine is a hell of a drug).
Wha? Really? Never read Cujo.
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post #42 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:45am
Surprised to hear about Cujo. I remember really disliking that one. I just found myself bored, with moments of yelling at the screen, and I don't remember it being anything special visually. Keep in mind I haven't seen it in 15 years, and it was a pan n scan worn out rental VHS.

I'll give it another shot.
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post #43 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:47am
Nah, that's pretty much just imagined (and not all that seriously) in the mind of the sheriff. (We know this because in the novel we are privy to the dog's thoughts; yes, cocaine is a hell of a drug.)

But the deceased Dodd is a sort of Castle Rock boogeyman figure in Cujo's setting, on the minds of many of the characters, including the little kid. (Edit: In the book, not the film.)

Cujo: They built two sets of the kid's bedroom: one "real" one, and one elongated, menacing, little boy's POV version for when the lights are out. Visually, Cujo has a lot of ingenuity going on.
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post #44 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parker View Post
I always thought The Finger would make a great short.
They shot an episode of Monsters that was based on The Finger.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0650891/
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post #45 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
Nah, that's pretty much just imagined (and not all that seriously) in the mind of the sheriff. (We know this because in the novel we are privy to the dog's thoughts; yes, cocaine is a hell of a drug.)

But the deceased Dodd is a sort of Castle Rock boogeyman figure in Cujo's setting, on the minds of many of the characters, including the little kid.
It's been a while since I read it, but that sounds right. I must have somehow mixed it up in my head.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Abbott & Prospero View Post
They shot an episode of Monsters that was based on The Finger.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0650891/#comment
Worth checking out?

ETA:

Not if the comments from IMDB are to believed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IMDB Guy
I have a finger to show the makers of this episode.
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post #46 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:52am
I seem to recall having actually watched the episode but I'll be damned if I remember anything about it. Quality wise, that is. I'm thinking it was a pretty faithful adaptation of the story if I'm remembering correctly.

Can't believe no one has ever adapted The Jaunt for an anthology film or tv series.
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post #47 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abbott & Prospero View Post

Can't believe no one has ever adapted The Jaunt for an anthology film or tv series.
The ending of that story always ran a chill up my spine.
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post #48 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:54am
God, I know. So freaky.
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post #49 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:55am
Thread Starter 
I thought I heard rumours of The Long Walk being in pre-pre-production a while back.
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post #50 of 309
7/19/10 at 2:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
Cujo: They built two sets of the kid's bedroom: one "real" one, and one elongated, menacing, little boy's POV version for when the lights are out. Visually, Cujo has a lot of ingenuity going on.
In all honesty I barely remember any of the non-car scenes, so yeah, I guess I definitely need to revisit.

I also was never that fond of Carrie, and people here seem to love that as well. Another I haven't seen in 15+ years.
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