even the most causal reader of this site ought to know that in addition to music I really dig horror flicks. and making lists. So this post is a natural.
Stephen King is certainly my favorite horror writer. Whether it is his later, much more thoughtful works like Bag of Bones or earlier blood-and-fang epics like ‘Salems lot and Cujo, there are few who can hold a torch to him when it concerns amazing ideas and, generally, reputable execution.
But as for his movie/TV adaptations? Not so much. Some are wonderful but numerous are unwatchably bad. Here’s the good, bad, and the mediocre.
THE top 15 STEPHEN KING MOVIES/TV SHOWS
15. Pet Sematary (1989). It’s silly (what kind of shmuck buries his kid in a Pet Cemetery) and it features Herman Munster, but I love this film, all the way down to the Ramones’ theme music (“I don’t wanna live in a pet cemetery!”) stick with it–it is a little stilted and dated–but it’s a classic.
14. Christine (1983). If I can get personal, I read Christine when I was about 10 years old on an island off the coast of Maine. The island was about 3 square miles and there were about 15 motor cars on the whole island. I finished the book late at night, closed it, and turned out the light to my bedroom, which faced a field at the end of a dirt road, about a half a mile off the main road. I rolled over towards the window and all of a sudden headlights appeared at the top of the field. They lingered for about 5 minutes, then drove away. true story.
This movie, directed by genius horror director John Carpenter, is scary and ironically prescient (as King would later be the victim of a awful hit-and-run). The brilliance of it is the way that it manipulates the conventional boy-and-his-car love story you hear in every beach young boys song. Carpenter managed to make a film that was, in numerous ways, just as good as the book.
13. storm of the Century (1999). one of numerous TV miniseries’ from Mr. King, this tale of a small town terrorized by a mysterious devil-like man during a blizzard was full of suspense and at times as scary as TV can ever really be. “Give me what I want and I will go away!”
12. The Dead zone (TV Series). The first couple seasons of this show were first-rate, practically on a par with The X-Files. It started to go downhill after that, and they didn’t do a terrific job with the Reverend Purdy storyline, but on the whole it was a fine compliment to the outstanding film version (see #6, below) of this, one of King’s greatest novels.
11. The Running man (1987). Ah-nold and Richard Dawson starring together! This film is quite dated, but it’s a classic example of the 1980s futuristic rampage film, similar to escape From new York or Terminator. Not a terrific film, but a terrific example of the genre. Plus: Gold spandex!
10. The Stand (1994). There’s been numerous TV miniseries based on King’s works, mostly because his books are so darn long. several have been fair to good (The Shining, rose Red), some have been tons of cheesy fun (Langoliers ,the first ‘Salems lot series), some are creepy, some are corny. and then there’s this one, which is all of the above. If you don’t have a good time viewing this, you’re probably a snob.
9. maximum Overdrive (1986). I’m probably one of the few who’d put this Emilio Estevez “vehicle” (get it? Ha!) on my top list, but I love this movie. I also haven’t been able to catch it on cable television or find it on DVD. It’s based on “Trucks” from King’s first collection, night Shift, a book I read until it fell apart. They did an updated adaptation that was pure crap, but this version rocks. best down to the AC/DC soundtrack including original tune “Who Made Who?,” which kick starts, if memory serves, best when the ATM tells Stephen King to fuck off. Please release this on DVD!!!
8. 1408 (2007). A genuinely scary film that’s mostly about John Cusak in a hotel room. I don’t understand why this film didn’t get better reviews or box office.
7. The mist (2007). Frank “Shawshank” Darabont directed this extraordinarily frightening monster movie. They don’t make too numerous monster films these days, and when they do they tend to be about the special effects and eye candy, at the expense of horror and suspense. this one plays the way “The Fog” ought to have: Low, creepy, and then building to a climax. My only complaint: It ought to have ended when they drove into the mist. The “gotcha” ending was tacked on, stupid, and predictable. but many horror films end badly. The essential thing here: This film really ought to scare the crap out of you. it’s not just a terrific Stephen King movie, it’s a terrific movie, period.
6. The Dead zone (1983). Walken, baby, Walken. and David Cronenberg. Amen.
5. Carrie (1976). Stephen King’s first novel and first film, starting hisnull