Stephen King, a man of letters with a long list of accomplishments, can’t just be an author, can he? He is a horror institution, with an unrivalled history of legendary horror stories. He has written 63 novels, seven of which were written under the pen name Richard Bachman, as well as five non-fiction publications.
We were all touched by King’s story, whether it was through a television show or a film. His terror ideas form the cornerstone for today’s thriller, suspense, and horror concepts. Some films transcended all bounds of enjoyment, while others were just good enough for a single viewing. Hold your horses because we’ll be talking over 36 of the best Stephen King film adaptations in this video.
CARRIE (1976)
Carrie, a bashful 16-year-old girl, was raised by her dogmatic and religious fanatic mother, Margaret White, under a harsh moral code. She was frequently bullied by her classmates due to her introversion. She was humiliated at the start of her first menstrual period, and her bullies made matters worse by tossing tampons at her at school.
On returning home, her ignorant mother locked her in a prayer closet stating that her periods were an outcome of her sins. At school, Miss Collins, her gym teacher, looks into her situation and reprimands the ruffians with a week-long detention. Engrossed in vengeance Carrie’s consistent bully Christine Hargensen along with her boyfriend Billy Nolan plots to pull off a prank on Carrie by dropping pig’s blood on her at prom night which they had collected from a local farm.
Meanwhile Norma, Chris’ best friend and also a prominent figure in school rigs the prom queen selection to get her up on stage and sew up their malice. Back at home, Carrie learns how she can use telekinesis the moment she shrugs off her shyness.
On the day of the prom, Chris’ malevolent plan comes to action and they get Carrie drenched in pig’s blood but accidentally kill Tommy with the empty bucket. Carrie’s piling trauma reaches its zenith and she loses her self-control bringing rampage on the party-goers and teachers at the prom and not just stopping there.
Carrie is a film adaptation of Stephen King’s epistolary horror book of the same name, directed by Brian De Palma. The plot is based on the imagined vengeance of every bully victim. With their talents, Moretz and Moore elevate the mood of the film’s shift. The movie was ranked 15 by Entertainment Weekly among its top 50 high school movies and is a must-watch for all high school goers.
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)
Andy Dufresne is charged with the double murder of his wife and her boyfriend in 1947 in Portland, Maine, according to the premise of the film. He was condemned to two life terms at Shawshank State Prison, where he met Ellis Redding, another inmate given a life sentence, as a result of the jury’s verdict. Andy begins working at the prison laundry and is assaulted regularly by a group of inmates led by Bogs.
Two years later Andy helps the captain of the guards, Byron Hadley, from paying high taxes on his inheritance and to return his favor, when the prison gang nearly kills Andy, he cripples Bogs and transfers him to another prison thereby solving his troubles with the gang.
Warden Samuel Norton meets Andy and reallocates him to the prison library to manage financial matters concerning prison staff, prisoners, and the warden himself. In 1963 Andy learns how Norton had been accepting bribes and exploiting prison labor costs for himself and helps him launder his illegal gains under the name of “Randall Stephens”.Andy from a new prison inmate, Tommy learns how a prisoner at another prison had taken responsibility for the murder of his wife and her lover.
Andy reported the case to Norton but he repudiated and later got Tommy murdered by Hadley framing it as an unwanted outcome of Tommy’s attempt to escape. Andy is eventually removed from his position at the library and sent to solitary confinement for 2 months. Ellis, worried for his friend, waits helplessly for what is going to happen next.
Shawshank Redemption is a film directed by Frank Darabont and based on Stephen King’s novel Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The film was nominated for a number of awards, including seven Academy Award nominations. The film, featuring Tim Robbins as Andy and Morgan Freeman as Ellis, evokes a lasting sense of melancholy, joy, and dread in the audience.
THINNER (1996)
Billy Halleck, a corpulent upper-class lawyer, lives with his wife Heidi and their daughter Linda in this film. Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli, an underworld figure who was defended in court by Billy, is celebrating his acquittal on a murder charge. In an attempt to persuade Billy to forget about his food hunger, Heidi venerably relieves him with oral sex while he is driving, causing Billy’s attention and, as a result, an accidental run over on an elderly Gypsy woman called Suzanne Lempke, killing her.
Billy, who is friends with the judge and the police officer, escapes the trial with ease. Engrossed in retribution, Suzanne’s father, TadzuLempke, imprecates Billy, by saying “Thinner”, which causes Billy to lose weight rapidly, without any prior reason. Heidi, frightened by the emaciation that may be due to cancer, phones Dr. Mike Houston, with whom Billy suspects his wife might be having an affair.
In his endeavor to lift the curse imposed on him, Billy finds and tries to reason with Tadzu, failing which he attacks the Romani camp with the help of Ginelli. Tadzu finally makes Billy a strawberry pie, mixing his blood in it and stating that Billy will be free if someone else eats the pie, giving them a quick death.
Thinner, directed by Tom Holland and based on Stephen King’s 1984 novel of the same name, is a realistic picture of society’s class discrimination and ignorance against gypsies, and how escape homicide is a cakewalk for the dominant class.
STAND BY ME (1986)
The film opens with writer Gordie Lachance reading a newspaper item about a guy stabbed in a restaurant and recalls a Labor Day weekend trip he had with his best buddy Chris Chambers and his buddies Teddy Duchamp and Vern Tessio in September 1959.
Vem overheard his older brother Denny talking to his friend Charlie about searching for the body of the missing youngster Ray Brower outside of town while looking for the money he had buried under his parents’ porch. Vern alerts the other three, who decide to locate the missing body and become native heroes.
Chris steals his father’s pistol and he, along with Gordie runs into a local thug “Ace” Merrill and Chris’s older brother, “Eyeball” Chambers. They get threatened by the notorious duo and Ace steals Gordie’s Yankees cap which was a present from Denny.
The four boys begin their journey of adventure where they experience several incidents that get them to know each other and stand for what is right. They cross a railroad bridge getting nearly killed by an advancing train, swim across a pond filled with leeches, and much more.
Rob Reiner directed the film, which was written by Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon. The film Stand by Me is based on Stephen King’s story “The Body.” Stand By Me, a song by American soul and R&B singer Benjamin Earl King, inspired the title. The film is a must-see for everyone, thanks to its outstanding ensemble and masterfully intertwined human feelings of tragedy and joy.
MISERY (1990)
The plot centres around famed novelist Paul Sheldon, who is the creator of a popular series of Victorian romance novels featuring Misery Chastain. Paul begins preparing a manuscript for his next novel, hoping to enter his post-Misery phase. As the story progresses, Paul’s automobile is knocked off the road by a blizzard as he returns home.
Paul discovers himself bedridden with broken legs and a dislocated shoulder, after regaining consciousness from coma. He was under the care of Annie Wilkes, who found him unconscious and saved him. Annie, who claims to be his “number one fan”, cannot stop talking about him and his novels.
Acknowledging everything, Paul humbly hands Annie his new manuscript to read, studying which she flares at him for the vulgarity of the content. Sequentially, she reads the upcoming Misery novel, which surprises and enrages her when she comes across the death of the character Misery.
Paul is astonished to see how Annie transforms into this unanticipated controlling version, threatening to kill Paul if he does not comply to write a new novel titled Misery’s Return. Out of fear and wit, Paul agrees. The movie thus advances with Paul’s repeated attempts in trying to kill Annie and escaping her crib, where she has imprisoned him.
Misery is a psychological thriller film directed by Rob Reiner and based on Stephen King’s 1987 novel of the same name. The film brilliantly depicts the possessiveness and mental war between two individuals who are continuously trying to out manoeuvre each other. It is really commendable that each role was cast with care.
THE MIST (2007)
In the middle of a severe rainstorm, artist David Drayton, his wife Stephanie, and their eight-year-old son Billy seek sanctuary in the basement of their lakehouse in Bridgton, Maine. The morning after the disaster, a dense mist is seen approaching over the lake. David, Billy, and their neighbour, Brent Norton, race to the supermarket to get supplies, where Dan Miller, a frantic local, dashes into the store, alerting everyone of a lurking danger in the mist.
With the sound of a siren everyone is alerted about the mist surrounding the supermarket. The managers Ollie Weeks and Bud Brown shut off the supermarket. Norm, the bagger who goes outside intending to fix the store’s emergency generator, is grasped by a tentacled creature, hauling him into the mist.
Alerted by the lurking threat, David and Ollie lead the others to rampart the windows. On the contrary, some of the people start to panic and revolt for various personal and religious reasons, leaving the store and resulting in their deaths by unnaturally vicious creatures from another dimension. David and the remaining people continue to strive for their survival as the movie unfolds further.
The Mist is a science-fiction horror film directed by Frank Darabont and based on Stephen King’s 1980 short tale “The Mist.” If not a must-see, it is certainly a solid source of amusement for sci-fi fans, with aspects of terror and the eeriness of the unknown.
THE DEAD ZONE (1983)
The plot follows high school teacher Johnny Smith of Castle Rock, Maine, who is involved in a vehicle accident and spends five years in a coma under the supervision of neurologist Dr. Sam Weizak.
When he regains his senses, he finds that physical contact allows him to learn aspects and predict the future for everyone. He touches the nurse and informs her about her daughter being caught in a house fire, as well as telling Dr. Weizak about his living mother, whom they assumed had died during World War 2.
With the news of Johnny’s new abilities spreading, Sheriff George Bannerman asks him for his help in a series of murder cases but Johnny, on learning that his love Sarah is now a wife and a mother, denies help and seeks a life in solitude. Sarah pays a visit to Johnny with her infant boy and tells him how she cannot continue the relationship any further.
Johnny think’s twice about the Sheriff’s proposal and helps him with the murder cases. Dr.Weizak warns Johnny that with his powers growing his body gets weakened and he chooses a life of low profile where he would tutor kids at home. A wealthy man named Roger Stuart exhorts Johnny to tutor his son, Chris.
Johnny and Chris share a friendly bond and with his ability to foresee danger Johnny saves Chris from drowning in a local pond during an ice hockey game. Knowing that he can change the future he decides to take down the cold-blooded, rabble-rouser, Greg Stillson who was the third party candidate for the United States Senate.
The Dead Zone is a thriller film based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, published in 1979. The term alludes to the areas of his brain that are damaged as a result of his physical awakening. The film is set in a fantastic supernatural scenario that retains a sense of dread and suspense throughout its runtime.
SECRET WINDOW (2004)
The plot centres around mystery writer Mort Rainey, who returns to his cottage in Tashmore Lake in upstate New York after catching his wife cheating on him with their buddy Ted. Mort is visited by a man named John Shooter at his cabin six months later, who accuses Mort of plagiarism, as he tries to overcome his despair and writer’s block.
Except for the finale, his story line “Secret Window” is a carbon replica of Shooter’s own story “Sowing Season.” He explains Shooter how his allegation is invalid as his version of the story has been published in a mystery magazine two years ago but Shooter demands proof and warns him against informing the police.
Shooter kills Mort’s dog, Chico that very night and leaves a note with the corpse giving him three days to produce his evidence. Failing to retrieve the evidence from his and Amy’s residence Mort hires a shamus to investigate more about Shooter from the locals.
Shooter comes around again and demands Mort to change his story ending to his version where the wife gets assassinated by the protagonist. Shooter’s threat becomes a trauma for Mort and when Amy’s house gets destroyed by an arson fire he panics and seeks help from the police to bail him out of this trepidation.
Secret Garden, based on Stephen King’s short novel Secret Window, is an American psychological thriller centred on Mort Rainey, played by Johnny Depp. The film succeeds in entertaining the audience with spine-chilling thrills because of the superb performances of Johnny Depp and John Turturro.
STEPHEN KING’S THE NIGHT FLIER (1997)
The film begins on an unsettling and foggy airport, where the caretaker is unexpectedly killed by an unknown and odd monster. Richard Dees, a dubious tabloid reporter, refuses to take on an occult, massacred murder case that his editor-in-chief, Merton Morrison, has handed over to him. The murder took place on a rural airfield and was carried out by Dwight Renfield, a pilot who believes he is a vampire.
With the news of two more murders of a similar kind in a different airfield, Dees curiosity grows and he approaches Morrison to take over the case, where he discovers it is already handed over to a neophyte reporter, Katherine Blair. As the movie further proceeds, we see Dees and Katherine, working hand in hand to hunt down the killer, presumably a blood-sucking vampire, with more mysteries waiting for them to unfold.
The Night Flier is an American horror film directed by Mark Pavia and starring Miguel Ferrer and Julie Entwisle. It is based on Stephen King’s 1988 narrative of the same name. As provocative as it may be, the film is a fun and fascinating time killer for vampire fans, as it faithfully recreates the suspense and horrors of classic vampire films.
IT (2017)
The film begins in 1988 in a small fictional town called Derry, Maine, with Bill Denbrough making a paper sailboat for his six-year-old brother Georgie, who loses it in a storm drain while walking through the rainy streets. Georgie notices a clown-like face inside the drain and announces himself as “Pennywise, the dancing clown” as he tries to reclaim his boat. The mystery clown entices Georgie to approach him, and when the spotless youngster does, he bites off his arm, dragging him into the sewer.
The following summer, Bill, still being haunted by his brother’s disappearance, recruits his friends to investigate the case. With the help of his new classmate, Ben Hanscom who has been keeping a track of missing children, the group learns that they have all encountered a different version of this shape-shifting clown, in the form of their worst fears.
They map out its movement along the sewer lines, which all led to an old stone well, under an abandoned house, on Neibolt Street. The team, calling themselves “the loser’s club”, seeks out their path to find Bill’s missing brother Georgie.
IT chapter one is an American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muscheitti and based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel and 22nd book of the same name. The most memorable aspect of this film is its terrifying imagery and the presence of Bill Skarsgrd as the shapeshifter. The film won three Bogey awards and was hailed by several critics as one of the greatest films of 2017.
THE SHINING (1980)
Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their talented son Danny are the central characters in the film. Jack, a burgeoning writer and alcoholic in recovery, is also abusive to his wife and son. Jack chooses to take over the position of winter caretaker at the secluded Overlook Hotel in the Rocky Mountains in the off-season to get over his writer’s block.
There, the hotel’s manager, Stuart Ullman, informs him of the prior caretaker, Charles Grady, who murdered his family in the hotel before committing suicide. Wendy and Danny also come along, to stay at the hotel. Dick Hallorann, the head chef, before heading out for his vacation, apprises Danny about a telepathic ability, shared by the two.
He called it “shining”. He also warned him about the horrors of Room 237. Danny develops a connection with the hotel and has strange visions, where Jack on the other hand goes through a mental breakdown, envisioning dreams about killing his own family. As the movie further unfolds, we see the horrifying sequence of events that take place.
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Danny Lloyd. With otherworldly images and phantasmal deaths, the film skillfully depicts the horrors and terrors of a haunted mansion. Winning 4 awards and 8 nominations, The Shining is a movie worth watching for all viewers.
CHRISTINE (1983)
The story is set in September 1978 in Rockbridge, California, where an ordinary teenager named Arnold “Arnie” Cunningham’s life is turned upside down when he purchases a used and broken down red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury from George LeBay. The car was formerly owned by George’s late brother Roland, and he had to sell it since his parents wouldn’t let him keep it at their house.
“Christine” was the name of the car as well. Twenty-one years ago at the Chrysler Corporation assembly plant in Detroit when the car was assembled, a worker got his hand trapped and injured to the falling hood of the car. Another worker was found dead inside the car on the same day.
Arnie repairs the car at a garage cum junkyard owned by Will Darnell. Arnie spends ample time with his car and with each passing day he develops changes in his persona. He becomes arrogant, paranoid, and dressed like a biker gang member. Arnie’s worried mother, Regina informs Arnie’s only friend Dennis that the ex-owner of the car had committed suicide in the car.
On being accosted by Dennis, George admits the truth and also tells how Roland’s family died in the same way. He added how Roland tried to get rid of the car after the death of his wife and it returned to him on its own after three weeks. Meanwhile, Arnie gets more and more involved with the sinister and supernatural car “Christine”, leading to a series of horrific deaths.
Christine is a supernatural horror film directed by John Carpenter and based on Stephen King’s 1983 novel of the same name. Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, and Harry Dean Stanton star in the film, which is entertaining to see and highly recommended for fans of the spooky genre.
THE RUNNING MAN (1987)
The story is set in 2017, when the United States has devolved into a police state. To deflect public attention away from the country’s and the world’s economic collapse, the government broadcasts a live game show called “The Running Man,” in which convicts battle for their lives by dodging armed mercenaries in exchange for a state pardon.
Ben Richards, a police helicopter pilot, was framed for mass murder during a food riot in Bakersfield, California, and jailed by his colleagues in this cruel state of affairs. He is put in a labor camp from where he escaped with two resistance fighters, Harold Weiss and William Laughlin after eighteen months.
The resistance group under the leadership of Mic tries to hijack the ICS broadcast network’s uplink facilities to reveal the government’s deception. Meanwhile, on visiting his brother’s apartment Richards learns that it is now occupied by Amber Mendez and his brother is sent to a re-education camp.
Richard takes Mendez captive and tries to flee to Hawaii but gets arrested at the airport. Damon Killian, host of “The Running Man ” meets Richards and offers a deal to free Weiss and Laughlin if he participates in his show. Richard accepts the trade and there begins the gamble of life, death, and freedom.
The Running Man is a 1987 American dystopian action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, MaraConchita Alonso, Richard Dawson, YaphetKotto, and Jesse Ventura. It is based on Stephen King’s 1982 novel of the same name. The storyline has been well-executed in the film, with the cast members doing admirably in their roles. If not for everyone, it will undoubtedly be a stunner for action fans due to its implementation of futuristic hustling and violent combat sequence.
1408 (2007)
The film follows Michael “Mike” Enslin, a misanthropic author who publishes books about supernatural phenomena that he, on the other hand, does not believe in. After the death of his daughter Katie, he became estranged from his wife Lily. Mike arrives at The Dolphin Hotel, armed with an anonymous note stating, “Don’t enter 1408,” scrawled on a postcard with an image of The Dolphin Hotel.
Gerald Olin, the hotel manager, warns Mike about the terrors of the room, informing him how in the last 95 years, not a single person has survived more than an hour in there. He also told him about the 56 latest deaths. Olin fails in his attempts to discourage a stubborn Mike, even by bribing, as Mike imperils and threatens to take legal actions.
Succeeding in his motion, Mike enters the room, recording in his mini-cassette recorder, about how nothing paranormal was visible to him when suddenly the song “We’ve Only Just Begun”, a hit by The Carpenters, starts to play on the clock radio, marking the onset of the supernatural events that take place immediately. The movie then progresses with the struggles of Mike trying to escape from 1408, where many more events are yet to surprise him.
1408, directed by Mikael Hfström and starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, is a complete presentation of the archaic horrors. It is based on Stephen King’s 1999 short tale of the same name. The film focuses on a dad who is suffering with the loss of his daughter and attempting to overcome it. In general, the ensemble is well-matched, with Cusack doing wonderful work, and the script is well-executed.
DREAMCATCHER (2003)
Jonesey, Beaver, Pete, and Henry, four childhood buddies, develop telepathic talents. They were given “the line” following a great gesture of defending a young kid named Douglas “Duddits” Cavell from bullies. They’re all heading to Maine for their annual hunting vacation right now. In the forests, Jonesey rescues an ill man named Rick McCarthy who is lost and takes him to the cabin along with Beaver.
Suddenly there is a commotion and the animals start running past their cabin followed by two army helicopters declaring the area quarantined. Jonesey and Beaver go back into the cabin and find Ricksitting on the toilet motionless and unresponsive. Rick falls dead into the tub and a lamprey-like creature squirmed and screamed in the toilet.
Beaver tries to entrap the creature under the lid but fails and the life form breaks out and kills him. Jonesey makes a run for the outside but is confronted by a larger extraterrestrial life form called Mr.Gray. Meanwhile, Henry and Pete crash their car nearby to save a woman who was a part of Rick McCarthy’s original hunting group. The woman soon dies and discharges a worm which Pete kills. The plot is then revealed that they are against extraterrestrial beings and the fate of the world struggling against alien invasion proceeds.
Dreamcatcher is a science fiction horror film directed by Stephen King and based on his novel of the same name. Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore, and Donnie Wahlberg were among the cast members. Lawrence Kasdan directed the film, which is a pleasure for Sci-Fi horror fans.
DOCTOR SLEEP (2019)
This film is a sequel to The Shining (1980), in which Dan Torrance, who was a child in the first film, has grown up to be an adult, still scarred by his family’s ordeal at the Overlook hotel. Years later, Danny is summoned by the ghost of Dick Hallorann, who intends to capture the Overlook’s ghosts in lockboxes.
To hide his brilliance, he drowns himself in drunkenness, which he overcomes after relocating to New Hampshire. Gaining his new identity as “Doctor Sleep”, by comforting dying patients with his shining, he starts working in an infirmary. “Steam”, a psychic essence acquired by the gruesome sufferings and deaths of the shining holders, is fed by the True Knot, a cult of psychics led by Rose the Hat, to expand their lifespans.
Abra Stone, another shining holder, alerts Dan of them, as the True Knots hunt for steam, killing a boy in the process. Progressing through the storyline, Dan and Abra fight back their common enemy, where more trauma and challenges await them.
Doctor Sleep is a 2019 American supernatural horror film based on Stephen King’s 2013 novel of the same name, which is a sequel to The Shining from 1977. Ewan McGregor, who plays Danny Torrance in the film directed by Mike Flanagan, is a fantastic fit for the part. The film brings back the narrative of the gleaming, with an intense flavor of a current thriller, bringing back sentimental recollections from most of our childhood.
THE DARK HALF (1993)
The plot focuses around Thad Beaumont, an intellectual and well-read author best known for his best-selling murder mystery thrillers written under the pen name “George Stark.” He eventually decides to drop the pen name Stark and has him symbolically buried in a mock grave. Stark somehow transforms into a real-life person, emerges from his tomb, and terrorises Beaumont and his family.
He kills a native photographer Homer Gamache and leaves in his truck. He also assassinates Thad’s Editor cum agent and his ex-wife followed by a man named Fred Clawson who was trying to blackmail Thad for using his pen name. The police suspect Thad for the death of Gamache as he tries his best to convince Sheriff Alan Pangborn of CastleRock, Maine about his innocence.
Later, Clawson’s corpse was found by the police which was brutally castrated and his throat slit with a message written on the wall “The sparrows are flying again”. Thad sitting in his cabin ponders he might have a psychic connection with Stark. He then starts receiving messages from Stark and worries about who is going to be his new victim.
The Dark Half is an American horror film directed by George A. Romero and based on Stephen King’s 1989 novel of the same name. Although the film bears a strong resemblance to the Jekyll and Hyde story, the film’s thrilling and suspenseful mood is maintained throughout its course.
PET SEMATARY (1989)
Following his appointment as a physician at the University of Maine, Louis Creed relocates from Chicago to Ludlow, Maine, with his wife, Rachel, children Ellie and Gage, and Ellie’s favourite cat Church. Rachel and Ellie are walking through the woods when they stumble across a funeral cortège of youngsters carrying a deceased dog to a cemetery known as “Pet Semetery.”
Meanwhile, Louis comes across Victor Pascow, a fatally injured jogger. He has been struck by a running truck and just before giving up on the life he calls Louis by his name and cautions him about “Pet Semetary” The incident leaves Louis perplexed and that night he dreams about Victor’s ghost leading him to the “Pet Semetary” and warns him not to cross the barrier.
The dream wasn’t a mere ordinary one as Louis woke up the next morning with his feet covered in dirt. One day Ellie’s pet cat Church gets run over at the highway during the family’s absence. Their congenial neighbor, Jud Crandall suggests Louis to bury Church in an ancient burial ground beyond the “pet semetary” and also to keep it a secret. The next day a resurrected Church returns to the family but has now grown ferocious.
After a few days, Gage gets killed by a large heavy motor vehicle on the same highway leaving the Creed family devastated at the loss. Jud believes that the maleficent forces around the ritual ground have awakened and are a cause for Gage’s accident. Jud meets Louis and narrates the story of Bill Batterman who had buried his son in the burial ground only to return as a zombie, terrifying the locals and warning him against doing the same with Gage.
Despite all caution, after Gage’s funeral when the family leaves for Chicago Louis stays back and exhumes Greg’s body to re-bury at the ritual site and wait for what is to happen next.
Pet Sematary is a supernatural horror film directed by Mary Lambert, based on Stephen King’s 1983 novel of the same name. The picture did well at the box office, and the whole production was precise, particularly with the flawless shift from a bright and ambient scene to a dark and dreary one.
THE MANGLER (1995)
The film is about Bill Gartley’s laundry press, dubbed “Bill Gartley’s Laundry Press.” “At Gartley’s Blue Ribbon Laundry, there’s a show called “The Mangler.” Gartley’s niece Sherry is wounded by the machine’s lever and pours blood on its tread while attempting to avoid an old box being carried by negligent movers due to a mistake.
Coming into contact with the icebox and the blood, “The Mangler” causes sparks and light streams in the machine. In due course, an elderly worker, Mrs. Frawley spills antacids on Mangler’s moving tread. In her attempt to retrieve the pills the safety shield mysteriously lifts and ensnares her hand followed by her entirely. The machine completely crushes Mrs. Frawley.
Police officer John Hunton, along with his brother-in-law demonologist Mark, investigates the paranormal case. Mark persuades Hunton to believe that the machine is possessed and needs to be exorcised to expel whatever evil spirit resides in it. As the story moves forward Mark and Hunton learn how Gartley along with village heads performed dark and evil rituals on the machine to acquire wealth and power and Gartley would be soon doing the same again.
The Mangler is a 1995 horror film about a deranged newspaper reader. The film, which is based on Stephen King’s short tale of the same name from 1972, does not falter in providing the Stephen King vibe. The film, which stars Robert Englund and Tobe Hooper, does well at the box office.
THE GREEN MILE (1999)
After seeing the film Top Hat, Paul Edgecomb, a retired officer from Louisiana, becomes emotional. Elaine expresses concern about her partner’s developing sentiments and urges Paul to reason with his emotions, explaining that Paul recalls the events of “The Green Mile,” which occurred years ago on death row. Back in 1935, Paul encounters John Coffey, a prisoner who was taken to the prison to face his death sentence after being accused of raping and murdering two innocent small children.
John joins two other prisoners on the same block, Eduard “Del” Delacroix and Arlen Bitterbuck. Del was a victim of regular torture by the bestialism of Percy, the nephew of the state governor’s wife, which crossed the line of sanity as he kills Del’s little pet mouse Mr. Jingles.
Healing the almost dead mouse back to life, John discloses to everyone about his supernatural healing abilities. As John heals Paul’s severe bladder infection, Paul realizes the good in the former and doubts the fact of John being a murderer and a rapist.
The Green Mile is a remarkable picture of both human cruelty and nobility, exposing us to the facts of life, directed by Frank Darabont and based on Stephen King’s 1996 novel of the same name. The Green Mile is a must-see picture in and of itself, not to mention Tom Hanks’ outstanding performance.
CAT’S EYE (1985)
Three short stories make up the plot of this film “Quitters, Inc.,” “The Ledge,” and “General” revolve around a tabby cat who sees an image of a disembodied young girl begging for aid on a regular basis. The tabby cat is first seen hiding from a dog in a delivery truck on his way to New York, where he is soon picked up by a man named Junk, who was an assistant to the clinic counsellor, Vinnie Donatti of the rehabilitation organisation named “Quitter, Inc. is a company that specialises in helping people quit smoking.
The clinic’s persuasion tactics for quitting smoking were particularly frightening. The cat escapes from the clinic when a brawl takes place between Donatti, Junk, and their new client Dick Morrison and travels to Atlantic City, New Jersey where a crime boss and casino owner, Cressner adopts him. Here begins the second story “The Ledge ” where Cressner and a former tennis pro and gambler Johnny Norris fight over Cressner’s wife.
The tabby cat witnesses the incident playing his crucial part in deciding the fate of the duo and hops into a goods train traveling to Wilmington, North Carolina which is the setting for the last plot. The tomcat at Wilmington meets the girl whose disembodied images have been haunting him and her name was Amanda. Amanda adopts the cat and names him “General”
Cat’s Eye is a horror-thriller film directed by Lewis Teague, with the first two stories based on Stephen King’s “Night Shift” short film collection from 1978. The photography, characters, and visuals all contribute to an enjoyable and enjoyable picture to watch.
APT PUPIL (1998)
The film is set in Southern California in the year 1984, and the protagonist is Todd Bowden, a 16-year-old high school student. Todd threatens and blackmails Arthur Denker, an elderly neighbour, after discovering Arthur’s true identity: Kurt Dussander, a former SS Sturmbannführer who is now a fugitive war criminal fleeing from punishment.
Todd coerces Arthur alias Kurt into telling Todd the truth about wars through various tactics. In return, he promised to safeguard Arthur’s secret from the police, but surprisingly when Arthur starts telling him about his experiences on the battlefield, Todd’s relationships with others like, friends, family, and his girlfriend deteriorate.
Apt Pupil is a psychological thriller film directed by Bryan Singer, based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella of the same name. It’s an allegory and transfiguration film. Stephen, the king of suspense and tension-building, continues to astound us with his work, in which the performers did an excellent job portraying the characters.
FIRESTARTER (1984)
Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson, two young college students, took part in a human experiment in this story. They were given dosages of LOT-6, a low-grade hallucinogen, along with other individuals. The medicine caused awful negative effects for the rest of the population, but it provided the two with unique talents.
Vicky could read minds and Andy could control others with his mind. Andy and Vicky get married and give birth to a daughter named Charlene “Charlie” who could manipulate fire with her thoughts and could also see the near future. One day after returning home from work Andy finds Vicky murdered and their daughter Charlie abducted by the same government agency that had sponsored the experiment.
All this while the couple were persistently stalked by the government’s Department of Science Intelligence wing also known as “the Shop” and they wanted to weaponize their daughter’s pyrokinetic abilities. Andy soon finds and rescues Charlie and sets out on a run hiding from the government.
Firestarter is a science fiction film directed by Mark L. Lester and based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The film’s pace is kept up throughout, with a good deal of suspense and adrenaline. Lester did an excellent job with Stephen King’s sci-fi aspects, and the film is overall enjoyable to see.
CUJO (1983)
Cujo, a meek and amiable St. Bernard, is the hero of the story. Cujo is chasing a rabbit through a cave when he is attacked in the snout by a rabid bat. Cujo was a Camber family member, and when the Trenton family came to visit abusive mechanic Joe Camber for repairs, he got along swimmingly with them.
The Trenton family includes Vic, housewife Donna, and their sensitive young boy Tad. Off late Vic and Dona’s marriage was going through turbulence after Vic learned about his wife’s adultery with Steve Kemp, her ex-boyfriend from high school.
Cujo’s infection starts showing its early signs where he gets annoyed by loud noises and starts showing his rage with soft growls. Cujo’s responsive infection, left unnoticed by the Cambers, soon grows out of hand when one morning he gets mad and kills their alcoholic neighbor Gary Pervier.
On finding Gary dead Joe tries to call the authorities but also gets killed by Cujo. Vic, struggling to keep his advertising agency afloat, goes out of town for work, when Donna along with Tad visits the Camber’s rural home to mend their car and gets attacked by the infected and vicious Cujo. Donna tries to drive away to safety but the car’s alternator breaks down and they get trapped with Cujo attacking them and the unbearable heat in the locked car.
Cujo is a horror film about a dog who becomes insane after contracting rabies. The film is directed by Lewis Teague and is based on Stephen King’s 1981 novel of the same name. After its premiere in 1983, the picture developed a cult following for its skill in putting up a dog to perform with delicacy.
CELL (2016)
Our protagonist, Clay Riddell, is preparing to catch a trip back to his family when the film begins at Boston International Airport. Clay is a downcast artist who is desperate to reunite with his wife Sharon and kid Johnny, whom he abandoned before, in order to prove his value by releasing a graphic novel.
When his cell phone dies, he uses a payphone to call Sharon, when an electrical signal known as “the pulse” is broadcast worldwide, unexpectedly turning all cell phone users into violent insane killers. Somehow escaping the mayhem in the terminal, Clay groups up with some survivors in a subway car, where he meets Tom McCourt, the train’s conductor.
Clay and Tom decide to abandon the train and are accompanied by another man, as they try to escape. Soon, the third man gets viciously butchered by an infected human, near the tunnel’s exit. Clay, worried and anxious, gets desperate to meet his son Johnny. The story, as it progresses, gets violent and explicit, as Tom and Clay, regrouping with Alice Maxwell, a teenage neighbor of Clay’s who killed her infected mother in self-defense, tries to make it to Clay’s family.
Cell is a full bundle that brings out the trills and horrors of a pandemic epidemic of a different kind, where humans become bloodthirsty and start killing each other, based on Stephen King’s 2006 novel of the same name. The film, directed by Tod Williams, produced by John Cusack, and starring John Cusack and Samuel L Jackson, tells the narrative of a father trying to reach his son despite the hazards. It’s a film that’s well worth seeing for fans of the effervescent and unscripted suspense.
SILVER BULLET (1985)
The film begins in the spring of 1976 in Tarker’s Mills, Maine, a small rural village. After a series of murders, the film’s narrator Jane Coslaw experiences a transformation in her relationship with her disabled younger brother Marty. Arnie Westrum, a railroad worker, Stella Randolph, a pregnant woman, and Marty’s best friend, Brady Kincaid, were all brutally murdered by an unknown, unseen monster believed to be a werewolf, causing panic and worry throughout the town.
Following all these incidents, a group of citizens form a vigilante unit backed by Brady’s father, to hunt down the horrifying killer in the woods. Three of them get slaughtered in the process. A party hosted by the Coslaws introduces the character of Red, who gives Marty a custom-made wheelchair which he calls the “Silver Bullet”. As the movie progresses, a series of efforts are made to capture and eliminate their town’s threat.
Silver Bullet is a 1985 American horror film starring Corey Haim, Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Megan Follows, Terry O’Quinn, Lawrence Tierney, Bill Smitrovich, Kent Broadhurst, David Hart, and James Gammon. It is based on the 1983 Stephen King short tale Cycle of the Werewolf.
Dan Attias, the director, performed an excellent job, and the film is now considered a cult masterpiece. Silver Bullet is absolutely worth a watch for all fiction fans, with the force of suspense and the cruelty of werewolves.
THE LAWNMOWER MAN (1992)
Dr. Lawrence Angelo, who works for Virtual Space Industries, and Jobe Smith, an intellectually handicapped man, are the protagonists of the film. Dr. Lawrence has been testing and refining his hypotheses while utilising psychoactive substances and virtual reality to improve cognitive performance.
His test subjects were chimps, but the experiment went awry when the chimps became hostile and escaped along with their improved intelligence. Looking for a new test subject, his eyes caught Jobe Smith. Jobe is a mentally challenged person who has a grown-up body but the mind of a child. Luring and promising Jobe with increased intelligence, making him smarter, Dr. Lawrence recruits him.
Angelo redesigns the intelligence-boosting treatments to remove the “aggression factors” used in the chimpanzee experiments. Jobe’s intelligence is enhanced and he develops psychokinesis and telepathy. He continues training at the lab until an accident forces Angelo to abort the experiment, but on the other hand, Jobe develops evil in him and starts killing everyone who mistreated his former self.
The Lawnmower Man is a 1992 science fiction horror film directed by Brett Leonard and starring Jeff Fahey as Jobe Smith, an intellectually handicapped gardener, and Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Angelo. The film is based on Stephen King’s “Cyber God,” a short storey published in 1975. The movie is a well-crafted bundle for fans of the horror and sci-fi genres, with a touch of fright and adrenaline. With the cast doing a brilliant job in bringing out their characters, the movie is worth a watch.
CHILDREN OF THE CORN (1984)
The film begins in 1980 in the fictional town of Gatlin, Nebraska, an agricultural centre surrounded by enormous cornfields. The community is religious, with the church wields significant power over decision-making. Isaac, a 12-year-old boy, gathers all of the town’s children in a cornfield and brainwashes and persuades them to join a cult based on the religious beliefs of a violent deity known as “He Who Walks Behind the Rows.”
Soon the children of the corn town start attacking the adults in town, brutally murdering them, and finally sacrificing them to their religious practices. Meanwhile, we see Burt Stanton and Vicky Baxter, two lovers and adults, traveling through Nebraska, exploring all the rural areas, on their way to Seattle.
As they cross the town of Gatlin, they accidentally knock down a boy named Joseph, who was fleeing from the town of horrors. Observing Joseph’s slit throat which happened before the impact the duo explore the abandoned town for help. In due course the other kids led by Isaac come in contact with these two new adults, and aim to capture them and use them as their new sacrificial offerings for their bizarre demonic ritual.
Children of the Corn is a horror psycho-thriller film based on Stephen King’s short tale of the same name, which was published in 1977. The film, directed by Fritz Kiersch and starring Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, John Franklin, Courtney Gains, Robby Kiger, Anne Marie McEvoy, Julie Maddalena, and R. G. Armstrong has done a commendable job of bringing out the evils of cult practices, and the thrill and blood rush that comes with watching it is unquestionably worth praising.
SLEEPWALKERS (1992)
Sheriff Jenkins begins the film by investigating the disappearance of a little girl near Bodega Bay, California. They locate the missing girl’s body in a cabinet after searching a spooky house with dead cats. The death of the small girl was subsequently found to be the fault of Charles Braddy and his mother Mary.
Both mother and son were shapeshifting energy-draining vampires who wandered around in search of virgin women’s lifeforce and their only weakness was cats. After fleeing from California, the mother-son duo also referred to as the “Sleepwalkers” settled in a small Indiana town.
Charles joins a high school with fake certificates and tries all possible ways to chance upon a young student Tanya Robertson, only to drain her life force for himself and his starving mother. Their teacher Mr.Fallow learns about Charles’ fraud and decides to confront him about his certificates leading to a catastrophe of horrifying events.
‘Sleepwalkers,’ directed by Mick Garris and written by Stephen King, is an American horror film. It was the first time Stephen King has written expressly for a film. The film was well-paced and progressively unfurled, maintaining a sense of tension and thrill throughout.
MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986)
The film is about how inanimate, non-living objects, especially machinery of various kinds, come to life as Earth crosses the path of a comet. ATMs, bridges, automobiles, and a variety of other machines cause havoc in the world by becoming hostile to humans and attacking them all across the globe. Duncan Keller, a Dixie Boy Truck Stop employee, is blinded by diesel spewed by an obnoxious gas pump.
From an arcade machine electrocuting a customer, to an electric knife injuring waitress Wanda June, this sudden outbreak of rebelling machines has created an air of terror and chaos all over, leaving everyone perplexed. The movie continues to determine the fate of the world where machines are at war with humans.
Maximum Overdrive is a sci-fi film directed by Stephen King and based on King’s short tale “Trucks.” As a new notion, the film’s concept astounds audiences, leaving them with the realization of how much we humans rely on technology in our daily lives. The film, with its abstract terror concept, is a must-see for all sci-fi fans.
1922 (2017)
The film tells the narrative of Wilfred “Wilf” James, a farmer, his wife, Arlette, and their 14-year-old son, Henry, who live in Hemingford, Nebraska, in the year 1922. Wilf is resolved to assassinate his wife after learning of her plans to sell the farm and relocate to Omaha.
Wilf manipulates his son to assist him kill Arlette since Arlette does not support her son’s relationship with his girlfriend Shannon. As the movie unfolds further, Wilf and Henry deceive her, agreeing to sell the house, murder Arlette in cold blood, and then dump her corpse in their farm well. Believing they have succeeded in their plans they start living happily in peace, when shattering their short span of joy, Arlette’s ghost comes back to haunt them and make them suffer.
1922 is an American horror drama film directed by Zak Hilditch and based on Stephen King’s 2010 novella of the same name. The movie gives Stephen King, who is known for his ability to construct stories with an air of disturbing anticipation and continual tension, the right justification. The film 1922 is well worth seeing due to its representation of humanity’s cruelty and the eeriness of an angry soul.
GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990)
Jason Reed, a worker on the graveyard shift at a rat-infested textile mill that has newly reopened, is the protagonist of the novel. Reed is surrounded by rats while working and attempts to scare them away by throwing a rat into a cotton picker, but he fails because the rodents are too persistent to leave. Reed, irritated by their annoyance, is about to put another one into the cotton picker when he is suddenly caught aback as a massive invisible thing pushes him into the cotton picker, ripping him apart.
Warwick, the foreman of the mill is a very stubborn, sadistic, and perverted bestial person, and is in need of people willing to work in the mill on the graveyard shift. John Hall, a widowed drifter, gets hired by Warwick. Warwick repudiated the closure of the rat-infested mill and hired Tucker Cleveland, a rat exterminator to deal with the rat problem.
But Warwick gets disappointed as Tucker fails in his task and suggests shutting the mill down as he is taken aback by the intelligence of the rats. In the following weeks, Hall is bullied by his fellow workers Danson, Brogan, and Stevenson, and Warwick, who holds a special hatred for him.
Warwick is informed that the basement must be cleaned up to make way for new offices. Warwick assigns Stevenson to look through the basement before he assigns a crew to clean it out. But in the process, Stevenson gets killed by the unknown creature of the darkness. As the movie unfolds, we see the rest of the survivors trying to escape.
Graveyard Shift is a horror film directed by Ralph S. Singleton, written by John Esposito, and starring David Andrews, Stephen Macht, Kelly Wolf, and Brad Dourif. It is based on Stephen King’s 1970 narrative of the same name. The film is a treat for fans of thrills, suspense, and horror. The cast’s efforts are truly praiseworthy.
THE DARK TOWER (2017)
Jake Chambers, an 11-year-old child from New York City, has a vision of a massive edifice known as “The Dark Tower.” In his recurrent visions, he sees a strange man, a sorcerer known as the Man In Black, who plans to destroy the tower, resulting in the universe’s destruction.
He also sees the GunSlinger, a man with a gun who, on the contrary, wishes to stop the man in black from destroying the tower. Believing and witnessing a few sudden resemblances from his visions in the real world, Jake follows up to an abandoned house where he discovers a futuristic portal that leads to a post-apocalyptic world called the Mid-World.
After entering the portal, Jake ends up in Mid World, where he comes across Roland Deschain, the GunSlinger from his visions. Roland then discloses to Jake about the powers and evilness of the Man In Black, and that at any cost they have to save both the worlds by stopping the warlock from destroying the Tower. Further progressing into the movie, we see Jake and Roland’s journey with the desperation of preventing the Man in Black from executing his plans on the tower’s demolition.
The Dark Tower is a scientific fantasy Western action film directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel, based on Stephen King’s novel series of the same name. The film is a delight for sci-fi fans, and the action parts are equally impressive. The cast, led by Idris Elba as Roland Deschain, has done an outstanding job in bringing out the best in the character. This film is really worth seeing.
GERALD’S GAME (2017)
The film begins with the song “Bring it On Home to Me” by Sam Cooke, and follows married couple Jessie and Gerald as they depart for a weekend at an isolated lake house in Fairhope, Alabama, in order to renew their marriage.
When they arrive at their destination, Jessie feeds a stray dog outside the slit home and enters it with the door open. Jessie slips into her beautiful outfit and places the tag on a shelf above the bed while Gerald takes his Viagra.
Gerald gets a pair of handcuffs and wishes to enact a stranger rape fantasy with Jessie. Without much enthusiasm, she agrees to Gerald’s proposition but later feels uncomfortable. The couple’s sexual moment soon changes its course to a heated argument when Jessie stops their roleplay followed by Gerald having a cardiac arrest and dropping dead on the floor. Handcuffed to the bed, with her dead husband lying on the floor and no one to attend to her screams Jessie struggles for her survival in the course of the movie.
Gerald’s Game is a psychological horror film based on Stephen King’s 1992 novel of the same name. Mike Flanagan directed and edited the film, which had its global premiere on September 19, 2017 at the prestigious BFI Southbank.
The film is a symphony of thrills and horror, thanks to Bruce Greenwood and Carla Gugino’s outstanding performances as Gerald and Jessie. Gerald’s Game is a fantastic version of Stephen King’s story that everyone should see.
IN THE TALL GRASS (2019)
Cal DeMuth and his pregnant sister Becky arrive in San Diego, where they hear the voice of a small boy named Tobin pleading for aid from a thick grass field nearby. They both enter the field but become separated from one another. They try to escape the grass field, confused and afraid, but they can’t find the route.
Cal encounters a bruised Tobin, holding a dead crow and Becky meets Tobin’s father Ross. Tobin buries the bird in their path claiming that the grass won’t move dead things and warns Cal about the message he received from the rock which said that Becky is soon going to die. Meanwhile, Becky’s spouse Travis reaches the destination in search of his gestating wife and brother-in-law as they had been missing for two months.
Tobin arrives at a nearby church with his parents Natalie and Ross whereas Travis enters the field to investigate. On hearing Travis scream for help, their dog, Freddy, followed by the family, runs into the field again. They all reunite in the grass field and chance upon their fate to escape the paranormal tall grass field.
The film is directed by Vincenzo Natali and is based on the short novel of the same name by Stephen King and Joe Hill. The film is creepy and does not progress into a terrifying experience. The film, which stars Samuel L. Jackson, Tiffany Helm, Laysla De Oliveira, Will Buie, Harrison Gilbertson, James Marsden, Avery Whitted, Rachel Wilson, and Mike Tracz, has a powerful atmosphere of fear and suspense and is a must-see for horror movie fans.
DOLAN’S CADILLAC (2009)
The film opens with Tom Robinson, a middle school history teacher, and his wife Elizabeth, who live a pleasant, passionate, and loving marriage. During a horseback ride, Elizabeth comes across a shady human trafficking deal, in which criminal Jimmy Dolan shoots and kills two Latin American human smugglers and an illegal immigrant. She is quickly discovered by the goons, who begin shooting at her.
She manages to escape from the spot but drops her phone which comes to Dolan’s possession later helping him to find Elizabeth’s residence. Soon after the incident, Elizabeth finds a cadaver with lips sewn shut left at her residence, which was a symbolic threat to keep her mouth shut about the recent assassinations.
The Robinsons seek help from the authorities but Elizabeth gets killed by explosives in her car which got triggered by the car’s ignition. The incident happens in front of Tom’s eyes and he loses his peace to become a hardened road warrior, seeking revenge from gangster Jimmy Dolan.
Dolan’s Cadillac is a Canadian criminal thriller based on Stephen King’s short novel of the same name. In comparison to King’s twisted horror notions, the film is fairly uncomplicated.