Carrie (1976)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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True horror is going through puberty without a support system (or any warning of what\u2019s about to happen to your body).<\/p>\n

Brian De Palma\u2019s 1976 adaptation brings to life anxieties both natural (being bullied as a teen with a terror of a mother) and supernatural (having uncontrollable super powers as a high schooler). Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie are unforgettable in the lead roles, and the climactic prom night sequence is one of the most infamous scenes in the history of American horror movies. \u2014Pete Volk<\/em><\/p>\n

Carrie<\/strong><\/em> is available to stream on <\/strong>Amazon Prime Video<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Christine<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Christine <\/em>is Stephen King\u2019s infamous story about a car with a thirst for blood and a penchant for mind control. Arnie (Keith Gordon), a high schooler with a lack of confidence, sees a beaten-up Plymouth Fury sitting off the side of the road and is instantly smitten. Despite his friend\u2019s warning, Arnie buys the car and spends his every waking hour fixing it up before it slowly takes over his life \u2014 and then starts taking out everyone around Arnie so it\u2019s the only thing he can pay attention to.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a simple premise that could have gone off the rails easily, which is exactly why horror legend John Carpenter was the perfect choice to direct. Carpenter turns the car into a slasher villain with dreadfully eerie shots of headlights closing in on rearview mirrors like it\u2019s stalking prey. Even more impressive is that Carpenter\u2019s effects, like the car slowly rebuilding itself after being destroyed, still look outstanding today. Christine <\/em>is one of those stories that\u2019s right on the borderline of silly and scary that King\u2019s so good at, and Carpenter\u2019s adaptation is one of the few that grasps that tone perfectly and brings it to the big screen. \u2014Austen Goslin<\/em><\/p>\n

Christine<\/strong><\/em> is available to stream on <\/strong>Netflix<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Dark Half<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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A classic \u201ctwin absorbed in the womb\u201d horror story, George Romero\u2019s The Dark Half <\/em>is a movie about duality and split personalities, both literal and figurative, through an author (Timothy Hutton) who writes capital-L Literature under his real name and best-selling pulp novels under a pseudonym. When his secret is discovered by a wannabe blackmailer, he decides to go public with it himself, bringing out his \u201cdark half,\u201d who is more of a sadistic, black-clad second personality than some mere pseudonym. <\/p>\n

Highlighted by Hutton\u2019s barely contained dual performance and strong character actors in supporting roles (like Glenn Colerider\u2019s eager photographer, who wants to make a photo book of teddy bears in coffins), The Dark Half <\/em>is an enjoyable pairing of King\u2019s unnerving story with Romero\u2019s love for gory practical effects. (One of the opening scenes is an unsettling brain surgery sequence reminiscent of both The Exorcist <\/em>and Malignant<\/em>, and there\u2019s plenty in here from Hitchcock\u2019s The Birds<\/em>). While this doesn\u2019t reach the high heights of some of the other adaptations (or Romero\u2019s other movies), the opportunity to watch a Stephen King adaptation by George Romero is too good to pass up. \u2014PV<\/em><\/p>\n

The Dark Half<\/strong><\/em> is available to stream on <\/strong>HBO Max<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Dead Zone<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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David Cronenberg\u2019s 1983 adaptation of Stephen King\u2019s sci-thriller The Dead Zone<\/em> is a tour de force of memorable performances, frightfully memorable imagery, and skillfully jarring editing. Starring Christopher Walken, the film follows the story of schoolteacher Johnny Smith who, following a near-fatal accident, wakes from a five-year coma with the ability to glimpse a person\u2019s past and future simply by touching them. After crossing paths with a rising Senate candidate (Martin Sheen) with sinister ambitions, Johnny is plagued with apocalyptic visions that compel him to save the future \u2014 at any cost.<\/p>\n

As a director Cronenberg feels uniquely suited for tackling this material, taking King\u2019s original and infusing it with the macabre visuals and existential melancholy that would go on to be his signature. Walken is terrific here as Smith, a man haunted not only by the moral and psychological burdens of his abilities, but by the ghost of a life now denied to him. \u2014Toussaint Egan<\/em><\/p>\n

The Dead Zone<\/strong><\/em> is available to stream on <\/strong>HBO Max<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Doctor Sleep<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Doctor Sleep<\/em> is one of the latest Stephen King books on this list, and not one of the best, which made it the perfect target for an outstanding adaptation. The story follows an adult Danny Torrance, now going by Dan. He\u2019s put the Overlook\u2019s past behind him along with his own powers, but eventually finds a need for them again when a marauding band of psychic vampires starts tracking down a kid who Shines even brighter than Danny did. <\/p>\n

Where the movie finds its absolute best ground, though, is in Dan\u2019s struggles with alcoholism in his slightly younger days, and the way that his own struggles re-contextualize how he saw Jack right up until the end. Mike Flanagan\u2019s adaptation (especially his director\u2019s cut) improves on its source material in every way and, by bringing Danny and Jack closer together, even manages to do the impossible: bridging King\u2019s version of The Shining<\/em> with Stanley Kubrick\u2019s classic film. \u2014AG<\/em><\/p>\n

Doctor Sleep <\/strong><\/em>is available to stream on <\/strong>HBO Max<\/strong>. The director\u2019s cut is available to purchase digitally on <\/strong>Amazon<\/strong> and the <\/strong>Google Play store<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gerald\u2019s Game<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Of Stephen King\u2019s works, his 1992 novel Gerald\u2019s Game<\/em> was particularly hard to envision on screen; the protagonist, Jessie, is handcuffed to a bed for the majority of the story, and most of it takes place in her head. But with 2017\u2019s Gerald\u2019s Game<\/em>, director Mike Flanagan successfully translated the novel to film by keeping Gerald (Bruce Greenwood), who dies almost immediately from a heart attack after handcuffing Jessie (Carla Gugino) to the bed, present in Jessie\u2019s hallucinations. The fake Gerald taunts Jessie as she grows weaker from dehydration \u2014 and more desperate to escape.<\/p>\n

Gerald\u2019s Game<\/em> is a slow burn of psychological horror that suits Flanagan\u2019s style well. The story does retain some of King\u2019s less palatable go-tos \u2014 childhood sexual abuse, in particular, which is arguably not very important to the plot \u2014 but also has one of King\u2019s best endings, and Flanagan\u2019s adaptation more than does it justice. It\u2019s the kind of horror that doesn\u2019t fully sink in until the very end, but when it hits, it hits<\/em>. \u2014Kallie Plagge<\/em><\/p>\n

Gerald\u2019s Game<\/strong><\/em> is available to stream on <\/strong>Netflix<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It (2017)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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The first half of Andy Muschietti\u2019s two-film adaptation of Stephen King\u2019s It<\/em> plays just fine as a stand-alone horror film, and it\u2019s arguably stronger as a solo project than the first half of a double feature. The kid crew of the first movie \u2014 seven small-town outcast kids who band together to fight back against a supernatural evil \u2014 do excellent character work and inject a lot of heart into what would otherwise just be a repetitive CGI fright-fest. There are some downright creepy monster moments in It<\/em>, courtesy of Bill Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s performance as Pennywise the clown. But the heavier threat comes from the mundane elements that hamper the kids, from an abusive dad to violent bullies. In both cases, a strong child cast and convincing bonding scenes give this project a heavy Stranger Things <\/em>vibe \u2014 appropriate enough, since Stranger Things<\/em> was inspired by King kid-bonding horror stories like Stand by Me <\/em>in the first place. \u2014Tasha Robinson<\/em><\/p>\n

It: Chapter One<\/strong><\/em> is available to stream on <\/strong>HBO Max<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Misery<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Paul Sheldon (James Caan) has just finished his latest novel, a departure from his beloved romance series, when he crashes his car during a blizzard. Thankfully, he is saved by an experienced nurse, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who brings him to her farmhouse and tends to his wounds. She also happens to be his biggest fan \u2014 which means she\u2019s not at all happy to read his vulgar new book. And since nobody knows he\u2019s here, she\u2019s got plenty of time to convince him to return to romances while he lies helpless in her care.<\/p>\n

Misery<\/em> sees the reunion of director Rob Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman, fresh off of The Princess Bride<\/em>, for another flavorful meta-story about novels. But it\u2019s truly Bates\u2019 Oscar-winning performance that makes this contained thriller work. Annie is at turns sweet and sympathetic and terrifying and deranged; Bates\u2019 intensity as she swings from hinged to unhinged makes her one of the most memorable and haunting villains in all of horror canon. \u2014Jenna Stoeber<\/em><\/p>\n

Misery<\/strong><\/em> is available to stream on <\/strong>Showtime<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pet Sematary (1989)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Not long after moving to a new house by a busy road, the Creed family\u2019s beloved cat Church falls victim to traffic. Under the guidance of neighbor Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne), patriarch Louis (Dale Midkiff) secretly buries Church in the sort-of eponymous pet cemetery behind their house. The next day, Church returns, but he\u2019s not quite the same. And of course, pets aren\u2019t the only thing that can be laid to rest there.<\/p>\n

Pet Sematary<\/em> is prime \u201980s horror, dripping with blood and unflinching gore, and packed with ominous weirdo side characters; Gwynne\u2019s folksy harbinger has been oft referenced or repeated, but it doesn\u2019t get better than the original. It also suffers from the same vilification of rather generic Native American beliefs that suffuse King\u2019s works, though to a lesser extent than the book.<\/p>\n

Director Mary Lambert is probably best known for her music videos, directing classics like Janet Jackson\u2019s \u201cNasty\u201d and Madonna\u2019s \u201cMaterial Girl.\u201d The effect can be seen in Pet Sematary<\/em>, where not a frame is wasted in building the atmosphere and story, resulting in a tight and harrowing story of a man traveling the road of good intentions straight into hell. Pro tip: Stick around for the credits to listen to The Ramones\u2019 absolute banger, \u201cPet Sematary,\u201d written for this movie (and skip the 2019 adaptation altogether). \u2014JS<\/em><\/p>\n

Pete Sematary<\/strong><\/em> is available to stream on <\/strong>Netflix<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Running Man<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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One of the more action-oriented King stories and adaptations, The Running Man <\/em>is distressingly relevant and prescient for something so over the top in its depiction of dystopia. Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a police officer who attempts to stop a police massacre of participants in a food riot. When he is framed for the massacre (through clever TV editing, no less), he ends up on the popular competition show The Running Man<\/em> (hosted by a delightfully unhinged Richard Dawson), where prisoners escape American Gladiator-style mercenaries in order to try to win their freedom. The result is a fun 1980s sci-fi action movie with great guest appearances from sports luminaries like Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura, and Professor Tanaka, and it\u2019s also one of the better vehicles for Schwarzenegger\u2019s particular flavor of movie stardom. \u2014PV<\/em><\/p>\n

The Running Man<\/strong><\/em> is available to rent for $3.99 on <\/strong>Amazon<\/strong> and <\/strong>Apple<\/strong>; $2.99 on <\/strong>Vudu<\/strong><\/p>\n

Salem\u2019s Lot (1979)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Salem\u2019s Lot <\/em>follows a writer, like many of King\u2019s best works, who moves back to his childhood hometown to investigate an old house in the hopes of using it as inspiration for a novel. The house has recently been bought by a mysterious Austrian immigrant that no one has seen out during the daytime, and you can probably guess what kind of vampiric hauntings happen next. Directed by Tobe Hooper, who also directed The Texas Chain Saw Massacre<\/em>, this adaptation does an excellent job of translating all the creepiness of one of King\u2019s best small towns. Of course, it\u2019s also got terrific vampire design and makeup and a few of the best scares of any King adaptation. \u2014AG<\/em><\/p>\n

Salem\u2019s Lot<\/strong><\/em> is available to stream for free with ads on <\/strong>Tubi<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To call Stephen King one of the most prolific authors of his time would be a gross understatement. The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Carrie, The Stand, Misery, The Shining \u2014 the list goes on. King\u2019s mark on the medium of cinema is just as iconic, dating as far back as his work on George […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/J8Loo9ggW4xf5huBpp_NDEm57kk=\/0x25:1280x695\/fit-in\/1200x630\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/22360974\/maxresdefault.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-news"],"yoast_head":"\n