Stephen King

1408 (2007)

Ah, another Stephen King story I haven’t yet read. I feel like I’ve already read so much of his that it’s always surprising to see just how much I haven’t yet read. Anyway, add this one to the list of things I eventually want to read someday.

Carrie (2013)

I’m surprising even myself by saying this, but I think I like this one just a little bit better than the original. Now don’t get me wrong – I still think the original Carrie is classic horror and shouldn’t be skipped. But this one seemed to flow better. And the payoff seemed…more worth it?

Interestingly, while I was more familiar with some of the actors in this one, Judy Greer is the only one I felt was cast well. Well, that’s not quite true. I think Julianne Moore was excellent as Margaret White, but I didn’t believe her as Chloë Grace Moretz’s mother.

Carrie (1976)

I’ve always liked this movie. I’m sure that’s partly because my mom likes it and partly because I always secretly wanted to discover that I had telekinetic powers. I like this movie despite an unfortunate incident involving me watching this movie and a palmetto bug.

I suppose I also always liked this movie because of John Travolta. Despite the jerk of a character he plays as Billy, I even liked him in this movie. And Sissy Spacek is incredible. Carrie White is such a sympathetic character that I really felt for her every step of the way. Amy Irving helps round out the great cast, with Piper Laurie really shining as Margaret White. 

Cell (2016)

Wow. Just…wow. This movie was a disappointment. It’s based on a Stephen King novel I have read – and one I quite liked, at that. But I did not like this movie.

It was boring, it lacked emotion, and it was a poorly paced adaptation of the story. It feels strange to me to rate anything with such a great cast lower than three out of five, but I couldn’t bring myself to go past two out of five for this one.

Children of the Corn (1984)

I’m surprised I haven’t already reviewed a Stephen King adaptation. I realized this was one I hadn’t already seen or read, which is impressive because I’ve seen and read a lot of Stephen King. Like, a lot. Anyway, it seemed like an appropriate choice for my first Stephen King review.

I may be a bit biased, but I haven’t met a Stephen King adaptation I don’t like. I think it’s partly because King is so great at describing scenes in such detail that a visual adaptation can’t help but be true to the original. 

Christine (1983)

I’m still catching up on sleep this week so I’m a bit tired but I’ll try to do this movie some justice. I’ll admit that nostalgia may be biasing my opinion on this one – it’s another movie I remember watching with my mom when I was younger. It’s also the first place I heard the song “Bad to the Bone.”

Cujo (1983)

I think I like Stephen King best when he’s really imaginative. The Regulators and Desperation are two of my favorite King novels, and there is some seriously fantastical stuff in them.

So it makes sense that I’ve never read Cujo. I do find it interesting that I like horror movies best when they’re more grounded in reality, but horror fiction best when it’s not.

Desperation (2006)

This is another made-for-TV adaptation of a Stephen King novel. One of my favorite Stephen King novels, in fact! It’s second only to The Regulators, which takes place in the same universe, sort of.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Okay, I was…hesitant to watch this, because it’s a two and a half hour movie, but it IS Mike Flanagan (AND Stephen King), and I watched The Shining last time around, so it had to be included here. And I’m glad it was.

Gerald's Game (2017)

So, I think this movie wins for making me cry the hardest of any movie I’ve watched this year. Actually, I don’t recall crying for ANY other movie I’ve written about this year. And I’m a BIG crier, especially for movies.

It (2017)

It’s a big undertaking doing a new adaptation of a Stephen King novel, especially when the original was such a classic. And the original was long enough, but this is even longer. Sure, it’s split between two parts…but the original was a TV miniseries split between a few parts also, and this first part alone was OVER TWO HOURS.

But I have to give it credit where credit’s due. This movie is pretty scary, pretty interesting, and has some really fantastic performances by both the kids and by Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise.

It (1990)

I may be biased writing this, because you could probably say that this is the movie that started it all. The details are fuzzy, but I remember seeing this when I was about five, so it may have been when it aired the first time. I think I was supposed to be asleep, and whoever was watching didn’t see me sneak up behind them (I do that sometimes) until the commercial break.

Anyway, next thing I do remember is that for the next several years, I thought there was a clown under my bed that was going to eat me. I still sometimes leap into my bed from three feet away so nothing grabs my ankles. And sometimes I still have to turn on all the lights in my house in the middle of the night so I can fall asleep.

It Chapter Two (2019)

Don’t watch this movie. Really, don’t watch it. It’s not worth it. I’m so mad about this movie. This movie is the longest movie I have watched yet. It beats the Suspiria remake by SEVENTEEN MINUTES. But it honestly feels even longer than that. And wholly unnecessarily.

Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022)

Oh hey, a Stephen King adaptation not by Mike Flanagan? Yep. I’ve actually read this story too, and mostly enjoyed it.

Pet Sematary (2019)

I’m going to try to avoid the “F” word here, but I liked this one about as much as yesterday’s. It’s about the same length, the same pacing, and (mostly) the same story.

Pet Sematary (1989)

I have to apologize to all of you. It seems my word of the year is “fine”. It’s only March, and I’ve already called 11 movies “fine” this year! Well, let’s make it 12, because…you can probably guess where I’m going here.

Sometimes They Come Back (1991)

I’ve recently been watching The West Wing for the first time ever (I know, I know) so it’s appropriate that I’d watch a movie starring Tim Matheson. He’s much more likable in this as Jim Norman than he is in The West Wing, though, which is probably for the best.

This definitely watches like a Stephen King story, although it’s another I haven’t read. The premise is reasonably interesting but after watching the movie I don’t feel the need to read it also. Which isn’t to say the movie isn’t interesting – it is interesting. And well acted. And, for the most part, with nicely done background music.

The Boogeyman (2023)

Before I get into this movie, I want to go on a little tangent about something neat that’s happened in the past few years: some really great horror TV shows, namely From (which I briefly mentioned last week), and more importantly to today’s film, Yellowjackets. I love Yellowjackets SO MUCH, and Sophie Thatcher (Sadie in this movie) is my favorite on the show.

I could go on for paragraphs upon paragraphs about Yellowjackets, but I’ll just say I highly recommend it if you are ok with a lot of questions being asked and not always answered (it’s two seasons in, and now that the writer and actor strikes are over, hopefully seasons three and beyond will be out in the not too distant future!)

The Mist (2007)

Here’s another Stephen King work that I’ve read and liked. I originally read this one before seeing the movie and was expecting to be disappointed by the adaptation. That wasn’t the case, though! While I probably would have done some things differently, for the most part I really liked the choices that the filmmaker (and screenwriter!) made here.

There are a few points that drag on a bit but for the most part this movie is well paced and wonderfully suspenseful. The creatures are terrifying and the humans often even more so. And I love how well the background music works, especially during the climactic scenes.

The Shining (1980)

Here’s another Stephen King work I haven’t yet read. I should probably get around to it, because a sequel was released a couple years back that’s apparently pretty good. Speaking of which, I should probably also get around to reading the Dark Tower series, what with the film version being talked about now…

Anyhow, if Stephen King plus Stanley Kubrick seems like a win to you, you’re right. And I can’t imagine anyone better than Jack Nicholson to help them out. I mean, even if you’ve never seen this movie, you know Jack Nicholson’s face and his timelessly creepy “Here’s Johnny!” And Jack Nicholson isn’t the only cast member who delivers a stellar performance. Everyone in this movie is spectacular, including little Danny.

Thinner (1996)

I really like this movie. I also really like this book. This is probably my favorite film adaptation of a Stephen King story (though it may be tied with The Shawshank Redemption). It’s definitely one of my favorite Stephen King novels, and I think one of the first of his books that I’ve read.