Favorite Stephen King adaptation?

[Gerald Cooperberg]

Hey, my first poll! Okay, I watched Stand By Me on DVD last night and was inspired to put this one together... sorry I don't have the witty asides a lá Da Worfster. Stand By Me is probably my favorite by some distance, but this isn't a shabby assemblage. What's yr pleasure?

-Coop

[PeruvianSkies]

Hey, my first poll! Okay, I watched Stand By Me on DVD last night and was inspired to put this one together... sorry I don't have the witty asides a lá Da Worfster. Stand By Me is probably my favorite by some distance, but this isn't a shabby assemblage. What's yr pleasure?

-Coop


For me my favorite is probably THE DEAD ZONE, which is also one of my favorite Christopher Walken performances. There are a few other Stephen King storis that I am surprised were left out....


IT
PET SEMETARY
FIRESTARTER
NEEDFUL THINGS
THINNER
CHILDREN OF THE CORN
CUJO

It's so hard when the poll can only take 10 titles though.

[kexodusc]

Okay, time to confess. I'm a closet Stephen King junkie.
I've read pretty much everything he's ever written, own most of the filmwork based on his stories. I even watch that "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" series.

Now it appears King has given JJ Abrams the go ahead to put something together for "The Dark Tower". The should be the most wicked thing in all of creation...

Enough fanboyism.

Hmm, favorite adaptation for me has to be the Stand. It was a mini-series that came outta nowhere and did extremely well, even though the book was soooo much better. I just loved the everything about it. Too freakin' long, but.

Most disappointing would have to be Needful Things, which just came across as way too hokey for me.

This guy can write so many things that appeal to so many different people though, I doubt we'll see a clear winner. Hard to argue against classics like Shawshank and Carrie, Misery, and The Shining.

Great thread!

[PeruvianSkies]

THE SHINING is probably the best film out of all of these choices, which is due solely to Stanley Kubrick and made the film his own, which is probably why SK didn't care for it much. However, it's a true classic now of the Horror Genre and one of the most important films of that genre.

THE DEAD ZONE though is my favorite story and movie, it is the best story and movie in my opinion. The others are either really great stories and crappy movies or great movies with a crappy story. THE DEAD ZONE is highly overlooked, but is a brilliant poignant political/sci-fi masterwork in my book. This is Cronenberg at his best! The film/book really hits you hard when Walken's character suddenly wakes up to find that years has passed by after his coma and that his fiance at the time has remarried. Talk about brutal!!! She has re-entered his life and one of the best lines of the film is when Walken tells her that for him it felt like only a day went by from when they were together, because in his mind it was, yet for her it was years. She can't even comprehend his misery. He is also now able to 'see' things before they happen, which gains him some popularity and becomes a bit of a hero-character. Then comes the politics, which in a post-9/11 world this is just a brilliant, yet scary realization of nuclear war/terrorism, etc.

CARRIE is a really cool sylish horror film that doesn't seem to have aged all that well. I think looking at the film now it appears super cheesy, but that's sometimes the fun part.

SHAWSHANK is a much better movie than the super-short story it's based on. I think the film is truly a great work with much more depth than the story.

THE GREEN MILE was so-so. Only SK could whip something this crazy up. It seems like a normal story until....well, you all know the part where it get's a little freaky.

THE STAND is one of the better mini-series of it's kind and was much better than expected. I remember watching it for 4 nights and being mezmerized each night, but looking back on it...it's semi-memorable.

THINNER was a great revenge story that I thought had an interesting twist with the whole diet thing happening. The movie itself was pretty lame with poor acting and such, but most of SK's stories that are turned into films are because they are low-budget with B or C actors and such.

APT PUPIL was another very good movie with lots of movement to it and the story had some great twists and turns as well. This is probably one of Brian Singers best films to date.

STAND BY ME was much better when I saw it back in the day versus revisiting the film. I think that it's a very nostalghic film that most can relate to about their childhood. So it's kinda like THE WONDER YEARS in a sense. The vomit scene...classic.

[Groundbeef]

Stand by Me. I think it is the best of the bunch. Mostly because it is so un-King like. Very touching, nice story. Fun to watch, and reminise as I can remeber myself goofing off with friends just like them.

Shawsank, great film. If you havn't seen it, I think TBS has it on permanant rotation.

The Stand. Respectiable showing. 8 hours was just about right. Remember the unabridged book is almost 1400 pages long. No way to clip it down to 2.5 hours.

I think that is the major difficulty in making a King movie well. His writing style really lends itself to epic films, with all of the details that really makes his books memorable.
Not 2 hour hatchet jobs to fit it together.

Great poll!

[Gerald Cooperberg]

THE DEAD ZONE though is my favorite story and movie, it is the best story and movie in my opinion. The others are either really great stories and crappy movies or great movies with a crappy story. THE DEAD ZONE is highly overlooked, but is a brilliant poignant political/sci-fi masterwork in my book. This is Cronenberg at his best! The film/book really hits you hard when Walken's character suddenly wakes up to find that years has passed by after his coma and that his fiance at the time has remarried. Talk about brutal!!! She has re-entered his life and one of the best lines of the film is when Walken tells her that for him it felt like only a day went by from when they were together, because in his mind it was, yet for her it was years. She can't even comprehend his misery. He is also now able to 'see' things before they happen, which gains him some popularity and becomes a bit of a hero-character. Then comes the politics, which in a post-9/11 world this is just a brilliant, yet scary realization of nuclear war/terrorism, etc.

I've never seen this one, although it sounds like I should check it out.

-Coop

[kexodusc]

Stand by Me. I think it is the best of the bunch. Mostly because it is so un-King like. Very touching, nice story. Fun to watch, and reminise as I can remeber myself goofing off with friends just like them.

Interesting comment, I hear the "un-King like" comment a lot. While he's best known for some of the earlier spooky horror/thriller type novels, I really find him so diverse that if anything, it's totally King-like.


Shawsank, great film. If you havn't seen it, I think TBS has it on permanant rotation.
Yeah, there's like 94 hour Shawshank rule in the TBS Manifesto, isn't there? Except when they play it takes 4.5 hours.


The Stand. Respectiable showing. 8 hours was just about right. Remember the unabridged book is almost 1400 pages long. No way to clip it down to 2.5 hours. Very, very true - just hard to sit through in a day - while it's my favorite still, I'd rather have been either a bit longer, more of an extended mini-series like HBO does. Just getting picky.


I think that is the major difficulty in making a King movie well. His writing style really lends itself to epic films, with all of the details that really makes his books memorable.
Not 2 hour hatchet jobs to fit it together.

I think the problem half the time is he really doesn't care about the movie end of it, and often the wrong people end up getting the rights to do the movie. This was especially the case prior to Shawshank and The Green Mile. He seems a bit more critical these days.

Delores Claiborne and Needful Things really didn't do the novels justice. Apt Pupil I really liked, though, but that was a shoter story again (like Shawshank, Langoliers etc).
His short stories really work well in film, better than some of his longer classics. It and Needful Things I found just dreadful to watch after loving the books.

Now, how'bout best Tabitha King movie adaptation....:D

[Worf101]

I too was a fan of Kings until I felt he began 'writing by the pound rather than by the book". I remember when he wrote junk for "Gent Magazine (Home of the D Cup)", that's how far back I go. However the last book I read of his that I enjoyed was "Christine", he lost me after that. In that "The Dead Zone" is not on the list (hell he says he never even heard of it!!!!) I went with Carrie. It's the firs S.K. book I read. I was in an airport, Guam it think, still in uniform, DEROSing (getting the hell outta of the ARMY) when I picked this odd book up at the PX. It was a 10 year love affair after that...

But like most of my affairs it ended badly, with fear, recriminations and gunfire....

Da Worfster

[Groundbeef]

Interesting comment, I hear the "un-King like" comment a lot. While he's best known for some of the earlier spooky horror/thriller type novels, I really find him so diverse that if anything, it's totally King-like.

Its hard to be super succinct and still get the message out on these boards. Let me expand my comment. For those of us King fans, we are well aware of his many works. However, how many times have you talked about those films, Green Mile, Shawshank, and in particular Stand by Me, and the other person is like "Stephen King? Really, are you sure? Nawwww....). Thats what I mean by "un-King" like. Unfortunatly, many folks are reluctant to pick up a book of his due to the "Carrie" factor. The figure that one and all of his works are horror flicks. So it comes as a suprise that he can be a thoughtful, and very insightful writer.

Incidently, I have really noticed that religion has been playing much more of part in his novels as of late. Its not a bad thing, and I wonder if his brush with death has caused him to look inside closer at himself. That or the 12 step program.



Delores Claiborne and Needful Things really didn't do the novels justice. Apt Pupil I really liked, though, but that was a shoter story again (like Shawshank, Langoliers etc).
His short stories really work well in film, better than some of his longer classics. It and Needful Things I found just dreadful to watch after loving the books.

Now, how'bout best Tabitha King movie adaptation....:D

Apt Pupil, now I had forgotten about that one. Owww, what a creepy, and yet thrilling read. The really scary part of that one is that there are plenty of nut jobs out there that still profess the 'wisdom' of Hitler and his ilk.

[SlumpBuster]

I remember when he wrote junk for "Gent Magazine (Home of the D Cup)", that's how far back I go.

Ahh, a fellow connoisuer. :cornut:

I haven't read any Stephen King since Misery (1987?), but had read everything up to that point. I always thought his Bachman books could make great movies, but they screwed up Thinner and Running Man. There are some great movies in Roadwork, Rage, and the Long Walk if they were put in the right hands.

My favorite movie as a kid/teenager was Silver Bullet based on Cycle of the Werewolf (?).

My fave as an adult is clearly Shawshank.

[kexodusc]

Its hard to be super succinct and still get the message out on these boards. Let me expand my comment. For those of us King fans, we are well aware of his many works. However, how many times have you talked about those films, Green Mile, Shawshank, and in particular Stand by Me, and the other person is like "Stephen King? Really, are you sure? Nawwww....). Thats what I mean by "un-King" like. Unfortunatly, many folks are reluctant to pick up a book of his due to the "Carrie" factor. The figure that one and all of his works are horror flicks. So it comes as a suprise that he can be a thoughtful, and very insightful writer.
Ahh, gotcha...and well put..



Incidently, I have really noticed that religion has been playing much more of part in his novels as of late. Its not a bad thing, and I wonder if his brush with death has caused him to look inside closer at himself. That or the 12 step program.
The latter from what I've heard - he turned to religion as he was trying to break his addictions though and really picked it up more there...Who knows? Think people find God for different reasons. Might just be a reflection of the reality though, religious wars/conflicts are the story of the day, and have been for the last decade plus.



Apt Pupil, now I had forgotten about that one. Owww, what a creepy, and yet thrilling read. The really scary part of that one is that there are plenty of nut jobs out there that still profess the 'wisdom' of Hitler and his ilk.
I don't remember being terribly captivated reading it (mediocre for King), but I really liked the movie. I always felt Apt Pupil was very underrated by movie critics. Oh well.

[Kam]

i voted for the Shining, although shawshank is also a close second with stand by me.

i've always wondered if they would ever make Eyes of the Dragon into a movie, it is my favorite stephen king book, one of my favorite books ever, and the only book i've ever read in one sitting flying through those final pages and reading as fast as i could.

[Gerald Cooperberg]

I always thought his Bachman books could make great movies, but they screwed up Thinner and Running Man. There are some great movies in Roadwork, Rage, and the Long Walk if they were put in the right hands.


i've always wondered if they would ever make Eyes of the Dragon into a movie, it is my favorite stephen king book, one of my favorite books ever, and the only book i've ever read in one sitting flying through those final pages and reading as fast as i could.

Ahh, this sounds like it could be a whole new thread: "Which Stephen King adaptations would you like to see?". I've personally daydreamed about The Long Walk being made into a movie (or maybe even a faux-reality TV show, which they also could've done with The Running Man)... for some reason, I think I've heard that there was a Rage movie (maybe a TV movie?) but now I'm not sure as it doesn't seem to be on iMDB...

-Coop

[Kam]

i've always thought the best adaptations were from short stories. a 20-30 page prose piece can easily be a 2 hour movie and encapsulate everything in the piece. a 200-300+ page (and in the case of SK 500-800+pages) book is always going to have to cut a LOT out to make that 2 hour time frame.

what i loved the most about the Shining, (and kubrick's genius) is he captured the *feeling* of that book. yeah, its not a completely "faithful to the text" adaptation, but it is faithful to the essense of that book. i felt the same way after watching the movie as i did reading the book. just flat out creeped out. and the subtleties of king's writing, eg. the whole halloran in miami section, was perfectly captured in around a minute (? or close) of screentime with that slow zoom that kubrick pulls off so well.

the miniseries was faithfull to the text, but lost the soul of the book, imo. i thought the mini-series was horrible. king's books, imo, do not literally translate well into movies. i think they have to be interpreted by someone with a pretty solid understanding/vision on their own. shawshank being the exception to the rule, but even then it was just a novella at 120 (i think?) pages.

[kexodusc]

i've always thought the best adaptations were from short stories. a 20-30 page prose piece can easily be a 2 hour movie and encapsulate everything in the piece. a 200-300+ page (and in the case of SK 500-800+pages) book is always going to have to cut a LOT out to make that 2 hour time frame.

what i loved the most about the Shining, (and kubrick's genius) is he captured the *feeling* of that book. yeah, its not a completely "faithful to the text" adaptation, but it is faithful to the essense of that book. i felt the same way after watching the movie as i did reading the book. just flat out creeped out. and the subtleties of king's writing, eg. the whole halloran in miami section, was perfectly captured in around a minute (? or close) of screentime with that slow zoom that kubrick pulls off so well.

the miniseries was faithfull to the text, but lost the soul of the book, imo. i thought the mini-series was horrible. king's books, imo, do not literally translate well into movies. i think they have to be interpreted by someone with a pretty solid understanding/vision on their own. shawshank being the exception to the rule, but even then it was just a novella at 120 (i think?) pages.
Agreed, there's too much in most novels to cram into 90 -120 minutes quite often. I've found the short stories (Shawshank, The Langoliers, etc) made for the best transitions to the big screen. Just my preference though, I think the earlier movies, Carrie, Christine, Misery, The Shining, etc remain more popular arguably. Though, some novels were quite easy to wrap up in a movie, and just poorly executed like Needful Things and Delores Claiborne. Win some, lose some.
I think there's a lot of potential with the HBO- 10-15 episode format though. Not just for King's works either, but for a lot of great fiction. The hollywood movie is fine, but some stories deserve more than 2 or 3 hours. "Dexter" is one of the creepiest, best new shows I've seen in years. Just loved it. I believe it was an adaptation of a novel as well.

[SlumpBuster]

The kid from The Long Walk had a phrase that he used to get through the walk, something like "Picking them up, putting them down." At least that is how I remember the phrase. I often think of it whenever I'm doing something tedious and say it to myself.

Good book, sucky ending. Almost like SK looked at his calandar and realized he was about to miss his deadline. "Oh, dang, gotta wrap it up in five pages!"

[Troy]

Like Kex, I think I've read pretty much all the King books over the years too. There's a lot of very entertaining material in his back catalog.

Yeah, his coke-head tendency to "write by the pound" thru the 80s wore on me too, but now that his output has slowed to almost nothing, he's back on track. He's a much better writer now than he was 20 years ago.

My favorites are his short story books. There was a recent one, "Everything's Eventual" that is packed with great twisted and clever stories. "The Death of Jack Hamilton" was the most sublime thing he ever wrote. Those of you that think he's too long-winded might like this.

His book "On Writing" is quite excellent too. Part instruction manual on how to write and part biography. Not the usual SK book.

Curious to see how The Dork Tower series could be made into a movie (or 5). I really wish it had ended better. It just kinda dribbled away without much resolution. I get the whole cyclical, reincarnation angle, I was just hoping for a a little more oomph.

My favorite King book: The Stand. There is STILL a great movie (or HBO series) to be made there. One without Molly Ringwald.

Favorite movie . . . is a tough call. Contrary to most critics, there have been a number of good ones. The only good one not in this poll is probably "Dead Zone", but that's ok. "Shawshank" or "Shining"? Hmmmmmmm. Carrie was ultra creepy too. I picked "The Shining." As already mentioned, it's all about the cast and director with that one. It's still the most artful A-List cast and crew horror film ever made.

[Groundbeef]

Curious to see how The Dork Tower series could be made into a movie (or 5). I really wish it had ended better. It just kinda dribbled away without much resolution. I get the whole cyclical, reincarnation angle, I was just hoping for a a little more oomph.



I liked the series, although the last 2 seemed pretty rushed out. And the end without a doubt was a copout. I read the last few pages and was like....Uhhhh yeah.

I think my favorite one was the western themed one. I think I have read it about 4 times.

[kexodusc]

I liked the series, although the last 2 seemed pretty rushed out. And the end without a doubt was a copout. I read the last few pages and was like....Uhhhh yeah.

I think my favorite one was the western themed one. I think I have read it about 4 times.

The Dark Tower series were by far my favorite works by him and I liked the ending. Wjat can I say, to me it was gold. The Stand a distant second, though for awhile I didn't want it to end. Favorite short story, probably The Langoliers.
I didn't mind the 1980's stuff, a few stinkers, but he likes to be busy, and even his bad stuff was pretty good. I think he released more books in the 1980's than he wrote. There was a while though were I was reading bucks because I felt obligated, more than interested.

Good to see there's a lot of fans who'll fess up to liking the guy. My wife's and her parents are the literary elite sort that just refuse to give him any credit. Can't think of another writer alive who's enjoyed so much success for so long - Mrs Harry Potter perhaps...What is it with the elites and their contempt for anything that becomes popular, in any form of art?

[Worf101]

What is it with the elites and their contempt for anything that becomes popular, in any form of art?

You must understand dear sir that ANYTHING that appeals to... "the mob", the lumpen proletariat, the "muttering masses of mouthbreathing morons" (this one is mine by the way) certainly must have little or NO artistic merit. I mean if the average wrestling fan or his dimwitted, snot dripping offspring read it, how can it be literature?

Da (tongue firmly implanted in cheek) Worfster

[kexodusc]

You must understand dear sir that ANYTHING that appeals to... "the mob", the lumpen proletariat, the "muttering masses of mouthbreathing morons" (this one is mine by the way) certainly must have little or NO artistic merit. I mean if the average wrestling fan or his dimwitted, snot dripping offspring read it, how can it be literature?

Da (tongue firmly implanted in cheek) Worfster
I see...so that's why Muddy Waters is a hack and Kenny G is an afficianado?

[Worf101]

I see...so that's why Muddy Waters is a hack and Kenny G is an afficianado?
You have it twisted (per usual), Kenny (Da Mad Noodler) is not an "afficiando" he's a prodigy, a master an experten... An afficianado is a person who "likes" a particular thing. For example you're a Porn Afficiando..... See...

Da Worfster

[kexodusc]

You have it twisted (per usual), Kenny (Da Mad Noodler) is not an "afficiando" he's a prodigy, a master an experten... An afficianado is a person who "likes" a particular thing. For example you're a Porn Afficiando..... See...

Da Worfster
You're right, not the big foreign language word I was grasping for. Blast! Outsmarted by Worf again!
But all is not in vain, we've exposed Worf's obsessive fixation with Kenny G....
To you, good sir, I say - Ha!

[GMichael]

You're right, not the big foreign language word I was grasping for. Blast! Outsmarted by Worf again!
But all is not in vain, we've exposed Worf's obsessive fixation with Kenny G....
To you, good sir, I say - Ha!

Worf has an obsessive fixation with Kenny G? Worf? Our Worf?:confused: Next thing you'll tell us is that he eats his steak with a knife and fork. :idea:

[thekid]

Too many to pick a fav........

I will say though that for me one of the scariest moments I ever had watching a film was when the woman electocutes herself making toast. (I think Pet Semetary) Most horror film fright scenes are for me at least somewhat cartoonish so you are kind of on the outside looking in and are in on it so to speak but that scene was so ordinary it was scary. I think that is SK's strength (with his better work) which is taking something so ordinary and seemingly benign and giving you a different angle.

[PeruvianSkies]

Too many to pick a fav........

I will say though that for me one of the scariest moments I ever had watching a film was when the woman electocutes herself making toast. (I think Pet Semetary) Most horror film fright scenes are for me at least somewhat cartoonish so you are kind of on the outside looking in and are in on it so to speak but that scene was so ordinary it was scary. I think that is SK's strength (with his better work) which is taking something so ordinary and seemingly benign and giving you a different angle.

I would definitely have to agree that SK's greatest strength is his ability to understand the dark side of human nature. The majority of his work is about the human condition with a bit of an odd twist and what makes his work so scary often times is that people are taken into a world that 'seems' normal, but then becomes slightly skewed during the ride and are often taken to a place that is nightmarish and yet dreamlike all at the same time.

[eisforelectronic]

Too many to pick a fav........

I will say though that for me one of the scariest moments I ever had watching a film was when the woman electocutes herself making toast. (I think Pet Semetary) Most horror film fright scenes are for me at least somewhat cartoonish so you are kind of on the outside looking in and are in on it so to speak but that scene was so ordinary it was scary. I think that is SK's strength (with his better work) which is taking something so ordinary and seemingly benign and giving you a different angle.

Yeah, just like how you normally wouldn't be afraid of a shape shifting mother and son, but then you're like, oh crap they HATE cats!!!

[Dusty Chalk]

Shawshank Redemption, easily -- one of those few cases where the cinematic adaptation transcends the written version. I can count on one hand where that's the case (and I'm sure there's some that I've forgotten, which might bump it up to two hands).

[PeruvianSkies]

Shawshank Redemption, easily -- one of those few cases where the cinematic adaptation transcends the written version. I can count on one hand where that's the case (and I'm sure there's some that I've forgotten, which might bump it up to two hands).

I would certainly agree that this is a great cinematic adaptation. Oddly this film came outta nowhere with most people and didn't really do that well until more people starting causing a buzz on home video. I would have to say that the key formula for this particular film is the right actors. Not only good actors, but the right roles for each of them. You know they were like...hey we need a guy for the lead who can play a rather spaced out guy that is pretty bland...hey I know.... Tim Robbins. After this film everyone thought he was a great actor, until they saw him in more films and realized he always plays that same person...Andy Dufresne.

[jamison]

I loved the shawshank redemption. would love to see the eyes of the dragon made into a movie as well as one no one has mentioned The Talisman

[3-LockBox]

I vote for Stand By Me, because of where it stands in light of what came before it. I liked SK movies to a point, but for some reason, directors always wanted to deviate from the story line, even Kubrick. Rob Reiner of all people, brought SK into a light he'd never been seen before, sentimatality. Now fans of SK novels know that Steven King was very sentimental, but his novels in the hands of aspiring horror directors and screen writers, always came across a very slick and shallow. Reiner made a movie that was sentimental, but also clever and smart; smart in the way it told the story from a kids persective without being cloying or degrading and without insulting the intelligence of the audience, child or adult. It was also, to that date, the most faithful to the novel (actually in this case, novella - The Body). Up to that point directors and screen writers made King look like some kind of hack (something King did as well when he wrote his own screenplays). The Stand may not be the best SK story turned movie, but its my favorite because of what it represented.

As far as some of King's novels turned mini-series, they all showed promise, they all stayed somewhat faithful to the novel. but they all ended so hokey. Every big finale was sooo clumsy. It was as if on every project they realized they were over time so the ending got edited so badly. And because of the scope of King's vision, TV is just never going to do justice to a SK novel. Tommyknockers is a case in point. The production on this mini-series barely rivals the Dark Shows soap-opera for hamfisted effort. Especially in the scenes when they are escavating the spaceship, and its obvious that the props for the ship are merely sitting on the ground with dirt piled around them, instead just 'going for it and actually digging holes, into the ground. How about the creature at the end of It; looks like the spider from Gilligans Island. I hear there is going to be a mini-series of The Talisman. I can't imagine how pathetic this will be on TV if they approach it in the same manner as the other mini-series.