Filmsane

Steven King has been scaring us for almost 50 years. Ever since King sold his first professional short story, “The Glass Floor”, to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967 to be exact. And during those 5 decades, King has published 54 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, six non-fiction books and sold more than 350 million copies of his books.

Many of his books are set in his home state of Maine, and since many of them have been adapted in movies, TV series and even comic books. So, that’s what I’m for. The movies. I’ll talk about other media based on his books and for now I’ll focus more on the books that were turned into movies.

Now, not being fan of horror as a genre (Ive recently discovered Sam Raimi’s early work for crying out loud) Ive somehow shied from watching horror movies over the years. Especially his horror movies. Yes, his work is predominantly in the horror genre but also ranges from full on drama and melodrama to SF and western. And I love those to be honest.

The Dark Tower comes out this month to theaters and it’s the latest movie adaptation from King’s work. A sprawling eight-book hybrid fantasy-Western series, The Dark Tower stars Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, and you can expect my review next week.

King’s works have been a source of inspiration for many young and talented filmmakers, writers and artists, most recently the Duffy brothers who openly attributed the inspiration for the cult Netflix series Stranger Things to King and his writings.

And even today… Just Google Stephen King movies… you’ll get volumes and volumes of list, analysis and homages of his adapted work. They’re called Stephen King’s movie you’ll notice. Sure there are directed by one of the finest filmmakers (Brian De Palma, Stanley Kubrick, Rob Reiner, Taylor Hackford, Frank Darabont among others) but they are aptly titled Stephen King’s movies. Cause they are.

So… about my favorite Stephen King’s movies… Check out the list bellow and tell me yours.

Carrie – 1976

Directed by: Brian De Palma
Fun fact about it: This was the first Stephen King novel adapted into a movie.

The Shining – 1980

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Fun fact about it: To get Jack Nicholson in the right agitated mood, he was only fed cheese sandwiches for two weeks – which he hates.

Stand by Me – 1989

Directed by: Rob Reiner
Fun fact about it: To keep in character while off-camera, Kiefer Sutherland often picked on Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell.

Misery- 1990

Directed by: Rob Reiner
Fun fact about it: As of 2017, this is the only Stephen King adaptation to receive an Academy Award (for Kathy Bates).

Dolores Claiborne – 1995

Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Fun fact about it: Kathy Bates’ favorite movie role of her career.

The Green Mile – 1999

Directed by: Frank Darabont
Fun fact about it: Tom Hanks accepted the role of Paul Edgecomb as a favor to Frank Darabont, after he was forced to turn down the role of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption (1994), in order to play the title role in Forrest Gump (1994).

1408 – 2007

Directed by: Mikael Håfström
Fun fact about it: John Cusack’s second appearance in a Stephen King film adaptation. The first was Stand by Me (1986).

The Mist – 2007

Directed by: Frank Darabont
Fun fact about it: Despite the setting in Maine, the film was shot entirely in Minden, Louisiana. To Frank Darabont’s delight, Stephen King could not distinguish it from Maine when watching the film.