Worst of Stephen King's 10 favorite adaptations of his own fiction

I'll admit my general dislike of Shawshank and Misery is against the grain, but seriously, Cujo's the only pretty good one on here besides Stand By Me.

he didn't include the shining tv remake?

and dude come on... misery.

and the mist is pretty good!

The Shawshank Redemption. It insists upon itself.

I'll admit that The Mist does look sorta good, in a blunt way.

I think he did a list for EW back when that shitty Shining miniseries came out wherein he included it and it was all too obvious he was doing it to take a swipe at Kubrick's version. Not that I exactly blame King, given Kubrick's version has unquestionably eclipsed his own in the pop culture canon; that can't be fun for him.

Probably gonna vote Green Mile here.

I liked The Stand miniseries.

It and Salem's Lot are still the best two miniseries imo. Liked Alice Beasley in The Tommyknockers tho.

The Langoliers was horrible.

misery rules fuk u

If only the whole movie would've been Frances Sternhagen's squabbling with Richard Farnsworth. And Kathy Bates calling out "You poop!" at all her neighbors.

Not that I exactly blame King, given Kubrick's version has unquestionably eclipsed his own in the pop culture canon; that can't be fun for him.

This just doesn't make sense. What else can you expect if one of your books is turned into a hugely popular and enduring movie version?

... that only fleetingly had anything to do with the book its based on.

that's kind of silly to say, considering that it has most of the same characters, the same essential plot, etc.

Maybe, but point being King has repeatedly said he thought Kubrick's version was bad. He's wrong on that one too.

xpost to Timi Yuro: I think the reason King is so bitter about the canonization of Kubrick's version is that Kubrick made certain fundamental changes to the narrative that didn't jibe with King, basically poopooed King when he objected to said changes, and was then vindicated by critics & fans who agreed that Kubrick had in fact improved on the original story. King whined like a bitch about this at every opportunity, until he got the chance to "right" the story with his laughably inferior version (you know, b/c giant hedge bunnies come to life is a much more satisfying end than the frozen maze race with Jack). When his adaptation was universally shat upon, I'm pretty sure King finally shut the fuck up.

x-post

yeah, he didn't like kubrick's kubrickization of it.

otm

god that tv version is so shitty

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, King did have one legitimate reason for feeling shortchanged: the descent into evil of Jack Torrence's character was symbolic of/parallel with the exterior "evil" of his alcoholism. King had written this as an outlet for and reflection on his own battle with addiction & felt that Kubrick had misinterpreted the character as someone who already possessed "evil" qualities & whose demonization did not arise solely as a result of exterior elements.

Frank Darabont = Three mentions
Rob Reiner = Two
Kubrick, Romero, De Palma, Cronenberg, Carpenter combined = Zero

Stephen King's taste fucking sucks.

As does the writing. I've tried to get into this guy a number of times, but the only book I remember with any fondness is 'Misery', and given how shit the other books by him I've read since were, I'm fairly sure if I went back that 'Misery' would be shit too. The movie was good, though. And the movie of 'The Mist' was better than it had any right to be, except for the last minute or so.

The real answer is "Apt Pupil." Ugh.

1408 suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked

have always liked Apt Pupil. strange, weird, fucked up movie. Shawshank Redemption gets my vote, ugh i hate escape from prison films in general.

(ok except for Bressons's A Man Escaped) *intellectual*

As Enslin desperately tries to tell his wife not to come, the room begins to shake violently, and water explodes and floods out of a painting of a schooner lost at sea, pulling Enslin under the surface. Enslin wakes up on the beach, the result of a surfing accident depicted earlier in the film. He soon finds Lily at his bedside in a hospital near his home in Los Angeles; she tells him that he was hospitalized after sustaining a concussion, leading him to conclude 1408 was just a dream. This reprieve is short-lived, however, when at the post office to mail a manuscript of his latest book (with a story about 1408) to his agent, a construction crew made up of hotel staff and guests begin to destroy the interior, revealing the walls and floor of 1408 underneath, now severely fire-damaged; he is still trapped inside 1408.

= one of the most laughably theatergoing experiences of my life

er, "laughably bad"

The Shining (Kubrick version)
The Dead Zone
The Mist (black and white version)
Misery
Creepshow
Salem's Lot (Tobe Hooper version)
It
Christine
Cats Eyes (for 'Quitters Inc' w/ James Woods)
Misery

how can you people even be discussing this when "the green mile" is an option?

The Mist (black and white version)

What is this?

Yeah, of this list, Apt Pupil, noting that I haven't seen 1408 or Storm of the Century. Apt Pupil (which I've only seen once) just felt tawdry and incomplete, plus David Schwimmer was laughably miscast, and the ending should've been what the novella had, where Brad Renfro's character pulls a Charles Whitman.

Cujo and Misery are great, Dolores Claiborne is saved by the Kathy Bates/David Strathairn flashbacks, and The Green Mile is surprisingly depressing.

Although the Cujo movie should've had the balls to kill the damn kid like King did in the book.

The DVD release of THE MIST includes a black and white version, which is apparently Darabont's preferred version - it certainly helps to disguise some of the dodgy cgi and generally gives the flick more atmos

I really like the Stephen King novels that have fewer than three characters: Misery (two), Gerald's Game (one), and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (one).

"Storm of the Century" was intended for TV in the first place, wasn't it? In any case, it's utter cliched rubbish and totally unscary, so I vote for that.

"1408" comes next, the rest are OK I guess.

The DVD release of THE MIST includes a black and white version, which is apparently Darabont's preferred version - it certainly helps to disguise some of the dodgy cgi and generally gives the flick more atmos

― Ward Fowler, Thursday, February 5, 2009 2:40 PM (25 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

whoa really?? that's cool!!!

Apt Pupil (which I've only seen once) just felt tawdry and incomplete...the ending should've been what the novella had, where Brad Renfro's character pulls a Charles Whitman.

WTF, they changed the ending? (I haven't seen it.) That's pretty much the whole point of the story, or at least it felt that way when I read it as a teenager. What happens in the movie?

Essentially nothing! The kid walks away scot-free at the end. Via Wikipedia:

Todd graduates valedictorian and gives a speech on the theme of Icarus, with the thesis that "All great achievements arose from dissatisfaction. It is the desire to do better, to dig deeper, that propels civilization to greatness." In a montage, this is juxtaposed with Dussander's home being searched and the hobo's corpse being found in the basement.

Todd is briefly questioned about his relationship with Dussander, but manages to convince the police that he knew nothing of the old man's true identity. At the hospital, Dussander hears a group of Neo-Nazis outside the hospital; realizing his identity has been hopelessly compromised, he commits suicide by giving himself an air embolism.

Todd then proceeds to blackmail his school counselor, French (Schwimmer), who met Dussander and later learned he was not his grandfather, threatening to accuse him of making inappropriate sexual advances towards him.

. . . fade to black, roll credits. F U, Bryan Singer!

wow, if Frances Sternhagen and Richard Farnsworth are in Misery I may have to see it someday.

Dolores Claiborne > The Shining

Re: Schwimmer, the big problem with his casting was that he wore the SERIOUS ACTOR IS SERIOUS mustache that was generally played for laughs in "Friends" flashbacks:

http://www.freewebs.com/davidschwimmer248/apt%20pupil.JPG

http://www.ghostofthefuture.com/images/LardAss/lardass-05.jpg

I don't consider Friends cast comedians, even the ones who're brilliant comic actors (that'd be Kudrow only p'haps)

haha, misID'd thread!

the mist is weird, cuz while it's not a great film, it plays out like a better than average sci-fi channel flick for most of it's running time before finally delivering this AMAZING should-have-been-closing-shot of that massive cthuloid thing walking through the sky ... but then totally fucks itself over with one of the most senseless codas i've ever seen in an otherwise half-decent movie (crimson rivers competes for this honor). king loves that part, of course.

anyway, misery and cujo are probably the best films on this list, of those i've seen, and neither is all that great (admit i haven't seen stand by me, and that's sort of a "classic"). green mile, apt pupil and the crappy-ending-having mist are tied in badness. saw part of the storm of the century, and that looked like the very worst of all, but i can't say for sure, cuz i couldn't bear to watch any more.

Re: Schwimmer, the big problem with his casting was that he wore the SERIOUS ACTOR IS SERIOUS mustache that was generally played for laughs in "Friends" flashbacks:

He looks like he's about to audition for the "Sabotage" video!

Either that, or a John Stossel biopic.

i LOVE the ending of the mist!

I do too. I remember getting a lot of grief for liking the Mist here before.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

3 of the top 4 vote-getters from Darabont. Good job, ILX!

Okay, so I'm thinking of holding a movie screening night: "Stephen King's Cavalcade of Terrible". What flicks could I cram in to a single day's showing that wouldn't kill people?

Much as I dislike The Green Mile, I'd steer clear of the Darabont movies entirely. Too boring.

The Langoliers
Sleepwalkers
Maximum Overdrive
The Lawnmower Man
Thinner

That's a pretty solid list that will also keep folks entertained with the badness.

1. Children of the Corn
2. Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice
3. Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest
4. Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering
5. Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror
6. Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return
7. Children of the Corn: Revelation

eric's list is good but i might sub in "dreamcatcher"

Yeah, that one's supposed to be the new classic in bad King. Sorry I missed it.

o u really must

I find The Langoliers to be a genuinely entertaining movie.

langorly??

This was prompted by watching Maximum Overdrive and Pet Sematary at 2am on Saturday night. Both movies have quite enjoyable bits.

The killer coke machine has remained lodged in my memory for 20+ years now.

http://www.nxfansite.net.au/movies/petsematary1.jpg

I'd take out Lawnmower Man since Stephen King successfully sued to get his name off it. Replace it with Creepshow!

creepshow is awesome, tho!

creepshow 2 would prob qualify for entertainingly bad.

making a distinction between "awesome" and "incredibly bad" seems foolish when dealing with stephen king.

just showing films he wrote himself might do the trick:

Sleepwalkers
Pet Sematary
Maximum Overdrive
Silver Bullet
Cat's Eye
Creepshow

"awesome" and "entertainingly bad," i mean

yeah, I feel you on that.

and now that I think of it, did king write anything for creepshow besides that redneck plant dude thing he starred in? prob one of the weakest segments in the film.

he wrote the whole screenplay, according to imdb/wikipedia

ah.

anyway, the best one has gotta be leslie neilson vs ted danson

http://www.best-horror-movies.com/image-files/creepshow-tide-you-over.jpg

creepshow top 5 material for real.

I'm thinking the crucial balance will be between entertaining terribleness and just outright boredom. There are parts of Maximum Overdrive and Pet Sematary, to use them as examples again, where it's just kinda 'enh.' The pacing halfway thru MO just dies.

Then again, both movies also have enjoyable parts; from the coke machine to the killer ice cream truck to Fred Gwynne's accent to the toddler munching on Fred Gwynne's throat to Pascow the Helpful Bloody Ghost.

Maximum Overdrive really shoots its wad in that first 20 minutes or so. How do you top a kid getting run over by a steamroller?

I'd take out Lawnmower Man since Stephen King successfully sued to get his name off it. Replace it with Creepshow!

― da croupier, Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:32 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

shouldn't that give it like extra-special bonus points?

Maximum Overdrive really shoots its wad in that first 20 minutes or so. How do you top a kid getting run over by a steamroller?

!!! I suspect all of my memories of this flick are from those 20 min...

I'd take out Lawnmower Man since Stephen King successfully sued to get his name off it. Replace it with Creepshow!
― da croupier, Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:32 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

shouldn't that give it like extra-special bonus points?
― fleetwood (s1ocki), Tuesday, January 19, 2010 8:25 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

For badness? Not really, since it's been established that King has terrible judgement about which of his own adaptations are good and which are bad.

I have a weird affection for Lawnmower Man, it's a fun movie.

Lawnmower Man was the first movie related to him that I saw in the theaters, as I

1) was 16
2) loved bad CGI & early-90s VR hype

what of the fuck you talkie bout, Green mile is more than u could ever be so why not try to understand the artist directions before u go off running ur hairy mouth

Whoa, that was quick.

We're done told.

well whut movies do u like then crap like Far and Away geez

Far and Away is scarey.

Lawnmower man features a chimp-cam lets not forget.

he didn't like Salem's Lot??

I'd take out Lawnmower Man since Stephen King successfully sued to get his name off it. Replace it with Creepshow!
― da croupier, Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:32 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
shouldn't that give it like extra-special bonus points?
― fleetwood (s1ocki), Tuesday, January 19, 2010 8:25 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

For badness? Not really, since it's been established that King has terrible judgement about which of his own adaptations are good and which are bad.

― queen frostine (Eric H.), Tuesday, January 19, 2010 10:44 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

true but in this case i feel like it's a special moment of critical/kingian rapprochement

what of the fuck you talkie bout

i dunno, if i was holding a king marathon i'd want King-ian craziness, not some lame-o CGI bullshit that shares nothing with his work but a title - save that for the "oh wow COMPUTER ANIMATION" marathon with Hackers, etc.

man do i miss college, sometimes

http://movies.infinitecoolness.com/it/richie/tn_it-richiewp01.jpg

Seth Green

watching "Graveyard Shift" now, and while the horror aspect is largely forgettable, I like its depiction of late-20th Century blue-collar life in New England

Oh yeah and Brad Dourif's in it

And random googling pops up with this:

JJ Abrams and the Lost guys drive up to Maine to hang out with the guy, and wind up going to the movies with him.

The langoliers is good until the langoliers show up. That is some really bad CGI.

xxp: Graveyard Shift was one of my favorite King stories when I was a kid. As such, I have both always and never wanted to see the film.

Watching 'Christine' now. This is surprisingly watchable, due to John Carpenter knowing how to make a movie, doing the music, and the flick being filled with character actors(including Harry Dean Stanton!)

Saw Sleepwalkers, Secret Window, and Needful Things in the last few days.

Sleepwalkers is now on my list for my potential Stephen King viewing night.

And Alice Krige was hottttttt in it. And Madchen Amick.

And on a related note, the scene where house cats save the day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBeMZFjGYh8

What's the ceiling that dago painted?

partially eclipse inspired, i watched dolores claiborne tday for the first time. a bit overlong w some telegraphed beats & its crazy how many one-shot closeups there are but in general p decent and compelling