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Every single Stephen King movie adaptation, ranked
Whether you're a Stephen King fan or not, chances are you're familiar with his work. It's pretty hard not to be. Even if you've never read any of the horror author's stories, you'll almost certainly have stumbled across some of them on screen, particularly considering there are so damn many of them (somewhere around a hundred when you lump in movies, sequels, and TV shows together). For this list, we've focused solely on ranking every Stephen King movie adaptation, and specifically originals and remakes (no sequels, because frankly the Children of the Corn franchise alone is long enough for its own list). Some of these films are terrible, some are masterpieces. Some you'll have seen before, some you won't. Some you'll know straight away are Stephen King movies (hello, The Shining), some you may never even have realised were adapted from the author's work. From forgettable '80s B-movies to films that have left a permanent mark on movie history, here's every single Stephen King film adaptation ever made, from the very worst to the very best — including his latest, The Monkey and The Life of Chuck. Credit: New World Pictures / Kobal / Shutterstock Several horror anthology movies have been made from King's work. Yet despite an adapted screenplay by zombie-horror legend George A. Romero, this one sits at the bottom of the barrel. Three King short stories ("Old Chief Wood'nhead," "The Raft," and "The Hitchhiker") are transformed into grisly vignettes by Tales from the Darkside TV director Michael Gornick. They're garishly gory, which could have made for schlocky fun. Except these stories are more crass than creepy, relishing in racist depictions of indigenous Americans and gleeful misogyny that leers at women's bared breasts before ripping them to shreds. Simply put, this one's a gross stain on both King's and Romero's filmographies. — Kristy Puchko, Deputy Entertainment Editor Credit: Bruce Birmelin / Spelling International / Kobal / Shutterstock Based on King's 1984 novel of the same name, Thinner follows Billy Halleck (Robert John Burke), a pompous and plump lawyer whose wish to lose weight becomes an actual curse. This movie has aged incredibly poorly. Beyond the fat-shaming premise, the cursed plotline plays into racist "gypsy" stereotypes, which paint the Romani people as vicious, vengeful, and deceptive. On top of all that, there's a decadent slathering of misogyny, which portrays women as sinister seductresses and hideous crones. Trust us, this one is better off left forgotten. — K.P. Credit: New World / Angeles / Cinema Group / Kobal / Shutterstock King has spawned plenty of "creepy kids" stories, but none have been quite as prolific as Children of the Corn. Despite being based on a short story, this Fritz Kiersch-directed horror film has yielded nine sequels and a straight to DVD remake in 2009. The first film centers on a city-slicker couple that stumble into a rural town overrun by murderous children, who worship a vengeful god that stalks the cornfields. While John Franklin is memorable as the glowering child-prophet Isaac, Children of the Corn pales in comparison to its King siblings, like Carrie, Firestarter, and Pet Sematary (both versions). Over the decades, its slow-burn feels more stale and boring, despite splashes of blood and religious horror. — K.P. Credit: Paramount Pictures Though a better anthology than Creepshow 2, this one is less of a Stephen King movie. Born from the success of George A. Romero's Tales from the Darkside TV series (1983-1988), the film features horror shorts from various writers, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. King's entry, an adaptation of the short story "Cat from Hell," is unnerving fun, focusing on a hitman (David Johansen) hired to kill a vengeful cat. However, the most thrilling segment was penned by Beetlejuice writer Michael McDowell. "Lover's Vow" taps into Japanese folklore for an entry as spooky as it is seductive. Among the most star-studded of King anthologies, Tales from the Darkside boasts appearances by Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, Rae Dawn Chong, Christian Slater, and Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry. —K.P. Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock Not even the presence of a big name like Christian Slater is enough to save this one. Adapted from a short story and very much feeling like an idea stretched awkwardly into a full length movie, Jeff Beesley's screen version of Dolan's Cadillac follows a man intent on revenge after his wife is killed by a human trafficker. The method of vengeance is creative enough to add some originality, but the characters are flat and the tension never really gets there. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor Credit: Blumhouse Anyone who's read King's short story "Gramma" will know that it's an incredibly creepy and effective tale which may well be up there among the author's scariest works. Peter Cornwall's Mercy adaptation, however, is a bloated mess. There's nothing wrong with the direction itself, and screenwriter Matt Greenberg has made a valiant effort of expanding the story for the big screen, but unfortunately the whole thing just feels too stretched. The end result loses the creepy immediacy of the original tale, and replaces it with a fairly long-winded (and not particularly scary) movie about a little boy whose grandmother may be possessed. Just watch Hereditary instead. — S.H. Credit: Orion / Kobal / Shutterstock Not all Stephen King stories are created equal, and The Dark Half is, in my opinion at least, not one of the horror master's best. So it's perhaps not such a surprise that the movie adaptation falls so far down in this ranking. Following a writer who kills off his pseudonym only to find it coming to life to exact revenge, George A. Romero's The Dark Half has an entertainingly gruesome start before going sharply downhill. You'll find better King adaptations about troubled writers further down this list. — S.H. SEE ALSO: The best Stephen King books to read depending on your mood Credit: New Line Cinema Let's be honest: Making a good film about a possessed laundry machine was never going to be easy and, sure enough, Tobe Hooper's adaptation of this silly King short story is about as terrible as you'd expect. Making a good film about a possessed laundry machine was never going to be easy... The Mangler sees officer John Hunton (Ted Levine) investigating the strange goings-on in an industrial laundry, following the death of an elderly worker after she gets pulled into the titular machine and crushed. The story is incredibly dumb, the special effects are ropey and dated, and there's a scene in which Hunton shoots through his own coat in order to free himself from the clutches of the Mangler after it almost gets hold of him, which should go some way to giving you a sense of just how ridiculous this one is. — S.H. Credit: New Line Cinema Needful Things is a long, sprawling novel with multiple characters and a complicated series of inter-locking connections and relationships. It was always going to be difficult to turn into a movie. W.D. Richter's screenplay, in fairness, does a decent job of streamlining the bulky story, which is all about mysterious character Leland Gaunt (played by an undeniably charismatic Max von Sydow), who arrives in a small town and opens up a store that offers people their heart's desire — for a price. It's an intriguing premise, but there's too much going on here with too many underdeveloped characters that are difficult to care about. — S.H. Credit: New Line Cinema There are plenty of Stephen King ideas that, when condensed into a single sentence, sound nothing short of ridiculous. The Mangler is one, and The Night Flier — a tale about an ancient vampire that flies about in a tiny plane killing people — slots comfortably into the same category. Writer/director Mark Pavia has done a decent enough job expanding the original short story into a feature length film, but unfortunately his starting point is so silly there's only really so much he can do. The Night Flier is the kind of movie that you could probably enjoy with a group of friends if you're not taking it too seriously, but otherwise it's one to skip. — S.H. Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock The first and only movie King directed himself (!) is, somewhat predictably, not all that great. But it's maybe not quite as terrible as the 15 percent Rotten Tomatoes score would suggest, either. Based on the author's short story, Trucks, about people who get trapped in a gas station during a machine-themed apocalypse, Maximum Overdrive sees Emilio Estevez and Laura Harrington attempting to escape a parking lot full of murderous 18-wheelers while an AC/DC-heavy soundtrack thrashes in the background. The movie is predictable, hammy, and dated, but the story doesn't take itself too seriously and there are more than a few fun moments. — S.H. Credit: MPCA Somewhere in Riding the Bullet, buried not too far below the surface, is a poignant story about grief and coming to terms with the death of a parent. The problem is it gets lost in all the other stuff. Based on a King short story of the same name, Mick Garris' adaptation follows troubled college student Alan (Jonathan Jackson) as he hitch-hikes home to visit his sick mother (Barbara Hershey) in hospital. David Arquette has a cameo as George Staub, the strange man who picks him up and gives him a disturbing ultimatum. There are some moving moments in the movie, and the final five minutes are particularly powerful, but unfortunately it's not enough to rescue the drawn-out (and not at all scary) plot. — S.H. SEE ALSO: 13 of the best Stephen King short stories you've never read Credit: Universal Pictures Based on King's 1980 novel, Firestarter follows a father-daughter duo on the run because of their extraordinary abilities. He (Zac Efron) has the power to bend people's will with his mind; she (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) can set fires telekinetically. So, naturally, they're viewed as unchecked weapons by a sinister organization. In short, this tale of coming-of-age carnage has no spark. Admittedly, the 1984 adaptation, which starred a young Drew Barrymore in the title role, wasn't all that great to begin with, so a remake shouldn't have been such a bad idea. Regrettably, screenwriter Scott Teems and director Keith Thomas don't bring anything explosively new or all that thrilling to their spin on King. In my review for Mashable, I called it "more pointless than perturbing." In short, this tale of coming-of-age carnage has no spark. —K.P. Credit: Columbia Pictures So much wasted potential. The Dark Tower obviously isn't the worst King adaptation out there, but — particularly for anyone familiar with the books — it may be the most frustrating. The thing is, the author's Dark Tower series is his self-proclaimed magnum opus. It makes The Stand look like a short story. The series is eight books and one novella long, telling the tale of a sprawling battle between good and evil that takes place across multiple worlds, with a huge cast of awesome characters, one of the best endings King has ever written, and the mysterious Dark Tower at the very centre of it all. SEE ALSO: 10 of the best Stephen King book endings Nikolaj Arcel's movie dips its toe into this world, but that's about all it does. The story feels rushed, and not even the acting might of Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, and a strong turn from young star Tom Taylor can rescue it. The key problem is The Dark Tower tries to work in its own right as a standalone movie. But, like the multiverse at the heart of the novels, it's far too vast for that. — S.H. Credit: Graveyard Linc / Kobal / Shutterstock For the most part, adapted short stories get a hard time of it on this list. Graveyard Shift is no exception, with John Esposito's screenplay taking a brilliantly gory King tale about workers clearing the basement of a rat-infested textile mill and stretching it awkwardly into a full-length movie. But the film is not without its gruesome charm, and although the set-up feels a tad cluttered and the character development isn't great, the action builds to an impressively unpleasant crescendo as the core group goes exploring in the mill's hidden sub-basement (extra points for a fight that takes place in a literal bone pit, and the awesomely grotesque monster itself). — S.H. Credit: Shutterstock On paper, this one has all the ingredients of a good King adaptation. Co-written and directed by Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back writer Lawrence Kasdan and starring Morgan Freeman and Damian Lewis, Dreamcatcher is an IT-style story that sees childhood friends reuniting as adults after something strange happened to them in the past. Only this time instead of killer clowns, we have an alien parasite. It should be fun, but somehow the story isn't particularly memorable and the characters all feel a little underdeveloped. — S.H. Credit: Netflix King co-wrote In the Tall Grass with his son, writer Joe Hill, and it's easy to see why Cube director Vincenzo Natali was keen to work on the adaptation: Set almost entirely in a seemingly endless field of grass that traps passers-by, In the Tall Grass is a fun idea that was presumably relatively easy (and cheap) to shoot. The problem is, a fun idea is about as far as this one goes. Once you get beyond the claustrophobic concept, the movie is a little repetitive. Although there are some creepy and disturbing moments, the ending isn't satisfying enough to excuse the film's other issues. — S.H. Credit: Netflix Set in — you guessed it — 1922, Zak Hilditch's adaptation of King's novella of the same name follows a Nebraskan farmer who convinces his own son to help him murder his wife, with the aim being to stop her selling the farm and moving the family away to the city. Yep, it's a cheerful one. The adaptation captures the same bleakness as the source material, but unfortunately it downplays the creeping presence of rats, one of the story's more disturbing — and intriguing — elements. What's left is a dark, gory tale where the characters are all as difficult to like as they are to care about. — S.H. Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock OK, so Cell doesn't quite qualify for "hidden gem" status, but you could certainly make a case for it at least being a bit overlooked. Despite its A-list cast (Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack star) the film has been largely forgotten, most likely due to the wildly bad reception it received from both critics and the public. But does it really deserve such an awful Rotten Tomatoes score? I would argue no. It's not a great film but it's certainly not terrible by any means, taking the fun idea of a cell phone-induced apocalypse and creating more than a few tense sequences as our main characters struggle to survive the plague's rabid victims. The characters are a little underdeveloped, sure, and the film loses its way in the third act, but for a casual weekend watch you could do far worse. — S.H. Credit: New Line / Kobal / Shutterstock There are probably many things people say to Pierce Brosnan when they spot him in the street and ask for a selfie, but "I loved you in the 1992 classic The Lawnmower Man" is most likely not one of them. Even calling The Lawnmower Man a King adaptation feels like a bit of stretch, because the movie is so far removed from the original short story it barely even feels like they bothered using the source material (King actually won a lawsuit against New Line Cinema to have his name removed from the movie's advertising, arguing it bore little resemblance to his original short story). The thing is, though, despite the author wanting little to do with it, the movie isn't actually as terrible as its reviews might suggest, telling an entertaining enough Frankenstein-style sci-fi story about a scientist who uses virtual reality to expand his subject's intelligence. — S.H. Credit: De Laurentiis / Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock In this incendiary escapade, Baby Drew Barrymore is basically Eleven from Stranger Things way before the Netflix show landed. For the 100 percent fine 1984 adaptation of King's Firestarter, she plays eight-year-old Charlie McGee, whose pyrokinetic abilities come from her parents (David Keith and Heather Locklear) — they, in turn, developed their own nosebleed-inducing telepathic abilities after saying yes to a hallucinogenic trial. Of course, a government agency called The Shop gets wind of Charlie's fiery powers and wants to use them for their own gain. Like Carrie, Charlie just wants to be treated nicely by society, but it seems the world only sees her as a monster. It's an utterly OK narrative helped by clever fire and fan-heavy special effects and a solid cast including tiny Barrymore setting cinder blocks and agents ablaze, Martin Sheen in his second King film after The Dead Zone as the head of The Shop, Shaft's Moses Gunn as Dr. Pynchot, Starsky and Hutch star Antonio Fargas as the taxi driver (!), and George C. Scott as diabolical assassin John Rainbird. If nothing else, it's all about that synth-fuelled Tangerine Dream score. — Shannon Connellan, Mashable UK Editor Credit: Taft / Kobal / Shutterstock Given the fact dogs in Hollywood usually come in the form of happy, waggy-tailed companions that may or may not eventually break your heart (looking at you, Turner and Hooch), you'd think a murderously rabid St. Bernard might have been something of a tough sell. You'd think a murderously rabid St. Bernard might have been something of a tough sell. But in Cujo, it works. Or at least, it does up to a point. Centred around Donna (Dee Wallace) and her son Tad (Danny Pintauro), who become trapped in a sweltering hot car while said murder-hound stalks outside it, Cujo the movie borrows from the claustrophobia and tension that made King's novel such a classic. The problem is it doesn't borrow quite enough of it, and the dog – no matter how good a job makeup may have done – just isn't quite as scary onscreen (the movie is almost 40 years old, of course, so it's bound to look a little dated nowadays). Still pretty fun, though. — S.H. Credit: De Laurentiis / Kobal / Shutterstock He may be an excellent prose writer, but it's probably fair to say that King's screenwriting record is somewhat patchier (hello, Maximum Overdrive). For a werewolf flick that gives off strong b-movie vibes, though, Silver Bullet (based on King's novella Cycle of the Werewolf) is actually pretty entertaining. The story follows a brother and sister (Corey Haim and Megan Follows) on the trail of a small-town monster wreaking havoc through the local community. Gary Busey plays their quirky Uncle Red, Everett McGill and Terry O'Quinn have cameos, and despite the not-so-great-by-2020s-standard special effects, you might have a decent time sitting down to watch this one on a Friday night. — S.H. Credit: De Laurentiis / Kobal / Shutterstock Fun fact: Cat's Eye marks King's first credit as a screenwriter. Tying together the short stories Quitters, Inc., The Ledge, and General, this is one of the better horror anthologies in his filmography, in part because it's darkly bonkers. Named for a framing device that follows a stray cat through three twisted stories, Cat's Eye begins with James Woods playing a family man who tries to quit smoking through the mafia and their notorious tactics. (Bad news for his unsuspecting wife!) Embracing the very corniest of '80s-era visuals, his internal struggle with addiction is a terrifically nightmarish ride, conducted by a madcap Alan King as a grinning mob boss. The other two stories boast vengeance, more violence, a creepy critter, and Drew Barrymore in her second King role, following 1984's Firestarter. Funky and frightening, this one's a weird, good time. Plus, it's sprinkled with Easter Eggs from the King films that precede it. — K.P. Credit: Screen Media Films Before working on this list I thought that the vast majority of King movie adaptations could be easily grouped into the great or the terrible. But it isn't that binary, and films like A Good Marriage are proof. Based on one of the author's more unpleasant novellas of the same name, Peter Askin's adaptation follows Darcy (Joan Allen), a wife and mother who one day discovers her husband is hiding a horrible secret. The direction, acting, and script are all solid, but A Good Marriage lacks some of its source material's tension as we don't burrow quite as deep into Darcy's fears and anxieties as the book takes us. There are also other movies out there, like The Clovehitch Killer, that arguably do a better job of telling a similar story. — S.H. Credit: Warner Bros. The second part of Andy Muschietti's IT revival (more on the first part later) is also the slightly weaker movie, at least in my personal opinion. It may well be subjective though, because the sections of the novel I always enjoyed the most were those set in the past, during the main characters' childhoods, and the two movies split these sections up entirely, with IT Chapter Two focussing solely on what happens to the Losers' Club as adults. This tale of friends reuniting to combat an old evil is still a lot of fun, though, with some excellent performances from James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader, another disturbing turn from Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, and an almost show-stealingly grouchy cameo from Stephen King himself. — S.H. Credit: New Line Cinema / Max IT writer Gary Dauberman has a solid take on King's classic vampire novel of the same name, immersing us in a mid '70s world of small towns, drive-in theatres, and the arrival of a vampire hell-bent on turning the population into his personal zombie horde. "Salem's Lot pays homage to the source material and mini-series (hello, nightmarish window sequence), but it's when the film branches out and does its own thing that it really excels," I wrote in my review for Mashable. "The best example of this is the finale, which — without going into spoiler territory — is a thrillingly chaotic sequence that makes creative use of sunlight and a classic '70s setting to give the movie a fresh and bloody sendoff." — S.H. Credit: Columbia / Kobal / Shutterstock If the car in Titane had a less lusty, more murderous origin story, it would probably be Christine. King's 1983 automobile horror novel saw a John Carpenter-directed film version out the same year, and sees a possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury wreaking all sorts of homicidal havoc on its unsuspecting passengers. The famous "show me" scene in which Christine repairs herself is exceptional, weirdly lascivious, and frankly terrifying screen magic. The legendary Halloween director's ability to weave tension and fear from seemingly standard car functions — the radio turning on, the headlights blaring, the engine revving — is characteristically outstanding, taking King's wild high-concept premise and scaring the wheels off you. The famous "show me" scene in which Christine repairs herself is exceptional, weirdly lascivious, and frankly terrifying screen magic. — S.C. Credit: Tri-Star / Kobal / Shutterstock This one is an odd fit among the rest of King's screen adaptations. It's based on a novel the author didn't even publish under his own name, and just about the only thing the movie has in common with the book is that it's about a guy named Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) trying to escape from a dystopian murder game show. I don't really care about the movie's accuracy to the source material and neither should you. Instead, you have to appreciate it for its defiance of traditional standards, as almost everyone in the cast is famous for something other than acting, including NFL legend Jim Brown, a bunch of pro wrestlers, and '70s game show host Richard Dawson. Every single one of them kills it, thanks to the kind of campy, absurd action filmmaking Schwarzenegger was the face of in the late '80s. Dawson deserves extra credit for turning on his Family Feud energy to schmooze with old women in the audience while being an abusive nightmare to his crew backstage. The Running Man may not be a cinematic standard-bearer, but it's still a whole lot of fun to watch Arnold choke a sadistic hockey player out with razor wire before remarking that he was a 'pain in the neck.' — Alex Perry, Tech Reporter SEE ALSO: Books, TV shows and movies recommended by Stephen King Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock OK, we're going to go out there and say this one qualifies for "hidden gem" status. It's a long way from being the best King movie adaptation, sure, but Scott Hick's coming-of-age mystery still packs a heavy punch of nostalgia and features some great acting turns from Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis, and a young Anton Yelchin. The story follows a lonely 11-year-old boy, Bobby (Yelchin), who befriends a man (Hopkins) who moves into the apartment above him — only to learn he has unusual abilities and appears to be on the run from some shadowy figures. A side note if you were wondering about the title: The filmmakers presumably went with Hearts in Atlantis because it's the title of the book, but the book itself is actually a collection of five linked stories, the second of which is titled Hearts in Atlantis and is all about college students addicted to the card game Hearts. The movie, on the other hand, is a straight adaptation of the first story in the book, which features absolutely no mention of either Hearts or Atlantis whatsoever. Confusing titles aside, though, this one is worth a watch. — S.H. Credit: Columbia Tristar / Kobal / Shutterstock Featuring an impressively dead-eyed turn from John Turturro as the villain, Secret Window sees writer Mort Rainey (yeah, we know, Johnny Depp is in this) attempting to find solace from his recent divorce in a remote lake house — only for a stranger to show up on his doorstep accusing him of plagiarism. What follows is an unpleasant, escalating cat-and-mouse game which is equal parts horror and psychological thriller, with writer/director David Koepp keeping the tension and dread mounting until the movie's twisty conclusion. — S.H. Credit: John Baer / Pheonix / Columbia Tristar / Kobal / Shutterstock It's difficult to separate Apt Pupil from its own disturbing legacy. The movie was directed by Bryan Singer, who has since faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct including the allegation that he sexually assaulted 13-year-old extra Victor Valdovinos on the film's set in 1997. As hard as it is to do, I've tried to assess Apt Pupil here solely on the movie's own merits. The film sees high school student Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro) discovering the real identity of an elderly man in his neighborhood, Arthur Denker (Ian McKellen), a Nazi war criminal in hiding, before proceeding to blackmail him with demands to hear his firsthand accounts of the concentration camps. Like the novella it's based on the film is disturbing, and its characters dark and complex, but the central performances from Renfro and McKellen alone make it worth watching, as does the way the tension builds and builds and builds. — S.H. Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment Carrie is a King novel so enthralling that it's been adapted repeatedly. Director Kimberly Peirce translated King's '70s-set tale of a tormented telekinetic teen to the 2010s, adding cyberbullying to the high school horrors that Carrie endures before her bloody breakdown at prom. Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore bring gravitas to the lead roles of the terrifying mother-daughter duo. Advancements in visual effects allow for a third act filled with carnage, gore, and fire. However, while solidly scary, Peirce's remake still can't hold a candle (much less a flaming gas station) to Brian De Palma's Academy Award–nominated 1976 version. — K.P. Credit: Paramount Pictures Coming out a full 30 years after the first adaption of Pet Sematary (more on that one in a moment), Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer's version of King's early creepfest stars Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz as Louis and Rachel, a couple who've just made the terrible mistake of relocating to rural Maine only to discover there's something deeply odd about the forest behind their house. If you're looking to be scared and disturbed this one's a good choice, as what it occasionally lacks in character development it more than makes up for in jump-scares and suspense. — S.H. Credit: Castle Rock Entertainment / Kobal / Shutterstock Not Kathy Bates' finest outing in a King adaptation (you'll see why shortly), but a fine outing nonetheless. Steering more into psychological thriller territory than horror, Dolores Claiborne follows a widow who's been accused of murdering the elderly woman she was caring for, and her tense relationship with her estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh), that's played out via flashbacks. It's a well-told, well-acted story, but be warned — it's also a dark and disturbing one with monsters that are all too human. — S.H. Tatiana Maslany in "The Monkey," with blood running out of her eyes Credit: NEON Director Oz Perkins has made his name in horror with twisted thrillers like Longlegs, The Blackcoat's Daughter, and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. But he took his scares to the next level with this adaptation of a King short story. Theo James stars as twin brothers whose family has been cursed by an evil toy monkey. Whenever the mechanized monkey beats its drum, someone dies. And how they die becomes increasingly outrageous. King himself called the movie "batshit insane," which is high praise from this master of menacing murders. But along with bonkers kills, The Monkey also offers some truly dark comedy, along with a cameo from the director that's grimly hilarious. —K.P. Credit: Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock When we talk Classic King, this is what we're talking about: a quiet small town in Maine, the kind of place that should be peaceful, yet its community end up being ripped asunder by creeping supernatural forces. When we talk Classic King, this is what we're talking about. In this case, the Creed family move away from the big city to watch their children grow up happy and healthy. When that dream is shattered, a grief-stricken father (Dale Midkiff) takes to a burial ground steeped in local legend, searching for solace. The results are gutting, sometimes literally. With a creeping camera and nightmarish practical effects, director Mary Lambert brought King's creepy prose to grisly life (and even directed the decently disturbing sequel, Pet Sematary Two). Thanks to her, a generation of King fans clung to this creepy cautionary tale that warns, "Sometimes, dead is better." —K.P. Credit: Warner Bros / Kobal / Shutterstock What do you get when you take a collection of King's short stories and hand them over to the godfather of the modern zombie, George A. Romero, to direct for the big screen? The all-time classic horror anthology, Creepshow. Horror is made for anthology films and this one is the standard bearer. The five shorts written by King, in what is also his screenwriting debut, are brilliantly woven together throughout the film via animated scenes portraying a comic book that carry the tales on its pages. Even if you haven't seen Creepshow, there's a good chance you're familiar with iconic scenes from the film: Leslie Nielsen — yes, the Leslie Nielsen of Naked Gun and Airplane! fame — neck deep in sand awaiting his death in Something to Tide You Over. An undead Jon Lormer rises from the grave and surprises his (remaining) family members with a severed head dressed up with candles and presented like a cake as he exclaims "Happy Father's Day!" And, of course, King himself stars as a dull farm boy who sees his farm and eventually his own body overtaken by an alien mosslike lifeform in The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill. — Matt Binder, Tech Reporter There's something lurking in the shadows. Credit: 20th Century Studios Originally published in a 1973 issue of Cavalier magazine, "The Boogeyman" was a King short story that centered on a haunted man, Lester Billings, unfurling a tale of woe, child death, and a titular beast to therapist Dr. Harper. However, for A Quiet Place screenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods along with Black Swan scribe Mark Heyman, this premise served as a jumping-off place, putting the whole of Billings' story in the film's first act. From there, they carve out a sort-of sequel to the short story, focusing on a pair of sisters (Yellowjackets' Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair) who are plagued by a creepy creature that lives in the shadows. Unfortunately for them, this paranormal parasite was brought in by a distressed patient of their father, Dr. Harper (Chris Messina). While the setup is clever, the execution of this adaptation is even better. Rob Savage, who awed horror lovers with the zoom seance hit Host, creates sequences of scares and suspense that will give you goosebumps and shiver your spine. Part of the film's success comes from Thatcher and Blair playing the Harper sisters, not as precocious or naive, but as brave and pissed off. They fight hard against the dying of the light and the thing that feeds on it, bringing an exhilarating energy through hellish scenarios. But best of all might be a creature design that is absolutely the stuff of nightmares. While the movie's plot might be thin — and in some major regards, may feel like a Babadook imitator — The Boogeyman is nonetheless a stupendously scary treasure in the ever-expanding King collection. — K.P. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures King famously loathed Stanley Kubrick's movie adaptation of The Shining. So, modern horror auteur Mike Flanagan (Hush, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor) had a lot to prove with a sequel that would integrate the 1980 psycho-thriller and the 1977 novel's follow-up, titled Doctor Sleep. Some fans have bristled at the changes from the book, but others have cheered how Flanagan translated the mood of King — if not the exact story — into an ambitious, bloody, and deeply unnerving next chapter. SEE ALSO: 'Doctor Sleep' isn't 'The Shining' and that's the highest compliment Ewan McGregor stars as the grown-up but still haunted Danny Torrance. However, the real stars of this film are Kyliegh Curran, as a brave young girl with "the shining," and Rebecca Ferguson as the evil, sexy, and enviably stylish child-killer, Rose the Hat. — K.P. Credit: Dimension Films / Kobal / Shutterstock Yes, we know there's another, way more famous haunted hotel movie on King's lineup, but don't forget to pack your bag for the Dolphin Hotel too. You actually can't check in any time you like to the titular room number 1408, but if, like haunted hotel reviewer and book author Mike Enslin (a superbly cynical and slowly unhinged John Cusack), you force your way in despite the manager's warnings (an effortlessly foreboding Samuel L. Jackson), you can never leave. Director Mikael Håfström does some truly scary things with special effects in this adaptation of King's short story, and they even shot three different endings, all different to the author's original. But the real winner of this film is Cusack, whose performance mostly contained to the hotel room itself is unrelentingly compelling. — S.C. Credit: Warner Bros. The IT remake seemed to come at the perfect time, riding high on the coattails of Stranger Things-induced '80s horror nostalgia (Finn Wolfhard even stars) and tapping into the nightmarish memories of a generation who grew up terrified by both the old TV series and the book. As a big fan of the latter, I remember being nervous going into this one, but was pleasantly surprised by how Andy Muschietti's adaptation of this tale of small-town evil turned out. Muschietti's film taps into the awkward highs and lows of adolescence that King's book expertly portrayed. The scares are there, yes (helped along by Bill Skarsgård's theatrically creepy take on Pennywise the Clown), but Muschietti's film also taps into the awkward highs and lows of adolescence that King's book expertly portrayed. — S.H. Credit: Netflix How do you turn a story that's set almost entirely in a single room into a watchable film? Well for a long time, with Gerald's Game at least, you didn't. The novel came out in 1992, and it was only a full 25 years later that Mike Flanagan's adaptation finally made it to Netflix. King himself previously admitted he thought the book was "unfilmable" when he first read it in college, and it's easy to see why: The story follows Jessie (Carla Gugino), who gets trapped in a remote lake house handcuffed to a bed after her husband unexpectedly dies of a heart attack. Much of the story takes place in her head, but Flanagan's direction — which makes use of flashbacks and imaginary conversations — brings Jessie's internal nightmare effortlessly to life. — S.H. Credit: Dimension Films / Kobal / Shutterstock While two of writer/director Frank Darabont's King adaptations have risen to the lofty heights of all-time greatest film lists (more on them later), The Mist has flown largely under the radar. It has a decent enough Rotten Tomatoes audience rating, and positive enough reviews, but it appears to have been mostly lost in the shadow of Darabont's earlier work. It's an ill-deserved legacy. Following a father and son who get trapped in a gas station store with a group of strangers as a weird fog envelops their town, The Mist takes an intriguing premise and spins out a tense popcorn-muncher of a film that's equal parts fun, jumpy and harrowing. It's not a perfect movie – some of the special effects look a little dated here and there – but it's still leagues ahead of most monster movies, and comes complete with a chilling human antagonist and a convincing analogy of the dangers of fundamental religion. — S.H. Credit: Dimension Films / Kobal / Shutterstock It's hard to imagine that either Stephen King or David Cronenberg would have known how unsettlingly timely The Dead Zone would feel in 2022. The 1983 adaptation of the author's 1979 novel introduces us to Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) — a provincial school teacher about to marry his sweetheart. After a car accident that almost kills him, Johnny wakes up with the psychic ability to see people's past and future. It will take him a while to understand that his powers are not just about seeing the future, but about being able to change it. The psychological thriller becomes political when a Trump-like figure is introduced halfway through the film. Add some nuclear anxiety and seen today, The Dead Zone seems here to tell us that we still haven't learnt our lessons. SEE ALSO: This 1979 Stephen King novel is a chilling prediction of Donald Trump's rise But there's much to be enjoyed about the film outside its political relevance. Starting with the award-worthy performances by Christopher Walken and Michael Sheen, and adding Mark Irwin's stunning cinematography, Cronenberg's adaptation is a cinematic feast. To experience The Dead Zone in all its glory, look for the film's digital restoration. — Teodosia Dobriyanova, Video Producer Credit: Warner Bros / Hawk Films /Kobal / Shutterstock Stanley Kubrick's The Shining occupies a strange place in movie history. The film has long enjoyed praise from critics, it sits comfortably in the IMDb top 250 movies of all time, and it's probably one of the most famous horror movies ever made. On the other hand, King himself isn't a fan. Yep, really. The author hasn't been shy with his opinions of the movie over the years, describing it as "cold" and calling Shelley Duvall's character Wendy "one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on film." ...the twins in the hallway, the river of blood, "Herrrreeeee's, Johnny!"... So, does he have a point? Well, you could certainly argue that the characters in Kubrick's adaptation are nowhere near as three dimensional as King's; Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) doesn't unravel like he does in the book (he's already unravelled to begin with), while Duvall's character comes across as far more helpless on screen. But despite this, The Shining remains undeniably quintessential cinema — it's disturbing, genuinely scary, and features imagery (the twins in the hallway; the river of blood; "Herrrreeeee's, Johnny!") that will burn themselves forever into your brain. — S.H. Credit: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock The word "iconic" gets thrown around cavalierly, but Brian De Palma's Carrie truly earns this distinguished adjective. Those who shudder at the very idea of watching a scary movie may not have seen Carrie, but they know the image of a girl in a pretty prom dress, draped in pig's blood. They recognize the howl of Margaret White: "They're all gonna laugh at you!" Sissy Spacek stars as the titular telekinetic teen girl, a sheepish misfit mocked for her awkwardness and her zealot mother (Piper Laurie). But an act of kindness from a popular girl (Amy Irving) could prove a turning point for Carrie — and on prom night no less! Of course, King isn't much for happy endings. And De Palma's adaptation delivers when it comes to chills, screams, and haunting imagery. It's little wonder Spacek and Laurie each earned Academy Award nods for their riveting and unnerving performances, streaked with agony, ecstasy, and resentment. — K.P. Credit: Ralph Jr Nelson / Castle Rock / Warner Bros / Kobal / Shutterstock It's not easy to make a three-hour movie fly by, but Frank Darabont's prison-set thriller is so incredibly tense, emotional, harrowing, and beautiful, that it easily feels half that length. Taking place in a death row penitentiary in 1935 Louisiana, The Green Mile sees prison guard Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) and his colleagues coming to terms with the miraculous gifts of new inmate John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a giant of a man who has been sentenced to death for the murder of twin girls. Pretty much every character in The Green Mile is memorable in their own right: there's Paul's towering best friend Brutus (David Morse), their snivellingly sadistic colleague Percy Whitmore (Doug Hutchison), troubled prison warden Hal Moores (James Cromwell), and nightmarish inmate "Wild" Bill Wharton (Sam Rockwell). Saying that a movie is a rollercoaster of emotions feels clichéd, but in this case it fits. The story has the ability to shock, and make you laugh, disturb, and – ultimately – bring a tear to the eye. — S.H. Credit: TIFF First, he delivered the kinky terror of Gerald's Game, then the child-slaughtering horror of Doctor Sleep. For his third adaptation from King's creepy bibliography, heralded horror auteur Mike Flanagan tackled The Life of Chuck, a 2020 novella with a very different tone than his previous films. Sure, there are scares, death, and even some ghostly business within this curious offering, which won wild praise out of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024. But at its core, this is a magnificent movie about the joys in living. Beginning at what seems like the end of the world as we know it, The Life of Chuck follows a school teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor) as he grapples with an onslaught of worrisome news, including natural disasters, societal breakdown, and the tragedy of the internet going out for good. Yet he is most mystified by the billboards going up around town of a smiling, bespectacled Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), who appears to be retiring after "39 great years." Who is this mystery man? The Life of Chuck will unfurl his story with wonder, whimsy, grief, and a rousing dance number that makes it a total crowd-pleaser. Co-starring Flanagan collaborators like Mark Hamill, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, Rahul Kohli, and Kate Siegel, this is a deeply poignant film, and one of the very best King adaptations yet. — K.P. Credit: ITV / Shutterstock It was always going to be near the top of the list, wasn't it? Frank Darabont's adaptation of King's novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption has topped so many all-time greatest movie rankings — including its famous number one spot above The Godfather on the IMDb top 250 — that it would've been ridiculous for us not to include it up here. Its place in movie history is well deserved, too. I enjoyed King's novella like I do most of his work, but this is probably one of the rare instances where the film surpasses its source material. Probably one of the rare instances where the film surpasses its source material. Tim Robbins is perfect as Andy Dufresne, a man who suddenly finds himself behind bars for a murder he claims not to have committed, while Morgan Freeman gives a legendary performance as his prison mate-turned-friend Red. There's some truly unpleasant supporting roles from Mark Rolston as violent inmate Bogs and Clancy Brown as brutal prison guard Captain Hadley. It's a film that'll be watched and studied for decades to come. — S.H. Credit: Castle Rock / Columbia / Kobal / Shutterstock Is Annie Wilkes, played with terrifying (and Oscar–winning) intensity by Kathy Bates, the greatest female movie villain of all time? Very possibly. Telling the nail-biting tale of best-selling writer Paul Sheldon (the late James Caan), who gets rescued from a car crash by his "number-one fan" only to be held hostage, Misery is a horribly tense film that'll have you sweating every time Wilkes leaves the house and Sheldon embarks on yet another doomed escape attempt. There are truly classic moments of dialogue ("You dirty bird!") and some scenes (you know the one) that will probably never leave your head once you've seen them. All in all, Misery is an excellent thriller, one of two powerhouse King adaptations from Rob Reiner, and one of the greatest suspense movies ever made. — S.H. Credit: Columbia / Kobal / Shutterstock Although some of King's lengthier tomes (i.e. IT) have made excellent movies, you could make a pretty convincing case that it's his shorter novels and novellas that work best on screen. Stand By Me is the perfect example of this. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was does anyone?" Screenwriters Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans took the author's novella The Body — a coming-of-age tale about four friends who go hunting for a dead teenager while evading the local bullies — and squeezed out every drop of the story's poignancy and humour. It's a tear-jerking snapshot of the anxieties, friendships, highs, and lows of childhood. The novella packed a powerful punch of nostalgia and Rob Reiner's direction channels this in its own way, placing the boys' friendships front and centre, then considering them through a thoughtful adult lens. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12," the grown up narrator (Richard Dreyfuss) writes at one point. "Jesus, does anyone?" SEE ALSO: Every single Stephen King novella, ranked Keep an eye out for a young Kiefer Sutherland as the brilliantly unpleasant Ace Merrill, Wil Wheaton as budding writer Gordie Lachance, Corey Feldman as the bold Teddy Duchamp, a young Jerry O'Connell as the sweet Vern Tessio, and of course, the exceptional River Phoenix as Gordie's best friend, Chris Chambers. Their performances, like the movie itself, have a well-deserved place in cinematic history. — S.H.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The Monkey on OTT—Horror is on your screens; know the cast, plot and other details
'The Monkey' is the latest horror movie on the OTT platform . The movie is creating a buzz among horror movie lovers due to the blood-curdling thrill. This uncanny tale is based on a short story by the legendary horror writer ' Stephen King .' 'The Monkey' is a terrifying journey that explores the dark side of childhood memories and haunted objects. Where to watch it and languages available The horrific film is streaming on ' Amazon Prime Video .' It is also available in various languages, including English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. The plot It is based on the short story originally published in 1980. 'The Monkey' concerns a pair of brothers who discover a mysterious cymbal-playing monkey toy in the attic. Bill and Hal, the twin brothers, find their father's old monkey toy there, and a series of horrifying deaths starts. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, eventually growing apart over the years. Later the plot shifts between past and present, showing how the brothers, who once escaped the curse as children, have to face it again as adults. The film builds intense psychological tension as the brothers race to stop the evil before it's too late. Meet the characters The cast includes the protagonist, Theo James' as Hal and Bill Shelburn, the identical twins; Christian Convery as young Hal and Bill; Tatiana Maslany as Lois Shelburn; Colin O'Brien as Petey Shelburn; Rohan Campbell as Ricky; Sarah Levy as Ida Zimmer; Adam Scott as Captain Petey Shelburn; Elijah Wood as Ted Hammerman; Osgood Perkins as Chip Zimmer; Tess Degenstein as Barbara; Danica Dreyer as Annie; Laura Mennell as Hal's ex-wife and Petey's mother; Nicco Del Rio as Rookie Priest; Kingston Chan as Lt. Pepper; and Janet Kidder as Ricky's mother. THE MONKEY Official Trailer (2025) RedBand
USA Today
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Best Stephen King movie adaptations, ranked (including 'The Life of Chuck')
Best Stephen King movie adaptations, ranked (including 'The Life of Chuck') Show Caption Hide Caption 'The Life of Chuck': Tom Hiddleston headlines Stephen King movie Based on a Stephen King novella, "The Life of Chuck" chronicles the life of accountant Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) in three acts told in reverse. Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids. Almost as long as that legendary master of horror Stephen King has been keeping book lovers up at night, filmmakers have been adapting his novels and short stories. Which means there have been some stone-cold classics ("The Shining," anyone?) and more than a few clunkers. For every "The Dark Tower," there's an "It" – though we got two of those, both of them good. So is the new one: Director Mike Flanagan's uplifting film "The Life of Chuck" (in theaters now), based on the novella from King's "If It Bleeds" collection, stars Tom Hiddleston as the title character whose life story gets told in reverse chronological order. It's a pretty big 2025 for King and his Constant Readers. The year has already seen the release of "The Monkey," and this fall brings dystopian thriller "The Long Walk" (Sept. 12) – with Mark Hamill torturing quite a few members of young Hollywood – and Edgar Wright's new take on "The Running Man" (Nov. 7) starring Glen Powell. And on the book front, King's latest novel "Never Flinch" is new in stores while "Hansel & Gretel," his children's book with Maurice Sendak, is out Sept. 2. In honor of "Chuck," here are the most essential King movies, ranked: 15. 'Gerald's Game' (2017) Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood play a couple who go on a romantic getaway to rekindle their marriage. The wife gets handcuffed to the bed, hubby has a heart attack, there are no neighbors to call and she struggles to maintain her sanity in a stressful situation. (Also, good luck trying to unsee the super-duper creepy Moonlight Man.) Where to watch: Netflix. 14. 'The Running Man' (1987) So what if this futuristic action flick isn't exactly faithful to the '82 King book (written as Richard Bachman)? It's an enjoyable time watching Arnold Schwarzenegger as a framed military man on a brutally deadly game show, tackling over-the-top bruisers and TV host baddie Richard Dawson in a movie that's more WrestleMania than social satire. Where to watch: Paramount+, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 13. 'The Monkey' (2025) Gory and gloriously absurd, the horror comedy stars Theo James in a dual role as twins who thought they got rid of a cursed monkey toy when they were kids until it comes back into their lives and brings a whole heap of bloody death. Sure, it's extremely demented, but this wacky film also has something deep to say about mortality. Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 12. 'The Green Mile' (1999) The sentimental prison drama based on King's serial novel gets its hooks in thanks to the one-two emotional punch of Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. Hanks plays a death row prison guard who doesn't know what to make of a gentle but enigmatic giant (Duncan), convicted of murdering two girls, who exhibits strange abilities. Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 11. '1408' (2007) In the most underrated King movie, a supernatural skeptic (John Cusack) who writes about haunted places takes interest in the legendarily creepy room of a New York high-rise. It's astoundingly kooky but also a thoughtful study of cynicism and belief. Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 10. 'Doctor Sleep' (2019) Ewan McGregor stars in "The Shining" sequel as a grown-up Danny Torrance, decades past surviving the horrors at the Overlook Hotel, now sober after years of alcoholism and helping a young psychic girl (Kyliegh Curran). It mines familiar ground by carrying over "Shining" themes and characters, but it's best going its own way as a reluctant hero's journey. Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 9. 'Stand by Me' (1986) King is as much a master of Americana as he is frights, and Rob Reiner's coming-of-age tale of four misfits and their adventures to find a dead body is top notch at capturing the unbreakable bond of friendship and the fleeting nature of childhood innocence. Where to watch: Paramount+, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 8. 'The Mist' (2007) How do you make a King novella even more bleak? Director Frank Darabont manages to do that rather well with this story of small-town Maine folks stuck in a supermarket, thanks to a mysterious mist and monstrous hidden creatures outside. Come for the paranoia and tribalism, stay for the gut-punch ending. Where to watch: Paramount+, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 7. 'Misery' (1990) A modern take might have nutty Annie Wilkes making a TikTok or simply sliding into the DMs of author Paul Sheldon to profess her fandom but it wouldn't have been so malevolently perfect as this pre-Internet chiller. Kathy Bates earns her Oscar and then some, taking Annie's terrifying adoration for James Caan's Sheldon to a disturbing, hide-your-eyes level. Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 6. 'The Dead Zone' (1983) Christopher Walken is a psychic schoolteacher who 'sees' someone's secrets if he touches them, including a vision of a nuclear holocaust after shaking the hand of a senatorial candidate (Martin Sheen). More than 40 years later, the film's political bent seems timelier than ever. Where to watch: Pluto TV, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 5. 'Carrie' (1976) Sissy Spacek exudes quiet, tortured grace as a teenager just blossoming into womanhood, leading to bullying from classmates and her abusively religious mom (Piper Laurie). The last 30 minutes is a jaw-dropping transformation from childhood innocence to murderous hysteria. Where to watch: Max, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 4. 'It' (2017) Taking the friendship stuff from "Stand by Me" and weaving in a deliciously evil clown in a poufy wardrobe, "It" works magic on a lot of different levels and leaves you desperately seeking more Pennywise. Warning: May not be for those skeeved out by buckets of blood shooting out of a sink. Where to watch: Max, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 3. 'The Life of Chuck' (2025) A more life-affirming, dance-filled Stephen King movie than you probably expect. Featuring Tom Hiddleston as a businessman with some sweet moves, it's a proudly unconventional flick that begins with the end of the world and ends with a haunted attic, and everything in between is a thought-provoking delight. Where to watch: In theaters. 2. 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994) There's not much scary here other than some jail guards. Instead, what makes "Shawshank" an all-timer is the core friendship of two inmates (played by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) who figure out they'd better 'get busy living or get busy dying." Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home. 1. 'The Shining' (1980) King notoriously disliked Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece, but it's the best of the entire lot. Come for the infamous scenes – 'Heeeeere's Johnny,' anyone? – and stay for the exceptional exploration of isolation, one man's descent into madness, and the terrifying effect on his family. Where to watch: Max, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Stephen King Adaptation With (Almost) No Scares
The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Of Stephen King's two dozen novellas, The Life of Chuck is among the odder choices to make into a movie. The titular protagonist is an unexceptional accountant. His tale is told backwards, in loosely connected vignettes. And he barely appears in the first act, which follows a teacher making peace with what seems to be the end of the world. The story, as a whole, is heady, elegiac, and rather philosophical: At one point, Chuck wonders 'why God made the world.' In the wrong hands, such a story would become inert on-screen. Its sentimentality could easily come across as maudlin, its structure too confusing to follow. The Life of Chuck's director, Mike Flanagan, has become something of a King whisperer, however, after bringing two of the author's (considered difficult-to-film) novels to the screen. Here, he has managed to translate the tricky material into a crowd-pleaser. King's work regularly gets turned into films and television shows: Aside from The Monkey, this year will also see the release of adaptations of The Long Walk, The Running Man, and The Institute, and a prequel series based on It. But as much as King may be known as a maestro at horror—an inherently cinematic genre—his greatest talent is generating worlds that feel lived in. He can conjure sense memories and a feeling of familiarity even for readers who have never, say, resided in a small town in Maine, stayed at an empty hotel, or found a dead body buried near a set of train tracks. The appeal of Flanagan's take on The Life of Chuck rests on his understanding of this resonant quality of King's writing; on-screen, as on the page, the story hums because it highlights the ordinary foundation upon which the supernatural can be built. Within the strange events is a core that is bittersweet and familiar. [Read: Doctor Sleep: A horror sequel that tries to do the impossible] Told in three chapters, The Life of Chuck begins at the end of Chuck's journey, though the character (played from oldest to youngest by Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, and Benjamin Pajak) appears mostly as an image on a series of advertisements thanking him for '39 great years!' until the movie's middle stretch. The high-concept reasons for that are best left unspoiled, although they're challenging in a way that makes Flanagan's efforts to render them legible even more enjoyable to watch; as with his other takes on the author's work, the director faithfully captures the source material down to its last King-ian flourish, whether that be a macabre joke or a precise detail. If anything, Flanagan revels in the novella's genre-bending dexterity, magnifying the eeriness of its opening scenes before deepening the homespun warmth of its subsequent chapters. He shoots each section using a different aspect ratio, and he swaps out casts and tones with abandon. Each storyline thus takes on a life of its own. [Read: A Stephen King adaptation that doesn't believe in monsters] Please forgive the cliché; it's only appropriate, because The Life of Chuck leans on quite a few of them. Inspired by Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself'—specifically, the verse that reads 'I am large, I contain multitudes'—the overarching plot relies on familiar archetypes and tropes to communicate a poignant idea. Of course Chuck had a tragic childhood, one that would make him accept advice from his grandfather Albie (an affecting Mark Hamill) to choose a stable life over a passionate one. Of course the girl Chuck drags into dancing with him during the second act is someone who, like Chuck, desperately needs a pick-me-up. And of course Chuck discovers, as a boy, that within him, as with everyone, is a magic that can't be extinguished by time or circumstance. 'In this moment, I am wonderful,' the young Chuck tells himself one evening as he gazes at the stars, paraphrasing Whitman. 'I have a right to be wonderful.' The line borders on saccharine, and will probably make those less tolerant of sappiness cringe. But I fell for the film's earnest insistence that each of us has access to an inner world no one else can ever fully know; that message, as trite as it may be, is particularly touching because of its pointed delivery. Flanagan's well-assembled group of actors also helps balance out the film's mushier elements: Nick Offerman narrates throughout with a matter-of-fact wisdom, Hiddleston exudes an infectious verve during his centerpiece scene, and Mia Sara, coming out of retirement to play Chuck's grandmother, is a casting masterstroke. Her presence anchors the story, as in a scene of her character dancing in her kitchen, playfully singing along to a rock song on the radio while beckoning Chuck to join her. The moment is beautifully lit and performed, playing like a memory and a dream all at once. The best of King's works, even the ones that come with telekinetic teenagers and murderous clowns, find something amazing within the everyday. Trailers for The Life of Chuck have touted King as the author behind the stories that inspired The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and Stand by Me—all selections that fall outside of the horror he typically writes. Doing so makes sense; unlike the rest of this year's plentiful offerings, The Life of Chuck joins those titles as a King entry that probably won't induce nightmares, just potent emotion, maybe even joy. Yet Chuck's tale isn't devoid of suspense. It's aligned with the rest of the author's oeuvre because it illuminates the wonder and terror of being human: that to live means acknowledging that death approaches, that the multitudes we contain can't last forever. This truth is perhaps the most visceral fear there is—yet we should take comfort in knowing that it's also the most mundane. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
The Appeal of Stephen King's Softer Side
Of Stephen King's two dozen novellas, The Life of Chuck is among the odder choices to make into a movie. The titular protagonist is an unexceptional accountant. His tale is told backwards, in loosely connected vignettes. And he barely appears in the first act, which follows a teacher making peace with what seems to be the end of the world. The story, as a whole, is heady, elegiac, and rather philosophical: At one point, Chuck wonders 'why God made the world.' In the wrong hands, such a story would become inert on-screen. Its sentimentality could easily come across as maudlin, its structure too confusing to follow. The Life of Chuck 's director, Mike Flanagan, has become something of a King whisperer, however, after bringing two of the author's (considered difficult-to-film) novels to the screen. Here, he has managed to translate the tricky material into a crowd-pleaser. King's work regularly gets turned into films and television shows: Aside from The Monkey, this year will also see the release of adaptations of The Long Walk, The Running Man, and The Institute, and a prequel series based on It. But as much as King may be known as a maestro at horror—an inherently cinematic genre—his greatest talent is generating worlds that feel lived in. He can conjure sense memories and a feeling of familiarity even for readers who have never, say, resided in a small town in Maine, stayed at an empty hotel, or found a dead body buried near a set of train tracks. The appeal of Flanagan's take on The Life of Chuck rests on his understanding of this resonant quality of King's writing; on-screen, as on the page, the story hums because it highlights the ordinary foundation upon which the supernatural can be built. Within the strange events is a core that is bittersweet and familiar. Told in three chapters, The Life of Chuck begins at the end of Chuck's journey, though the character (played from oldest to youngest by Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, and Benjamin Pajak) appears mostly as an image on a series of advertisements thanking him for '39 great years!' until the movie's middle stretch. The high-concept reasons for that are best left unspoiled, although they're challenging in a way that makes Flanagan's efforts to render them legible even more enjoyable to watch; as with his other takes on the author's work, the director faithfully captures the source material down to its last King-ian flourish, whether that be a macabre joke or a precise detail. If anything, Flanagan revels in the novella's genre-bending dexterity, magnifying the eeriness of its opening scenes before deepening the homespun warmth of its subsequent chapters. He shoots each section using a different aspect ratio, and he swaps out casts and tones with abandon. Each storyline thus takes on a life of its own. Please forgive the cliché; it's only appropriate, because The Life of Chuck leans on quite a few of them. Inspired by Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself' —specifically, the verse that reads 'I am large, I contain multitudes'—the overarching plot relies on familiar archetypes and tropes to communicate a poignant idea. Of course Chuck had a tragic childhood, one that would make him accept advice from his grandfather Albie (an affecting Mark Hamill) to choose a stable life over a passionate one. Of course the girl Chuck drags into dancing with him during the second act is someone who, like Chuck, desperately needs a pick-me-up. And of course Chuck discovers, as a boy, that within him, as with everyone, is a magic that can't be extinguished by time or circumstance. 'In this moment, I am wonderful,' the young Chuck tells himself one evening as he gazes at the stars, paraphrasing Whitman. 'I have a right to be wonderful.' The line borders on saccharine, and will probably make those less tolerant of sappiness cringe. But I fell for the film's earnest insistence that each of us has access to an inner world no one else can ever fully know; that message, as trite as it may be, is particularly touching because of its pointed delivery. Flanagan's well-assembled group of actors also helps balance out the film's mushier elements: Nick Offerman narrates throughout with a matter-of-fact wisdom, Hiddleston exudes an infectious verve during his centerpiece scene, and Mia Sara, coming out of retirement to play Chuck's grandmother, is a casting masterstroke. Her presence anchors the story, as in a scene of her character dancing in her kitchen, playfully singing along to a rock song on the radio while beckoning Chuck to join her. The moment is beautifully lit and performed, playing like a memory and a dream all at once. The best of King's works, even the ones that come with telekinetic teenagers and murderous clowns, find something amazing within the everyday. Trailers for The Life of Chuck have touted King as the author behind the stories that inspired The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and Stand by Me —all selections that fall outside of the horror he typically writes. Doing so makes sense; unlike the rest of this year's plentiful offerings, The Life of Chuck joins those titles as a King entry that probably won't induce nightmares, just potent emotion, maybe even joy. Yet Chuck's tale isn't devoid of suspense. It's aligned with the rest of the author's oeuvre because it illuminates the wonder and terror of being human: that to live means acknowledging that death approaches, that the multitudes we contain can't last forever. This truth is perhaps the most visceral fear there is—yet we should take comfort in knowing that it's also the most mundane.
