Stephen King Books that have been made into Movies

Movie Errors

Released: 1999

Description: Based on the characters of Carrie, this movie should be warmly received by fans of the original. With Emily Bergl as Rachel Lang, Jason London as Jesse Ryan, Dylan Bruno as Mark, J. Smith-Cameron as Barbara Lang and Amy Irving as Sue Snell.

Newcomer Emily Bergl did an excellent job as the enraged Rachel, a girl that can kill using the power of her mind. Amy Irving returns to Bates county Highschool as the counsellor Sue Snell, and this allows the The Rage to be connected to Carrie. A series of flashbacks and many connections to the first Carrie, help The Rage succeed. There is some gore and scary parts that may not be suitable for younger viewers that have watched the first Carrie. Overall I believe this film was an excellent sequel to Carrie and although not a Stephen King novel, as the first was, I think the King of horror would have been impressed. A must see for horror fanatics or anyone looking for a good scare, and don't forget to keep an eye out for "King University".

Something interesting is that Sue Snell, spared by Carrie in the previous movie, is actually killed by Rachel this time. It turns out that Rachel is actually Carrie's half sister - something that is actually impossible, as Carrie's father died before Carrie was born.

The original working title was Carrie 2, Say You're Sorry. Be warned that the soundtrack CD is only INSPIRED by The Rage: Carrie 2, not actually a soundtrack FROM the movie, and a lot of people have been quite disappointed by it.

Description written in part by Angel-54.

Return to Salem's Lot

Released: 1987

Description: Joe Weber (Michael Moriarty)is an anthropologist who takes his son Jeremy (Ricky Addison Reed)on a trip to the New England town of Salem's Lot unaware that it is populated by vampires. When the inhabitants reveal their secret, they ask Joe to write a bible for them.

Larry Cohen directs this movie containing no plot, bad acting, gratuitous gore, and stupid jokes.

Revelations of 'Becka Paulson, The

Released: 2000?

Description: In this adaptation of Stephen King's short story from within the Tommyknockers, Becka Paulson's (Catherine O'Hara) humdrum trailer park life suddenly becomes very interesting after she accidentally shoots herself in the head while watching her favourite soap opera.

The bullet lodges in her brain, leaving a small red dot in her forehead and turning her world upside down. Doc Fink (BILL DOW), the town vet, can't find anything wrong - but Becka notices changes. Suddenly, she's smarter than she's ever been and full of ideas for inventions. Plus, the Handsome Man (STEVEN WEBER) photo that came with the picture frame is talking to her. He tells her about the town's dark secrets, including her husband Joe's (JOHN DIEHL) lunch-hour affair with Nancy Voss down at the post office.

The Handsome Man is the friend Becka never had - and a better man than Joe, to be sure - but is it really wise to count on the advice of a man who lives in an 8x10 frame?

Rose Madder

Released: Unknown, possible scrapped.

Description: HBO Pictures has bought the rights at $1.5 million for Rose Madder, to be made into a made-for-cable movie. The movie will be produced by Rob Fried.

Rose Red

Released: 2002

Description: Rose Red is a 3 part, 6 hour, miniseries written for the ABC which aired during February 2002. Filming commenced on the 22nd of August 2000 in and around Seattle. Like many ABC films, the characters are USUALLY well cast, except for one or two, which do detract from the movies enjoyment.

Nancy Travis, Judith Ivey, Kimberly Brown, Julian Sands, Matt Keeslar, Kevin Tighe, Emily Deschanel, Yvonne Scio, Matt Ross and Tsidii LeLoca star in the miniseries. The ABC have retained the production team that was used for Storm Of The Century, with King and Mark Carliner as executive producers, producer Thomas Brodek and director Craig Baxley.

The miniseries tells the story of Rose Red, a haunted mansion built in 1907 by a Seattle oil magnate. Nancy Travis plays an obsessed psychology professor, Joyce Reardon who commissions a team of psychics and a gifted 15-year-old autistic girl (Kimberly Brown) to wake the ghosts, with disastrous results!

Running Man, The

Released: 1987

Description: Really this movie has little to do with the actual story, except the basic idea of a 'contest to the death'. I liked the $27 Million movie, but Arnold Schwarzenegger was not a good actor at this stage, so he really did detract from the movie. Maybe some one will do a better version of the story one day... The Game show host Damon Killian is played by Richard Dawson, long-time host of the American game show "Family Feud", so I think he's really in his element here.

Of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger does do his usual "I'll be back!", which helped the movie gross some $39 million from the box office.

The announcer's voiceover at the end of the movie can be quite comic, mentioning things like: "The Running Man has been brought to you by: Breakaway Paramilitary Uniforms, Orville Pure Procreation Pills, and Cadre Cola - it hits the spot."

Secret Window

Released: 8 April 2004

Description: Though he knows he should be at his computer writing another book, or at least walking his dog along the sparkling lake outside his dingy cabin, successful author Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) is sleeping on his favorite sofa for up to 16 hours a day. He is in the midst of a painful divorce and everything about the breakup has turned messy and unpleasant. It has sapped his energy and siphoned away his creativity, leaving him with a monumental case of writer's block that renders him incapable of even stringing a simple sentence together.

Then, when it seems as if things can't possibly get worse, a psychotic stranger named John Shooter (John Turturro) shows up at his doorstep, accuses Rainey of plagiarizing his story and demands satisfaction. Despite Rainey's efforts to placate him, Shooter becomes increasingly insistent and hostile, intimating a twisted sort of justice that could include cold-blooded murder.

Forced into a mind-bending game of cat and mouse, Rainey discovers that he has more cunningness and gritty determination than he ever imagined. In the end, he realizes that elusive Shooter may know him better than he knows himself.

Salem's Lot

Released: 1979

Description: Director George Romero was originally approached to direct a feature film version, but after the announcements of John Badham's Dracula (1979) and Werner Herzog's Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979), Warner Bros. decided to turn Salem's Lot into a TV mini-series. Romero dropped out, feeling he wouldn't be able to make the film the way he wanted to with the restrictions of network television, and Tobe Hooper took over.

The acting is acceptable, but in some scenes, the real horror of the situation fails to be adequately shown by Ben Mears (David Soul) and Mark Petrie (Lance Kerwin). James Mason does a fair job of portraying the evil Straker, while Bonnie Bedelia dies an excellent job of portraying Susan Norton.

Broadcast on network TV as Blood Thirst in the United States at 200 minutes; later cut to 150 minutes. An alternate 112 minutes cable-TV cut features stronger violence and was released theatrically in Europe and is available on video in the USA.

Shawshank Redemption, The

Released: 1994

Description: Well I was impressed when I first seen the movie. Being an avid horror fan, I thought the story would be a bit slow and (dare I say?) boring in places. Well when my wife watched it, I was glued to the screen after the first 5 minutes. Like the Langoliers, the original story is short, and thus allows the building of the characters in a way that makes you almost a part of the story.

Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne almost perfectly, as does Morgan Freeman with his character Red (Who we find out is Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding - his full name is never given out in the book). As for Warden Norton, Bob Gunton played the part so well I almost wanted to strangle him from the first minute. It's interesting to know that the part of Tommy Williams was intended for Brad Pitt, but ended up being played by Gil Bellows. The movie grossed over $28 Million.

Don't forget to look closely at the credits: The man who cried and was beaten when Andy first arrived is listed and credited as "Fat Ass" - the other inmates' nickname for him.

In Stephen King's original story, Red was written as an Irishman. In the movie, they left the line "Maybe it's 'cause I'm Irish" in the movie even after they cast Morgan Freeman as Red. Speaking of Red, the mug shots on Red's parole papers are actually pictures of Freeman's son, who also supplied one of the voices for the "fresh fishes" scene.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals monitored the filming of scenes involving Brooks' crow. During the scene where he fed it a maggot, the ASPCA objected on the grounds that it was cruel to the maggot, and required that they use a maggot that had died from natural causes. One was found, and the scene was filmed.

Shining, The

Released: 1980

Description: I never was a fan of this version of The Shining, and found the characters very plastic, but many people disagree and think this is the only 'true' version of this film. Actors included Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers

The management of the Timberline Lodge, where the $19 Million movie was partially filmed, requested that Kubrick not use room 217 (as specified in the book), fearing that nobody would want to stay in that room ever again (Not sure why - I do!). Kubrick changed the script to use the nonexistent room number 237.

Kubrick decided that having the hedge animals come alive was unworkable, so he opted for a hedge maze instead and Danny can be seen wearing a sweater with a crude drawing of a rocket and the text "2001" on it: a reference to Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Louisville Slugger baseball bat with which Wendy Torrance bludgeons Jack is signed by Carl Yastrzemski. Kubrick demanded 127 takes from Shelley Duvall in one scene.

King had in fact written his own screenplay for The Shining, but Kubrick reportedly did not even read it. In the end King summarised The Shining by saying that is was "a beautiful film. It's like this great big gorgeous car with no engine in it - thats all."

Shining, The

Released: 1997

Description: This is a remake of the Shining, made as a television series, and King was the Executive Producer. On 2 Video Tapes, it is a rather enjoyable interpretation, although fans of the Stanley Kubrik version may not like this. Based more on a story rather than leaving the viewer to interpret the actions of each of the characters, I find it easier to watch as most of the actions of the characters are explained in the action, unlike the initial version of the film.

Actually the outside hotel scenes were shot at the Timberline Lodge for the 1980 version, and the Stanley Hotel for the 1997 version, and I believe that the Stanley Hotel looks the part!

Rebecca De Mornay plays an excellent Wendy Torrance, as does Steven Weber with his character Jack Torrance, Melvin Van Peebles plays Dick Hallorann almost perfectly, but in my opinion Courtland Mead made the worst Danny Torrance that could ever have been cast.

Interestingly, the movie received 3 Emmy nominations:

Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Special,
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries or a Special,
Outstanding Miniseries.

Silver Bullet

Released: 1985

Description: In a peaceful town the peace is no longer after a string of mutilated bodies are found. A handicapped boy thinks it is the work of a werewolf, and he is right, but the werewolf is not who you think it is - in fact it is the last person you would think of.

With Gary Busey as Uncle Red, Corey Haim as Marty Coslaw and Everett McGill as the luckless Reverend Lowe, director Daniel Attias does a good job of making the short story come alive.

Sleepwalkers

Released: 1992

Description: Sleepwalkers was written as a TV screenplay. A rather black thriller that's quite like a modern vampire story, but written from the side of the vampire where a mother-and-son team of strange supernatural creatures come to town to seek out a virgin to feed on. You feel sorrow for the sleepwalkers even though they are evil.

Clive Barker plays a part in this movie (I think it's the first time I have seen him), but even this does little to resurrect a fairly mediocre screenplay. Grossing around $28 Million, the movie was seen as somewhat of a flop by many in the industry.

Sometimes They Come Back

Released: 1991

Description: Although the story that this movie was based upon was only very short, the movie is quite well produced, and written. Based on a short story by Stephen King, a school teacher returning to the town he grew up in 30 years earlier is haunted by the ghosts of highschool thugs that were killed in a freak accident along with his brother.

The storyline is different in quite a few parts, but the characters have the same feel, and the overall quality of the acting and effects is reasonable.

Sometimes They Come Back... Again

Released: 1996

Description: Based on Characters in Night Shift - Sometimes they come back. Not a bad shocker and the actors seemed to have a lot of fun making their characters quirky and interesting. Unfortunately much of the movie focuses on killing off these engaging characters. Flashbacks gradually reveal the backstory in a way similar to It, and reflect increasing tension into the storyline of the present. This was a slickly made film with some pretty creepy moments.

Keep an eye out after the credits as Alexis Arquette re-appears in the psychiatrist's office to announce that he's back.

Sometimes They Come Back... For More

Released: 1998

Description: Based on the characters in Sometimes They Come Back. The film maintains a good deal of tension for the first half but it all falls to pieces towards the end. Daniel Zelik Berk directed a star-unstudded cast including Damian Chapa, Faith Ford, Chase Masterson, Max Perlich and Clayton Rohner. I just hope they don't come back again!

Stand by Me

Released: 1986

Description: A good movie directed by Rob Reiner that's fairly true to the movie in many ways. Far from horror, this movie is more along the lines of The Shawshank Redemption.

Child actors make up the bulk of the numbers, including excellent performances by Wil Wheaton as Gordie Lachance, River Phoenix as Chris Chambers, Corey Feldman as Teddy Duchamp and Jerry O'Connell as Vern Tessio. Worthy of special mention is Ace Merrill, played by the talented Kiefer Sutherland.

The way in which this film was released ensured that it was both a critical and financial success, grossing $46 Million in only four months.

Stand, The

Released: 1994

Description: This is the one King tape that gets played almost every month at home. The movie follows the story very closely, without missing too much background on the characters. A little slow in the early parts, but the movie builds the story into a climactic ending that is well worth the wait. King was the Executive Producer.

Corn stalks were flown in from Florida for the full size sound-stage corn field. By the time the corn got to the set in Utah, it was dead. Fake corn was constructed instead, costing nearly $80,000. For the Mother Abigail farm set, a full-size tree, tons of dirt, grass, and sod were brought in. The sky was painted on a backdrop that surrounded the entire stage.

There were a total of 125+ speaking roles in 95 scripted shooting locations in 19 scripted states over 100 shooting days, taking 8 hours of screen time and using over 4 1/2 hours of music.

The cast included Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Laura San Giacomo, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Miguel Ferrer, Corin Nemec, Matt Frewer, Adam Storke, Ray Walston and Rob Lowe.

Storm of the Century

Released: 1999

Description: The $30 million TV miniseries stars Tim Daly in the personification of good and Colm Feore as evil. Directed by Craig Baxley. Deborah Farantino will also star. It will air during the spring sweeps of 1999. King was the Executive Producer.

It is going to be a three-part miniseries, shot largely on a set in Toronto. The film's senior producer is Thomas Brodek, and the plot calls for a furious blizzard to hit an island fishing village in Maine. Location shooting is/will be done in Southwest Harbour, Maine, with shooting dates planned for late January, April and May.

The series centres largely on a devil character named "Linoge" who is looking for a small child to succeed him. The child is a member of a small, coastal town in Maine called Little Tall Island which is the setting for Dolores Claiborne, (aka Southwest Harbour). In order to lure the town into giving him the child, Linoge inflicts his wrath, creating a catastrophic blizzard, bringing destruction to its waterfront and killing off some of its citizens. (Description written by Bev Vincent and used with permission).

The book above is the paperback edition of the screenplay, and well worth reading for the true fans out there!

In Part 1, Timothy Daly's character asks an assistant, "Do you see Superman around here?" Daly does the voice of Superman in the WB animated series. The book that Cat reads to the children, "The Little Puppy," was a favorite of Danny Torrance in "The Shining" (another Stephen King story).

Strawberry Spring

Released: St. Louis Local Filmmaker Festival on July 29, 2001

Description: This short movie is actually very good. For what seems to be a small group of "unknowns" they have come up with an excellent short movie that holds your attention.

Stud City