Stephen King Book to Film Adaptions
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Few modern novelists have had such an enormous impact as Stephen King, and over the years King has had dozens of his horror novels adapted to film. Although many of these adaptions are renowned for being mostly mediocre works (Sleepwalkers, Maximum Overdrive, Children of the Corn, etc.), we have had the pleasure of receiving such classics as The Shining, Carrie, and Misery; movies that have influenced countless artists today and captivated the minds of horror and movie fans alike.
Just last year, Stephen King’s It novel, which was formerly adapted as a miniseries in 1990, was brought to the silver screen, shattering records and becoming the highest-grossing horror movie of all time with a whopping 700 million earned at the box office. On top of this, the last two years have brought us adaptations of Gerald’s Game, Cell, 1922, and The Dark Tower. But Stephen King’s tales are not only coming to life on the big screen, they’ve also made their way to Netflix and cable television. Netflix is the company that adapted Gerald’s Game and 1922, and on TV we’ve gained Castle Rock—a TV series that takes place within the Stephen King universe, incorporating different locations and aspects from his books and bringing them all together to form one intriguing package.
But these adaptations are not stopping here! Next year has plenty in store with such films as Pet Cemetery (remake), Doctor Sleep (the sequel to The Shining), and the second part of the It movie which will deal with the adult versions of the Loser’s Club. Having seen the first part of It, which featured great child actors and a phenomenal performance by Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, I’m looking forward to the next chapter. As well, having become more and more of a Stephen King fan over the years, I’m excited to see more of his work adapted into film and TV projects.
All this is great for the horror genre because it’s introducing these captivating stories to new groups of people. New generations will be able to look upon these works and immerse themselves in wonderfully imaginative worlds. And for those who have already been fans, there’s always an excitement to seeing your favourite characters, worlds, and stories come to life on screen. Just as older generations were able to experience classics such as Carrie, The Shining, and Misery in theaters, now we’ll have our own to enjoy. For us horror fans, there’s much to look forward to in the coming years, and with a growing interest in horror, the possibilities for horrific new tales are endless.
“Daniel Paternostre is a second-year Professional Writing student at Algonquin College. Above all, he enjoys reading and writing and hopes to someday become a published author.”
