What can we say of THE horror storyteller of our times, Stephen King? He’s a maestro of the macabre. An interrupter of sleep patterns. Natural enemy to unspoiled underpants everywhere. Too many times have we curled up for an afternoon read of his work only to reemerge from the pages around midnight.
It should come as no surprise, then, that we’re hotly anticipating the forthcoming Pet Sematary film, based on the bone-rattling novel of the same name. Our ticket is pre-purchased. We’ve watched and rewatched the trailers. We’re eyeballing the April 4 release date with all the hungry intensity of a reanimated cat.
Words are clearly Mr. King’s power, but the decades have proven that his spellbinding dark magic transposes to film just as readily. To keep ourselves busy during the agonising wait for Pet Sematary to hit cinemas, we thought we’d take a cue from the film by digging up some evil loved ones from the past. Here are the top 10 best Stephen King movie adaptations (and to keep what we’ve unearthed nice and fresh, we’ve stayed this side of the year 2000).
And, as always, don’t forget to catch Pet Sematary in cinemas April 4. Get your tickets here and check out the trailer below for some serious pre-movie spooks.
Gerald’s Game (2017)
Based on the 1992 novel of the same name, Gerald’s Game plays out like a worst-case scenario for a married couple trying to reignite their passion on a dirty weekend getaway. Unlike Pet Sematary, Gerald’s Game is mostly bereft of supernatural themes and instead takes a darker, more psychologically harrowing approach. That said, if you’ve got an unreasoning fear of what domesticated animals are capable of, both films have plenty of moments to mess with your zoophobia.
1922 (2017)
Drawn from King’s 2010 novella, 1922 is a chilling first-person account of farmer, Wilfred James, who’s about to lose everything in a divorce. The unreliable narrator tells a lengthy, drawling confession of the murder of his wife, Arlette, and the subsequent hasty concealment of her body down a well. To put it lightly: said inhumation doesn’t go smoothly. Perhaps he should’ve planted the missus in ancient Micmac tribe burial ground instead? Nothing would have gone wrong then *cough*
IT (2017)
This recent, second-time adaptation of King’s 1986 novel needs little introduction. Pennywise the Dancing Clown – in actuality a shape-shifting evil entity stuck out of time – uses the town of Derry as its own personal game reserve. Children are at the top of It‘s menu and the more terrified these hors d’oeuvres are at the moment of consumption, the sweeter they taste. Quick tourist tip: (fictional) Derry is only a few hours drive from Ludlow, Maine, site of the aforementioned Pet Sematary. Either town is worth a visit if your idea of a great weekend is trying to escape from a hellish nexus of paranormal, supernatural, and odd metaphysical happenings.
1408 (2007)
Adapted to the big screen from Stephen King’s 1999 short story, 1408 is the hotel room number that’s caught the eye of Mike Enslin, a non-fiction author who makes serious bank cataloguing haunted places. Without revealing too much: his status as a sceptic is put to the test by a suite with a worrying guestbook rap sheet. We’re talking 12 suicides and at least 30 “natural” deaths, across the span of 68 years. Decent high-score!
The Mist (2007)
Though it took 27 years for this novella to get the big screen treatment, the wait was worth it (and we also got a TV mini-series as well. Bonus!). When an unnatural fog rolls into Bridgton, Maine, the few townspeople lucky enough to be indoors become hunted by other-worldly horrors. This film has one of the most unnerving endings to a King story this side of Pet Sematary (no spoilers here – you’re just going to have to check it out for yourself on April 4).
Carrie (2013)
The 2013 Carrie movie marked the third time that the 1974 novel was adapted to the screen. It tells the tragic tale of outcast high schooler, Carrie White, a young teen domineered by her conservative mother and tormented by her peers. Unfortunately for the aforementioned belligerents, Carrie’s rage and latent psychokinetic abilities are reaching their boiling point.
The Dark Tower (2017)
Interestingly, every movie on this list (Pet Sematary included) exists in the sprawling King-verse of The Dark Tower. Technically, while the Creed family is going through their own personal hell in Maine, a dimension away, a gunslinger named Roland Deschain is also locked in a battle with The Man in Black. Said antagonist wants to topple the eponymous tower, the linchpin holding Stephen King’s creepy-as-heck universe together.
Mercy (2014)
Folks who sampled the short story ‘Gramma’ from King’s 1985 collection Skeleton Crew will cop a PTSD flashback while watching Mercy. The setup is the same as the story: a single mother and her two children, George and Buddy, go and help take care of their infirm grandmother. Where’s the horror, you ask? Having to sit through a senior citizen’s anecdotes that don’t go anywhere?! No, not quite. Turns out granny is uncanny and may have mystical powers.’
Secret Window (2004)
This film, adapted from King’s 1990 novella Secret Window, Secret Garden, is all about the divorce from hell. A successful writer named Mort Rainey is embroiled in a litigious separation, but it’s just the start of his problems. Pursued to his remote lake house by a wannabe scribe who insists he’s a plagiarist, Mort starts to crack under the extreme mental pressure which precipitates some very bad decisions.
No Smoking (2007)
The Indian-made adaptation of the 1978 short story ‘Quitters, Inc.’ is centered on a man named K, his addiction to smoking, and a shadowy organisation that claims it can cure his “death stick” habit using very unorthodox means. No Smoking is a slick, somewhat abstract thriller that dips into David Lynch surrealism and has a sizeable cult following because of it.
You can catch Pet Sematary in cinemas from April 4. Get your tickets here!
