With ‘The Dark Tower’ film finally releasing this week, (FINALLY!) Cinema Compulsion decided to run thro’ all the Stephen King’s film adaptation catalog and smoke out the best five films. ( in our opinion of course)
P.S. – this poster looks so badass!
Also, King’s new kid friendly everyday neighborhood clown film releasing next month we had to do this list :p
everyone’s favorite clown makes an appearance in ‘IT’!
This list contains Films that are based on his work ( short stories and novels both).
1.The Shawshank Redemption –
The movie that frequently comes in the lists of greatest films of all time on every critic’s list, is based on a short story written by the king himself. Titled ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank redemption’ with merely 140 pages, This film adaption was beautiful storytelling which also relaunched Morgan Freeman’s career.
Also Director Frank Darabont’s breakthrough film is still at number one spot on IMDb top 250 films after all these years! ( Cheers to that :p)
‘The Shawshank Redemption’ Trailer
2.The Green Mile
This Tom Hanks starred Oscar nominated film was a triumph. Michael Clarke Duncan stole the film with his superb acting performance ( R.I.P legend) as the gentle giant with incredible superpowers.
Stephan King on The Green Mile –
“I would have to say that I was delighted with The Green Mile. The film is a little “soft” in some ways. I like to joke with Frank that his movie was really the first R-rated Hallmark Hall of Fame production. For a story that is set on death row, it has a really feel-good, praise-the-human condition sentiment to it. I certainly don’t have a problem with that because I am a sentimentalist at heart.” —Hollywood’s Stephen King, 2003.
‘The Green Mile’ Trailer
3.Carrie
In his early career, Stephan King was primarily known for his horror books. Carrie was his first published novel way back in 1974. Mighty director ‘Brian De Palma’ decided to adapt this book on big screen and rest is history. Brian added his magical directional style and with a great cast, Carrie managed to score few Oscar nods.
Although dated and, yes, more than a little bit campy, Carrie is a classic for a reason. For proof, re-watch the opening scene — how King and De Palma were able to capture the symbolic horror of “becoming a woman” with comments on the religious, social, and societal is beyond me, but they pull it off – and also, that prom scene, which is frenetic, lyrical, blood-soaked Sodom and Gomorrah theatre at its best. (excerpt from an article published on Conequence of Sound)
‘Carrie’ Trailer
4.The Shining
Stephan King was never a fan of The Shining.
Read below what he had to say about it in an interview he gave to Rolling Stone Magzine –
“Obviously people absolutely love it, and they don’t understand why I don’t. The book is hot, and the movie is cold; the book ends in fire and the movie in ice. In the book, there’s an actual arc where you see this guy, Jack Torrance, trying to be good, and little by little he moves over to this place where he’s crazy. And as far as I was concerned, when I saw the movie, Jack was crazy from the first scene. I had to keep my mouth shut at the time. It was a screening, and Nicholson was there. But I’m thinking to myself the minute he’s on the screen, ‘Oh, I know this guy. I’ve seen him in five motorcycle movies, where Jack Nicholson played the same part.’ And it’s so misogynistic. I mean, Wendy Torrance is just presented as this sort of screaming dishrag. But that’s just me, that’s the way I am.” —Rolling Stone, October 2014
Nevertheless, the shining is still regarded as one of Stanley Kubrick’s best work and surely stands the test of time, still giving us the chills and nightmares!
‘The Shining’ Trailer
5.1408
1408 is an excellent film that will send shivers down the spines of those wanting a good scare. If you’re sick and tired of the played out genres of SAW or HOSTEL, 1408 is something new and exciting and actually good. Every corner and every room within 1408 is something that you will have to see for yourself, you never know what horrors lie next and that’s what makes this film pretty scary.
While it’s not the best King adaptation, it certainly is one of the better ones and deserves to be called The Shining for 2007.
A brilliantly acted ( John Cusack), well developed version of King’s short story, 1408 is a different type of horror movie, but in all the right ways.
‘1408’ Trailer
Well, that’s it for now folks. Check out and like our facebook page to get new updates and reviews on films and tv shows!
Coffee And Vice 