Of all the authors associated with horror, Stephen King will be the most recognised. Considered to be a master story teller, King's work consists of gruesome stories complete with rich plots and developed characters. Before King's work was recognised, the horror genre was overcrowded with predictable slasher stories which were rich in gore but compromised by weak plots and shallow characters. King's novels and short stories appeal to readers and non readers alike helping the author sell over 350 million copies of his work.
In this weeks special we count down the top 5 film adaptations of Stephen King's novels.
#5 Pet Semetary (1989)
The Creeds have just moved into their new house. The house is perfect, except for one thing, the mysterious cemetary in the woods behind the house. Shortly after the move, the family cat is killed after walking onto the highway. Jud, an elderly neighbour instructs the father Louis to bury the cat in the cemetary. Mysteriously the cat reappears in the garden, this time a lot more vicious and destructive. Soon after, Louis' son is killed in a fatal accident. Distraught, Louis decides to bury his son in the same location with the hope of reviving him with disastrous consequences.
#4 Carrie (1976)
Carrie White is the outsider of her class. An embarassing episode in the showers after gym class causes fellow pupils to tease her ruthlessly, and as a result those involved are punished. Determined to have revenge, the other students decide to humiliate Carrie on prom night in a plan involving a bucket of pigs blood. What no one realises is that Carrie has the power of telekinesis (the ability to move things with your mind) and that when you make her mad, Carrie transfroms into a rage filled monster. Directed by Brian De Palma and starring John Travolta, Carrie is considered as one of the best film adaptations of Stephen King's novels.
#3 Stand By Me (1985)
Although not a horror film, Stand By Me cannot be doubted as one of Stephen King's defining pieces. Based on 'The Body', Stand By Me is a bittersweet story about a group of friends who set out on a journey to find the body of a boy that was killed by a train. The stakes are upped when the bad kids in town are tailing them. On the way to finding their treasure, they manage to learn alot about themselves and one another. Stand By Me is the film that launched the careers of River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell aswell as starring Kiefer Sutherland.
#2 Misery (1990)
Novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) crashes his car during a blizzard, only to be saved by his 'number one fan' Annie Wilkes (Kathie Bates). Annie takes him back to her ranch to recover where she learns Paul has killed off her favourite character causing her to become somewhat unstable. Crippled and drugged, Paul finds himself at Annie's mercy in this claustrophobic and shocking movie.
#1 The Shining (1980)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, Jack Nicholson steals the show as Jack Torrance, the caretaker of the haunted Overlook Hotel. Accompanied by his wife and child, Jack suffers a mental breakdown When the snow storms block the Torrance family in the hotel, Jack's son Danny discovers that the hotel is haunted and that the spirits are slowly driving Jack crazy. When Jack meets the ghost of Mr. Grady, the former caretaker of the hotel who murdered his wife and his two daughters, things begin to get really nasty.
Honourable mentions: The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, 1408 & Christine.
Vdj 25/04/08.
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