Thanks to an accidental reference on a TV Tropes pages, I’ve been delving once more into the works of Stephen King, specifically ‘Mr. Mercedes’, his take on hard-boiled detective stories. Of course, that led me to the realization that they’ve made it into a TV series, but my mind doesn’t think I can watch it because the casting is all wrong. It’s a common problem with King adaptations, as the things I see in my mind’s eye are seldom what makes it to the screen. And in the case of ‘The Mist’, it’s just a dream-crushing horror of a movie, one that I’ll never forgive. Of course, I’ll never forgive ‘Maximum Overdrive’, either, for different reasons, leading to today’s Best of King query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) reminds Faithful Spoilerites that this category includes both ‘Shawshank Redemption’ and ‘Stand By me’, asking: Which live-action TV or movie adaptation constitutes the BEST of King?
5 Comments
Shawshank Redemption
Having only read one Stephen King novel, but also having seen many adaptations of his work, I would say that the best of King lies in his writing characters under stress, and that the supernatural bits always seem a bit silly or off. So, the BEST of King for me would be something that plays into this strength and ignores the other bits, hence Shawshank, with Stand By Me taking a close second.
I guess its Shawshank. Not a big Stephen King guy, I’ve read few of his novels in my early teens. I have a soft spot for that one in which the whole world gets munched by some weird creatures.
Yeah….as an overall finished product, it’s hard not to say Shawshank. Pressure and time, that’s all it takes.
It’s a shame that the arguable “best” of King’s supernatural work tend to move the furthest away from the source….your It remakes, your Kubrick Shinings, etc. I read a good chunk of his stuff as a kid (weirdly never read his non-spooky stuff like the short stories that Stand By Me or Shawshank were based on tho), and i feel like Salem’s Lot is due for a decent remake. It’s certainly one of the most straightforward of his novels, and maybe a 4 part Netflix series would finally get it right.
It might be time for a Children of the Corn remake.
I think there actually was an attempt at a Children of the Corn remake/reboot recently…..i think Syfy did it?