The Worst Stephen King Movies, According to Stephen King
There are few authors, in the modern day particularly, whose work is as celebrated and iconic as that of Stephen King’s. Likewise, there are few novelists who have seen so many of their works adapted to the screen, with there being dozens of films and television series based on the stories of the prolific horror writer.
King himself has always been vocal concerning his views of such adaptations, washing the ones he loves with high praise and heartfelt affection, while putting a critical eye to the ones that don’t appease him. While King’s dismissal of Stanley Kubrick’s critically acclaimed and adored horror The Shining may be the most famous of the adaptations he has taken exception to, there have been plenty more that he has expressed his discontent over. 10 'Dreamcatcher' Directed by Lawrence Kasdan A monumental misfire despite its strong cast, Dreamcatcher became a commercial and critical failure as a supernatural horror following a group of friends who share a telepathic gift as they embark on a hunting trip. When they realize the town they are vacationing in is actually being overrun by a parasitic alien force, they find themselves fighting to defend all humanity. King was initially upbeat about the film, but he has since voiced criticism of it, going so far as to describe it as a “train wreck” in a 2007 interview with Time Magazine. His views on the novel itself have soured significantly over time as well, with King explaining that it was written while he was under the influence of Oxycontin as he recovered from a car accident, and alluding to the fact that it resulted in a muddled and unsatisfactory story.Release Date March 21, 2003 Director Lawrence Kasdan Language English Studio Warner Bros. Run Time 134 Minutes Rent on Amazon 9 'Firestarter' Directed by Mark L. Lester Firestarter stands as one of the film adaptations of his work that Stephen King seems to detest the most. Combining elements of sci-fi and horror, the story focuses on a couple who meet as test subjects in a medical trial in their youth who grow suspicious of what exactly was conducted on them when their daughter develops pyrokinesis. While scraping by to turn a slight profit, Firestarter was immediately admonished as a critical failure. King shared the dissatisfaction of many viewers, even going so far to describe is as being among the worst adaptations of his work in a 1986 interview with American Film Magazine. In the interview, he elaborated to say that, while the film realized the book’s narrative accurately, it failed to bring it to life with any impact, describing the film as “flavorless”.Not availableRelease Date May 11, 1984 Director Mark L. Lester Cast Drew Barrymore , David Keith , Freddie Jones , Heather Locklear , Martin Sheen Runtime 115 Minutes 8 'Maximum Overdrive' Directed by Stephen King One of the things that makes Stephen King’s criticism so meaningful is his earnestness and his ability to level it at himself when necessary. That is the case with his indictment of Maximum Overdrive, a loose adaptation of his short story “Trucks” which King directed himself . The darkly comical sci-fi horror follows a band of battling survivors as everyday machines become homicidal. The film was universally admonished by critics and became a box office flop even with its measly budget. Speaking on the film in an interview for the 2003 book “Hollywood’s Stephen King”, King conceded that he was heavily under the influence of cocaine throughout the production and that he largely had no idea how to work as a director. Perhaps because of this, Maximum Overdrive has become something of a so-bad-it’s-good cult classic over the years.*Availability in US Release Date July 25, 1986 Director Stephen King Cast Emilio Estevez , Pat Hingle , Laura Harrington , Yeardley Smith , John Short , Ellen McElduff Runtime 97 minutes Main Genre Action 7 'Needful Things' Directed by Fraser Clarke Heston Close Perhaps more an indictment on circumstances regarding its release more so than its quality as an adaptation, Needful Things initially earned praise from Stephen King as a four-hour-long feature shown on TNT. In “Hollywood’s Stephen King”, the author comments “as a four-hour miniseries, it works”. However, King wasn’t as fond of the story after it was cut down to a more cinema-friendly runtime of 120 minutes, describing the revised picture as “almost indecipherable”. The film unfolds as a mysterious stranger arrives in a small American town and sets up a store that sells customers whatever they most desire. However, the price the patrons must pay always turns out to be far more than they initially expect. The film was largely dismissed by critics as sloppy and uninspired genre fare. While a 191-minute revised cut of the film has since been released, interest in revisiting the story has not been forthcoming.6 'A Return to Salem’s Lot' Directed by Larry Cohen Close Published in 1975, ‘‘Salem’s Lot’ marks just Stephen King’s second ever novel, and one of the ones he is most proud of. It focuses on a writer who returns to a small town he lived in as a child only to find that its residents are being turned into vampires. The novel was adapted as a miniseries in 1979, one that has become a cult classic and even earned praise from King himself despite making some significant deviations from his story. A Return to Salem’s Lot functions as a sequel to the miniseries, but it lacks the inspiration or structure of the original story and ultimately collapsed as an amateurish and sloppy production. While King hasn’t spoken at length about the film, he did dismiss it in his 2007 interview with Time Magazine, listing it as an exception to the fact that the vast majority of adaptations of his work, regardless of how he views them, have done interesting things with the source material.5 'Graveyard Shift' Directed by Ralph S. Singleton Close A short story that predates all of King’s published novels, ‘Graveyard Shift’ marks one of the more fantastical monster horror tales the writer has ever conceived. It takes place in a dilapidated textile mill in a small town in Maine, following a young drifter who works there as he and his fellow employees find themselves being attacked by a horrific and evolved army of rats that have been lurking in the mill’s abandoned basement. In a 2016 interview with Deadline, King mentioned the ill-fated 1990 adaptation of his short story when questioned on his least favorite adaptations of his work, describing it as “just kind of a quick exploitation picture”. Graveyard Shift was met with widespread critical derision upon release, and stands as a rare film, holding a 0% score on the film aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.4 'Christine' Directed by John Carpenter Handled by horror maestro John Carpenter just a year after his cult classic The Thing, Christine marks an example where King’s dislike of a picture adapted from his work is not shared by the majority of audiences. Set in the late 70s, it follows a nerdy 17-year-old as he grows obsessed with restoring a rusty and beat-up Plymouth Fury. However, unbeknownst to the youth, the car is possessed by a murderous entity. The film is largely praised as an iconic picture of the early 80s, a silly and effervescent horror that imbues its ridiculous premise with a knack for good fun and wry wit. However, when he was promoting the adaptation of Dreamcatcher in 2003, King expressed his dissatisfaction with Christine, describing it as “boring” and even comparing it to The Shining in this regard.*Availability in US Release Date May 11, 1983 Director John Carpenter Cast Keith Gordon , John Stockwell , Alexandra Paul , Robert Prosky , Harry Dean Stanton , Christine Belford Runtime 110 Main Genre Drama 3 'Children of the Corn' Sequels Produced by Dimension Films & Lionsgate Films An eerie and unnerving tale, ‘Children of the Corn’ uses the anxiety-inducing marriage of horror aesthetics and creepy kids to harrowing effect. The 1977 short story follows a couple on the brink of divorce as they drive to California in a bid to save their marriage. However, when in Nebraska, they find the body of a murdered child and seek help in a nearby small town, only to find that it is inhabited by a cult of murderous kids who worship an entity known as He Who Walks Behind the Row. The story has been re-worked for the screen multiple times, with King even voicing his approval of the first adaptation released in 1984. However, the author wasn’t so fond of the expansive franchise that ensued, consisting of eight follow-up films. In his interview with Deadline, King simply said “I could do without all the Children of the Corn sequels” as a part of his response to his least favorite adaptations of his work.Release Date March 9, 1984 Director Fritz Kiersch Cast Peter Horton , Linda Hamilton , R.G. Armstrong , John Franklin , Courtney Gains , Anne Marie McEvoy , Robby Kiger , Julie Maddalena , Jonas Marlowe , John Philbin , Dan Snook , David Cowen , Suzy Southam , D.G. Johnson , Teresa Toigo Runtime 92 minutes Main Genre Horror Expand Watch on Amazon 2 'The Shining' Directed by Stanley Kubrick In terms of how authors perceive the films based on their stories, The Shining marks one of the most famous and intriguing cases. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the 1980 picture is largely heralded as the pinnacle of cinematic horror, a dread-inducing and agonizing masterpiece of atmospheric terror that unfolds perfectly over its extensive runtime. However, Stephen King famously despises the movie and the changes Kubrick made to his original story. As covered by Far Out Magazine, Stephen King once famously referred to the movie as being like “a Cadillac with no engine inside it”, praising it as a beautiful and visually stunning film but criticizing it for not having any substance or soul. King was more impressed by Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the sequel novel Doctor Sleep, which performed the exceptional feat of staying true to its source material, realizing King’s vision for the narrative, and still thriving as a sequel to Kubrick’s film.Not availableRelease Date May 23, 1980 Director Stanley Kubrick Cast Jack Nicholson , Shelley Duvall , Danny Lloyd , Scatman Crothers , Barry Nelson , Philip Stone Runtime 146 minutes Main Genre Horror 1 'The Lawnmower Man' Directed by Brett Leonard Stephen King may have a unique hatred for The Shining, but at least he never went so far as to sue the production of the film. That was the case for 1992’s The Lawnmower Man, a sci-fi horror based on King’s short story of the same name. It follows a man with a mental disability who, after a doctor’s experiments on him, becomes a certifiable genius and begins to display telepathic abilities while experiencing hallucinations. The film was initially set to be released under the title ‘Stephen King’s The Lawnmower Man’, but the author went so far as to sue the picture, arguing that it differed so significantly from his original short that it bore no meaningful resemblance to his story. A federal judge ruled in King’s favor, seeing him receive $2.5 million in settlement and forcing the film to remove King’s name from all the promotional material for the movie.*Availability in US Release Date March 6, 1992 Director Brett Leonard Cast Jeff Fahey , Pierce Brosnan , Jenny Wright , Dean Norris Runtime 108 minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi NEXT: The 10 Most Rewatchable Stephen King Movies, Ranked
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