Warning: This article discusses drugs and violence.
AuthorStephen Kinghas written some incredible stories over the years, but some are much better than their movie adaptations.Stephen King’s booksand short stories make brilliant films and TV shows, but theKing of Horror’s narratives are often so unique and complex that it’s hard for them to be translated to the screen properly. While many ofStephen King’s moviesare legendary pieces of cinema, some just don’t hit the mark.
There are several reasons why these adaptations are worse than their book counterparts. Some are simply bad films, some fail to follow their source material properly, and there is even an instance of one tale being adapted so poorly that King’s work can’t be identified. Hopefully, theupcoming Stephen King movie and TV adaptationsover the next few years can learn from these mistakes.
10Needful Things (1991)
Adapted In 1993
The best thing Stephen King thinks he’s ever writtenisNeedful Things, and there’s no doubt that the book is brilliant, especially the first line. However, the 1993 movie adaptation fails to live up to the same standards as King’s words. In fact, many are avoiding readingNeedful Thingspurely because of how disappointed they are with the film version.
The 1993 movie adaptation fails to live up to the same standards as King’s words.
A lot of King’s works are extremely long, so there’s a decent amount of content to cover, buttheNeedful Thingsmovie oversimplifies the story and cuts out multiple characters.The extended cut of Stephen King’sNeedful Thingsis undoubtedly better than the theatrical release, but the tone in both is off.
Needful Things
Cast
Needful Things is a 1993 horror film directed by Fraser Clarke Heston, based on the Stephen King novel. The story centers around a mysterious shop owned by Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) in Castle Rock, Maine. Gaunt’s seemingly harmless items bring out the worst in the town’s residents, leading to chaos and violence. Ed Harris stars as Sheriff Alan Pangborn, who attempts to uncover Gaunt’s true motives.
Alan Pangborn’s attempts to grieve his family while also balancing his relationship with Polly is one of the primary focuses inNeedful Things, but in the film, the sheriff’s character arc is very different. Pangborn is depicted as an overly macho man who shouts a lot, which dampens his book counterpart, who is far more complex.
9Graveyard Shift (1970)
Adapted In 1990
It’s widely debated whether there is enough content inGraveyard Shiftto adapt it into a feature film, and the 1990 movie proves this. While the cinematic title isn’t the absolute worst adaptation, the short story is far superior, and Stephen King has even referred to the film as “a quick exploitation picture.”
Graveyard Shift
Graveyard Shift is a horror film based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name. The film follows John Hall, who takes a job at a decrepit textile mill and discovers that the basement is infested with deadly rats. As he investigates further, he uncovers a monstrous creature lurking in the subterranean depths. Brad Dourif and David Andrews star in this chilling adaptation directed by Ralph S. Singleton.
Screenwriter Jon Esposito fails to translate King’s most atmospheric moments to the screen, andGraveyard Shiftfeels more like an amalgamation of clichés andhorror movie tropesthan anything else. John Hall has very little character development, and he’s rather boring compared to in the short story. In King’sGraveyard Shift, Hall’s relationship with Jane is intriguing and gives him some depth, but in the movie, it’s easily forgettable.
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Stephen King wrote a huge number of stories that were adapted for film, but while he’s the source of inspiration, it doesn’t mean he’s always a fan.
Despite the short story being only 18 pages long,the film somehow cuts contentas if it’s the same length asThe Stand.The most important reason why King’s story is better, however, is because of the ending. The reveal of the Mill’s biggest threat is nerve-wracking, which makes the giant bat creature in the film very anticlimactic.
8The Gunslinger (1982)
Adapted As The Dark Tower In 2017
The Gunslingeris the first installment inThe Dark Towerseries by Stephen King. The 2017 movie of the same name takes inspiration from all eight books, but mostly fromThe GunslingerandThe Waste Lands.The Dark Towermovie is generally considered an embarrassment by King fanatics, especially because it makes some strange choices and squeezes too much into its 90-minute runtime.
The movie is rated PG-13, so a lot of King’s iconic goriness and darkness is missing.The Gunslingershows Randall Flagg in some of his most menacing moments, but the film throws the character to the side. Not only is Flagg more of a supporting character, but he also has to be prompted to return his focus to the quest at hand.
The Dark Tower
Idris Elba, Tom Taylor, Claudia Kim, and Matthew McConaughey star in The Dark Tower, a Western Sci-Fi film directed by Nikolaj Arcel. Released in 2017, The Dark Tower follows a young boy with visions of an apocalyptic future in which a powerful man, dubbed The Man in Black, lays waste to the universe. The film is based on the Stephen King book series.
This is apparent inThe Dark Tower’s ending, where Jake has to remind Flagg of the Gunslinger’s Creed, rather than succumbing to his harrowing book fate.The Gunslingeris a great introduction to King’s series, but becauseThe Dark Toweris so erratic and tries to adapt eight books, it fails as an adaptation.
7Trucks (1973)
Adapted As Maximum Overdrive In 2017
Considering King’s Golden Raspberry Worst Director nomination forMaximum Overdrive, it’s no surprise that his short storyTrucksis far better. WhileMaximum Overdrivetries to replicateTrucks’ eerie story about a machine uprising,the execution is cheesy and painfully funny to watch.
A lot ofMaximum Overdrive’s failings can be attributed to King’s drug habit, but it’s still strange that he does such a poor job of adapting his own story.Truckshas a campy tone, but it’s still serious when it needs to be, butMaximum Overdrivedoesn’t have this balance.Trucksnever explains how the phenomena occurs, which adds to the overall unsettling tone of the story.
Maximum Overdrive
Written and directed by Stephen King, Maximum Overdrive is a 1986 horror movie about a group of people who are trapped at a truck stop when all the machines in the world, including trucks, cars, and lawn mowers, become sentient and homicidal.
The short story focuses on the characters and their need to survive, butStephen King’sMaximum Overdrivespends less time on this, and instead,the movie tries to force a nonsensical and convoluted sci-fi explanationfor the machines gaining sentience. While it can be argued that King does this to expand on the narrative ofTrucks, it distracts from the true meaning of the story: survival.
6Cell (2006)
Adapted In 2016
Cellis a story about a world where a chunk of the population is turned rabid by a mysterious broadcast signal, but the 2016 movie adaptation loses all the suspense and tension that the novel provides.The film is considered terrible for several reasons, ranging from the use of Eduard Khil’s “Trololo Song” to the fact it essentially ignores The Raggedy Man.
A great part of the book is the inner monologues, but when this is tackled in the film, it’s simply confusing. The lack of production budget for theCellmovie is apparent, which doesn’t help, either. Whilemany wanted more from the ending of Stephen King’s book, it is still better than the climax of the film version.
Cell
Cell is a 2016 science fiction horror film directed by Tod Williams and based on the novel by Stephen King. Starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, the film follows a graphic novelist who bands together with a group of survivors after a mysterious signal broadcast over the cellular network turns most of humanity into mindless, violent savages. As they navigate a dystopian landscape, they strive to find safety and answers.
The book abruptly ends just as Clay tries to save Johnny with another blast from the Pulse, but in the movie, it is revealed at the last moment that Clay has been infected and the explosion that destroys the communications tower is all an illusion. This changes a lot aboutCell’s story, which is really about a father searching for his missing son, and turns it into a weak example of the“it was just a dream” trope.
5Dreamcatcher (2001)
Adapted In 2003
It’s generally agreed thatDreamcatcheris far from the best King novel, but it’s still an essential read for followers of the author, and it’s miles ahead of the 2003 adaptation. It’s worth noting that King wroteDreamcatcherafter a traumatic car crash, and he has famously voiced his disappointment in his work. WhileStephen King has also praised theDreamcatcheradaptation, audiences and readers alike typically disagree.
Dreamcatcherintroduces an array of intriguing characters, and it is a fascinatingStephen King story about mind powers, but the film doesn’t replicate the same charm of the book. There are a lot of changes from the book in the movie, and several revelations are revealed at strange times.TheDreamcatcherfilm misses out on integral character development from the novel,and the depiction of Duddits borders on offensive.
Dreamcatcher
Dreamcatcher, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, follows four childhood friends whose lives changed after an encounter with a mysterious force. On a hunting trip in Maine, they face both a malevolent alien presence and a ruthless military operative, testing their supernatural gifts and friendship. Released in 2003, the film is based on Stephen King’s novel.
Duddits has Down syndrome, but in the film, he is simply labeled as disabled. The movie treats Duddits as if he is stupid and his heroic ending from the book is swapped out, and he is suddenly an alien who has been sent to stop the threat against Earth.Dreamcatcherisn’t the best King story, but it isn’t the worst.
4Firestarter (1980)
Adapted In 1984 & 2022
There are currently two adaptations ofFirestarter, and the book is better than both, but the most recent from 2022 is considered the worst of them.Firestarteris a compelling story about a young girl with pyrokinesis on the run from a government agency called The Shop, butin the movie, Charlie’s journey to safety is barely recognizable from the novel.
Firestarter 2022 vs. 1984 Movie: Which Is The Better Stephen King Adaptation?
The second adaptation of Stephen King’s Firestarter novel has been released, which begs the question of which adaptation is better, 1984 or 2022?
The 2022Firestarterremake makes several changes from the book, but they aren’t great choices. The timeline is all over the place, and while the flashbacks help explain things, they’re more complicated than how the book outlines prior events. Ryan Kiera Armstrong’s performance as Charlie doesn’t do the book character justice.
Firestarter
Firestarter is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name, adapted from the Stephen King novel. The film, released theatrically to the Peacock streaming service, follows the story of Andy and Vicky, who undergo a clinical trial that gives them superhuman abilities. Andy is telepathic; Vicky is telekinetic. Years later, their daughter Charlie proves to be far more powerful, with volatile pyrokinetic abilities. At the same time, Charlie and her family are on the run from The Shop, a secret government agency that is hunting Charlie.
A lot of her dialogue is whimpered or whispered, which contradicts her strong and brave personality in the novel. There is a bigger group of people who have taken Lot 6, which makes Andy and Charlie’s situation less impactful, and several core moments from King’s original work are cut, too.Firestarteris a rather tense and exciting read, butthe 2022 film is so cringey and nonsensical at timesthat it’s easy to burst into laughter while watching it.
3A Good Marriage (2010)
Adapted In 2014
The 2014 adaptation ofA Good Marriagethankfully follows King’s original story pretty well, but it doesn’t mean that the movie is better than the novella.The main issue with the film is that it’s boring, at least in comparison to King’s writing. The way King words Darcy discovering her husband is a serial killer, and her later plans to kill him, builds a lot of tension and anticipation. But in the movie, the atmosphere is very flat, and audiences are left waiting for something dramatic to happen.
A Good Marriage
A Good Marriage is a psychological thriller based on a story by Stephen King. Directed by Peter Askin, the film stars Joan Allen as Darcy Anderson, a woman who discovers a dark secret about her husband, portrayed by Anthony LaPaglia. As Darcy grapples with this revelation, she must decide how far she will go to maintain her seemingly perfect life.
Joan Allen’s portrayal of Darcy isn’t terrible, but she lacks the depth and empathy of the book’s character.A Good Marriageis haunting and full of anticipation, and it’s a shame that the film doesn’t achieve this same feeling.It lacks any truly scary moments, and any slow burns are disappointingly anticlimactic. There is a lot of potential forA Good Marriageto be a brilliant, high-stakes movie, but it sadly falls flat.
2The Lawnmower Man (1975)
Adapted In 1992
The Lawnmower Manis one of King’s stranger short stories, but it’s still an interesting read. King’s narrative is absolutely better than the 1992 adaptation, mainly becausethe movie diverts so far from the source material that it’s a completely different story.The Lawnmower Manis an unusual story about Harold Parkette hiring someone to tend to his garden, but when he discovers the lawnmower running by itself, the odd employee murders him.
King’s narrative is absolutely better than the 1992 adaptation, mainly because the movie diverts so far from the source material that it’s a completely different story.
The titular character works for the ancient god Pan, which explains the animated lawnmower, but the police blame Harold’s death on a sex maniac. The only justifiable connection between the short story and movie is the character Jobe, who is a gardener who becomes a test subject for Project 5.
The Lawnmower Man
In the sci-fi movie The Lawnmower Man, a scientist uses virtual reality and psychoactive drugs to enhance the intelligence of a simple-minded gardener, but the experiment goes terribly wrong. Pierce Brosnan stars as Dr. Lawrence Angelo with Jeff Fahey as Jobe Smith.
While it’s bad enough thatThe Lawnmower Manmovie bears no resemblance to the story, it’s also just a poor quality film in general. The visual effects are very basic, and while there are some engaging moments in the narrative, they’re limited. It is no surprise that King sued over theadaptation of theNight Shiftstory, but it is shocking that there is a sequel,Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace.
1The Shining (1977)
Adapted In 1980
While it’s a tad controversial,The Shiningbook is better than the film. Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation is considered a brilliant movie, and it is, but certainmissing elements stop it from being as good as King’s novel. For example,The Shiningdelves further into Jack’s backstory and his traumatic past, which plays a part in why he is one ofStephen King’s best human villains.
In the movie, Jack is the clear villain, but his antagonistic qualities are the main focus, and he isn’t as layered as his book counterpart. One of the coredifferences betweenThe Shiningbook and the movieis the reason why Jack tries to kill Danny and Wendy. King ambiguously suggests in the novel that Jack’s attempted murder may not be the hotel, but rather because of a mental breakdown.
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However, the film leads with Jack being possessed instead.The Shiningmovie adds a lot to King’s story, like the hedge maze and the Grady twins, but it also cuts out important things, like the full extent of Danny’s powers. Kubrick’sThe Shiningis a fantastic title, but theStephen Kingnovel is still better.
Stephen King
Discover the latest news and filmography for Stephen King, known for The Dark Tower series, The Stand, IT, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, Misery, the Bill Hodges trilogy, and more.
