Halloween With Stephen King
By: Sam Roberts |
Monday October 29, 2007 |
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| Stephen King is easily one of the most prolific horror authors, period. Having written over 200 stories and 50 novels, and with many movies based on his short stories and novels also released, the name Stephen King has become synonymous with the horror genre. With novels and stories ranging from the gory (Cell) to the intense (The Shining) to the epic action adventure (Dark Tower), Stephen King is sure to have something to appeal to everyone. So this Halloween, if you are looking for a scare, look no further than the king of horror himself. 1408 Available: Book and Movie 1408 is the newest film based on a Stephen King story, having just been released on DVD . Based on the short story of the same name from the collection titled Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales, 1408 stars John Cusack and Samuel Jackson and tells the story of a writer (John Cusack) whose sole goal in life is to prove false so-called "supernatural occurrences." His next target is a hotel room, the 1408 of the title, but this time, the story is real. The movie has receive solid reviews, with an A- from Movies.com when all reviews are compiled. 1408 concentrates more on thrills and scares rather than on gore, and is rated PG-13, so it would be a solid choice for any Horror movie night for the squeamish. Carrie Available: Book and Movie Stephen King's first novel, Carrie tells the tale of a high school girl with telekinetic powers and what happens when the bullies and her overprotective, strict mom finally push her over the edge. To say any more would give the story away, but Carrie is a horror classic that is worth watching. The movie's special effects are cheesy compared to today's films, but there is still no denying the intensity of the story. Prom night will never be the same. As a side note, the movie version of Carrie is actually where John Travolta's film career really started to take off. In the trailer, right near the end, it says something along the lines of "and introducing John Travolta." Cell Available: Book Cell is a gory, intense novel. A zombie story, Cell tells the tale of what happens after the Pulse, something which transforms everyone using a cell phone into a living zombie. The story follows Clayton Riddel as he tries to survive and escape from the "phoners," those transformed by the Pulse. In the vein of George Romero's zombie movies, which provided Stephen King's inspiration, Cell is a zombie novel that doesn't disappoint. A role in the book was actually sold on Ebay to raise money for charity. A woman named Pam Alexander paid $20,000 to win the auction, but ended up giving it to a sibling, her brother, Ray Huizenga. He gets to be a hero in the book... before meeting an untimely ending. Movie rights for the film have been sold, but nothing has been made official yet. Children of the Corn Available: Book and Movie "An adult nightmare" was the tagline for this film, and it fits perfectly. In the movie, the children of Gatlin, Nebraska are part of the cult of "He Who Walks Behind the Rows." They have been commanded by him to kill all adults in the town. Another older movie, but a terrifying experience. Corn fields got a lot more terrifying. Besides the film original, there was one sequel released to theaters and 5 direct-to-video/DVD sequels as well. Stephen King has distanced himself from these later sequels, as they were not up to the quality of the original film. Interestingly, Charlize Theron, an Academy Award winning actress, was in the third film. Obviously her career has only gone up. Dark Tower I- VII Available: Book King's self-proclaimed Magnum Opus, the Dark Tower series tells the tale of Roland as he travels to the distant Dark Tower. Spanning seven books, published between 1982 and 2004, the Dark Tower is as much a journey for Roland as it is for the reader. While not in the horror genre, the Dark Tower weaves an engrossing story of action and adventure. The Dark Tower series could truly be seen as the epitome of Epic, offering a story that spans both time and place and will take the reader on an unforgettable journey. Besides the book series, a comic book series, the Gunslinger Reborn, is currently in production. It serves as a prequel to the book series, with 4 more mini-series due. Also, there have been talks of film versions of the books, with J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof attached to the project. Nothing official has been announced. but with the minds behind Lost and Alias attached, hopefully it will turn out well. Dreamcatcher Available: Book and Movie Official Synopsis from Stephen King's site: Four lifelong friends gather in the woods of western Maine for their annual hunting trip. When they were young, they were bound together forever by an act of bravery involving a fifth friend, whose influence has given these men special powers. Their trip is disrupted when a stranger, disoriented and delirious, wanders into camp, muttering about light in the sky. Before long, the friends find themselves pitted against an alien invasion and must draw on their old friend's strength once again to fight for their lives. Dreamcatcher is a great book. Unlike some of the other Stephen King book-to-movie translations, the movie does not live up to the book's reputation, but that does not detract from the intensity of the book. The characters are complex, the plot is engrossing, and it offers some truly terrifying moments. After reading it, I can promise you that weasels will never be the same again. Firestarter Available: Book and Movie Official Synopsis from Stephen King's website: The Department of Scientific Intelligence (aka "The Shop") never anticipated that two participants in their research program would marry and have a child. Charlie McGee inherited pyrokinetic powers from her parents, who had been given a low-grade hallucinogen called "Lot Six" while at college. Now the government is trying to capture young Charlie and harness her powerful firestarting skills as a weapon. Just as John Travolta started his film career with Carrie, Drew Barrymore's career got a boost with Firestarter, 2 years after ET came out. A TV miniseries sequel was made in 2002, Firestarter: Rekindled, that aired on Sci-Fi. It was meant to be turned into a TV series, but did not do well enough for that to occur. The Green Mile Available: Book and Movie Official Synopsis from Stephen King's Website: They call death row at Cold Mountain Penitentiary "The Green Mile." John Coffey, sentenced to die for the rape and murder of two young girls, is the latest addition to the Mile. Paul Edgecomb, the ward superintendent, discovers that there is more to John Coffey than meets the eye, for this friendly giant has the power to heal. Beside the book, the movie version, starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan, is a great adaptation from book to film and comes highly recommended. It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Michael Clarke Duncan and Best Picture. It Available: Book and Movie If you are scared of clowns, DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE! It is the tale of 7 friends who, as children, defeat the terrible monster, It, who can take on many different shapes, the most infamous being that of Pennywise the clown. Now, as adults, they must go back and destroy It once and for all. Guaranteed to give nightmares and a life-time fear of clowns, It is an intense, scary movie and book. It is one of Stephen King's longest books, at 1,138 pages. While this can make the book seem overwhelming, the time and effort to read it is worthwhile. Also, today's fear of clowns most certainly comes from this book.When there is a killer clown on the loose who kills kids... that is a disturbing image. Clowns have gotten a bad reputation from this movie. To be honest, I'm surprised a Clown union has not fought for a ban of the book and movie for false representation. Ok, that might be a little extreme, but that does not change the fact that the book and movie has given clowns a bad reputation. Secret Window The Secret Window, a short story contained in Four Past Midnight and also a movie starring Johnny Depp, tells the tale of a writer, Mort Rainey, who is approached at his cabin getaway by John Shooter, a man saying that Mort stole his ideas for one of his novels. The story unfolds as Mort attempts to figure out what is really going on. Secret Window would fall more into the thriller genre rather than the horror genre. There is no serial killer, or supernatural evil at work. It is just a well written, well-acted (at least for the movie version) thrilling movie. By no means Stephen King's best work, but it is still a good (albeit not great) movie. The Shining For fans of the TV show "Friends," this book will be familiar. In one episode, Rachel finds a copy of the book in Joey's freezer. After she asks him about it, he says that whenever he reads it he keeps it in the freezer because it scares him so much. That was not mere TV show overstatement -- The Shining is truly one of the scariest books ever written. The story of the Torrance family, who agree to stay in the Overlook Hotel for the winter to take care of it during the off season, The Shining has an innocent beginning. Soon, however, the family realizes that the Hotel is more than it appears to be, and terrifying things start to happen. To say more about what happens will spoil the book's many twists and turns. You may have laughed at Joey, but the Shining will earn a spot in your freezer quickly. In 1980, Stanly Kubrick released a film version starring Jack Nicholson. This is The Shining that most people are familiar with, with the famous "Heres... Johnny!" line becoming one of the most memorable quotes in movie history. Considered by many to be one of the scariest films ever made, and for good reason, Jack Nicholson gives a performance that will haunt you for many a night afterwards. That is a collection of some of King's more well-known work. Now the question is... how to tie it into Halloween? Movie Night For a Stephen King movie night, start things off with decorations. On the front of the party location, make a giant sign saying "Welcome to the Overlook Hotel." If you can, dress up like a clown and have a name tag that reads "Pennywise." This will give you an opportunity to really scare people later, during/after watching It. For food, serve pork chops to tie into Carrie and, to top things off, have popcorn and candy corn on hand. Movie List Carrie, It, The Shining, Children of the Corn. Then prepare to sleep with the lights on for the next month. Stephen King books to read during the Halloween Season If you want to read a gory/zombie-filled book, definitely check out Cell. Many of Stephen King's books can be intimidating (It is over 1,000 pages) but Cell is a quick, intense read. While the Shining may be better known for the movie, the book is still one of the better Stephen King books. I read it in 7th or 8th grade, and it scared the crap out of me. I didn't put it in the freezer like Joey, but it was still very scary. For those with shorter attention spans, Stephen King has two collections of short stories mentioned above. The first is Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales. The stories may be short, but they still pack quite a punch. They each tap into some innate fear that we all have, and will leave a cold fear in the pit of your stomach. The second, Four Past Midnight, offers 4 chilling stories. While Stephen King is best known for his horror stories and novels, he has also written books outside that genre. The Green Mile is one such novel. There is a slight supernatural aura to the story, but it is more of a character drama rather than a thriller or horror novel. It is still a gripping novel, and comes highly recommended. The next novels are only for those who love to read: the Dark Tower Series. Spanning 7 books and 22 years, the Dark Tower is an amazing story, long and epic, that requires a huge investment of time, but the payoff is worth the effort. If you are looking to become lost in another world with an eclectic group of characters, give the Dark Tower a read. |
