“The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real. I know that, and I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle.”
(Stephen King, Night Shift)
Hello, my lovely friends!
I had a perfectly brilliant theme lined up for today’s list, but it has vanished into air, leaving me staring blankly at the screen until a deep dive into my movie queue saved the day. Since we’ve all been around long enough to know that a good story is the best kind of anchor, I decided to lean into my lifelong obsession with the master of the macabre himself, Stephen King.
We all know the cardinal rule that the prose is almost always superior to the projection, but Stephen King’s work has a way of haunting the screen in ways that are hard to shake. I’ve gathered ten adaptations that actually manage to capture that specific, lingering unease we love, and I’ve even tucked a remake in there that surprisingly holds its own against the original. There is something so comforting about revisiting these nightmares with people who appreciate the craft of a well-earned jump scare as much as I do. I would love to know which of his cinematic shadows have stuck with you over the years, or if you’re still a purist who refuses to put down the book.
It isn't that his stories give me a genuine scare anymore; let’s be honest, after everything we’ve navigated in our actual lives, a supernatural clown or a telekinetic prom queen feels relatively manageable. But there is a specific, soul-deep satisfaction in revisiting these worlds over and over again, like slipping into a pair of well-worn leather boots that still have plenty of miles left in them.
If we were all sitting together in a candlelit living room instead of across an ocean of fiber-optic cables, I’d probably start our marathon with the 1990 miniseries of It. There’s a certain vintage charm to that particular brand of trauma that just feels like home, followed immediately by the high-octane, blood-soaked tragedy of the original Carrie. We’ve all had those days where we’ve felt a bit like her, though thankfully most of us settled for a snarky comment instead of burning down the gymnasium. And speaking of things that refuse to die, I still have a massive soft spot for Christine. There’s just something about that jealous, possessed Plymouth Fury that resonates with a person who appreciates classic craftsmanship and a healthy dose of stubbornness.
When I’m feeling particularly reflective about the grand sweep of humanity, I tend to lean into the long-form endurance test of the 1994 version of The Stand. It’s sprawling and messy and ambitious, much like the best parts of life itself. I find myself pairing it with Desperation, which is perhaps a bit more of a deep cut, but it hits that specific note of isolated dread that King plays so well. Of course, no retrospective would be complete without the claustrophobic brilliance of Misery. We’ve all encountered a "number one fan" or two in our time, haven't we? Kathy Bates remains the ultimate reminder to always be careful with whom you share your creative output, though I promise I’ll never hobble any of you for a late reply to a message.
As we move into the darker corners of the list, The Mist remains a mandatory watch, mostly because it captures that existential fog we all find ourselves wandering through occasionally, though I’d like to think our collective ending would be a bit more optimistic than that gut-punch of a finale. To round things out and bring us back to the heart of why we’ve stayed friends for so long, I always return to Stand by Me. It’s a beautiful, aching reminder of the bonds we forge when we’re young and how those threads pull at us for the rest of our lives. It’s the perfect cinematic embrace to end on—a little bit of grit, a lot of heart, and the quiet realization that the stories we tell together are the ones that truly matter.
Ten Favorite Things - Stephen King TV or Movies
1. It (1990)
2. Carrie (1976)
3. Christine (1983)
4. The Stand (1994)
5. Desperation (2006)
6. Misery (1990)
7. The Mist (2007)
8. Stand by Me (1986)
9. Secret Window (2004)
10. It (2017)
It was a treat having you stop by! Whatever the clock says where you are, I hope your morning, afternoon, or evening is a total win. Until our next rendezvous... stay wonderful!
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