Michael Corvin

Agreed on both counts. The Langoliers story is great. The adaptation wasn't bad, but suffered for the reasons you say (fx & mini-series). I'd love for someone with some talent remake it.

I finally read Tommyknockers and it has some decent ideas in it, but overall it was a mess. The adaptation can't be much worse.

Ky-Fi

I only read Tommyknockers once when it came out, and my memory was just that it was really long, slow and dull.

dvdjunkie32

Gary Busey was great in that one.

Fist of Doom

Totals so far...

Best:

1. The Shining (6)
2. Stand By Me (5)
3 (tie) Carrie (4)
The Dead Zone (4)
Shawshank Redemption (4)
The Mist (4)
Misery (4)

Worst:

1. Maximum Overdrive (6)
2 (tie) Under The Dome (4)
The Lawnmower Man (4)
4 (tie) The Langoliers (3)
Graveyard Shift (3)

Why So Blu?

The best (so far, too):

Christine
The Shining
Shawshank Redemption
The Green Mile
The Mist
Night Flier
Carrie
Dead Zone
Mr. Mercedes
Salem's Lot (1979)
Running Man
Pet Sematary
Thinner
The Dark Half
1408
11.22.63
It (tv mini-series)
Firestarter

james2025a

I second the calls that the Langoliers should get a big screen remake. The TV show was pretty good, but the effects, even at the time, were not great. Good story.

Michael Corvin

Thinking about it some more, if movies like Tommyknockers and Dreamcatcher are equally as bad as the novels, would that make them good adaptations?

Just the kind of story Lindleoff and Abrams should tackle.

brayzie

No way.
The movie ending just felt like trolling the main character. Yeah, his life sucks now, but at least everyone else can go back to living their lives, because hey, the the US has shit under control. America, fuck yeah!

In the book though, the world as we know it has ceased to exist. That's a scarier thought in my opinion.

It's hard to believe that King prefers that ending to his own.

It's best and worst adaptations, not most and least faithful.

For me:

BEST
1. Firestarter
2. The Dead Zone
3. Pet Sematary
4. Stand By Me
5. The Shining

His older films hold up really well for me. His newer ones not so much, but that might change with IT.

WORST
1. The Shining TV series-Not scary at all, and some not-so-great casting
2. 1408-The original story was one of King's best short stories. The movie ruined what made the original story so great.
3. The Mist-the effects weren't that great, and the creatures were run of the mill. I couldn't be scared because it was clear that the creatures were just digital effects that didn't mesh well with the live actors. Ending was lame too.

The rest of the film adaptations that I've seen have been pretty good.

brayzie

I thought Dreamcatcher was okay, but it kind of feeds into typical Hollywood tropes. Under the Dome, the novel, felt the same way. There's gotta be a typical villain/s, etc, plus everything gets explained.

I loved The Tommyknockers as a kid. I don't know how well it would hold up now, but I thought the alien creatures and the tech looked pretty good. Giger-esque in a way.

Michael Corvin

It all goes back to Mrs. Carmody.

Far deeper than the abrupt ending of the story (which I love, btw).

It's been awhile since I read it, but I don't recall that. They holed up in a hotel lobby and it just ends. You never know what's going on beyond the main character's viewpoint.

J. Farley

Best:

The Stand
Cujo
The Night Flier
The Shining
The Dead Zone

Worst:

Dreamcatcher
The Dark Half
The Shining (1997)
Secret Window
Needful Things

Fred Gwynne is the only thing keeping Pet Sematary from the worst list. It's a terrible movie, but his scenes are enough to put it above the five listed.

mattysemo247

I can't believe no one has mentioned Cell yet. Easily one of the worst movies I've seen the past couple years.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cell_2016/

brayzie

Far deeper than the abrupt ending of the story (which I love, btw).

Damn, I didn't even think of that at the time.

At the time I felt like it was implied. The mist extends way past the supermarket, the town, and even the radio is not broadcasting much of anything save for "Hartford". So they try to head there through this nightmare world but they run out of gas.

I read too, that the original Mist that appeared in some stag magazine was different from the one that appeared in Skeleton Crew. I would like to know what changes he made.

rw2516

The Mist version I read has them in the car driving out of town to see what's out there. They run across the huge creature lumbering past just like in the movie. No suicides or military eliminating the mist like in movie. They just keep going and the mist is still there. The reader doesn't know what they'll find. Similar to end of movie The Birds.

Michael Corvin

Interesting. I've read it multiple times, but it's been 20+ years. I only recall the hotel. Might have to read it this weekend.

orangerunner

Maximum Overdrive seems to be on almost everyone's "worst" list and while I agree it's a really bad movie, I also found it incredibly entertaining as a
bad movie!

Maybe it has to do with the age I was (13 years-old) when it came out in 1986?

rw2516

It may have been the men's magazine version I read. I remember reading Monkey Shines and The Raft in a men's magazine. They were smaller inserts in the middle of the magazine with their own cover that could be removed and kept. Can't remember if The Mist was removable insert. I think it was around 1989-90 when I read it.

Fist of Doom

Updated stats:

Best:

1. The Shining (8)
2 (tie). The Dead Zone (6)
Stand By Me (6)
4 (tie). The Mist (4)
Misery (4)
Shawshank Redemption (4)
Carrie (4)

Worst:

1. Maximum Overdrive (6)
2 (tie). The Lawnmower Man (4)
Under The Dome (4)
4 (tie). Graveyard Shift (3)
Needful Things (3)
Langoliers (3)

-Movies that made both "best" and "worst" lists: The Shining, The Mist, Apt Pupil, Pet Semetary, The Stand, Secret Window.
-Votes for best - total movies: 21. Total votes: 55.
-Votes for worst - total movies: 24. Total votes: 49.
-And I guess I'm the only one who likes The Dark Half and Needful Things.

Michael Corvin

Where's the love for Green Mile? Excellent cast and wonderfully faithful adaptation.

Fist of Doom

It got 3 Votes...just missed the list.

PhantomStranger

I mildly enjoyed Needful Things as a movie but it's a pale imitation of the far superior book. That book just wasn't built for a theatrical feature. The dense story and town of characters would have worked better as a mini-series or season. Max von Sydow was very good in it, however.

Crocker Jarmen

I hope the posters in this thread will join in the Stephen King Sheep Game. After all, you've likely figured out the Sheepiest answer for two questions

Abob Teff

This thread brought a frown to my face as soon as it was posted for just that reason.

Abob Teff

Wikipedia' publication history of The Mist:

Which brings me to realize something: I have never read it. I am familiar with the "radio play" version (which is not mentioned on Wikipedia), but have never actually read it.

The movie's ending was absolutely brilliant. Awful, heartbreaking, and a big f#%k you ... but brilliant.

Even today, that ending can have new interpretation. In this day and age when it seems everything is total doom and gloom, we have a hard time being patient and seeing the big picture. People immediately overreact and jump to extremes ...

Abob Teff

I still haven't seen the movie, but I have heard it is b-a-d. The book was ... interesting. Lots of neat concepts, lots of stuff stolen from other sources, but it just didn't come together right. I wanted to like it, but it just isn't that good.