Connect with us

News

8 King First Edition Covers vs Film Interpretations

Published

on

Interpretations, interpretations. There are about as many of those as there are opinions. But when you are hired to create the cover art for a novel how much liberty can you take?

Years ago, to judge a book by its cover you simply had to pick it up. Nowadays it’s less of a cover and more of a PNG image next to a button that says download now.

Probably the most influential horror author of the last 40 years, Stephen King has made a career of memorable characters, but sometimes the covers of his books didn’t always match up to the characters in the movies.

Just as directors take certain liberties with who the characters are and what they look like, so too do the artists who create the cover art for the book jacket.

Here are some of his first edition book covers that may or may not have missed the mark when the movies came out. We are only examining the first US printings; there were subsequent releases later for paperbacks which may have gone into more detail as King’s career grew.

And we are also not looking at the text or descriptions of these characters from inside the books: only the first edition covers and the actors and situations that played out on screen.

Cover-to-screen changes are very noticeable on King’s first bestseller, Carrie. On the book, Carrie has auburn curls and brown eyes, a far cry from the now iconic role made famous by Sissy Spacek, with her piercing blues and strawberry blonde hair in the movie.

Carrie: Book published: 1974

Film adaptation releases: 1976 – 2002 (TV movie) – 2013

2002 (TV movie)

2013

The Shining: Book published:  1977

Film adaptation releases: 1980 – 1997 (TV miniseries)

For The Shining, the jacket makes Jack Torrance less of a presence than Kubrick’s vision. Even Wendy looks like a supermodel on the front, not the gangly cowardess depicted by Shelley Duvall in the famous movie.  The 1997 miniseries seemed to have given some reference to the first edition graphic as Steven Weber and Rebecca De Mornay are much closer to the family on the jacket. Even Danny got a bowl cut for the miniseries, looking similar to the one on the book although seemingly much happier. 

1997 (TV miniseries)

The Dead Zone: Book published:  1979

Film adaptation releases: 1983

We can’t see much of Johnny Smith’s visage on this classic novel, Christopher Walken who plays the part in the film has a striking resemblance to the book’s depiction, if only slightly thinner. 

Firestarter: Book published:  1980

Film adaptation releases: 1984

Drew Barrymore seemed the perfect casting choice if producers were taking from the original novel cover. The jacket shows very little of Charlie, but Drew is almost identical to the book illustration in facial features and temperament. 

Cujo: Book published:  1981

Film adaptation releases: 1983

Well, poor Cujo. There’s really nothing an artist would have to interpret here. Large Saint Bernard, snout gnarling in the penumbra. Probably an easy payday for this artist. But later on, another iconic King pet would make a really drastic change from book cover to screen…

Pet Sematary: Book published: 1983

Film adaptation releases: 1989

..and that animal is Church from Pet Sematary. On the book, we see an angry domestic longhair, in the Mary Lambert film it changes to a British short hair, some viewers initially thought Church was a Russian Blue breed.

IT: Book published:  1986

Film adaptation releases: 1990 (TV miniseries)– 2017

This cover is interesting. It shows Georgie’s paper boat anchored near a storm drain with IT’s hand in the latter stages of transformation.

Of course in both film adaptations of the novel, IT is introduced as Pennywise the clown, beckoning below the sewer with Georgie’s boat in hand, but with clown gloves. Not this semi-spoiler art from the first edition cover.

Misery: Book published:  1987

Film adaptation releases: 1990

The difference here is not for characterization, it’s decor. In this great novel from King, Annie Wilkes holds famous romance writer Paul Sheldon hostage in a small room. The cover shows the bed on the left wall and a single window in the center. In the film, the windows multiply and the bed is on the right wall.

Well what do you think? Did the artist doing the first covers get it right the first time or did the directors making the film adaptations do it better? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

 

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

Published

on

Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

The Strangers

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

The Strangers

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The Strangers

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

Published

on

It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

Great Movie Ride

The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

Alien Romulus
Alien (1979)

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

News

Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

Published

on

Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

Home Depot Skeleton Prop

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

Home Depot Prop

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.

Terror Dog Prop
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading