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Stephen King Film Adaptations; The Worst There Is

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With the release of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower upon us, hardcore King fans aren’t quite sure if the movie will do the books justice.  However, it isn’t the first time a movie based on King’s work has been off the mark as far as the source material is concerned.  Several of King’s movies based on his work have missed the mark entirely.  Here is a look at some of the movies that failed to live up to reader expectations.

 

Pet Semetary(1989)

I’m not going to say that this was a bad movie overall.  However, when placed next to its source material, the movie just failed to live up to its expectations.  The book Pet Sematary was, perhaps, one of King’s best.  It’s use of death, pain, and loss elevates this book to mean much more to the reader than some hokey zombie read.  The thought that perhaps death wasn’t the worst thing was something that resonated with the reader long after the book was placed down.  The movie, however, was a watered down to a hokey zombie flick that involves Church the cat and Gage the son.  Now, I know that it’s hard to convey feeling and emotion in a movie the same way that it’s portrayed in the book.  Yet in the case of Pet Sematary it was like they didn’t even try.  The movie Pet Sematary came across to the reader more as a cheesy coming attraction trailer than it did a movie of substance, fright, and emotion.

 

Image result for Pet Sematary

The Shining (1980)

What Stephen King book/movie comparison be complete without Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining?  This movie was so off the source material that King himself doesn’t like it to this day.  It even called need for a mini series that was closer to the material.  Despite the many conspiracy theories that surround this movie, and despite Nicholson’s iconic catch phrase and lunatic ranting, the movie just missed the point of the book entirely.  The switch of Danny’s imaginary friend going from being invisible in the book to being his finger in the movie just comes off as goofy instead of creepy.  In addition, in the movie Jack’s affection for his son just does not come across as well as it does in the movie.  There is a also a heavy overtone of addiction in the book that doesn’t carry over into the film.  When comparing the content to the source material, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining just does not come close.

 

Image result for stanley kubrick's the shining pic

 

The Lawnmower Man (1992)

Perhaps, the worst adaptation on the list.  This adaptation was so bad that Stephen King sued the filmmakers to remove his name from the film, eventually winning $2.5 million.  Aside from a single scene, this movie was completely different than the story.  However, it will be known as one of the first films to discuss virtual reality.    Although the movie as itself is not horrible, it is a poor adaptation of the Stephen King novel.  In a unique turn of events, the film is currently being remade for VR.

 

The Dark Half (1993)

Perhaps one of the most underrated stories of King became a terrible film adaptation in 1993.  With so many character changes from page to screen it was difficult to recognize any of the folks you came to know in the book.  Directed by the almighty George Romero this film had the potential to be one of King’s defining moments.  However, with a plot that didn’t really seem to go anywhere, poor acting, and characters that resembled little of their source material this film came off as clunky, slow, and well…boring.

 

Cell (2016)

As a book Cell was a fantastic read! it truly captured the reader’s attention and refused to let go.  Based off of a very scary concept that perhaps our cell phones aren’t as harmless as they seem, this film just failed to capture anything right from the book. What could have been a blood filled zombie like film dragged on from the moment it started.  The other terrible part of this movie from a reader’s perspective is that they changed the ending! I won’t reveal what that ending is for the benefit of those who haven’t seen nor read the book.  With an amazing cast (John Cuzak, Samuel Jackson) this film simply did not deliver.  As the Lawnmower Man did not follow the King story purposely, this makes this movie perhaps the worst film adaptation on the list!

 

With this year being the year of King it is interesting to see how many adaptations, reworkings, and various versions of his work are coming to either the big or small screen, and it’s intriguing to see how they will hold up to the books.  What do you think of the list?  What other adaptations do you feel did not live up to the novel?  Leave your comments bellow!

 

 

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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