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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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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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