KING ON SCREEN: Documenting The Horror Master’s Adaptations

Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21st, 1947 in Portland Maine and what people didn’t realize at the time was that he would eventually go on to publish over 80 novels and more than 200 short stories. More than 50 directors have taken on the task of adapting King‘s work for both the big and small screens, in over 80 projects, some which have been highly successful. Others… not so much. Adapting a novel is a tricky thing and King‘s audience (the constant readers) come to expect certain things when watching a retelling of his work. When it comes to a film based on his writing the viewers demand fewer surprises and more faithfulness to the source.

In the new documentary, King On Screen (directed by Daphné Baiwir) a whole slew of former King adaptation directors turn up to talk about the influence he had on their lives and how his novels really drew them to the horror genre. Baiwir reached out to many of the prolific talents that have helped bring his work to the screen and it was apparent in watching how they spoke about King that there really wasn’t any way that any of them could have turned down the opportunity. These masters of their craft practically fanboy when given the chance to talk about King, just proving that even artists at the top of their game have someone they look up to.

Love Amongst the Stars

It all started with Carrie. Much like the author himself (it was his first published novel), Carrie was the first bit of his work to be adapted. Brought to the big screen by director Brian De Palma, the film was a moderate hit for 1976 but over the years has spawned a very large cult following and is regarded in many circles as a masterpiece. One thing that the film for sure accomplished was starting a stampede of other studios and filmmakers who wanted to take a look at the other works of King. Before long, several other projects were underway and the rights to his stories were being bought up hand over fist.

One such adaptation (that the documentary took more than a few beats to discuss) was that of The Shining. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the film is seen by many as a masterclass in horror filmmaking and is accepted as one of the greatest movies ever made. The problem with this is, King himself was not a fan of how the film came out. He felt that Kubrick missed the point of the story, having written the book at the height of his alcoholism. King felt the story carried much of the shame he had toward his addiction and he instilled that shame in his main character Jack. He felt that the emotional heart of the story had been ripped out and replaced with nonsense for nonsense’s sake. King and Kubrick could never get on the same page, two giants in their respective fields.

Regular People in Extraordinary Situations

Many of the filmmakers who were interviewed for the documentary had a similar take on King. Frank Darabont, Mick Garris, and Mike Flanagan all said that King will write about extremely relatable everyday people and then put them in his wild situations. That’s what makes his stories special, we can all be afraid because the people in the pages (and on the screen) are us. Of course, Darabont is responsible for two of King‘s most critically lauded works, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, as well as possibly his most controversial, The Mist. Garris was the director who brought us a plethora of King material; Desperation, Bag of Bones, Sleepwalkers, and the mini-series version of The Shining (written by King) are all his doing. Flanagan has also dipped his toes into the King well a couple of times with Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep to his credit (he is also the current holder of the rights to the King magnum opus that is, The Dark Tower series).

Those three alone have adapted enough of Stephen King‘s material to fill an entire weekend of marathoning. What I’m saying is, when they have an opinion on his works, it’s worth paying attention to. They all agree that one of his favorite things to do is to bring characters inside and get them alone. To make you forget about what’s happening in the outside world and to focus on them and their problems, then, when you least expect it, blow out a wall. Garris describes him as the man who married American pop culture and horror and never looked back, looking at all of his work from an overall perspective, I would have to say that is completely accurate. They all agree that, if he hooked you when you were younger, you were just along for the ride.

Conclusion:

King On Screen is one hell of a trip down Stephen King cinema memory lane. Collecting the stories of more than 20 of the 50 filmmakers responsible for 80 plus adaptations over more than 30 years is no easy feat. Baiwir had her work cut out for her and she delivered in spades. The documentary is never boring, it’s highly informative and just plain fun. If you like the works of Stephen King or just horror in general then this is a must-see. So much of what we take for granted in the horror genre can be attributed to the works of King and these filmmakers let it be known loud and proud that, at every turn, he influenced not just their careers but the direction horror took on film as a whole.

I’ve been a fan of Stephen King since I was old enough to read, horror has always been close to my heart and he not only changed the landscape of horror when it comes to the novel but he was able to reach even further than the written page all the way to the moving picture. Anyone who loves to go to the theater to get a cheap scare or to squirm or even jump in their seat owes it to themselves to give this documentary a viewing. Not only does it give nearly the entire history of King‘s trip through visual media, but it also greatly demonstrates how that affected everything else in Hollywood. In his world character is king, and more people need to learn that lesson.

King on Screen will be released in theaters on August 11th, 2023, and arrive on On Demand and Blu-Ray on September 8th.

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