[Mateo Sanboval]

I agree that Darabont seems to "get" King and King seems to hold his adaptations in high regard in return, but I'd toss The Shining in the ring for best adaptation of a King work. I've read that King doesn't like it, but The Shining is one of the finest films I've ever seen period. One of my very few skill sets is, when seeing a film, being able to completely divorce myself from the book it was based on. I'm well aware that it's not something everyone else can, or event wants, to do. Still, though...great flick.

[NathanLurker]

Ah yes I agree Mateo, I had forgotten about that one... forgot that it's a King adaptation. I tend to associate the movie with Kubrick, forgetting that it's based on the King book, which is a testament to how great the Kubrick movie is I guess.

[Mateo Sanboval]

Ah yes I agree Mateo, I had forgotten about that one... forgot that it's a King adaptation. I tend to associate the movie with Kubrick, forgetting that it's based on the King book, which is a testament to how great the Kubrick movie is I guess.

100% agree, mang.

[Hatter313]

Agree with the above, all of it, but I also can't let this list go without the following contenders for best king adaptations...maybe not THE best, as I'd agree that the three darabonts and the shining are the cream of the crop:

Pet semetary
Stand by me
Misery
Salems lot (Hopper one)
The dark half
The dead zone
Dolores Claiborne

And personally I still put the first 2/3rds of IT and Needful Things on there too.

Honestly, even some of the lesser adaptations are still among my favorite things, as dated as the stand miniseries is it does get a decent bit right.

Not the langoliers though.....never the langoliers.

[Mateo Sanboval]

I like a lot of those flicks, Hatter. Particularly The Dead Zone. Confession time: I did not even know there was a Salem's Lot remake in 1994 with Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland...and Rutger Hauer!? Also, and here's the biggie, even though I wore out the cassette of its soundtrack as a kid (and I mean wore out!), I still to this day have never seen Stand By Me. I'll take my things and leave now.

[deafmetal]

I still to this day have never seen Stand By Me. I'll take my things and leave now.

[bpwlogan]

@Hatter-No Maximum Overdrive on that list;)

[ScoJo]

+
Cat's Eye
Cujo
Children of the Corn

Y'all missed some C's, y'all.

[Mateo Sanboval]

I rewatched Children of the Corn a few months back and it bored me to tears. I barely remembered watching it in my youth and now I know why.

[ScoJo]

"Children of the Corner"

Blair Witch prequel?

I feel you @mateo. It aint a classic. Love the score to damned pieces however, and the original short story is a killer.

[Hatter313]

Had the same reaction to children of the corn about a year back, remembered it more fondly than that but it was slow slow slow. Sill some great stuff, but overall didn't stand up. Too bad too, one of my favorite stories by him.

As for forgetting some Cs....Creepshow, Carrie

Maximum overdrive....whoooooboy there's a price of work.

And as for not having seen stand by me....Mateo, SHAME.

That salems lot remake is interesting at points, but a lot of it leaves me cold. Sutherland is having the time of his life during it though and RH makes an excellent much truer to the book Barlow, but it's hard to overtake the weirdly pitch perfect hooper adaptation. I think that one stands out because it was adapted so close to the books publication that no "updating" needed to happen to the story.

While I'm at it, some lesser gems that I think have some really nice bits of not really great:
Sometimes they come back
Rose red
Storm of the century
The shining remake (I know I know, but kind cameo as the ghostly band leader of the "gage creed orchestra" is my favorite type of fan service)
Silver bullet
And even.....sleepwalkers (again, that multi cameo scene at the cemetery is hysterical, barker looks like he's 12 years old)

The new castle rock anthology that Hulu is doing could be great, the teaser made me squeal with joy. If I understand the project right, it could be a multi season adaptation of ALL the castle rock stories with some adjustments so characters like bannerman, ace Merrill, and the awesome Alan pangborn woven through each season. Wishful thinking maybe but I'm in.

[Mateo Sanboval]

"Children of the Corner"

Blair Witch prequel?

I feel you @mateo. It aint a classic. Love the score to damned pieces however, and the original short story is a killer.

Effing aurocorrect.

[Mateo Sanboval]

@Hatter - that Hulu show sounds awesome. I'll have to check out the trailer.

[chiefbrody]

Forgot about Carrie and The Dead Zone. Definitely on the 'high quality King' list.

Another on the unsung list is The Night Flier with Miguel Ferrer, appropriately (unsung) in the lead.

Has no-one mentioned Christine?

You know, the more we talk this through, my original opinion on King adaptations generally being poor (and often falling into the IT trap of being 2/3rds of a good film) is completely wrong.

[Mateo Sanboval]

Forgot about Carrie and The Dead Zone. Definitely on the 'high quality King' list.

Another on the unsung list is The Night Flier with Miguel Ferrer, appropriately (unsung) in the lead.

Has no-one mentioned Christine?

You know, the more we talk this through, my original opinion on King adaptations generally being poor (and often falling into the IT trap of being 2/3rds of a good film) is completely wrong.

Holy smokes, Chief. The Night Flyer for sure. One of my favorite, lower budget King flicks. And Christine. I read that book two or three times as a kid, but I al,osteoporosis exclusively think of that as a Carpenter joint. Can you tell my allegiances have shifted as I've aged..?

[ScoJo]

Night Flier x 10!!

[Hatter313]

Jereze, Christine.....how could we forget. Definitely a winner.

[maxlevel]

Just a quick nod to The Stand 4 episode tv series with the unbelievable cast list. occasionally shows up on uk tv, well worth a watch for the King fan. The book however, is better

[Mateo Sanboval]

I may have to revisit that sometime, Max. I don't remember much of it. In my experience, the King minis of that era leave a lot to be desired. Tim Curry as Pennyewise was terrifying, but it's a bad film. And Tommyknockers was just...well...yeah. No.

[Hatter313]

The weird thing about the stand miniseries is that it actually cuts VERY little out, a few plot threads here and there, some tertiary characters get shuffled or combined, but a lot of the story is very much in tact, just watered down for 90s network tv standards of course. Great cast though, I watch it every few years probably.

[maxlevel]

Yeah and also for TV edits it's been pan/scanned and ad break edits all over. I'd love a proper restoration but I can't see why they'd do such a thing!

My only issue with IT is the stupid half arsed harryhausen spider thing. I mean it's part of the charm but ffs

[Mateo Sanboval]

Man, you guys are kind of making me rethink my stand here.

[Hatter313]

This put me in a king mood, just watched creepshow 2, now watching the just deserts documentary about the first one.

There's a doc about the making of pet semetary out there also that I may check out tonight.

[Hatter313]

Doing the night flier since it keeps getting mentioned, RIP Miguel.

Also not to keep piling on the good king adaptations, but I forgot firestarter in my initial list too.

[jgibbs4053]

The Running Man is easily the best King movie