Best adaption of a Stephen King story

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  • NoseyLouieNoseyLouie Posts: 5,651
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    I thought Dolories Claibourne, misery and Needful Things were pretty good film adaptations..ooh, and The Green Mile :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 216
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    "Come and play with us, Danny..."
    Brrrr, gives me chills just thinking about it :o
    I can't walk down a hotel corridor on my own now without breaking into a run :blush:
  • filmfan7filmfan7 Posts: 3,429
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    The Dead Zone.

    ME too !......love the twist at the end .....great film !
  • Johnny ClayJohnny Clay Posts: 5,315
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    CakeLover wrote: »
    "Come and play with us, Danny..."
    Brrrr, gives me chills just thinking about it :o
    I can't walk down a hotel corridor on my own now without breaking into a run :blush:
    You could still bump into them:

    http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/at-the-movies/a547766/11-scary-horror-movie-child-stars-see-how-they-look-now.html#~oQxOpgUp3oagjM

    Forever and ever.....;-)
  • brbbrb Posts: 27,405
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    Not based on one of his novels, but it was written by him - I love his Storm of the Century.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 464
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    The Shawshank Redemption
    Misery
    Stand by me
    Christine
  • StrakerStraker Posts: 79,567
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    Johnbee wrote: »
    But the two basic points are that film can satisfactorily not do things that happen in people's minds, and that the original garden thing would not work on film because it is too daft.

    Which of course the stubborn Mr King chose to do in the mini-series, replacing Kubrick`s maze with the hedge animals from the book.

    I`d say "stick to writing books Stephen" but seeing as Bag of Bones is one of the worst things I`ve ever read I`m not sure even that would be good advice.
  • Johnny ClayJohnny Clay Posts: 5,315
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    Johnbee wrote: »
    But the two basic points are that film can satisfactorily not do things that happen in people's minds, and that the original garden thing would not work on film because it is too daft.
    Do you mean 'can't satisfactorily do things that happen in people's minds?' If so, that's debatable.

    btw - not sure about the garden as a whole, but, IIRC, Kubrick wanted to include the moving topiary figures from the book but couldn't find a workable solution.
  • Ted CTed C Posts: 11,730
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    Have to say The Dead Zone.

    Watched this again recently and was still impressed by it.

    The fact that it was directed by David Cronenberg is also a plus, though he toned down his usual visceral, body horror tendencies for this one and kind of played it as a straight paranormal/murder mystery.

    There is much to like here...Walken's cold, icy, detatched performance was perfect for the character of Johnny (though Brooke Adams as his girlfriend is a bit wishy-washy)...Herbert Lom...Anthony Zerbe...Tom Skerritt...and Martin Sheen's brilliant Greg Stillson character (probably the best thing in the movie) - the flash-forward scene with Stillson as the president is still chilling even today...and great photography too.

    And it has an epic quality to is as well, spanning different generations, following Johnny's progress as he struggles to deal with his 'ability', and even becoming a sort of 'psychic detective' in helping the police.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj9M34DzAKo
  • burton07burton07 Posts: 10,869
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    I recently re-read "The Stand" and enjoyed it just as much as I did in 1990. So I bought the TV series on DVD and I though it was brilliant.
  • TakaeTakae Posts: 13,555
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    btw - not sure about the garden as a whole, but, IIRC, Kubrick wanted to include the moving topiary figures from the book but couldn't find a workable solution.

    Considering the current state of FX technology, do you think it'd work as a remake nowadays?

    I do wonder if stop-motion animation would be better, though. The Ray Harryhausen type. The rustling of manipulated leaves when a topiary figure moves would be creepier than it'd be if it was done in CGI.
  • jojoenojojoeno Posts: 1,842
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    downtonfan wrote: »
    The Green Mile
    Shawshank

    Yep both of these but I would add The Stand


    Have to say great thread OP
  • jojoenojojoeno Posts: 1,842
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    Question: What was the one where it was an airport with a scary black plane.....I can barely remember it but would look it up to watch If I knew the Title ....HELP
  • TakaeTakae Posts: 13,555
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    jojoeno wrote: »
    Question: What was the one where it was an airport with a scary black plane.....I can barely remember it but would look it up to watch If I knew the Title ....HELP

    The Langoliers? I think the plane wasn't black until it was covered in a black mass? Now I'm doubting my memory. :cry:
  • laurence1870laurence1870 Posts: 213
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    Has anyone seen Children of the Corn? I watched this the other day on Netflix. I liked the idea: a town inhabited only by children who kill all adults, but the movie itself somehow was terrible.
  • EraserheadEraserhead Posts: 22,016
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    The Shining is my favourite but as others have said here it's a long way from the source novel and very much Kubrick's own movie.

    Shawshank, Green Mile, Stand By Me and Misery are very good but I haven't read any of the novels.

    I'd like to see an adaptation of Doctor Sleep especially if it could be directed with someone who has the Kubrick touch (but still able to stick closely to the source).
  • Trsvis_BickleTrsvis_Bickle Posts: 9,202
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    dee123 wrote: »
    Zzzzzzz. The Shining and Kubrick for that matter are both overrated.

    Kubrick 'over-rated'? :D:D:D

    I've tried to read a few Stephen King books over the years but I find him a mediocre author at best, with a tendency to drag out what should be a short story into a tedious, leaden novel. I have not been able to finish any of his books.

    However, they have undoubtedly inspired some fine films. The Dead Zone, Misery, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are all good, although the last is far too long for its thin plot.

    I've never been a huge fan of The Shining, for some reason, although I can see that it is a well-made film.
  • Devon MilesDevon Miles Posts: 6,654
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    Muttley76 wrote: »
    The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By My

    These have the advantage of being novella's thus the screenplay, rather than having to cut stuff out like many King adaptations (due to time constraints) are actually able to develop and expand on the basic concept. They are actually, imho, the only cases were the adaptations are actually superior to the source material.

    Although thats not to say that there haven't been a lot of successful adaptations from longer novels.

    That said, in regard the OP, while The Shining is a fine film in it's own right, it fails for me in terms of being a successful adaption of the novel because it isn't really in the spirit of the source material. I tend to see it as a seperate entity.

    Other notable adaptions for me: Misery, The Dead Zone, The Green Mile, Carrie, The Mist, The Stand (mini series), Under the Dome (tv series)

    And the worst: Dreamcatcher, Apt Pupil, The Langoliers (mini series)

    Green Mile for me.. I remember getting the original book, it was in the form of a serial with 6 books spread over six months IIRC

    I've seen the Langoliers I think but I remember it being a film rather than mini-series..
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    Green Mile for me.. I remember getting the original book, it was in the form of a serial with 6 books spread over six months IIRC

    The Green Mile is a great adaptation too, but, as you say, it was originally set out in a series of books, which really made the whole concept so compelling in a way the film cannot capture for all that it's a very powerful piece of work.
    I've seen the Langoliers I think but I remember it being a film rather than mini-series..

    definitely a mini series:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Langoliers_(TV_miniseries)
  • boogie woogieboogie woogie Posts: 16,297
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    Some excellent adaptations:
    - The Shining
    - Carrie
    - The Shawshank Redemption
    - Misery
    - Dolores Claiborne (possibly my favourite of the bunch)
  • mgvsmithmgvsmith Posts: 16,452
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    Some excellent adaptations:
    - The Shining
    - Carrie
    - The Shawshank Redemption
    - Misery
    - Dolores Claiborne (possibly my favourite of the bunch)

    I would agree with all of those and add 'The Dead Zone' in which I think Cronenberg draws on some Twilight Zone sensibility in the way the King often thinks he does.,

    .
  • CBFreakCBFreak Posts: 28,602
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    Green Mile for me.. I remember getting the original book, it was in the form of a serial with 6 books spread over six months IIRC

    I've seen the Langoliers I think but I remember it being a film rather than mini-series..

    I got those books as well. In fact they're on my bookshelf as I kept them.

    Langoloiers was a silly miniseries. It was awful but sort of fun awful.

    Nostalgia Critic is doing a Stephen King review for October if anyone is interested?
    He's done some King stuff in the past too.
    http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic
  • revolver44revolver44 Posts: 22,766
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    burton07 wrote: »
    I recently re-read "The Stand" and enjoyed it just as much as I did in 1990. So I bought the TV series on DVD and I though it was brilliant.

    Really? I thought The Stand was appalling. They're remaking it apparently, along with a tv series of 11/22/63.

    For me The Dead Zone is my favourite adaptation, just a fantastic film, along with The Shining.
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