The Year of the King: 2017

We don’t know this for a fact but it seems like 2017 brought us the most Stephen King adaptations than ever before. Not only that, but they were, for the most part, quality adaptations that are worth the time they take to experience them. Though we would never say that the movie or TV show is even close to as a good the books, here are those that came out last year and what we think of them...

11.22.63 (Hulu mini-series): 

Actually released in 2016, 1963 is the J.J. Abrahms helmed, and James Franco starring, an abbreviated version of the book that contemplates what would have happened if the assassination of J.F.K. was foiled. It is a very entertaining exploration into alternate history, conspiracy theories, and historical context. The series is full of brilliant acting with special notice payed to Daniel Webber as Lee Harvey Oswald. Though it has its moments of stagnation it is an easily binged show, but, if you’re looking for a faithful adaptation that is obviously not happening here. Obviously the most important story elements are the love story and the assassination, and, this is just one of several possibilities the book delves into. To truly get lost in the history we strongly suggest reading the book.

Mr. Mercedes (AT&T series, Season 1): 

Brought to us by AT&T’s Audience Network, and based on the bestselling Stephen King novel, Mercedes centers on a cat-and-mouse game between psychotic killer Brady Hartsfield (Penny Dreadful‘s Harry Treadway) and retired detective Bill Hodges (Harry Potter alum Brendan Gleeson). The novel Mr. Mercedes was actually the first book in a trilogy by King featuring the Bill Hodges character, so Season 2 will take inspiration from the trilogy’s other books, Finders Keepers and End of Watch. (King serves as an executive producer on the series.) Interestingly, the psychotic killer was originally supposed to be the late Anton Yelchin which would have been an interesting stretch we would have loved to see. But Treadway definitely owns the role and Gleeson is the perfect aged detective who just can’t let go. This is also another King series that deserves a full read. Of course, they all do in reality.

The Mist (Spike series, Season 1): 

Touted as a re-imagining of the 2007 Darabont adaptation. Executive producers Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein developed the miniseries based on the film and aired on Spike Tv. The reviews are mixed on this 10 episode arc. They began mostly positive but as the series progressed critics began to describe the film as "bleak, mean, and downright sadistic at nearly every turn" (Chris Scott, The Observer). Shortly after the Weinstein scandal broke Spike announced they would no longer be carrying the show which is probably a good thing given it did very little to add to King's legendary status. I guess there has to be at least one dud in the years King offerings.

1922 (Netflix film): 

Written and directed by Zak Hilditch, the film was released on Netflix on October 20, 2017. Quite possibly the best adaptation of a King story to be seen. A large amount of the credit for that is Thomas Janes’ portrayal of the main character. We are convinced that Jane is one of, if not the, best character actor we’ve ever seen. 1922 is a very well done period piece about pride, money, murder, and vengeance from the dead. As joel put it “One of many Netflix originals that set the bar incredibly high for big budget Hollywood films.” Ultimately, 1922 is the aftermath of one man's spur of the moment decision that comes back to claim him.

Gerald's Game (Netflix film): 

Director Mike Flannigan has a special place in our hearts when it comes to new and brilliant horror offerings. Hush, Oculus, and Before I Wake have already garnered praise from the Creepercast staff. So it it should come as no surprise that this King novel adaptation about a woman who accidentally kills her husband during a kinky game that finds herself handcuffed to her bed with no hope of rescue and is hearing voices and seeing strange visions. This is the kind psychological trauma we expect from Flannigan and he’s mastered the art of passing it along to us. Of course we find his wife Kate Siegel in a leading role, and, believe it or not, his ex-wife Shea Cerveny, but that does not lessen the strength of this film. Just the premise alone is enough to send the brain into overdrive. Also, a visual representation of the tale in the book is enough to make this King story that much better.

IT: Chapter One (Theatrical Release): 

Over a decade in the making, and currently, the highest-grossing horror film and the third highest-grossing R-rated film of all-time (after Deadpool and The Matrix Reloaded). All with good reason. IT is very faithful to the source material, has a brilliant ensemble cast, and though it only covers half the story, is a complete tale of phobia and horror. This is a love letter to the master of written horror and Andy Muschietti doesn’t hold back on the homage. The time period of the younger losers club has changed making it much more appealing to the generation that came of age in the 80’s and allows us to share our nostalgia with our kids. IT more than makes up for the mini-series failings while still paying homage even to that.

The Dark Tower (Theatrical Release): 

Another King adaptation that took several years to make. Once Ron Howard’s name became associated with the film it seemed to help move it along. It took some time to come up with a winning combination but director Nikolaj Arcel finally put together a reasonable film considering there is 8 volumes of source material to pick from. Banking on the first novel, and pretty much putting together a stand alone film, King’s Neverending Story vs Sliders apocalyptic scifi horror finally hit the screen. The entire concept may have proved to much for the filmmakers but despite our reservations Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey more than fulfilled expectations. McConaughey on his own did an amazing job as the man in black despite the mystery of the character. So much so, in fact, and I almost hate myself for suggesting it, but I would love to see a The Stand remake with McConaughey in the dynamic role of Randall Flagg. In the end though what we have is barely complete but still entertaining multi-universe spectacle. If you happen to find yourself sucked into the story of Roland and the man in black, and want to know more about The Crimson King, I would strongly urge diving into the book series. Hell, if you don’t have time to read it then go for the audiobook, the narration is fantastically entertaining.

On this day in horror history.... November 18th, 1990

On this day in horror history.... the world met Tim Curry's Pennywise the Dancing Clown, as Stephen King's 'It' begins it 2 episode miniseries. This terrifying clown, went on to ruin kids bedtimes for years to come. Sadly, the series doesn't hold up to the passage of time. It has its moments, but overall.... it's better left to your childhood nightmares.

My review of 'It' By William S. Mayfield

This movie takes place in the town of Derry, Maine. The story follows a group of young teenagers, as they begin the summer vacation. Bill Denbrough wants to explore the towns sewer system for his missing younger brother who vanished, during a rain storm, the previous year. His other friends are scared, but decide to help their friend. Meanwhile, Ben Hanscom, another youngster who has just moves to town and with no friends yet feels more at home in the local library. He starts looking into the history of his new town and finds that Derry has a very terrifying history. Ben has a run in with some local bullies, leaving the library, and winds up running into Bill and his friends. Enter Beverly Marsh, a loner girl who met Ben on the last day of school then meets the rest of the group and the gang is complete, for now. The kids start to realize all the strange things over the years are all connected and that the thing they have been seeing is somehow real. The last member of this misfit group of friends is Mike Hanlon, a young man who is home schooled and is bullied by the same kids that pick on the other kids. All of the kids are seeing the same thing, a clown, to them a very terrifying clown, and not know to anyone other them, Bills little brother saw it to. The children realize that fear is the key to this creatures power and start to find out what they must do to survive.

It is directed by Andy Muschietti and is the first chapter in this series. Bill Skarsgard plays Pennywise the clown and he played this character very well and to someone who is afraid of clowns, I guess it wold be scary, but when it comes to clowns I don't fear them or find them funny. 'It', as a movie, was good. I could almost call it great, if they had not billed it as a horror movie. This movie was a suspense movie with a horror element to it, with buckets of jump scares. There were a few really creepy scenes, but to me it had nothing to do with the clown. It felt more like a coming of age tale that just happened to have a horror story thrown in. The acting was suburb from everyone, yes even Bill Skarsgard did wonderful as Pennywise, but I just felt that something that is now being billed as "the highest grossing horror movie of all time" and "best horror movie of all time", I should have trouble walking back to my car after the movie let out. I want to give this movie high score but it's supposed to be a horror movie and to me it failed on that note. I give It 5 out of 10 stars. But as always, please see this if you are interested, I say that with all my reviews.

On this day in horror history.... September 21st, 1947

On this day in horror history.... the man who would be king, Stephen King, is born. Quite possibly, the most prolific writer of the modern age. The man has destroyed more trees than any other living thing on earth. He's also given us some of the most memorable horror classics in history: 'It', 'The Shining', 'Salem's Lot' and the list goes on and on. Happy Birthday, Mr. King! (He's also an actor sometimes too. Just check out the link below.)

'Hold the "Cell" Phone' My review of 'Cell' by William S Mayfield

I read this book years ago and I remember it being pretty good. Not earth shattering but for me to get all the way through a Stephen King book says something. Now put down the pitchforks, I didn't say the man can't write I'm just not a fan of his overall style. Now that being said let me get to my spoiler free review of Cell. Our story starts off as Clay Riddel (John Cusack) is returning home from what I gather was a business trip. He contacts his family and that's where all hell breaks loose. Doesn’t take long for the story to kick in to gear. As by the title of this you can gather that Cell phones play a part in this story. Clay is in a airport when this call goes out to any cell phone that is active and anyone that is unfortunate enough to answer one quickly goes what I can only describe as crazy violent. I know we have all heard from more than one person that cell phones are evil and destroying the very fabric of social interaction. And to that I say if it's a problem just put down the phone, but this is not my rant against old phone haters. Anyway early in the story Clay comes across Tom Mcourt played by the ever entertaining Samuel L.Jackson. As the duo starts to piece together what's going on they are joined by the third member of the group, Alice Maxwell played by the very lovely Isabelle Furhman. It's at this point the story takes on a different tone because she is much younger than Clay and Tom so they naturally view her as someone they need to protect especially with her history. And I also felt the same way as a viewer because I have two daughters and I can't help but put myself in this situation with these characters wondering what if this was me and my girls. They run to some more people here and there. One part at a boarding school I felt the director breezed past because the part in the novel was a bigger part of the story.

This movie is part end of the world part supernatural, but then again it is based on a Stephen King novel. There is some supernatural elements to it but from what I remember not as much as the book did. All in all it's a ok movie. The ending is well a little confusing. Now that its been a few days and I've had time to think the whole third act is very confusing. . I don't want to say to much about the plot because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who might want to watch it. I will say it's a new take on the zombie/infected genre and I kind of like it, I see where it could have gone but just kind of fizzled. I give it a 2 out of 5.

my thoughts on.... '1408'

Sometimes, a movie won't garner enough inspiration to write a full review. Rather than mince words and spend a lot of time digging for words and content to explain what I saw on the screen, it's easier just to make it short and sweet. Hit the high points and leave you, the reader, with the opportunity to make a snap decision on whether or not it's really worth your time. This movie was a prime example of that. Stephen King's track record for big screen and small screen adaptations, is like spending an hour at the local Chinese buffet. Some of the items are delicious and will leave you wanting more (ie: 'The Shining' or 'The Mist'), others will taste like they've been sitting in the warming tray for the whole night and would have been better left alone. (ie: 'Thinner' or 'Dreamcatcher') In the cast of '1408', I'd spent years debating if I wanted to watch it or not. Granted, John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson are always entertaining to watch, but they don't guarantee a high quality product. Needless to say, I finally sat down to watch this big budget attempt at greatness and it's stuck with me long after it was over. Not because it was something I ever needed to see it again, but because it represented one of the main reasons that Hollywood seems to consistently fail at horror.

Some might say that the trend of making PG-13 fare, is the reason movies like this seem to suck. I disagree. If 'Poltergeist' taught us anything, it's that you can make a legitimately scary film with a PG rating. If you can do that, then why not PG-13? Horror isn't always about blood, guts, gore and icky stuff. It's also about having characters you care about, in situations that make you feel the need to leave your lights when you go to bed at night. Where '1408' dropped the ball, was in following the cookie cutter, by committee 2nd and 3rd act. It started out very strong and had me hopeful for something above and beyond what I was expecting and to be honest, my expectations were very low. There was a fantastic set up of the characters and a really intriguing premise. Somewhere between when John Cusack entered the room for the night and when the thermostat broke, everything fell apart. It sadly, succumbed to a bad case of Hollywood diahrrea. Less is more, people. You don't have to throw everything you can possibly think of into the story line, just to prove you can. That didn't stop them from trying and if that wasn't bad enough, it gave you a false ending and proceeded to continue spiraling downward.... until it hit rock bottom and forgot everything that it set up in the beginning. It was no longer about a room that was filled with pure evil. Instead, it was about one man's demons and being trapped in his own personal hell. Yes, that story has a purpose and is an important one to tell, but we've seen it 100 times before. It felt like oh so many warmed up leftovers from the night before. I felt cheated and didn't care anymore about anything that happened in the beginning. All I wanted it to do was end. Luckily, they got that part right.

Take your time and dig around among all of the independent films being made. Ones that are made with passion and by people who've had their whole lives to create the story they dreamed about since they were a kid. Hollywood can make a good scary movie. I've seen them. I own them. I know there will be more to come. There's just too many being produced like '1408'. Source material aside, that try too hard to be something they'll never be.... a good movie. 2 out of 5 stars.

My apologies to Stephen King. Your body of work is impressive, but this can't be included among one of the greats or even one of the mediocre. Also, my apologies to Mr. Cusack. Your resume includes so many wonderful films, however.... this isn't one of them.
If you'd rather watch some good King features, check out: 'The Shining', 'The Mist' or 'Carrie'