An unrivaled master of the horror genre - Stephen King - began to write scripts for horror films in the early seventies of the last century. Previously, Americans were read out by his action-packed novels. The first adaptations of Stephen King, the films "Carrie", "Radiance" and "Salem Vampires", shot on the same works by famous directors, made a splash in the world of cinema. Critics were bewildered, no one expected such a public recognition of "scary" films. And the success was simply explained: the plots differed in the depth of the narrative, while the “terrible” component only emphasized the high literary level of the novel or story.
Popularity
All subsequent adaptations of Stephen King had the same fate, each new picture became a masterpiece of cinema, despite its specifics, because the horror genre is not for the faint of heart, and often the horrors on the screen cause nervous breakdown and fainting in the auditorium. Some works even tried to ban. But since the adaptation of Stephen King, the embodiment of the writer's intentions on the big screen, was an example of genuine art, the prohibitions did not take effect.
The intrigue inherent in the works of Stephen King
Most of King's works are written in a manner of unpredictability, the development of the plot does not have a clear line, the reader begins to speculate, and suddenly something completely unexpected happens. Of course, such novels are cramped in a book format, they ask for a movie screen, to the general public. A script is written according to the book, and then the work can be seen by hundreds of thousands and millions of viewers. Stephen King, whose film adaptation has become a systemic process, personally writes scripts, and then is present on the set. Sometimes directors do not start filming until a writer arrives. And this is not a tribute to the author, but rather the desire to remove the material as reliably as possible.
The best adaptations of Stephen King
In total, about a hundred different films, full-length and short films, television series and small sketches were shot based on the writer's works. Each production was distinguished by heart-rending and chilling horror scenes, this distinguishes all the adaptations of Stephen King, the list of which is quite long. Currently, several more works are being prepared for filming.
Among the best films staged according to King’s script are:
- "Shawshank Redemption" starring Tim Robbins. The year the film was made is 1994, the director is Frank Darabont.
- The Green Mile, starring Tom Hanks. Directed by Frank Darabont. The film was shot in 1999.
- "Night shift" is a story written in 1978. A film adaptation was made by director Ralph Singleton in 1990.
- "Dead Zone", a novel in the style of a political thriller. The picture was shot in 1983 at the Paramount Pictures studio directed by David Cronenberg.
- Silver Bullet is a book version of the novel The Werewolf Cycle. The film based on the work was shot in 1985 by director Daniel Attias.
- "Dream Catcher" - a science fiction novel written in 2001. The film of the same name was directed by Lawrence Casdan in 2003.
"The Shawshank Redemption"
The picture is based on the work of Stephen King - "Rita Hayworth and Salvation from the Shawshank." It must be said right away that the Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth did not participate in the filming, only her portrait in the form of a poster was used, with which the main character masked the traces of the undermining.
The film is a leader in the list of "Best Cinema Masterpieces by IMDb". The picture is deeply psychological: in the confined space of the prison, in harsh conditions, hundreds of criminals live. Clashes occur between prisoners every day, which often end in murder.
Themis Costs
The events described by King take place in 1947, during the heyday of American justice, when two or three life sentences were given for crimes. This happened with Andy Dufrain, who was accused of killing his wife and her lover. The crime was not proven, but Dufrein was sentenced to two life sentences with serving in Shawshank prison.
Deliverance
After twenty years of living in inhuman conditions, Dufrain escapes. For two decades, they managed to dig and connect a dug trench with the sewers of the prison, through which he was released.
"Dead zone"
School teacher John Smith gets into a car accident and falls into a coma. He is in an unconscious state for five years, and when he comes to, he cannot make a single movement - the body is paralyzed. A long period of rehabilitation begins, John is taught to walk. And here he has an unusual gift. Accidentally touching the hand of a nurse, John Smith suddenly sees a picture of a fire in a house and a little girl who is about to burn in a fire. He understands that this is the daughter of a nurse located next to him, and the fire occurs in her house. He tells the woman about his vision, they call the fire brigade and everything ends happily.
Providence
After this incident, John Smith becomes a real-time predictor. He sees events that happen to other people. With its help, crimes are revealed, people drowning are saved, fires are extinguished. One day, John witnesses a game of foul play by politician Greg Stilson, who is obsessed with the idea of World War III. The soothsayer tries to stop the senator, a shootout begins, and John Smith dies.
"The Night Shift" - 1990 horror
Events take place in the small American town of Gateshall. The weaving factory is attacked by hordes of rats that have become mutants and are now devouring humans. Factory workers begin to fight monsters. They decide to destroy the place where the rats live and breed, this is an abandoned crypt in a nearby cemetery. Daredevils descend into the basement of the crypt, where hundreds of huge rats attack them. Gnawed human skeletons are scattered everywhere. It becomes clear that they no longer get out of the crypt, and death is inevitable. People die one after another, giant bats flew to the aid of rats.
Events similar to those unfolding in the cemetery crypt take place in the basement of the factory. Workers trying to resist the invasion of huge rats also die. The main character still manages to get upstairs, but a monster with bat wings follows him relentlessly. At the very last moment, the mutant enters the mechanism of the ginning machine and grinds it into small pieces.
Tom Hanks in the 1999 horror movie
The mystical drama The Green Mile is presented as the tale of Paul Edgecomb, a former prison guard. He was in charge of a special unit “E”, in which executions of those sentenced to death for serious crimes were awaited. The corridor leading from the death row to the electric chair was painted green and was called the “green mile”.
There are three suicide bombers in the cell: the black giant John Coffey, convicted of killing two underage girls, the burglar and killer William Wharton, nicknamed Wild Bill and the Frenchman Eduard Delacroix, a maniac and killer.
John Coffey has the powers of a psychic, he cures diseases. The prison governor decides to take advantage of this gift, he leads the black man to his home, where his wife suffers from a brain disease. John Coffey heals a woman, but the disease is transmitted to him. In desperation, returning to death row, he grabs the hated warden Percy Wetmore, an insignificant vile man, and infects him, passing him brain disease.
Percy loses his mind and kills convicted Wharton from a revolver. Paul Edgecomb begins to doubt the guilt of John Coffey, and as it turns out later, not in vain - the black man is truly innocent. However, he tries to turn everything so that he will be executed, explaining his behavior by the fact that he does not want to live in this world, among meanness and injustice.
Werewolf and silver bullet
In a small town in a short time there was a whole series of murders. Frightened locals took up arms and began to look for a maniac. The sheriff objects to the mob, but no one listens to his arguments. The priest of the local church parish - Rev. Lowe - also asks to avoid bloodshed, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, nightly attacks on people continue. A teenager named Marty went to launch fireworks at night and was attacked by a werewolf in the guise of a bear. The boy barely managed to escape, a lit firecracker helped, which fell into the eye of the monster.
In the morning, Marty told the locals what had happened, and they went to look for a man with a damaged eye. It turned out to be Rev. Low. The sheriff searches the priest’s garage and finds incontrovertible evidence of crime, including a bloodied baseball bat. Lowe was following what was happening, and when he realized what was revealed, he ran into the garage and killed the sheriff.
Residents ordered a gunsmith a silver bullet, since it is known that a werewolf can be destroyed only by firing at him with such a charge, everything else is useless. The werewolf appeared unexpectedly and took everyone by surprise. However, in the confusion Marty manages to find a revolver on the floor, he shoots at the monster, and a silver bullet kills the monster. He falls and turns into Rev. Low.
Horror 2003
The film "Dreamcatcher", based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, tells about the fantastic events that took place in the American outback. At the center of the story are four friends: Henry, Jonesy, Beaver and Pete. In autumn, friends gathered in a forest in an abandoned hunting lodge to hunt. This is their only opportunity to get together and talk heart to heart. In the forest, hunters meet a lonely man who wanders aimlessly through a clearing. It turns out that Rick McCarthy, his name is lost and does not remember anything. There are strange red marks on his neck. Henry and Jonesy noticed the same spots on the skin of wild animals running past. Friends felt some strange tension in the air, but it was time to return home. Jonesy took the arm of his new acquaintance, and all three turned to the hunting lodge, where they were already waiting for Pete and Baber.
Friends sheltered Rick, fed and put him to bed. After lunch we went hunting again. To their surprise, they did not find game, which was always abundant in these places. All the beast seemed extinct. And when the hunters returned to the hunting lodge, they found an empty bed and a bloody footprint on the floor towards the bathroom. There they found a dead Rick and a huge worm next to him, who immediately attacked Beaver and killed him. The panic began, friends decided to flee. But at this time, a tall humanoid appears in the house, which in the eyes of astonished hunters turned into a cloud of reddish dust and then disappeared, having settled in Jonesy.
Military helicopters arrive and begin to circle over the forest. Pilots announce with a loudspeaker that quarantine has been declared in the nearby area due to the appearance of aliens. The attack on the alien ship begins, which destroy several helicopters along with the pilots. The fighting gradually subsides and killings begin without the use of military equipment. The warring parties use firearms, which are ineffective. Only flamethrowers incinerate everything around with a raging flame.
Horror or art
Screen adaptations of Stephen King, films shot according to his scripts convey all the nuances of the author’s plan, psychology, and often the philosophy of the plot. Thanks to the works of a talented writer, the horror genre reaches the level of real art.