One little blatant Stephen King knock-off Netflix series comes along and wrecks the internet, and the next you know we're suddenly drowning in official Stephen King adaptations.
Ok. That's not how this has actually gone down, not with the long lead times it usually takes to get anything made in Hollywood. However, it certainly feels true because last year Stranger Things did its Stephen King (and everything else 80s)-inspired thing and suddenly this year we've already seen The Mist TV series on Spike, The Dark Tower in theaters right now, Mr. Mercedes on Audience (don't pretend like you already knew that was a name of an actual cable channel) and still have It and Gerald's Game to go.
If that feels like more than normal than you clearly don't remember the 80s or 90s. Twas a time when Stephen King adaptations were a nonstop occurrence. You weren't surprised to look up and see another Stephen King-whatever playing on TV or premiering at your local theater. You were just surprised when that Stephen King TV show or movie turned out to be any good.
Burn! Take that, um, Silver Bullet, Graveyard Shift, Sometimes They Come Back, The Tommy Knockers, The Mangler, The Langoliers, The Night Flier, Rose Red, Secret Window ....
You get the point. The man who churns out novels and short stories as quickly as McDonalds peddles its hamburgers and french fries isn't always on his A-Game, and sometimes even when he is Hollywood doesn't know what to do with his work. Sometimes I'll pull out of my Stephen King Encyclopedia and sift through the adaptations section to remind myself of just how many bad movies and TV mini-series I watched because I was a kid who would watch anything which bore his name.
Well, I can put that Encyclopedia away now because the good people over at HalloweenCostumes put together this handy dandy infographic breaking down every Stephen King adaptation. It serves as a helpful reminder that even with all lowlights or merely adequate efforts there have also been a lot of really good, classic even, Stephen King movies and TV shows.
What are some of your favorite? It's okay if you say obvious ones like The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining or Stand By Me. I would too. It's less okay if you say Sometimes They Come Back Again or Pet Semetary 2. Come on. King didn't even have anything to do with those. What are some on this infographic you haven't heard of before? Let me know in the comments.
Source: HalloweenCostumes.com
