Another Halloween Favorite Movie List - Stephen King Films

When you say Stephen King, most people would agree he's a very original and brilliant author. To me, the tragedy of Stephen King books / short stories lends itself to the myth of bad film adaptations. It reminds me of people saying, "Yeah, the movie is okay - but the book is soooo much better." On the other hand, people usually say the movie version of Stephen King books seem to suck (which are often made-for-TV movies). This is especially true for one of his greatest triumphs, The Stand, but the movie was a horribly awful. Having said this, there are a few rare gems (which occasionally come from his less popular books.)

My Top 10 Stephen King Movies

10. Hearts in Atlantis - I'd like to think this movie is wonderful, but I'm realistic. This movie is very good, but by no means does it top my list. Unfortunately like other film fumbles, his book is too long to adapt perfectly. This is not one to pass over just because of its flaws; even with them it's a worthy film.

9. It - This is the only made for TV movie (mini series) that actually seems to deliver. Stephen King's book runs circles around this film, but that doesn't mean your going to sit and yawn for four hours.

8. Shawshank Redemption - This movie is one of the "I didn't know that was based on a Stephen King story" movies. Surprising to some, this is a great version to one of his novellas from the Different Seasons collection. This movie is so unbelievably good and one of his most critically acclaimed adaptations. (FYI - The original story is called Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.)

7. 1408 - Finally one of King's horrifically scary stories gets made in modern times with a quality cast. Not only did I enjoy this but

I can re-watch it without losing the scares.

6. Stand By Me - Similar to Shawshank, this movie is an unlikely King story. This movie is a coming of age story and remains a little more innocent than King's version, but how can you make a quality 80's family film called The Body? - (which is the story's actual title)

5. Dreamcatcher - This movie needs to be thought of as a true

attempt to adapt Stephen King's style of writing. The unusual but witty dialog, the unbelievably odd bonding of unlikely friends, and the flashbacks - all key King motifs. But the ending does tarnish

this otherwise near perfect King film.

4. Secret Window - This movie works due to the talented cast and great production value. This movie seems basic, but this is the type of movie that could have easily been an ABC movie of the week starring Tony Danza (instead of a feature film with Johnny Depp). This movie builds psychologically and delivers.

3. The Mist - I had to re-read this story after watching and discussing the shock this movie left in my gut. The special effects, acting, and cinematography are all way above par. But, those favorable nods are not the real reason to appreciate this movie. Instead, think about this; The Myst movie changes King's intended ending. Director Frank Darabont's did something no one else has - improve upon King's story.

2. Misery - If you want to see simplicity as brilliance, then look no further. Misery the book is a little more on the crazy side, but the film is nothing less than a masterpiece. The movie has lots of great laughs to help deliver the frights (as well as creepy music and eery silence). Kathy Bates can never play any other role without first reminding me of this movie.

1. The Shining - Honestly I have trouble wondering if this movie is as amazing as the book, but it definitely reaches the audience all the same. The moments of this movie that do not make sense only feed your imagination - it's the unexplained, not the plot of the movie, that leaves you unable to sleep at night.

The Unbearable Bottom 5 Stephen King Films*

5. Rose Red - I wanted this to be good... it wasn't. Instead I wasted over four hours of my life... I want a refund.

4. The Lawnmower Man - Well, where do I start? First of all this movie doesn't even try to follow the book's story-line. Also this movie gets worse with age, the dated technology makes this movie completely horrible by today's standards (way crappier than the crappy it was in 1992.) CGI technology in pre-Jurassic Park cinema is now like watching old white people try to "rap" - very cringe worthy.

3. Thinner - I read the book and really thought it was interesting, not great... just kind of okay, I guess. The movie doesn't deserve near that much credit. Non-compelling, that is the kindest thing I can say without thrashing this movie.

2. Sleepwalkers - Inbreeding doesn't scare me enough I guess, neither do were-cats. This movie thinks its scary. And guess what? It's not. Watch as the movie-pacing and musical score leads you to believe that it's delivering all kinds of spooks. Liar.

1. The Stand - If this book wasn't so good, then it wouldn't be so painful to see this movie. King made a masterpiece, Mick Garris (director of this and many other horrible King adaptations) made a pile of steaming horse poop.

* Disclaimer - Just a note, there are lots of adaptations (mostly TV movies) that I have outwardly refused to watch. So, this list is by no means the worst possible Stephen King translations - in fact I assume that there are at least ten other movies that suck as bad as my bottom five.

** Double Disclaimer - Yes, I realize that I forgot to mention The Green Mile and it's popular movie version starring that guy Hanks. I wasn't too fond of the book and the movie actually left out a whole lot of the book's better parts. Sorry, this is just my personal feelings and I'm sticking to them.

*** Triple Disclaimer for Nightmares & Dreamscapes - Yes this series is pretty awesome (even if one of the better episodes - i.e. Battlegrounds - came from the collection Night Shift... not Nightmares & Dreamscapes). But, that being said, they are not really movies. If I gave too much credit to a TV series, then it would mess up the whole scheme of this list. They're not BAD versions; they're just NOT movies.

Halloween Related Top 10 List - Vampire Movies

These are my favorite vampire movies of all time. Granted I do become very picky when deciding how some movies will be classified - for instance Near Dark is a movie about vampires, but it clearly states that it's NOT A VAMPIRE MOVIE by its own description... so yeah, I like Near Dark but it's not on the list. Also, no Underworld. Yeah I said it, NO Underworld. Underworld is more like an action movie than a horror movie - the removal of the horror elements only delude the vampire aspects - good movie, I like it... but not on the list. Same goes for Ultra Violet - for both of the reasons mentioned before. I also have to exclude vampire movies with strong comedic undertones - Love At First Bite is great and so is Once Bitten, but unfortunately these are not horror films. I am mostly listing vampire movies that not only catch my attention, but also bluntly list their rules "sunlight, holy water, stake through the heart, garlic, etc." These are the vampire movies that fascinate me the most.

My Top 10 Vampire Movies

10. John Carpenter's Vampires - The opening seen with the tech savvy hunters going head strong against the nest, it won me over (even if the rest of the movie wasn't quite as interesting.)

9. Vamp - Once again the early scenes are amazing. If your car could recklessly spin-out resulting in you arriving in the wrong part of town (the vampire side), then I figured anything was possible in this movie.

8. The Hunger - David Bowie as the sympathetic vampire... 

I said David Bowie, 'nuff said.

7. Dracula (1931) - For being known as THE vampire movie it actually delivers very little fright, but for the time this movie is amazing and Bela Lugosi carries the entire movie with his presence.

6. Nosferatu (1922) - This remains the original vampire movie (as well as the first horror film). This movie has stood the tests of time.  To this day Max Schreck's version seems creepier than what all the money in Hollywood could produce for the next 70 years.

5. Shadow of the Vampire - Once you've seen Nosferatu, then watch this. This movie was so good that it unnerved me with its simplicity. Art meets horror in this instant classic starring Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich.

4. Fright Night - The formula that brought teenagers in the 1980's up to speed on vampire lore. After the Hammer series had overworked the classic story throughout the 1960's & 1970's - then this little gem came along woke everyone back up.  This movie is fun and scary.

3. Interview with a Vampire - I was only a fan after watching this a couple of times. I really think this world seems fast and full of mystery. I had never seen a vampire movie where heredity became part of the mystery, until this one.

2. Lost Boys - It took 1980's horror and made it timeless. This seems as much a part of my childhood as any other movie of the decade.  Sometimes I just need to watch Lost Boys... it's that good.

1. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - Gary Oldman is the Dracula that should've been emulated but never was (Vlad the Impaler from The Order of Dracul). This movie feels like a historical drama. It makes you forget that the Jonathan Harker character is played by one half of the Bill and Ted duo.  Every time I watch this movie, I see something new that I love about it.  Francis Ford Coppola made this movie epic in the way only he could have.  This is the Godfather of vampire movies.  If I only had one movie in this list to watch for the rest of my life, then this would be it.