10 Best Stephen King Cameos
The King of horror has graced us with his presence!
As the King of Horror, Stephen King barely needs an introduction. As a prolific and highly acclaimed author, he has given us some of the greatest and most influential horror stories of all time. From It to The Shining, King has terrified and touched readers with every novel and short story. Even his lesser novels are enjoyably creative.
It comes as no surprise then that there are almost as many adaptations of his books as there are actual books. Some are beloved masterpieces and are others, well not. With so many films, as well as mini-series', out there it is easy to see how certain themes, trends and other such details can cross over from film to film.
One of the more enjoyable of which is glimpsing a cameo from the man himself. Much like Stan Lee in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stephen King will pop up here and there in the background, and even foreground of his film adaptations. While most of these are just quick glimpses, some stand out among the crowd and can even be a highlight of an otherwise mediocre movie.
10. Bus Driver - Golden Years
This 1991 miniseries tells us the story of an elderly janitor named Harlan Williams, who gets caught in an explosion at the top-secret laboratory he's working at. When he survives the blast he also finds, to his shock, that he is now aging backwards and that he now has agents hunting him down.
This sci-fi thriller, on paper, sounds like a bizarre mix of The Bourne Identity and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; something nobody would put past King attempting to write. It also sounds like an enjoyably tense adventure.
In practice, Golden Years is a cure for insomnia. With flat direction and obvious studio interference, it instead came off as a poor man's Twin Peaks, with little to none of King's creative energy about it.
But the best part of the series comes in the fifth episode, where Harlan gives his family a tearful goodbye at the bus stop. Only when the doors open do we see the man himself at the wheel, telling the character's to get a move on. He has a schedule to maintain don't you know?
There is some nice irony in Stephen King telling the character's to hurry up and it suceeds at livening the scene up with some enjoyable dark comedy. There's nothing like having Stephen King ruin a bittersweet moment and it makes for the series' only memorable scene.