10 Stephen King Adaptations The Author HATES
5. Graveyard Shift
King's 1970 short story about a rat-infested textile mill is largely notable as one of his first published works rather than one that has particularly stood the test of time. Nevertheless, two decades later the King name was enough of a popular brand for Paramount to throw together a big screen version directed by Pet Sematary producer Ralph Singleton.
The Graveyard Shift movie is the kind of derivative, low effort affair that can't even be bothered with the bare bones anti-big business subtext of King's story.
"Just kind of a quick exploitation picture," was King's apt description of the movie in an interview with Deadline.
He's not wrong, but the only question is why single out Graveyard Shift as a rushed cash-in and not, say, The Night Flier or Dolan's Cadillac? It's not like this one movie is unique in the canon of King adaptations for being a quick exploitation picture.
Admittedly, King did nod toward Graveyard Shift not being the only adaptation of his work made with no love and little effort when he said of it "I guess there are a number of pictures that I feel like, a little bit like, yuck."