10 Stephen King Stories That Wouldn't Work As Movies

Rage was a story first published in 1977 under King's pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Nothing against the quality of the writing, but Rage focuses on a teenage school shooter. Even King himself allowed the story to fall out of print after the story was connected to real-life shootings.

Charlie Decker, a high school senior, is called to the principal's office after assaulting a teacher with a pipe wrench. The principal expels Charlie, prompting him to fetch a pistol from his locker before setting the locker ablaze. Charlie returns to his classroom and fatally shoots his teacher. The fire triggers an alarm, but Charlie forces his classmates to stay in the room, killing another when he attempts to enter.

Over the following four hours, Charlie holds his fellow students hostage in the school. He makes demands to the negotiators and threatens to kill his classmates. We see narrative flashbacks of Charlie's troubled childhood and history of abuse throughout the story. The students begin empathizing with Charlie and even gang up on a fellow student, leaving him beaten on the floor-just one more reason this will never see a theatrical release.

Charlie releases the students, and when the police chief enters the room, Charlie moves as if to shoot him, attempting suicide by cop. The chief shoots Charlie, but he survives and is committed to a psychiatric hospital.