10 Worst Stephen King Film Adaptations
With at least 84 adaptations of his work, there are bound to be some that aren't fit for a King.
Most people have seen at least one Stephen King adaptation in their lifetime as there are so many to choose from. There are some truly wonderful films out there - The Shawshank Redemption, IT: Chapter One, Misery and Stand By Me among them. Such is the passion for his creations, there are many filmmakers out there trying to bring their absolute A-game to the sets.
However, the law of averages says that there have to be some stinkers for all that's good out there. Some of the adaptations we've seen just miss the mark, either getting lost in themselves or simply falling victim to poor, rushed filmmaking. There are some very strange films out there as well, examples of a total lack of understanding of the source material or victims of branding. Some have the name and title from a King work and then not much else to show the audience who came to see his output.
While there are admittedly far more than ten poor adaptations of Stephen King novels, this list is a breakdown of several different failings that the movies tend to fall victim to. There are entries here that aren't necessarily bad through and through, but could certainly have benefitted from another few passes around the writers' room.
10. IT Chapter 2
Starting soft here, IT Chapter 2 is a particularly poor adaptation when compared with the triumphant Chapter One. This story follows the adult version of the Losers' Club and each new actor brings a strong and memorable performance to the screen. This film is, at its core, an example of what not to do when it comes to some of King's books.
Stephen King writes. And writes. And then writes some more. The novel of IT is over 1000 pages long and it would be impossible to put all of that on the screen in two films. However, IT Chapter 2 honestly tries to cram as much of it into the three hours as possible and the movie suffers because of it.
The first chapter was tense, well-paced and the tight direction allowed the kids to truly shine. The second part loses this tension and the adults have more time to fluff around a bit. By the time they reach the finale, it's not simply a case of numb bums in the theatre. The overlong story has dragged the enjoyment of the film down considerably. Those same characters the audience was so heartily rooting for going into the film have overstayed their welcome by the time the credits roll.
This film would have benefited greatly from losing about half an hour, trimming away some of the indulgences to increase the pace. All of the ingredients are there for a fantastic movie. They just need a little more time to reduce.