5 Stephen King Novellas That Need To Be Feature Films

3. The Library Policeman

Publication Date: 1990 Collected In: Four Past Midnight When Sam Peebles takes a couple of books out from his local library to help research an upcoming speech, the strange librarian warns him that the books must be returned on time or he will face the consequences brought on by "The Library Policeman." But the books are soon misplaced and Sam is told that the librarian he saw has been dead for years. Unnerved and confused, Sam is eventually drawn into a nightmare that threatens his very sanity... as his childhood fears begin to plague him once again in the form of a terrible monster. Inspired by an idea that his son gave him when King suggested he visit the library for a school project, The Library Policeman is a novella that only Stephen King could pull off - a deceivingly quirky story that carries a lot of weight. The theme of childhood fears returning out of the past is classic King, and here he manifests a monster in the similar vein to It to create a story that's both brilliantly entertaining and terrifying all at once. Would it make a good feature film? Yes. There's enough here for a feature film adaptation. It has the potential to become a taut little thriller that offers jumps and thrills in droves, and would also resonant with audiences who, like Sam, are similarly gripped by the fears of their youth.