The Top Fifteen
Stephen King Short Stores that need to become Movies.
Last
time, we counted down the top ten Stephen King books that needed to make it to
the silver screen. Now we’re listing King’s short stories that need the same
treatment. King’s novels are often large enough to be the size of a world
atlas. The same can be said for his “short” stories.
In true
Hollow’s Eve spirit were going to countdown the best Stephen King short stories
that need the Hollywood treatment.
Keep in
mind that most of these stories already have movie counterparts, many of which
are indie movies or short films you can see on Youtube.
15. I am the Doorway
Collection: Night Shift
Synopsis: An unnamed astronaut recounts
his exposure to a mutagen creating small eyes to open on his hands. The eyes
allow aliens to see into our world which they perceive to be evil. The aliens
force the astronaut to commit murders and the astronaut must fight or he will
kill more innocent people.
Why
it should be a movie:
America may be plagued by larger issues like the furlough and the debt crisis,
but a few years ago everyone was talking about the NASA budget cuts. This could
tie into the movie, maybe this is why we didn’t go back into space. Maybe
there’s something sinister waiting for us up there. Let’s get a good NASA
horror movie in theatres instead of that awful Apollo 18.
(There’s
a reason we didn’t go to theatres.)
14. Beach World
Collection: Skeleton Crew
Synopsis: In the far future, two
astronauts become stranded on an uncharted planet filled with sand. Survivors
Rand and Shapiro must wait for rescue on a lifeless world. Rand drifts into
insanity as he obsesses on the planet. Something is causing Rand to lose his
mind, and it’s not the heat.
Why
it should be a movie:
What’s more terrifying than being stranded on a planet with a crazed coworker
that wants to eat sand? If the heat doesn’t kill you, your partner will.
Stranded theme movies focus on the necessaries for survival and delve into the
approaching insanity.
To be
honest, the trailer looks good enough to be a full-fledged film. Just extend it
for an hour or so and we’ve got a new masterpiece.
13. The
House on Maple Street
Collection: Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Synopsis: The Bradbury children discover
that their house is changing into some kind of machine. Cracks in the dry wall
reveal metal, wires are popping up in the corners of the house, and a large
timer has appeared in the wine cellar. The children aren’t sure what will
happen when the timer reaches zero, but one thing is sure. They will make
certain that their evil step-father is in the house when it happens.
Why
it should be a movie:
The “evil stepparent” premise has been done before but King puts an interesting
twist on the genre. There’s never an explanation given for why the house is
turning into a machine which leaves room for producers to concoct their own
plot. The way we see it, this story could go one of two ways. One, the movie
focuses on the children uniting against their father, or two, the children are
evil (or insane) and make their father their latest victim.
Suffer
the Little Children
Collection: Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Synopsis: Miss Emily Sidley is veteran
teacher who seems to know everything happening in her classroom. She knows all
the tricks kids try to pull. Nothing fools her. Then she sees Robert’s face
distorted smile in her glasses. He changes into something that isn’t human. Her
suspicions are confirmed when Robert tells her that the real Robert is gone. There’s
a whole bunch of “them” that have taken over the children. Is Ms. Sidley
finally losing her grip on sanity after years of teaching, or is there
something horrible lurking underneath the children?
Why
it needs to be a film:
Suffer the Little Children has
already been made into a short indie movie.
Many of
King’s short stories are “Dollar Baby” movies where the rights were given up
for a dollar. While the short film is nice, we want to see this tale of terror
in theatres. No one is safe in a Stephen King movie, not even the children. How
many movies have the guts to kill kids?
Morning Deliveries
Collection: Skeleton Crew
Synopsis: The milkman is making his daily
deliveries. Spike Milligan loves to leave “surprises” in his milk. A tarantula
here, cyanide there… it’s all in good fun.
Why
it should be a film:
This is one of Stephen King’s shortest short stories. Even our synopsis was
short. In all seriousness, would it really be a stretch to imagine a milkman as
a killer? Slasher films have killers that range from dolls to dreams and from
psychos to supernatural creatures. Add the crazed milkman from Psychonauts and we’ve got the next
Jason.
(I bet
it is...)
Fair Extension
Collection: Full Dark, No Stars
Synopsis: Schadenfreude: Pleasure derived
from the misfortunes of others. Literally means “harm-joy” in English. We’ve
all seen villains with this trait as a quick method to flesh-out the character.
But what happens when an everyday man enjoys his friend’s demise? Dave Streeter
has had nothing but misfortune his whole life. His job sucks, his family life
is sour, and to top it off he’s dying of lung cancer. But Dave’s friend Tom
Goodhugh has everything. He’s got a successful business thanks to Dave, stole
Dave’s girlfriend, and looks great forty years after highschool. Tom took
everything from Dave their entire lives.
Businessman
Mr. Elvid has the answer. All Dave has to do is give fifteen percent of his
paycheck to Elvid and he’ll transfer Dave’s woes onto someone else. Someone he
hates. After all, everyone deserves a fair-extension.
Why
it should be a movie:
Have you ever had someone that you wanted to impart your misfortunes upon? You
may pretend to be friends but deep down you really hate him. They seem to have
everything and you have nothing. People can relate to having a relationship
with someone that they hate, whether it be your boss, your spouse, or your
friend.
That Feeling, you can only say
what it is in French
Collection: Everything’s Eventual
Synopsis: “Hey there Mary, what’s the
story? Save my ass from Purgatory.”
What is
hell? Is it a realm of scorching fire and torture? No, Hell is a world repeating
the same event over and over. It’s a feeling of Déjà Vu. Carol Shelton knows
the feeling. She knows what will happen before it happens because she has
experienced it all before. The landmarks, the events, and the dialogue is
familiar to her. All leading up to her turning to her husband to see his eye
pop out of his socket before it starts over again.
Why
it should be a movie:
Numerous movies and shows have exemplified the theme of Déjà vu. The Twilight Zone episode “Twenty Two”
is a perfect example.
We think
that Stephen King’s version of hell would be a fantastic thriller.
Paranoid: A chant
Collection: Skeleton Crew
Synopsis: They’re all out to get me. I
don’t go out no more. They are planning something for me. Did I mention that I
don’t go out no more? The dark man with no face…
Why
it should be a movie:
Everyone feels paranoid once in a while but what if it was real? What if there really are people stalking you?
What if you should be afraid?
King’s
poem references The Dark Tower so
this movie can serve as another prequel or build up to the series. We want to
see a paranoia movie where the whole world is out to get the protagonist. We’re
positive that this is a movie every conspiracy theorist will love.
Survivor Type
Collection: Skeleton Crew
Synopsis: “Good food, good meat, good God
let’s eat.”
Former
surgeon Richard Pine ends up on an island after his ship sinks in the Pacific.
Richard keeps himself busy by hunting seagulls, searching for ships, and
ingesting the heroine he smuggled on board. During Pine’s descent into madness
he contemplates self-cannibalization to stay alive.
Why
is should be a film:
This is like Flowers for Algernon
meets Cast Away. Solitude plus
heroine equals one crazy surgeon. Watching a surgeon devour himself would be a
graphic treat for movie-goers. The story is already a short film. Now it’s time
for the big screen.
1922
Collection: Full Dark, No Stars
Synopsis: Wilfred James recounts his
experiences after murdering his wife. Wilfred and his son Henry conspired to
kill Arlette and dump her in the well. Everything goes sour after that night.
Henry and his girlfriend have become bank robbers. Wilfred himself becomes
plagued by rats that attack him wherever he goes. Wilfred must escape his
wife’s curse before he is devoured by rats.
Why
it should be a movie:
This is a good old-fashioned revenge story with rats as the means of revenge.
Imagine The Grudge on a farm and
you’ve got 1922.
Everything’s Eventual
Collection: Everything’s Eventual
Synopsis: Richard Earnshaw has the
greatest job ever. He has his own house, his own car, and gets a weekly amount
of cash to spend on anything he wants. All he has to do is keep drawing for Mr.
Sharpton using his special “gift.” He’s got the perfect life…until he discovers
that his drawings are used to kill people.
Why it
should be a film:
The topic of an evil organization has been done before but, as always, King
puts his own spin on it. The idea of comfort in exchange for a sacrifice is a
neat idea that needs to be explored on the big screen. How many of us wouldn’t
consider the chance for a better life in exchange for another’s?
The Monkey
Collection: Skeleton Crew
Synopsis: Two brothers discover a cymbal-banging
monkey in their father’s attic. Every time the monkey bangs the cymbals someone
dies. Without knowing who the monkey will inflict its curse upon, the boys and
their family need to get rid of the toy before it claims its next victim.
Why
it should be a film:
“Chinga,” an episode of The X-Files
was penned by Stephen King and based on The
Monkey. The fact that the writers of the X-Files were interested in Stephen King should interest anyone. Just
take that story and expand it for several hours.
The Reach
Collection: Skeleton Crew
Synopsis: Stella Flanders is celebrating
her 95th birthday. Between her hometown island and the mainland is a
body of water known as “The Reach.” As her death draws near, Stella sees the
deceased residents of her island. Her dead husband Bill beckons her to cross to
the mainland as she encounters various friends and family members that have
passed away who help her on her journey to the afterlife.
Why
it should be a film:
In our last list, we mentioned that some of King’s best work isn’t always
horror. Some of his most touching and memorable stories have little to do with
horror or the supernatural. This is a beautiful tale of life, death, and
rejoining with the friends we have lost. This story would make a fantastic
emotional movie.
The Boogey Man
Synopsis: Lester Billings tells his therapist
about the deaths of his three children. Something…inhuman attacked them in the
night. Lester knows that whatever killed his children is coming for him, and
it’s hiding in a closet.
Why
it should be a film:
Again, how many films have the guts to kill children? And babies no less. The
idea that there are monsters out there, and they’re coming to get you is a
frightening concept. Stephen King’s The
Boogeyman is already a short film which is leagues ahead of the theatrical
version.
An
iconic horror creature like the Boogeyman deserves a better movie than the 2005
version.
N.
Collection: Just After Sunset
Synopsis: N. is the terrifying story of an unknown subject labeled as “N.” N.
tells therapist Dr. John Bonsaint that he’s been experiencing OCD-like symptoms
after visiting Ackerman’s field. He believes that the field houses a portal to
a dark world between eight stone which will collapse if one of stones
disappears. Only by counting and placing objects in an orderly fashion will the
portal be kept closed. Despite Bonsaint’s efforts, N. commits suicide prompting
him to visit Ackerman’s field. Bonsaint’s visit to the field results in him
inheriting N.’s responsibility for the field, and his insanity.
Why
it should be a film:
What if the fate of the world rested on your shoulders? Would you grin and bear
it or would you fall under the pressure? This is hands down one of King’s best
short stories. The plot was inspired by The
Great god Pan by Arthur Machen which King credits as being one of the best
horror stories ever written. If there’s a story by King that absolutely needs
to be a film, its N.
