What is your favorite Stephen King movie ?

Question

Mine is Carrie.

Answer 1

Mine is Carrie too!

Carrie boomed Sissy Spacek's and John Travolta's career. I understand why.

Carrie starts off at a gym locker room, where we find out how much the other kids hate Carrie. But, we find out that Carrie has some powers. Like in other Stephen King book-movies, the supernatural aspect is only minor compared to the rest of the story, but it comes into play at the end. Carrie's mom (Piper Laurie) is an over-protective religious zealot who makes The Royal Tenenbaums seem normal. So Carrie tries to cope with her horrible life, but it's getting tougher and tougher.

Spacek is exceptional as Carrie, and I now know why she was nominated for Best Actress. Her emotions are real, not some fake tear drops that make us think she's sad. Either she has great motivation, or she's one of the best actresses of the century (or both!). Laurie was equally good as her mother who locks Carrie up in a closet everytime she thinks that Carrie has sinned. This movie wouldn't be half of what it was if the acting wasn't so great. When Carrie was sad, you were sad. When the other kids ridiculed her, you felt like you wanted to kill the kids. When she smiled, you smiled. Emotions that raw couldn't come from just any movie.

If you know me, I'm a stickler for character developement. Carrie didn't take much time, but from the opening scene you knew about Carrie and her weakness. So are the secondary characters; they're nicely developed even if their role isn't that major. Travolta had a miniscule role, but he was fine in it; it led to Grease and Saturday Night Fever.

The prom scene has got to be one of the most memorable scenes from a horror movie. That red tint is awesome; it's like a premonition. In fact, the movie is full of premonition: the red tint, the freaky looking voodoo doll, "They're all going to laugh at you." I'm assuming that director Brian De Palma meant to put that in, so it just isn't about some supernatural powers, it's also about foreshadowing. Also, I dig that camera movement during the dancing.

The blood and gore wasn't held back, but they just put in what was necessary. De Palma obviously stole from Hitchcock's Psycho, mainly the music cue whenever Carrie is using her telepathy. Also, her school, Bates High, is another Psycho refrence.

Carrie was also very creepy. It wasn't a thrill-a-minute, but at the ending, that was Scary with a capital S. The last ten or twenty minutes were scare-inducing for sure. That last jump scene in the dream...wow! It's still jumping at me. If there was one complaint I had to do about the movie, it's that it took too much time to get to main scene and the prom went on a little too long, but other than that it's a first class horrror/thriller that any horror buff needs to see.

My rating: 8/10

Answer 2

Stand By Me and The Stand are my favorites.
I don't really consider the movie version of the Shining a Stephen King version due to the way it barely follows the book and even King himself says it's not what it was supposed to be. The TV version is pretty good though.

Answer 3

Oddly enough the best Stephen King movies are the ones that are not supernatural in nature. Although I prefer the "horror" novels of his more than his short stories, I think the best film interpretations of his writing have been:
The Shawshank Redemption- based on the short story 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption'
Stand By Me- from the short story 'The Body'
Delores Claiborne- from the novel of the same name.

Answer 4

Man... I know I won't get picked for this one, but I gotta chime in-- because I have a clear favorite.

Back when I was in middle school, my best friend Aaron and I used to watch horror movies. We were fanatics. We loved Jason and Freddy and Michael and all those maniacs. But nothing really scared us that much.

The one movie that had us both on the edge of our seats was the original Salem's Lot, with David Soul and Lance Kerwin. The scene where Mark faces down his friend at his bedroom window is a 'joygasm' moment of pure coolness, as the horror-themed diorama sets Mark's father chastized him about the previous night became his only salvation. We watched that in the daytime, thrilled and terrified.

I can still hear James Mason's voice compelling, "Throw away your cross, shaman. Face the Master."

Answer 5

My favorite movie, even if it's an old one, mine is "It". Starring Tim Curry... "It" (also referred to as Stephen King's It) is a 1990 horror mini-series based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

It's a horror movie and I love horror movies.

Answer 6

Shawshank Redemption

Answer 7

Carrie is second for me. The Shining with Nicholson is my favorite. There have been some really cool ones, but there have also been some real clunkers. I've heard great things about 1408 coming out soon.

Answer 8

The original Shining (the remake was completely horrible). And, I'm sorry but I cant name just one....
Stand by Me, Misery, It, Pet Semetary, Cujo, Carrie, Christine, Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, Hearts in Atlantis...

I am VERY excited for 1408!!!

Answer 9

Carrie and HIS version of the Shining (TV mini series) and Stand By Me

Someone said It and and Chrisyine are being remade... where did you hear that?

Answer 10

I haven't seen all of them but I do have two favorites to date

The Shining (1997)
Storm of the Century (1999)