The Five Worst Stephen King Movie Adaptations

Everyone has an opinion on Stephen King books and the movie adaptations. Someone told me once that if you see a movie based on a book forget everything you read. Chances are they will change the book so much there’s no point comparing the book to the movie. I agree to an exptent. I covered my favorite Stephen King adaptations. Now I list the five I dislike the most. The five I chose I had read and liked. The screenplay changed Kings writing for the worst.

1. The Dark Tower which saddens me Idris Elba is a great actor. I love Luther and I am hoping for more episodes soon. Yet, I don’t even think Idris Elba could carry Kings magnum opus alone.

The screenwriters altered The Dark Tower so much. It confused even people who read The Gunslinger. There was too much to cram into ninety-five minutes. The script writing was at fault for The Dark Towers failure.

Matthew McConaughey's acting was not good. McConaughey is not right as Walter. Walter comes off a douche bag type not a fearsome sorcerer and opponent of Roland. I did not buy Matthew McConaughey in this movie.

The wrong people made this movie. The Dark Tower left with the right creative team would have been amazing movie.

2. Cell is my second pick, and I am pissed because Cell is one of my favorite King novels. John Cusack did not feel right as Clay. I love Samuel L. Jackson he’s amazing, but he is not even close to the Tom we met in the book.

The movie is bad for many reasons. First The Raggedy Man/President of Harvard is not scary. Making the bites of the Phone Crazies turn you into a Phone Crazy is crap. It defeats the whole plot.

Alice's death stupid. A total cop out. In the book it is more meaningful. Alice sucks in this movie. My Stephen King Message Boards user name is BabyNike. If you read the book you understand. Alice is important.

I still cannot get over the fact King co-wrote the screenplay. The ending though sucked. The book had a hopeful ending. You interpret then ending as you wanted. The real letdown for Cell was the ending.

Cell is reminiscent of the Stand. Survivors gather in a group, travel, and make a stand. The adaptation did not represent that.

3. The Mist. First lets address the ending. The twist ending disgusted and repulsed me. Second, in the novella Mrs Carmody is not that bad. In the novella Mrs Carmody is crazy not a murderous woman. In the movie Mrs Carmody is an unbearable human being. The Mist was dreadful and the characters are terrible human beings. Death and hate mongering in the supermarket was senseless and brutal. The ending was unnecessary.

Spike's tv series adaptation The Mist stunk. The acting and plot were crap. Without a doubt The Mist is one of the worst TV shows in years.

4. Under the Dome. I had hope for this one. I enjoyed the book. Mike Vogel who had left Bates Motel portrayed Barbie the protagonist. Vogels acting could have been better.

However, Rachelle Lefèvre and Mackenzie Lintz made the show cheesy. Both actresses had plenty of screen time and were annoying characters. Anytime Norrie had a long scene I cringed. Julia is annoying. Junior is a vile and evil person in the book. Junior is a joke on the television adaptation.

Under The Domes actors and script made for a painful hour of television. Season three was beyond belief. Nothing can fix bad writing.

5. Secret Window. I have mixed feelings about Johnny Depp. He has made great movies. Secret Window was not great. Despite a cast of veteran actors the script was bad. David Koepp the screenwriter and director changed the novella. These changes did not improve the story.

I found the antagonist Shooter to be a bore. Mort and Amy did not have chemistry, even for exes. Koepp wastes most of the movie showing Mort struggle with writer's block. I preferred the novella one of four novellas in Four Past Midnight. Which features The Langoilers. The Langoilers is also a mini-series that many people also disliked.

Bottom line is Secret Window is one King adaptation you will either love or hate. I do not hate Secret Window. David Koepp an accomplished writer himself made a so so film that was a snooze fest. I rather partake in a cheesy adaptation with bad special effects like The Langoilers. That would have been more entertaining.

King is known for writing good books. Books that hard to adapt. If most King fans loathe an adaptation that shows the movie is bad as most King fans are loyal. I read reviews before watching book adaptations now. When the ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes are bad, that is a sign it's best to watch a different movie. Until next time constant readers. 

Read my favorite Stephen King Adaptations here.