Stephen King: 90

Based on Stephen King’s Children of the Corn, Disciples of the Crow (1983) is a brief film that follows a couple traveling through a small Oklahoma town. To their horror, they discover the town has been taken over by children. These children belong to a disturbing cult that worships a raven god and has killed all adults in town while attacking any outsiders.

Tales from the Darkside (1983–1988), created by George A. Romero, is an American anthology horror TV series that first aired in October 1983 with a pilot episode. It was later picked up for syndication in September 1984 and ran for four seasons until July 1988. Each episode was a unique short story with a plot twist, originally airing late at night on Tribune Broadcasting. The show explored the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and sometimes incorporated elements of black comedy or lighthearted themes. In October 2012, reruns began airing in the UK on Horror Channel. On ...

The Dead Zone (1983), an American sci-fi thriller directed by David Cronenberg, is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King and written by Jeffrey Boam. After experiencing a headache from a roller coaster ride in Castle Rock, Maine, Johnny Smith, a schoolteacher, declines his girlfriend Sarah’s offer to spend the night. However, after getting into a car accident on his way home in stormy weather, he ends up in a coma. When he wakes up under the care of neurologist Dr. Sam Weizak, he learns that five years ...

Cujo (1983) is an American horror film directed by Lewis Teague and based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The story follows the Trenton family – Vic, Donna, and their young son Tad – as they encounter Cujo, a friendly St. Bernard, while getting their car repaired at the home of mechanic Joe Camber. Despite initial concerns about Cujo being aggressive, the family gets along well with him. Meanwhile, tensions rise in Vic and Donna’s marriage when Vic learns of Donna’s past affair with her high school ex-boyfriend, Steve Kemp. As Cujo ...

The American supernatural horror film Christine (1983), directed and co-scored by John Carpenter, is based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. It follows the impact of a classic red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine on the lives of Arnie Cunningham, his friends, family, and teenage enemies. This car seems to have a mind of its own and a possessive personality that negatively influences Arnie. In 1957, at a Detroit car factory, the Fury shuts its hood on a worker’s hand and later kills another worker for dropping ash on its seats. Twenty years ...

The Boogeyman (1982) is a short movie based on Jeff C. Schiro’s adaptation of Stephen King’s suspenseful tale by the same name. The setting is Dr. Harper’s office, where distraught father Lester Billings shares the tragic loss of his three children over the span of several years. His first two children passed away under inexplicable circumstances – one from crib death and the other from convulsions – while in their individual bedrooms. Each time, the only similarities were the children crying out ‘boogeyman!’ before being left ...

The film Creepshow (1982), directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, marked King’s first foray into screenwriting. After young Billy Hopkins is caught reading the horror comic of the same name, his abusive father Stan disciplines him and throws the comic in the trash. As Billy sits upstairs, wishing his father ill will, he suddenly hears a noise at the window. The source of the sound is revealed to be none other than the Creep, beckoning Billy closer and removing the lid from the trash can.

The Shining (1980), a psychological horror film, was produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick in collaboration with novelist Diane Johnson. Adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same title published in 1977, the movie follows Jack Torrance as he takes on a winter caretaking job at the remote Overlook Hotel nestled within the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The hotel, which shuts down every winter season, has a dark history revealed to Jack by manager Stuart Ullman upon his arrival – that of a previous caretaker named ...

Salem’s Lot (1979) is an American two-part vampire miniseries based on the 1975 horror novel ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. Directed by Tobe Hooper. At a church in Guatemala, Ben Mears and Mark Petrie are gathering holy water when they suddenly realize they are being pursued. Despite the ominous presence, they decide to stand their ground and confront it. Two years prior, Mears, a successful writer, returns to his hometown of Salem’s Lot, Maine. His plan is to research and write about the infamous Marsten House on the hill, known for its ...

Carrie (1976) is an American supernatural horror film directed by Brian De Palma from a screenplay written by Lawrence D. Cohen, adapted from Stephen King’s 1974 epistolary novel of the same name. The film follows sixteen-year-old Carrie White, a shy teenager who lives with her fanatically religious and unstable mother, Margaret. Carrie is a loner and constantly bullied by her peers. One day, while at school, Carrie experiences her first period but panics as she was never taught about menstruation. Her classmates find ...