More than 40 years later, Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece, The Shinning, is still highly regarded as one of the best horror movies ever made. Not only is the film routinely referenced in today’s media, but shocking details about life on set continue to emerge.
There’s something about Stephen King novels that filmmakers can’t get enough of. Over the past several decades, Hollywood produced countless TV series, miniseries, television movies, and theatrical releases based on his terrifying Maine-based books. But not everything with King’s name on it is The Shining.
These titles are shining examples of Stephen King movie adaptations that should have stayed on the page, ranked by the critics at Rotten Tomatoes.
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) – 23%
Sequels aren’t generally well-received, but this direct continuation to the iconic Sissy Spacek (Castle Rock) movie didn’t have anything noteworthy going for it. It somewhat repeated the story, invited back an actress from the original, and failed to impress audiences.
Pet Sematary II (1992) – 21%
To be fair, Pet Sematary isn’t King’s strongest story. The first movie wasn’t great. The remakes aren’t brilliant. So this mediocre sequel’s cold reception isn’t exactly a surprise.
The Dark Tower (2017) – 15%
The Dark Tower was a huge disappointment, considering its star-studded cast included A-listers like Idris Elba (Luther) and Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar). While critics enjoyed the performances, many felt the thriller failed at condensing King’s novel into a 95-minute feature, resulting in a choppy and frustrating viewing experience.
Maximum Overdrive (1986) – 15%
This movie shows how being a brilliant writer doesn’t always translate to the filmmaking side of things. King himself sat in the director’s chair for this one. When asked why he never directed another one, he supposedly replied:
Just watch Maximum Overdrive.
Children of The Corn (2020) – 12%
Children of the Corn is one of the most popular Stephen King books. It was so popular that it spanned a franchise of no less than 11 movies. But considering how poorly this latest one was received, it may be the last time those evil kids grace our screens.
Stephen King’s Thinner (1996) – 17%
This terrible adaptation of a King novel came with an intriguing premise – It follows an obese and unscrupulous lawyer cursed with a weight loss regime from hell. However, the execution was atrocious, especially that awful-looking fatsuit they placed on lead Robert John Burke (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).
Cell (2016) – 11%
Despite having John Cusack in the lead, critics panned Cell for its lack of suspense or coherent storyline. Audiences weren’t too impressed either, as the science fiction horror film has a score of 4.4/10 on IMDb.
Firestarter (2022) – 11%
Last year’s Firestarter was a remake of the superior 1984 movie. Not only was this feature obliterated by the critics, but actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong (American Horror Story: Double Feature) received a Golden Raspberry nomination.
Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996) – 10%
The first Lawnmower Man wasn’t exactly a good movie, so it’s hard to understand why anyone felt it needed a sequel. To say nobody likes Beyond Cyberspace would be an understatement. On top of its low Rotten Tomatoes score, on IMDb, the movie holds an audience rating of only 2.5/10.
Graveyard Shift (1990) – 0%
This film about a mutated winged rat causing havoc at an old textile mill failed to appeal to critics or audiences. The main complaint was that it focused too much on the gore and too little on telling a compelling story. But then again, how compelling did they expect a story about a killer rat to be?
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