Last Updated on August 3, 2021
With IT: CHAPTER TWO hitting theaters this weekend, the resurgence of Stephen King adaptations is in full swing. With the next year set to see the debut of IN THE TALL GRASS, DOCTOR SLEEP, The Outsider on HBO, Castle Rock on Hulu, and Amazon Prime's The Dark Tower, Hollywood is excited to adapt King at a high level. Even though there are a lot of unadapted novels and short stories to choose from, IT proves that remaking some previously adapted books can be a winning formula as well. With that in mind, here is a list of the ten Stephen King movies that are ripe for remakes. See if you agree or let us know your picks in the comments below.
IT: CHAPTER TWO is now playing.
THE DEAD ZONE
While David Cronenberg's 1983 film is still pretty good, the plot of a man who awakens from a coma and can see the future after touching someone is perfect for today's political climate. Johnny Smith, played by Christopher Walken in the film and Anthony Michael Hall in the TV series, foresees the rise of a politician (played by Martin Sheen) who eventually becomes President and orders a nuclear strike that decimates the world. Updating this story for our current world leadership could make for an interesting take on the source material. But, maybe that is too scary…
FIRESTARTER
The 1980s were the peak era of Stephen King big screen adaptations. Some were better than others and most were better than FIRESTARTER. Starring David Keith and Drew Barrymore, FIRESTARTER tells the story of a pyrokinetic child named Charlie who shares quite a bit in common with Seven from Stranger Things. In fact, if an update were made, many may see too many similarities to the hit Netflix series, but I would love to see it potentially kick off a shared universe featuring King's recurring secret government agency known as The Shop.
THE RUNNING MAN
While THE RUNNING MAN is far from Arnold Schwarzenegger's best, it is even farther from Stephen King's best. Based on a novel written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, THE RUNNING MAN is more satirical than the original novel which is dark and violent. The film is set in a dystopia that foretold an economic crisis and reality TV that exists in our world now which means a remake could mine similar, Black Mirror-esque conceits to tell an updated story. Even if the film were to be based on the original book and not the movie, it could easily differentiate itself and be really damn good.
CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF
A good werewolf story is hard to come by and SILVER BULLET remains a gem of the sub-genre. Starring Cory Haim and Gary Busey, 1985's SILVER BULLET has some solid special effects work and a really good core story. While it may not need a remake, of all the Stephen King novels out there, this would be the one that could do with a better monster. The film does play loose with the original novella which means a new take could keep the original title and provide a slightly different version for audiences to enjoy.
THE TOMMYKNOCKERS
The first mini-series to air after IT, The Tommyknockers was set up to feed off the same type of audience that responded to that epic horror story. But, this tale had no coming of age story nor a villain as iconic as Pennywise. Still, this alien invasion/mind control thriller absolutely has enough going on to really make for a scary movie. While Jimmy Smits and Marg Helgenberger do their best, this story is just too drawn out for it's own good. A single film done with current FX would be pretty scary.
BAG OF BONES
Bag of Bones is one of my all time favorite King novels and when I learned it was coming to A&E as a mini-series, I was ecstatic. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Annabeth Gish, and Melissa George, I was convinced that it was going to blow people away. Instead, Mick Garris' direction was held back by basic cable limitations and it fails to really drive the haunting love story where it needs to hit. Bag of Bones doesn't need to run for hours and hours but it does need a nuanced filmmaker to really balance the romance and gothic horror in this REBECCA-inspired tale.
‘SALEM’S LOT
Already having had a sequel and a TV remake, Tobe Hooper's original mini-series has some of the creepiest moments in horror history. The vampire Barlow remains one of the scariest vampires in movie history but the rest of the film just doesn't hold up. The Rob Lowe update fails to capitalize on the scary parts of the story even if the story is more faithful to the source material. While rumors of a remake have existed for years, Salem's Lot really needs a top notch horror director like James Wan or Mike Flanagan to do it right.
SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK
A 1991 TV movie based on a short story by King, Sometimes They Come Back was originally going to be a segment of the film CAT'S EYE. Starring Tim Matheson, the story follows a teacher haunted by the ghosts of his brother's murderers who come back to try and kill him, too. While the movie spawned a crappy sequel, it was good enough that it would absolutely work as a haunting big screen remake.
DESPERATION
For a time, Stephen KIng was fodder for countless network mini-series like IT, THE SHINING, THE LANGOLIERS and more. Mick Garris helmed several of them and returned in 2006 for a one-off TV movie based on Desperation. A mirror novel released alongside Richard Bachman's The Regulators, Desperation focused on an evil Lovecraftian entity in the Nevada desert that takes control of local sherrif Collie Entragian. Played by Ron Perlman, Entragain should have been an epic villain but was held back by network restrictions. With the vast novel providing lots of grisly imagery, Desperation would make for an awesome big screen outing especially if paired with a take on The Regulators. Imagine one cast playing two versions of their characters. That would be unique.
CHRISTINE
While this is a John Carpenter movie, it is a lesser one. Really, any movie about a killer car is going to have some suspension of disbelief (and this one is way better than King's MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE) but Carpenter managed to deliver a pretty scary movie. With advances in special effects since 1983, a new version of this story (maybe even one moved to a contemporary time period) could make for a nice change of pace from the horror movies released these days.
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