My Long Walk Through Stephen King's Lot

Prior to beginning the next Stephen King novel I plan to dive into (which is one I am very excited about), I got the idea to pause and do a quick re-read of 1922 .  I wanted to finally watch the recent Netflix adaptation, which I heard was quite good, and figured it would be fun to get a refresher on the story and then see how the movie version measures up. The novella, one of four excellent stories that comprise Full Dark, No Stars , is one I hold in high regard.  Reading it again definitely affirmed my appreciation for it. 1922 is one of King’s absolute darkest stories.  It is an interesting work; uncompromisingly bleak and disturbing, yet deeply moralistic at its core.  Because it is so stark and grounded in its realism, it serves as an effective cautionary tale. (At least three of the four stories in Full Dark, No Stars are more or less realistic, devoid of much in the way of supernatural elements.  The “haunted” as...

  Before I started this blog, I imagined I would only write about Stephen King’s books.   But King’s work is frequently adapted to the screen—for better or worse—and occasionally the movies are worth examining. Not many of them, mind you, but some; particularly those which are ambitious attempts to tackle some of King’s most well-established and highly revered works.   Something, say, like the recent big-screen adaptation of IT .   I didn’t go see the movie when it was in theaters, which speaks to a curious fact about me at this stage of life.   If I were 15 years younger, I’d have been there in a heartbeat.   But life changes, and the things I like doing often get lost in the shuffle of managing everything I feel I need to do.     This weekend, however, I had a few hours to spare, and I allowed myself to factor in something I’d like to do, and that was most definitely to sit and experience “IT.”   I’ve mentioned the book in p...

    Confession: I was pretty excited to pick up a copy of “The Dark Tower” blu-ray on Black Friday.   I saw the film during its theatrical run, liked it, and planned to add it to my collection when it made its way to video.   Plus, it certainly didn’t hurt that I could snag it for such a good deal! I know, I know.   There are, of course, many who do not share my enthusiasm for this particular movie.   Some are casual moviegoers, others are critics.   Some, of course, are Stephen King fanatics who apparently find this film version of his most complex and expansive literary work to be a failure.   Some of this backlash seems to be rooted in the feeling that the filmmakers have changed too much of King’s source material.   For one thing, the entry point into this story is Jake, rather than Roland.   I’ll admit that I was disappointed that the movie did not begin as The Gunslinger does, with King’s excellent opening l...