As a kid, lots of things scared me to death. One thing in particular, which I'm sure has been well-documented on here was Michael Jackson's Thriller. But, along side that classic short film/music video, there was also the dark ride known as Journey To The Center Of The Earth at Dorney Park, the thought of what might be lurking in the darkness of the staircase to our attic (which was right across from my bedroom door), and of course, the name Stephen King.
My first experience with the King himself was definitely while watching Creepshow, which is likely the first Horror film I ever saw -- it's certainly the earliest that I can recall. Over time, with my memory growing as hazy as my hair color, I'm not entirely sure of the details as to why I was watching it or why I even wanted to watch it. No matter, the one clear memory I have is being absolutely terrified by the Nathan Grantham zombie in the film's opening story "Father's Day" and also on Fluffy, the tiny yeti-like creature who springs from his wooden box prison to eat Adrienne Barbeau in "The Crate".
Whenever those two monsters were on-screen, my tiny child frame would cower behind my dad's back as he sat on the couch. My eyes would be clenched so tightly together that you'd think they'd burst from the pressure. I'd also plug my ears with the intensity of trying to stop a leak in a damn, for fear of hearing "Where's my cake?" or the violent noises of Fluffy having a meal!
And, just like that, Stephen King became associated with my nightmares as a child.
Throughout the 80s and early 90s (ie: when I was a kid), it seemed like Stephen King's name was everywhere when it came to scary movies. In no particular order, let's take a look, shall we?
1.) Cat's Eye (1985) -- although I didn't know it at the time, of course this was a King adaptation. This anthology film directed by Cujo's Lewis Teague centers around a wandering stray cat who is just looking for his forever home. Along his way, he pops into various peoples' lives and their vignettes unfold before the viewer. The final tale though, featuring a young Drew Barrymore terrified by a diminutive troll-like monster was all I needed as a kid! Although, the story with Robert Hays being forced to traverse the ledge of a Los Angeles high-rise stoked a different sort of fear in me!
2.) The Shining (1980) -- even today, this film seems like a right of passage for young people as my nieces and their friends desperately want to watch it. Jack Nicholson's manic performance is arguably what stands out the most in the film version of course. True be told, I'm sure I caught parts of this movie whenever it may have aired as part of WPIX-11's Shock-tober series of films in, er, the month of October. But the first time I really sat down to watch it would be after talking about it for some time with my mom and then finally convincing her to just buy me the VHS as a Halloween present. The overwhelming sense of dread throughout the film, coupled with the intense case of cabin fever that Jack Torrance begins to experience make it a truly unnerving film. 1997's remake/mini-series for ABC was also pretty good -- especially since it was truer to the original book.
3.) IT (1990) -- speaking of Stephen King TV mini-series, this was the one that started it all for me. Sure, Tobe Hooper had done 'Salem's Lot in 1979, but this was the first one that I remember watching on TV as it aired. Say what you want about Tim Curry's performance as Pennywise and how different it may be from the source material of King's book, but damn . . . it's pretty fucking scary -- especially for the then 8yr old version of me who watched it. Of course, in the wake of IT's success, ABC continued a streak of fantastic mini-series adapting King's books; The Tommyknockers, The Stand, and The Langoliers were all Must-See-TV in my house!
4.) Pet Sematary (1989) -- holy shit did this one affect me deeply (and it still does!). As someone who naturally grows a close bond to pets -- in particular cats -- and has been known to be absolutely devastated when they die, Pet Sematary seems tailor-made for me and my nightmares. I'll never forget buying the VHS of this on my own as a kid and watching it . . . the overwhelming sense of dread that enveloped my bedroom while I watched it (it probably didn't help to watch it with all the lights out of course) and the sight of poor Zelda, all twisted and cackling. Man, nightmares for days!
5.) Carrie (1976) -- the very first King adaptation (and some may say one of the best) thanks to this film, I cannot say nor hear the name "Carrie" without hearing it in King's own voice and getting just a little creeped out. True story. Obviously the most jarring part of this film in its shock ending, which still packs a bit of punch 40yrs later!
6.) Graveyard Shift (1990) -- probably not one of the better King adaptations, this film always felt very short in its running time to me. Its monsterous rat/bat beast is pretty cool and, once the story turns to the underground cavernous mineshafts, it's a pretty no holds barred piece. Stephen Macht's portrayal of Warwick (and that damn, odd-as-hell/almost out of place rap song/remix over the end credits repeating his "When's the last time ya bin to a grave-yahd?" line) was probably one of the creepier elements in this film.
7.) Silver Bullet (1986) -- another early bit of nightmare fuel for me! I first saw this on a family vacation to Phoenix to visit my aunt & uncle and my cousins. At some point, someone wanted to rent a "scary movie" and I vividly remember going to the video store with them to find something....and even recall seeing the Thorn EMI video release poster for Dawn of the Dead in the window! Anyway, the major standouts in this film were, of course, from the finale . . . no joke, for years, I'd get a little uneasy if I saw a floor vent, in fear that I'd drop the silver bullet needed to kill an attacking werewolf into it! Also, that nightmare sequence where the entire church turns in werewolves?! Forget it!
8.) Cujo (1983) -- while I can't really recall when I first saw this film, the entire idea of it terrified me. Of course, I'd grown up around dogs (my aunt always had Shelties and at least one Doberman), but I rarely ever saw any St. Bernards . . . and if I ever did, I couldn't help but associate them with this film. Looking back now though, I'm sure my tiny childhood brain confused some of this with the Joe Don Baker starrer The Pack, from 1977, in which a group of people are trapped by a rabid pack of dogs of all breeds. Still though, there was that one time when my dad and I went to visit one of his buddies and, for whatever reason, he wasn't home but his two Dobermans came out to say hello...one of them jumped on me and pinned me to the ground, most likely just licking my face with excitement (but I perceived it with absolute terror!).
9.) Creepshow 2 (1987) -- Is it a cop-out to list the original Creepshow in the opening of this piece and then pull out the sequel as well? I don't care. All I have to say is "Thanks for the ride lady". Yes, The Hitchhiker story used to terrify me, especially that line and the titular wanderer himself. In fact, I remember it taking years for me to finally be able to watch this film (along with the original of course) without being scared to death -- this was another WPIX-11 Shock-tober entry! Hell, even one of the film's trailers or TV spots used to creep me out; it featured The Creep (I'm guessing it was Savini in the makeup he wore in the film?) sitting in a crowded movie theater, turning to his right and inviting "you" to come join him for Creepshow 2. Nope! No thanks!
10.) The Dead Zone (1983) -- this one is kind of a cheat as the film itself doesn't really scare me in the way the other do. It was more or less just seeing the VHS cover in the video store as a kid. I had no idea what the movie was about, but the title and seeing Stephen King's name above it, was enough to give me the creeps. That font though...
In closing, there's one final cool tie that forever imbeds Stephen King with me....you know that back cover photo on the Christine dust jacket? That was taken in one of the self-wash bays at the old Frenchtown car-wash, right down the road from my house! It's funny to look at the photo now and instantly remember those old bays (the car-wash was demolished and rebuilt years ago), but now I shudder at literally just how close King was to my house...the man who created so many nightmares for me was right down the road!! The story goes that a car collector across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania had a car similar to Christine's make and model (or at least for the purposes of the photo shoot) and, as luck had it, the Frenchtown car-wash had bays similar to that of an old garage, so it was decided to do the shoot right then and there. Pretty cool.
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(APPLAUSE) 👍👍
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