The Shining Changes: Book to screen A major threat in the book -completely absent from the 1980 film- are the topiary hedges trimmed to look like animals that appear to move and come to life. The limitations of special effects in 1980 made the topiary scenes impossible to film convincingly.

The Shining Inspired in part by King and his wife's strange isolation as the only guests during a vacation at the Stanley Hotel in Boulder Colorado (see pic) as it prepared to close for the winter. After one day of staying there, King went to bed with the entire story formulated in his head.

1977 The Shining Sales: 12.4 Million Media Adaptations 1980 Movie (Dir Stanley Kubrick) 1997 TV Miniseries (Dir Stephen King) Supplemental Stories 2013 Doctor Sleep (Novel)

youtu.be/FlnG7kjg-rM Stephen King on The Simpsons. Season 12 Ep #3 Insane Clown Poppy. 35 seconds of brilliance.

The Lawnmower Man 1992 Sold as 'Stephen King's Lawnmower Man' but completely unrelated in any way to King's short story, King was incensed enough to sue the makers and won, receiving a $2.5 Million settlement in 1992 Despite this, the video release still bore his name when released a year later

1975 The Lawnmower Man Cavalier Night Shift One of King's many tales where the mundane meets the fantastical: here in the form of a average Joe who hires a Lawn Company to cut his lawn, then discovers the disturbing truth of who owns the company. A marvel comic book adaptation was released 1981

youtu.be/4gZA_blyE6Q 'Battleground' appeared as an Episode of the Stephen King show Nightmares and Dreamscapes which was scripted by the legendary Richard Matheson. It's drawn out to fill an hour of TV, but the hotel battle scenes featuring the deadly toy soldiers are exceptional.

1972 'Battleground' Cavalier Night Shift A hitman kills the owner of a toy company then finds himself under attack later in his hotel room by toy soldiers that can kill. The first of 3 King Tales that see Toys coming to life (see also 'The Monkey' and the King written X-Files Episode 'Chinga')

Salem's Lot The 50th Anniversary Edition. Features: New Intro from Joe Hill 'One for the Road' short story 'Jerusalems's Lot' short story Deleted Scenes (50 pages which include the original removed army of rats that kill Jimmy Cody and guard Barlow's Coffin in the final scenes.

1977 'One for the Road' Night Shift King's only real supplement to Salem's Lot, which features several residents of it's neighbouring town venturing there to search for a missing family. A tenuous link to it's prequel-the short story 'Jerusalem's Lot'- is in one of the characters being named Booth

youtu.be/QtVzKkv03ic Salem's Lot 2024 Trailer. Rating 7 Jump scares are everything in this latest update and it features some genuinely remarkable imagery, but it rushes and runs through the plot almost too eagerly to get to the 'scary stuff' Far from perfect, but a reasonably worthy remake.

Salem's Lot Changes: Book to screen Main villain Barlow is in effect, King's version of Dracula, renamed in the novel A cunning, supremely intelligent and complex character-almost an Uber adult fighting against children-but reduced to a mute Nosferatu-like figure of pure evil in the TV adaptation

Salem's Lot Movie Rating 8 A slow burn in the first half, with a sedate introduction of the characters (several condensed into a single character) and the Town itself, but with a second half that shows off Director Tobe Hooper's Horror cred perfectly. The Glick children as vampires are terrifying.

@lewystn.bsky.social What would happen if Willow fell in love with Buffy. Would it work?

Salem's Lot Inspired by Bram Stoker's 'Dracula', one of King's favorite novels and the premise of 'What If...Dracula came back to America in the 20th Century. Protagonist Ben Mears recurring nightmare inside the Marsden House was based on a similar dream King had aged 8 which he would never forget

1975 Salem's Lot Sales: Over 3 Million Media Adaptations: 1979 2-Part TV Movie (Dir Tobe Hooper) 2004 2-part TV Movie (Dir Mikael Salomon) 2024 Movie (Dir Dauberman) Supplemental stories: 'Jerusalem's Lot' 'One For the Road' Both which appear in King's Book 'Night Shift'

youtu.be/GAAbouUJFCI Just recently discovered the wonderful Scottish Comediene Ashley Storrie on Radio 4. Here's a sample of her show 'What's the story, Ashley Storrie'

1977 The Man Who Loved Flowers Gallery Night Shift A short and not so sweet tale of a madman passing in plain sight as a love struck romantic on the streets of New York. Another disturbing reminder from King than madness has no recognisable face, no tell tale signs, and no warning that it's near...

1968 'Cain Rose up' Ubris Skeleton Crew A short disturbing tale from 1968 which deals with themes that would become disturbingly real and recurrent as time went by: Namely, nihilistic insanity and College students with guns going on a killing spree A short film version was released in 2013

youtu.be/FahPues3s5Q 'Strawberry Spring' A maniac is randomly killing women on a New England campus. They have nicknamed the killer 'Springheel Jack' Will he ever be caught?

'Strawberry Spring' 1968 Ubris Night Shift The title referring to a 'false' spring in 1968 during a New England college semester where women are periodically discovered: murdered and mutilated by a serial killer nicknamed 'Springheel Jack' A podcast dramatization by Audio up Media appeared in 2021

1969 'Stud City' Ubris Different Seasons A gritty short story published by Ubris Magazine originally, but one that reached a much larger audience when it appeared in King's Novella 'The Body' (see Different Seasons) inserted as an example of protagonist Gordie Lachance's writing.

youtu.be/s1qItKJ8RiQ When your novels are best sellers Why bother with Short Stories? Stephen King's take on this subject.

youtu.be/Xr1xWN-9KYo My Favorite Movie Music Robocop 2 Theme. 'Go Robo!'

1969 'Night Surf' Ubris Magazine Night shift The 'Captain Trips' Virus first appearance in a story - 9 years before it's appearance in The Stand - originally written as a stand alone 8 page yarn, but one that now serves as an add-on to King's 1978 epic on the fall of Humanity.

youtu.be/o_k9_knLJAI The animated trailer for Stephen King's 'Lilly'

1968 Here There Be Tygers A boy discovers a Tiger (or Tyger) lurking in the halls of his school Written when King was in High school, but published in Ubris Magazine in 1968. It also appears in King's Short Story collection 'Skeleton Crew' An animated version retitled 'Lilly' was produced in 2024

youtu.be/lgj8gCbmTig 'The Dark Man' A poem by Stephen King

1969 'The Dark Man' A poem by Stephen King published in 1969 which would serve as the genesis for the character of Randal Flagg, the primary villain in 'The Stand'. 'The Eyes of the Dragon' and 'the Dark Tower' series. Randal Flagg as envisioned by artist Michael Whelan

Stephen King's 'The Reaper's Image' A second published story for King printed in 1969 in 'Startling Mystery Stories' Paid: $35 The story concerns an antique collector attempting to buy a 'legendary mirror' from a museum that allegedly reveals the Grim Reaper to those who look into it.

youtu.be/jjucye1s3uw The Glass Floor By Stephen King.

Stephen King's 'the Glass Floor' Written by King aged 19 and inspired by the notion of 'what it would be like to stand in a room where the floor was a mirror'. Revisiting the story in 1990, King described it as 'clumsy and badly written -the product of an uninformed storyteller's mind'

Stephen King's First Published Story 'The Glass Floor' Published Autumn 1967 Issue of Startling Mystery Stories Paid: $35 A copy of the magazine is held in the Library of the University of Maine. It appears in the Deluxe edition of King's book of short stories: 'Night Shift'.

Carrie Movie Rating. 10 The first, and still the best adaptation of a King Novel to this date. Perfect casting across the board and directed by a master (Brian De Palma) The Prom scene and final closing graveyard moment are still some of the most frightening and effective scenes in movie History.

The real Carrie White? Carrie is based on 2 girls Stephen King went to school with: Tina White: who was bullied by classmates for 'wearing the same clothes every day' And Sandra Irving: who was raised by a fanatically religious single mother and completely ignored and ostracized by her peers.

Carrie 1973 Deviations from book to film. Carrie's appearance differs greatly. The novel: she is overweight and acne ridden The movie: slim and willowy The novel: The prom scene is followed by Carrie walking through town, furiously destroying it The terrifying tombstone ending does not appear.

youtu.be/8BT2r5yFocE Stephen King on Carrie 50 years later.

Carrie 1974 King's First Novel which was originally intended as a short story, but expanded organically as King wrote. His initial first draft, he hated and threw away. Only at his wife Tabitha's insistence -who literally took it out of the trash bin-did he return to it and begin writing again.