5 Stephen King Movies That Were So Bad They Definitely Need a Modern Remake

Throughout several decades, Stephen King has remained one of the most prolific writers of our time, with his short stories and novels becoming the source material for more than 60 movies and TV shows.

As a film lover himself, King doesn’t shy away from setting things straight on whether he likes the adaptation or not, pointing out its ability or failure to grasp the essence of his original book.

Despite a much larger number of movies and shows approved by the writer, there are still some out there that couldn’t really pass the vibe check with King or with wider audiences.

Dreamcatcher (2003)

Based on KIng’s 2001 novel of the same name, the movie had a perfect source material for future success, though eventually it all went down the drain due to a badly elaborated script.

Dreamcatcher follows four friends who, as kids, acquire telepathic powers and reunite years later somewhere in the mountains near Derry, Maine when the region is suddenly attacked by an alien ship.

The film was a major box office bomb, having grossed $75 million against the budget of $60 million, and still holds a critical score of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Shining (1980)

Despite Stanley Kubrick’s iconic movie still being considered a cult classic, Stephen King himself has repeatedly stated The Shining was one of the worst adaptations of his books ever.

The movie is based on King’s novel of the same name and follows Jack Torrance, a writer who, looking for some inspiration, gets a job at the Overlook Hotel where he moves in with wife and young son; however, the hotel’s supernatural evil forces soon start manifesting themselves.

In fact, there’s not so much to hate about Kubrick’s work, except for the fact that the director’s numerous major changes from the original book made it a completely different story. A reboot that would remain faithful to its original source would definitely be a nice idea.

Graveyard Shift (1990)

The movie came as yet another proof that it’s not always the original idea to blame for its adaptation’s bad quality.

Graveyard Shift recounts the story of a group of workers in a textile factory in Maine where they’re also demanded to cleanse the rat-infested basement. However, it later turns out that the hidden space covers something even more repugnant from everyone’s eyes, and now the workers have to fight for their life to get out of there alive.

Released back in 1990, the film still holds a score of 0% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and has generally been panned for its script, directing and performances.

Silver Bullet (1985)

Based on a very much supernatural-ish story, Silver Bullet fell victim to the lack of visual effects’ sophistication at the time, so a modern reboot would make much sense in this case.

Written by Stephen King himself, the movie follows Marty Coslaw, a disabled boy who starts connecting the dots after a series of murders occurs every full moon. When Marty decides to take an action, his sister is the only one to believe him, and the two embark on a dangerous mission to stop the bloodthirsty mysterious creature before another full moon comes out.

Needful Things (1991)

Starring Ed Harris in the leading role, Needful Things had a premise compelling enough to ultimately become one of the best adaptations of King’s books.

The movie follows Leland Gaunt, a mysterious man who opens a new antique store called Needful Things; however, he doesn’t accept money for the things he sells, instead asking for favours which later on have the town’s people turned against each other and set a series of tragedies.

Needful Things altered some significant moments in the original novel and, additionally, didn’t work that much on its characters’ relationships, which is usually what Stephen King pays a lot of attention to.