6 New Horrors That Managed to Creep Out Stephen King Himself
What is the King of Horror afraid of?
In recent years, Stephen King has given his approval to several horror flicks. Gone are the days of King's harsh criticism to promote his own adaptations – now the author is quite kind to other horror films, and some he simply adores.
1. Barbarian, 2022
The plot is set in Detroit: a young journalist rents a house on Airbnb, but along the way it turns out that there was an overbooking – the apartment was mistakenly booked by two people at the same time.
Together with the woman, a strange guy named Keith moves into the house, who almost immediately begins to arouse her suspicions. Things get even worse when two neighbors find a mysterious cellar in the house.
Existing at the intersection of horror and comedy genres, Barbarian became one of the most discussed films of 2022 and, of course, was able to steal the heart of the author. According to Stephen King, Barbarian is crazy good.
2. The Black Phone, 2021
It is not surprising that King loved Scott Derrickson's movie – after all, its plot is based on the story of the same name by Joe Hill, King's eldest son.
The movie takes place in the late 70s. A maniac kidnaps and brutally kills children. The main character, 13-year-old Finney, becomes his next victim. While in captivity, the boy suddenly makes contact with the dead children who were once in his place.
As it turns out, Joe Hill showed his father an early version of the horror film, which made a big impression on him. In particular, King said that The Black Phone was a hellish version of Stand by Me.
3. Late Night with the Devil, 2023
In a retro horror movie, the producers of the popular evening show Night Owls, hosted by Jack Delroy, decide to boost ratings with a Halloween episode. Psychics and skeptics are invited as special guests. Viewers are given the opportunity to side with one or the other.
From the beginning, the show does not go according to plan: it turns into a real tragedy not only for the participants of the show, but also for the host himself.
Last year, Late Night with the Devil was on everyone's lips – it received a record-high 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Even Stephen King could not pass it by, according to him Late Night with the Devil is just brilliant.
4. X, 2022
There is hardly a person who did not like the retro slasher X from the acknowledged master of the genre, Ti West.
The plot of X revolves around a group of filmmakers who come to the farm of an elderly couple to shoot a pornographic movie. As you can imagine, things do not go according to plan, and by the end of the next day, only a few are left alive.
King called X an extremely good horror movie.
5. Evil Dead Rise, 2023
The events of Evil Dead Rise take place in an ordinary high-rise building. The main characters are two sisters, Beth and Ellie. The former accidentally finds out that she is pregnant, and the latter is raising three children on her own.
A long conversation about the benefits of motherhood is interrupted by a spell from an old black book, which awakens terrible demons.
Not everyone was satisfied with the new version of Evil Dead, despite all the efforts of the director to make a more trashy version of the original. However, Stephen King called the movie “gruesome” (in a good way) and “bloody.”
6. No One Will Save You, 2023
The science fiction horror movie No One Will Save You tells the story of a young seamstress named Brynn who lives on the outskirts of a small town.
She has trouble socializing and almost never leaves the house. Everything changes when Brynn and her closest neighbors are attacked by aggressive aliens one night.
No One Will Save You is an unusual horror movie in every way; for an hour and a half the main character and her adversaries do not speak a word. According to King, No One Will Save You is a truly unique movie that deserves applause.
