Stephen King reviews 'Hairspray' after watching for the first time
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Stephen King has made a New Year’s Resolution to watch a new film from every year since 1961 across this year.
Updating fans as to his progress on Twitter, King reached 1988 on his journey this week, and watched the classic Hairspray, along with its 2007 remake.
Along with River’s Edge (1986) and Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987), King shared his thoughts on John Waters’ classic film.
He wrote: “Both SPRAYS are great fun, the Waters maybe a little better, but Travolta was great as Edna Turnblad.”
A few days later, King added to his review, writing: “One of the great things about the John Waters original version of HAIRSPRAY was getting to watch the kids dance the Madison.”
Other recent movies King has watched include Risky Business (1983), 1984 (1984) and The Trip To Bountiful (1985), the first of which – starring Tom Cruise – King called “delightful”.
Continuing 60 years of movies, one for each year:
RIVER'S EDGE (1986)
AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS (1987)
HAIRSPRAY (1988)
HAIRSPRAY (2007)
Both SPRAYS are great fun, the Waters maybe a little better, but Travolta was great as Edna Turnblad.— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 8, 2021
One of the great things about the John Waters original version of HAIRSPRAY was getting to watch the kids dance the Madison.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 11, 2021
In other news, Steven Spielberg and Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers are set to adapt Stephen King’s The Talisman for Netflix.
The fantasy epic was first published in 1984, and tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who goes on a journey to save his dying mother. Spielberg has held the rights to the project for over 40 years, purchasing them in 1982, two years before the 1,000 page book was even published.
Stranger Things executive producer and writer Curtis Gwinn is set to be the showrunner and writer for the series, with Matt and Ross Duffer executive producing alongside Spielberg.
Another forthcoming King-related project comes from HBO with a new series called Overlook, which is inspired by King’s The Shining.
Produced by J.J. Abrams and Ben Stephenson – head of Bad Robot television – the show is described as “a horror-thriller series that explores the untold stories of the Overlook Hotel, the most famous haunted hotel in American fiction.”
