“The worst of the bunch”: The movie adaptation Stepehn King detested

Posted On April 28, 2025April 28, 2025

To be a truly intrinsic part of culture in the 21st century, many would assume that simply being on screen or in the airwaves is the only way to attain such a position. However, when looking at some of the most influential people in the cultural landscape, one might more accurately look to the world of literature as perhaps a more powerful place. Regarded as one of the greatest authors of his generation, Stephen King has made a substantial mark on popular culture.

A master of fiction, he is affectionately hailed as the ‘King of Horror’. Some of his works are amongst the most chilling and thought-provoking in the literary world. His tales of fathers trying to murder their families and killer clowns remain permanently seared into our collective memory and have become emblazoned on our screens and seared into the annals of movie history.

The weird, eerie and utterly terrifying are three things King does exceptionally well. His themes are so tangible that the emotive response they garner would make even the great horror authors of the past and those who inspired him – the likes of HP Lovecraft and Shirley Jackson – blush. 

Enriching King’s efforts is the fact that there’s ample authenticity running throughout most of them. As some of his most lauded titles are based in his native Maine, there’s a familiarity that fiction authors often forego in the hope of constructing resplendent fantasy — a connection to the real.

Once, when asked why he started writing, King explained: “The answer to that is fairly simple — there was nothing else I was made to do. I was made to write stories, and I love to write stories. That’s why I do it. I really can’t imagine doing anything else, and I can’t imagine not doing what I do.” Elsewhere, when probed about why some of his works are so frightening, he asked, “Why do you assume I have a choice?”

Knowing that writing is his perfect calling has led King to be one of the most consistent and high-yielding in the field. Whether it be The Shining, It or even The Stand, many of his works have hit such a nerve that they gain extensive fanfare and discourse. However, the greatest emblem of his cultural significance is the sheer volume of his books that have been adapted into feature films or television shows.

All three of the aforementioned titles have been brought to life, with many of King’s other works, including Carrie, Christine, Pet Sematary, and Misery, also getting the Hollywood treatment. This trend shows no sign of slowing down, as he’s still publishing novels. His last effort, Fairy Tale, was released in September this year, and a reported whopping 15 new films are in development. 

Despite many of the Stephen King film adaptations being celebrated, some have been misfires. The author, famous for his somewhat opinionated nature, is never shy about openly criticising them. Notably, Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of The Shining and Paul Michael Glazer’s 1986 outing The Running Man have been two that King has publicly lambasted.

However, none are more hated than Mark L Lester’s 1984 version of Firestarter. Starring Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen and David Keith, it tells the story of a young girl with strong pyrokinetic abilities who develops them thanks to her parents’ role in a secret government experiment. Despite the well-known cast and the cultish status of the subject material, there’s a reason many haven’t heard of the film – it’s terrible.

Famously, King called the project “flavourless”, which Lester later criticised him for. Regardless of this spar, ultimately, the author felt that the blame for the film’s disaster lay with the producers, one of whom was the late Martha De Laurentiis, the mind behind Red Dragon and Hannibal.

King said: “Firestarter is one of the worst of the bunch, even though in terms of story, it’s very close to the original. But it’s flavourless; it’s like cafeteria mashed potatoes. There are things that happen in terms of special effects in that movie that make no sense to me whatsoever.”

Over the years, King has routinely shunned some of his most adored adaptations, so it at least feels fitting that he would save some of his harshest words for a truly terrible movie, instead of taking shots at Kubrick’s masterpiece of horror filmmaking. King may have hated that picture because of how Kubrick manipulated his work, but he disliked this movie for the right reasons. Firestarter may have some cult fans, but they are the kind of people who watch The Room for the ironic skin-crawling experience, and they aren’t the kind of people to go to the cinema with.

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