Video Essay: Stephen King at the Movies

With The Dark Tower in theaters and It on the horizon, we look at the many and varied Stephen King adaptations.

6:00 AM EDT on August 4, 2017

With over 30 theatrically released films based on his work, Stephen King is the most adapted author in cinema history. So much so that "from Stephen King" has almost become a genre of its own. While his stories may range from cars possessed by the devil to coming-of-age, every film based on King source material has that special Stephen King essence that can be rather difficult to pinpoint specifically. King's work is usually haunting and rather bizarre, but there is always morality. There is always a lesson to be learned. And most importantly, there is always heart. Maybe this doesn't always transfer to the screen – King adaptations range from a Kubrick masterpiece to low-budget disasters – but we still feel the prolific author's strangely beautiful fingerprints.

Jacob T. Swinney

Jacob T. Swinney is a filmmaker and video essayist from Baltimore, Maryland. He is best known for his First and Final Frames series as well as a variety of videos that examine the techniques of today's most acclaimed filmmakers. Check out more of his work here.