If we accept that Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft were primarily known for their short stories, then the most successful American horror novelist would have to be Stephen King.
Following the smash success of Brian DePalma’s adaptation of Carrie in 1976, nearly every available King property was being snapped up for the big screen treatment. By the early 80s they were flooding into theaters. 1983 alone saw the release of no less than 3 feature films and a few shorts based on King stories.
While Carrie and The Shining are justifiably considered classics, let’s take a look at a couple of the lesser known & discussed King films from that time.
One problem in discussing ‘horror’ films of this era is that we don’t really think of these things as horror movies anymore. Boris Karloff thought that the name ‘terror film’ was more appropriate for the genre since the goal isn’t always to horrify (today’s ‘horror’ movies heavy reliance on shock value aside) but to terrify. The horror genre changes from decade to decade, and while gore and startling scares may be the norm now, there are other types of horror films…
Take, for example, The Dead Zone.
This is an understated, low budget, haunting film that catches King, director David Cronenberg, and actor Christopher Walken all at the top of their games. Walken plays a teacher who develops precognition. But, far from being a blessing, he finds the power is a curse as his life slowly disintegrates. By today's standards, this low budget film would probably be relegated to Movie of the Week status, but that doesn't diminish its power. Definitely worth checking out if you are interested in something that is more thought provoking than the average horror movie.
At the other end of the spectrum from the thoughtful and introspective The Dead Zone is John Carpenter’s Christine.
This is a deliberate non-thinking movie. But, with a tagline like, ‘Body by Plymouth, soul by Satan!’ you pretty much know what you’re in for. It’s a popcorn film, pure and simple. We’ll have no complaints from the peanut gallery about the hows or whys – look, it’s an evil car that kills people, that’s all you need to know. Expect incredible cheese. Expect that everyone’s attempt to escape the killer car involves running down streets and alleys, never into buildings, through the woods, or even just up a flight of stairs, and you’ll not be disappointed. Toss in a fun, loveable rock and roll soundtrack, and the always-awesome Harry Dean Stanton in a minor role, and you have a movie custom made for six packs and drive-ins.
