Stephen King's massive library of stories continues to be translated to film and television at a rapid pace, and for the most part, the results have been positive lately. Last year saw three new high-profile adaptations of his work hit the big screen — Oz Perkins' The Monkey, Francis Lawrence's The Long Walk, and Edgar Wright's The Running Man — all of which were mostly met with acclaim from critics and audiences. However, they also earned high praise from the author himself, solidifying the year as an all-around great one for fans of his novels, especially with Mike Flanagan's much-lauded The Life of Chuck also hitting theaters following its festival circuit premiere in 2024. It's a notable feat considering how much each of the three sides can disagree with one another.
Case in point: Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Released in 1980 with Jack Nicholson in the leading role as the Overlook Hotel's new caretaker, Jack Torrance, the film is considered one of the director's and the horror genre's crowning achievements, depicting the terrifying descent into madness of a father whose demons are preyed upon by the ghosts that haunt the lodging. However, opinions were more mixed at the time, and King himself famously lambasted Kubrick's work for departing so wildly from his original vision. In particular, he voiced his disapproval of Jack's portrayal, which leaned away from his more tragic depiction as a victim to create a frightening antagonist. His views now stand in contrast to a classic that's defined by iconic shots and moments immortalized in cinematic history, from the Steadicam capture of Danny's ride through the Overlook's halls to Jack axing through the bathroom door and the elevator of blood.
Now, the classic is heading to HBO Max just in time for Halloween. The Shining will be part of a massive wave of movies coming to the platform on October 1, joining other horror hits next month ranging from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise to the recent return of a horror mainstay, Evil Dead Burn. It's a fitting home for the iconic film, considering how many King adaptations are available to stream there, including the aforementioned Long Walk, Misery, both adaptations of It, Brian De Palma's Carrie, and more. HBO Max is also the exclusive home of the prequel series It: Welcome to Derry, which has since been renewed for Season 2.
The Next Big Stephen King Adaptation Is Right Around the Corner
While HBO Max has a wealth of King films and series to binge during the spooky season, Prime Video will be the home to his next big adaptation — Flanagan's version of Carrie. The series is set to premiere on October 7 and will put the Midnight Mass creator's own spin on King's debut novel across eight episodes. With the expanded runtime, he's taking the titular high schooler into the social media age, a change that the author has wholeheartedly praised for separating Flanagan's approach from De Palma's. Summer H. Howell leads the cast as Carrie White, joining Samantha Sloyan, Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton, Amber Midthunder, Joel Oulette, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, and more.
The Shining checks into HBO Max on October 1. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on all the films coming to and leaving streaming throughout the year.
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