Author Topic: Stephen King (Read 6592 times)

Gibdo Master · « **on:** June 08, 2004, 06:39:46 PM »

So, I've read The Shining and It and just wanted to see what other people thought about King's works since I can't really make up my mind.

The main thing I wanted to talk about is just how scary his books really are. Honestly, I didn't find either The Shining or It scary. Sure there were some tense and creepy parts, but I didn't lose any sleep over this stuff. I don't know if I'm just too old for this kind of stuff or if I'm just that desensitized. I was especially disappointed with It since I had read a few reviews saying it was King's scariest book. Quite frankly, I found quite a few of the "scares" to be kind of corny and lame.

Overall, I thought the story was pretty good in both books, but the lack of scares was still disappointing.

Syl · « **Reply #1 on:** June 08, 2004, 08:32:05 PM »

I'm not a fan. Kinda hard to explain why.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #2 on:** June 08, 2004, 08:35:42 PM »

If you want to be really creeped out, read H. P. Lovecraft's stuff- he uses the same style of horror as Edgar Allen Poe (and writes almost exactly like him, too) and brings it to the next level. His work really is incredible, and I'd reccomend it to anyone, especially if you liked Eternal Darkness (which was almost a videogame adaption of his Cthulhu mythos).

The Omen · « **Reply #3 on:** June 09, 2004, 02:47:20 AM »

Kings books don't really scare me. Salems Lot was cool, but scary? Meh. In fact, I think the Kubrick version, The Shining, in movie form, is far more chilling.

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If you want to be really creeped out, read H. P. Lovecraft's stuff- he uses the same style of horror as Edgar Allen Poe (and writes almost exactly like him, too) and brings it to the next level.

True. Though I prefer Poe.

nitsu niflheim · « **Reply #4 on:** June 09, 2004, 03:50:59 AM »

In general no books by anyone scares me. Stephen King is my favorite author, just don't stereotype him as a horror writer when a lot of his books and stories are not horror, but range from western-romance (Dark Tower series), romantic ghost story (Bag of Bones) and books like Delores Clairborne and Gerald's Game could be mystery-suspense, and Rose Madder as a thriller-suspense.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #5 on:** June 09, 2004, 08:47:05 AM »

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True. Though I prefer Poe.

I like Lovecraft more myself, but only because of the content- I'm a huge fan of big mysterious monsters and whatnot.

The Omen · « **Reply #6 on:** June 09, 2004, 02:17:25 PM »

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True. Though I prefer Poe.
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I like Lovecraft more myself, but only because of the content- I'm a huge fan of big mysterious monsters and whatnot.

I like Poe better because I read the biography , 'Mournful and never-ending remembrance'. I realized that I had a lot in common with him, so I relate to Poe on a personal and creative level. Maybe if i read a H.P. Lovecraft biography, I would be into him more.

Another thing about King . I hate the majority of his TV endeavors, and now he's doing Salems Lot over again. Please King, stay away from TV, and movies, while you're at it. If somebody adapts the stories to the screen[Shining, Shawshank,Stand by me], they always come out better than if King is involved himself.

Metaphysical Spirit · « **Reply #7 on:** June 12, 2004, 01:18:30 PM »

I don't really think The Shinning was supposed to be "really scary". Though it is a horror, about ghost, it was more of trying to get you to think of the head of a man going insane. Really though, it's all ghost. I really haven't finished the book, though I did see King's version of the Shinning. Which to me, was HORRIBLE. It was based on everything on the book, though. The Shinning is one of my favorite movies though done by the King's Books. The enviroment and acting in the movie was great. I just don't understand how King HATED the movie soo much. I mean, I understand that they didn't exactly go by the book but the movie has been a must see for a lot of people... so it had to do something right? That whole maze and the end seen was pretty good in my humble opinion.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #8 on:** June 12, 2004, 01:27:09 PM »

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I don't really think The Shinning was supposed to be "really scary". Though it is a horror, about ghost, it was more of trying to get you to think of the head of a man going insane.

That's what I love about Poe and Lovecraft- they deal heavily with the emotional and psychological state of the main character. In some of their stories, especially Poe's, you're not even sure if what's going on is really happening or if they're just insane.

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #9 on:** June 12, 2004, 01:34:46 PM »

I've read several things by Stephen King. . . Insomnia, Dreamcatcher, The Skeleton Crew (short stories), the Langoliers, and some others. I'm not one to be scared easily, if at all, but they weren't at all frightening. I can usually tell what's scary, even if it doesn't scare me; some have said that I have a gift for horror.

Not scary, but pretty good, I think.

The Time Professor · « **Reply #10 on:** June 12, 2004, 05:42:54 PM »

The thing about King is that he has a lot of bad books to go along with his good ones. I haven't read much of his stuff but i would recommend The Stand and the Dark Tower series. Both chill books.

Gibdo Master · « **Reply #11 on:** June 12, 2004, 06:50:15 PM »

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Originally posted by: Metaphysical Spirit
I just don't understand how King HATED the movie soo much. I mean, I understand that they didn't exactly go by the book but the movie has been a must see for a lot of people... so it had to do something right? That whole maze and the end seen was pretty good in my humble opinion.

The main reason he hates it, is because it completely missed the main point of the book. The book is really about a father dealing with alcoholism and his many other personal demons. The ghosts in the house actually represent all of those things. Also Jack going nuts and trying to kill his family is all about domestic abuse. Unfortunately, Kubrik apparently missed this and instead made a movie about a haunted hotel.

I do have to agree though, that while the mini-series was more true to the book it was terrible. Anytime King has a lot of involvement with these movies they almost always end up sucking ass. Also Stanley Kubrick's movie is actually pretty good and scary as long as you ignore the book.

Metaphysical Spirit · « **Reply #12 on:** June 12, 2004, 08:58:26 PM »

Yeah. Like I said, I never read the whole book, just parts. Even though Kubrick's version of the movie was really off, I still think King could respect it instead of resenting it. I also really like Poe. Poe is an awesome writer. Stanley Kubrick I think is a genius in his movies, though sometimes they stretch parts. Full Metal Jacket and Clockwork Orange were were both really good, tho Clockwork Orange had it's downfalls. I'm not to big of a fan. Those two movies were Kubrick's, right?

Gibdo Master · « **Reply #13 on:** June 12, 2004, 09:23:11 PM »

Why should King respect the movie? I know if I wrote a book and then someone made a movie about it that got it almost completely wrong I'd be pissed too.

Again, the movie is a classic but there's a reason it's called Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

EDIT: Oh, something else I forgot to mention is that supposedly Kubrick was a bit of an ass to King. For one thing Kubrick didn't want King involved with the movie in any way and wouldn't even let him on the set, so King also has personal reasons for not liking the movie.

Gibdo Master · « **Reply #14 on:** June 12, 2004, 09:36:39 PM »

By the way, I had a couple of questions about The Shining. Well, actually I can only remember one of them. I'm going to put spoiler tags around it since Metaphysical Spirit hasn't finished the book yet.

Near the beginning of the book Jack and his friend, while driving drunk, run over a bicycle. Just what the hell was the deal with this? I mean, this never got any kind of closure or explanation. Did they actually hit someone? Did they just imagine it? What point did this even have beyond driving Jack to sober up?

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #15 on:** June 13, 2004, 08:15:38 AM »

A Clockwork Orange the book was much, much better than the movie. In fact, the movie was a disappointment. It was good, but it could have been a great deal better. I could have done better.
I should be able to, since that's what I want to be doing someday.
I need to see more Kubrick, though, including the Shining, Space Odyssey, and this jacket movie you speak of.

Metaphysical Spirit · « **Reply #16 on:** June 13, 2004, 11:46:13 AM »

Yeah. I never read the book Clockwork Orange. The movie was just wierd and I thought it was going to end like 5 times. In the book, I don't think they hit someone.. but I did think about that when I read it if it would have anything to do later. I also actually hear that Kubrick isn't an ass to King, but more like an ass to everyone. I was watching a document about him and he would verbally attack all his actors if they didn't see "His Vision". Why should King respect Kubrick? He still did an awesome job on the movie to put his own twist into it. Sure its not the same thing, but King openly admits he had nothing to do with him besides based on his book. So it wasn't his own work, it was still a classic movie. I mean, I can see why he can be heated bout it, dont get me wrong on that. Then again, I do see more of where you are coming from.

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #17 on:** June 13, 2004, 12:33:07 PM »

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Originally posted by: The Time Professor
The thing about King is that he has a lot of bad books to go along with his good ones. I haven't read much of his stuff but i would recommend The Stand and the Dark Tower series. Both chill books.

Mod parent up, +5 correct.

I bought the Dark Tower 6 the other day and I have to say that it is quite good. My second favorite so far, next to book 3...

evil intentions · « **Reply #18 on:** June 13, 2004, 07:28:47 PM »

Hey welcome back Grey Ninja! I haven't seen a post from you in a long time!

I saw a series of a show called, "Kingdom Hospital". It was freaky and interesting at the same time. Although I think that his books are really weird, I can't help but watching or reading them from time to time.

nitsu niflheim · « **Reply #19 on:** June 14, 2004, 06:00:01 AM »

I liked Kingdom Hospital, but sadly it looks like ABC has cancelled the show, I mean why would they cancel a mini series, it was only like 13 episodes long and they went and cancelled it?

I don't like Kubricks version of The Shining, mainly from the view point that Kubrick had the character Jack Torrance go crazy almost from the beginning of the movie, and not subtly going insane as the book detailed, and the rendering of "redrum" as a so-called talking finger was laughable at best and in my opinion Jack Nicholson (sp) was miscast, as was Shelley Duvall as Wendy, they are both great actors, but they should not have been in this movie. I am a stickler for details and over all the movie is pretty close to the book, but the maze in Kubrick's version was a poor trade off for the topiary that King had originally written about, and was realized in his, in my opinion, far superior version. And about King and Kubrick, King had to get permission from Kubrick to do his own version because Kubrick owned the movie rights, and one condition, I have heard, was that King stop talking about Kubrick's version

Gibdo Master · « **Reply #20 on:** June 14, 2004, 07:39:58 AM »

Well, they didn't do the topiary thing because they simply couldn't pull off an effect like that in those days. Hell, it didn't even look all that great in the mini-series.

In Kubrick's defense, I have to say a talking finger was a lot better than a floating dork in the sky, and in my opinion it was a bit closer to what was in the book. In the book you didn't really know if Danny's imaginary friend was, well, friend or foe for a good percentage of the book, and the way the book describes how Danny saw him was more surreal and creepy than what was in the mini-series. In fact it wasn't until the very end of the book that Danny could clearly see him.

The Omen · « **Reply #21 on:** June 14, 2004, 10:55:20 AM »

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I don't really think The Shinning was supposed to be "really scary". Though it is a horror, about ghost, it was more of trying to get you to think of the head of a man going insane.

That can be the most frightning thing of all.

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I don't like Kubricks version of The Shining, mainly from the view point that Kubrick had the character Jack Torrance go crazy almost from the beginning of the movie, and not subtly going insane as the book detailed, and the rendering of "redrum" as a so-called talking finger was laughable at best and in my opinion

Just how long did you want the movie to be? He has to go insane quickly to get into the story, all in about 2 hours of screen time. The book can take its time, the movie cannot.

Gibdo Master · « **Reply #22 on:** June 14, 2004, 11:44:16 AM »

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Originally posted by: The Omen
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I don't like Kubricks version of The Shining, mainly from the view point that Kubrick had the character Jack Torrance go crazy almost from the beginning of the movie, and not subtly going insane as the book detailed, and the rendering of "redrum" as a so-called talking finger was laughable at best and in my opinion

Just how long did you want the movie to be? He has to go insane quickly to get into the story, all in about 2 hours of screen time. The book can take its time, the movie cannot.

I think the point is, is that Jack Nicholson played him as a creep and a bit of a nut from the get go. That really has nothing to do with the time but just Jack's performance. Even in the movie he does get progressively worse, but you could already tell he was a nut from the very beginning of the film. He should have simply played the part as a normal guy in the beginning of the film and then just got nuttier like he did.

Metaphysical Spirit · « **Reply #23 on:** June 14, 2004, 12:29:59 PM »

Well.... Personally.. I think Jack Nicholson always looks creepy and a little bit of a nut? I mean at the beginning of the movie, He was a type of business man going for work. That's normal. About the maze and the Hotel, I mean.. Thats a real hotel. That's a real garden maze. It's not like that had this huge setup and could do all those things, especially in that time. It was a great scenery that's just all by itself and it constatly snows where it was at in real live, so it would be all the easier. I also think they made Jack go insane quickly, becuase then the beginning wouldn't be as slow moving. I mean seriously, He does get more crazy as the movie progresses. I thought Jack was an awesome actor in the movie, and played his role how he was told by Kubrick to play it perfect. Also, Kubrick already edited the hell out of the book to make it into the movie, so why keep everything exactly to the book? The finger was creepy, just becuase it's some wierd kid saying Redrum to his own finger. Ehh. I just think the movie is a classic, and plus it's an old movie so they couldn't do a lot. Kubrick took the ideas of King and made it into his own. I think he wanted people to know that and he put his own little twists and turns. King is really good at writing books that are long. He isn't a type of person to put hours of reading into 2 hours of viewing. At least when he tries, it fails. He is descriptive in a lot of things he does, and Kubrick just has a wierd look on the world and his movies. I personally wonder what the movie would be like if Kubrick didn't do it, and someone else did other than King. Would it really be better or worse? Though I did like the part in the book about the Carved Bushes and the kid, and that was left out of Kubick's movie.

evil intentions · « **Reply #24 on:** June 14, 2004, 01:47:57 PM »

Jack Nicolson is a nut in my opinion. He often plays as weird people in movies. I think he was even the joker in a batman movie or something. He's a pretty good actor though.

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Author Topic: Stephen King (Read 6592 times)