On this day in movie history - The Mist (2007)

The Mist

directed and written by Frank Darabont,

based on the novella by Stephen King,

was released in the United States on November 12, 2007.

Music by Mark Isham.

Cast:

Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones, William Sadler, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances Sternhagen, Nathan Gamble, Alexa Davalos, Chris Owen, Sam Witwer, Robert C. Treveiler, David Jensen, Melissa McBride, Andy Stahl, Buck Taylor, Brandon O'Dell, Jackson Hurst, Brian Libby, Susan Malerstein-Watkins, Mathew Greer, Juan Gabriel Pareja, Walter Fauntleroy, Amin Joseph, Kelly Collins Lintz, Ginnie Randall, Tiffany Morgan, Kim Wall, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Ron Clinton Smith, Gregg Brazzel, Sonny Franks, Dodie Brown, Taylor E. Brown, Jay Amor, Kristin Barnhart, Kevin Beard, Derek Cox-Berg, Kip Cummings, John F. Daniel, Tammy Eaton, Ron Fagan, Ted Ferguson, Travis Fontenot, Cherie Gierhart, Louis Herthum, Walt Hollis, Brian Scott Hunt, R. Todd Jones, Jimmy Lee Jr., Cherami Leigh, Mike Martindale, Cindy McBride, Eric Kelly McFarland, Amy McGee-Harrell, Ritchie Montgomery, Michaela Morgan, Darrick Mosley, James Paul, Mark Robin Price, Charles Sutherland, Chuck Vail, Steven E. Williams.

Recommended reading - Doctor Sleep

 

Doctor Sleep

by Stephen King.
 
Published by Scribner.
First Edition.
Published 2013.
Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 1476727651
ISBN-13: 978-1476727653
 
Description:
 
“I liked you, honeybear. That’s why I came to warn you. Stay away from the woman in the hat.”
 

Years ago, the haunting of the Overlook Hotel nearly broke young Dan Torrance’s sanity, as his paranormal gift known as “the shining” opened a door straight into hell. And even though Dan is all grown up, the ghosts of the Overlook – and his father’s legacy of alcoholism and violence – kept him drifting aimlessly for most of his life. Now, Dan has finally found some order in the chaos by working in a local hospice, earning the nickname “Doctor Sleep” by secretly using his special abilities to comfort the dying and prepare them for the afterlife. But when he unexpectedly meets twelve-year-old Abra Stone – who possesses an even more powerful manifestation of the shining – the two find their lives in sudden jeopardy at the hands of the ageless and murderous nomadic tribe known as the True Knot, reigniting Dan’s own demons and summoning him to battle for this young girl’s soul and survival...

 

“[A] vivid frightscape … terrifying.” – The New York Times.
 
“[King’s] cast of characters is as memorable as any [he] has produced…. Satisfying at every level.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review).
 
“Terrific … [King’s] power lies in narrative drive and macabre.” – Chicago Tribune.

On this day in movie history - Doctor Sleep (2019)

Doctor Sleep

directed and written by Mike Flanagan,

based on the novel by Stephen King,

was released in the United States on November 8, 2019.

Music by The Newton Brothers.

Cast:

Ewan McGregor, Roger Dale Floyd, Danny Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Dakota Hickman, Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Cliff Curtis, Robert Longstreet, Carel Struycken, Alex Essoe, Zackary Momoh, Jacob Tremblay, Henry Thomas, Catherine Parker, Met Clark, Selena Anduze, James Flanagan, Violet McGraw, Bethany Anne Lind, Sadie Heim, KK Heim, Kaitlyn McCormick, Molly Jackson, Sallye Hooks, Michael Monks, Hugh Maguire.

Recommended reading – Carrie

 

Carrie

By Stephen King.
 
First published 1974.
ISBN 13: 9781416524304
ISBN 10: 1416524304
ASIN: 1416524304
Mass Market Paperback.
 
Description:
 

Unpopular at school and subjected to her mother's religious fanaticism at home, Carrie White does not have it easy. But while she may be picked on by her classmates, she has a gift she's kept secret since she was a little girl: she can move things with her mind. Doors lock. Candles fall. Her ability has been both a power and a problem. And when she finds herself the recipient of a sudden act of kindness, Carrie feels like she's finally been given a chance to be normal. She hopes that the nightmare of her classmates' vicious taunts is over . . . but an unexpected and cruel prank turns her gift into a weapon of horror so destructive that the town may never recover.

 

A modern classic, Carrie introduced a distinctive new voice in American fiction – Stephen King. The story of misunderstood high school girl Carrie White, her extraordinary telekinetic powers, and her violent rampage of revenge, remains one of the most barrier-breaking and shocking novels of all time.

 

Make a date with terror and live the nightmare that is ... Carrie.
 
"Stephen King’s first novel changed the trajectory of horror fiction forever. Fifty years later, authors say it’s still challenging and guiding the genre." – Esquire.
 
“A master storyteller.” – The Los Angeles Times.
 
“Guaranteed to chill you.” – The New York Times.
 
"Gory and horrifying. . . . You can't put it down." – Chicago Tribune.

On this day in movie history - Carrie (1976)

Carrie

directed by Brian De Palma,

written by Lawrence D. Cohen, and based on the novel by Stephen King,

was released in the United States on November 3, 1976.

Music by Pino Donaggio.

Song: I Never Dreamed Someone Like You Could Love Someone Like Me performed by Katie Irving.

Cast:

Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Betty Buckley, P. J. Soles, Priscilla Pointer, Sydney Lassick, Stefan Gierasch, Michael Talbott, Doug Cox, Harry Gold, Noelle North, Cindy Daly, Deirdre Berthrong, Anson Downes, Rory Stevens, Edie McClurg, Cameron De Palma.

Stephen King, on writing:

 

A little talent is a good thing to have if you want to be a writer.

But the only real requirement is the ability to remember every scar.

- Stephen King.

Recommended reading - Danse Macabre (2012)

Danse Macabre (2012).

by Stephen King.

Published by Hachette Book Group.

Paperback.

 

ISBN-10: 9781444723267

ISBN-13: 978-1444723267

Description:

From the author of dozens of #1 New York Times bestsellers and the creator of many unforgettable movies comes a vivid, intelligent, and nostalgic journey through three decades of horror as experienced through the eyes of the most popular writer in the genre. In 1981, years before he sat down to tackle On Writing, Stephen King decided to address the topic of what makes horror horrifying and what makes terror terrifying. Here, in ten brilliantly written chapters, King delivers one colorful observation after another about the great stories, books, and films that comprise the horror genre—from Frankenstein and Dracula to The Exorcist, The Twilight Zone, and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers.

With the insight and good humor his fans appreciated in On Writing, Danse Macabre is an enjoyably entertaining tour through Stephen King’s beloved world of horror.

The author whose boundless imagination and storytelling powers have redefined the horror genre, from 1974’s Carrie to his new epic Under the Dome, reflects on the very nature of terror – what scares us and why – in films (both cheesy and choice), television and radio, and, of course, the horror novel, past and present.

Informal, engaging, tremendous fun, and tremendously informative, Danse Macabre is an essential tour with the master of horror as your guide; much like his spellbinding works of fiction, you won’t be able to put it down.