There are few authors of horror and suspense more iconic than Stephen King. The Maine-born writer has crafted over 60 novels and 200 short stories over the decades, which have collectively sold a whopping 350 million copies to date. Many of these imaginative works have received (and are still earning) popular film and TV adaptations, dating back to the '76 thriller, Carrie.
Given the fantastical, often twisted subject matter of many of King's works, and the fact that so many have been created, it should be no surprise that his material has spawned some truly bizarre films.
With this list, we'll cover 10 of the most warped, weird, and off-kilter movies based on King's writing.
Lawnmower Man
The main premise of this '92 thriller is about as weird as it gets - a scientist running experiments in virtual reality and psychoactive drugs to enhance the brainpower of chimps. But it only gets stranger from there, as Dr. Angelo's (Pierce Brosnan) VR project goes awry on his intellectually disabled subject, a greenskeeper named Jobe (Jeff Fahey).
The man essentially gains Force-like powers, hyper-intelligence, as well as a malevolent streak. From there, a series of cheesy action scenes and killings ensue, laced with amusingly outdated 90s CGI.
Fittingly, the VR-themed film managed to spawn a couple of video games in the following years; '93's The Lawnmower Man and Cyberwar a year later.
Firestarter
While a young Drew Barrymore would play a large role in Cat's Eye - a trio of King's short stories - she'd first star in this even more bizarre tale of sci-fi horror, spawned from the 1980 novel of the same name.
In a film akin to a darker version of '96's Matilda, Charlene is a young girl who can manipulate things with her mind. Rather than move things telepathically though, she possesses the dangerous power of starting fires, as this film's title indicates.
In a plot reminiscent of ET, the government takes an interest in her, and a slew of dramatic, fire-laced events ignite. The fact that so much revolves around this seemingly harmless young child - and that she can cause massive infernos at will - makes for an amusing and bizarre popcorn film.
Bag Of Bones
Being a film of the past decade, Bag of Bones' cinematography and special effects are decidedly less dated and cheesy than some on our list. Yet, there's still plenty of weirdness in this 2011 adaptation of King's 1998 horror novel.
Pierce Brosnan is back - this time taking on the more humble role as a novelist, Mike Noonan. Stricken with grief from the loss of his wife, Mike becomes concerned when he learns of a psychotic state called "Dark Score Crazy" that apparently causes fathers in town to drown their daughters. This mystery-thriller stands as an odd, more surreal "Stephen King" take on a supernatural tale, rife with nightmares, visions, and ghostly phenomena.
The Mist
This film somewhat runs with the Cloverfield or Blair Witch notion that unseen horrors can often be creepier than those you can see. Though this style succeeds for many viewers, The Mist has also been criticized for its vague and depressing plot, along with some campiness as thick as the mist that engulfs the setting. For being a 2007 film, the CG tends to come across as outdated to some, as well.
Whether you take it as a positive or a detriment - there's definitely a bizarre, dream-like feel to this one, with the surreal themes, weird character behavior, and ongoing threats shrouded in fog.
The Mangler
This '95 horror film dates way back, drawing from a delightfully cheesy tale from King's first short story collection, Night Shift.
Forget possessed, killer cars - The Mangler deals with a deadly laundry-folding machine, which, as you might imagine, produces plenty of over-the-top death scenes. The potential for gore-laden thrills is sky-high, and this strange, campy film delivers for many viewers, despite its silly premise. You've even got Robert Englund - Freddy Krueger himself - taking on the role of the sinister laundry company owner, helping to add some horror flair to this one.
The Running Man
Given that this is a Arnold Schwarzenegger revolves around a violent TV game show hosted by Richard Dawson - we know we're in for a wild, weird ride. Cyberpunk aesthetics and crude 80s-era cinematography add to the cheesy, bonkers nature of The Running Man.
This film amusingly takes the dark notion of a police state and the excesses of TV spectacles, and throws in some corny comedy and action, making for a uniquely weird watch. And though it uses extremities to make its points - it's oddly prophetic in some ways, given the rise in popularity of reality TV and televised violence.
The Tommyknockers
Like our previous entry, The Tommyknockers is the epitome of a strange sci-fi-tinged thriller. In this '93 miniseries, the residents of a small, humble down begin to act odd and take on a myriad of weird powers after being exposed to an unknown alloy. This strange, green-glowing presence turns out to be an alien force that grants telepathic powers, along with apparently beaming cops into oblivion when shot from a stick of lipstick.
This film blends supernatural horror with extraterrestrial sci-fi, making for a virtual trip that just radiates weirdness.
It
These recent films, directed by Andy Muschietti, dial back some of the strangeness from the lengthy, chaotic book they draw from. Regardless, there's still plenty of that Stephen King-themed weirdness in the IT film adaptations.
You've got the premise of a demonic clown that can seemingly take on any creepy form it wants to terrorize our protagonists. Bill Skarsgard's chuckling, glaring, and dancing rendition of Pennywise somehow manages to be even more twisted and weird than Tim Curry's version decades before.
These two films take on the feel of A Nightmare on Elm Street taken to even more extreme, absurd heights with its onslaught of spooky dream-like manifestations.
Maximum Overdrive
The sole film in which Stephen King takes the director's chair turns out to be one of his most over-the-top and strange adaptations. 1986's Maximum Overdrive draws from the Night Shift short story, Trucks, revving its plot into "overdrive" when it comes to action and absurdity.
The concept of living, homicidal machines and vehicles make for plenty of fun and campy action scenes. Yet it also sets the stages for a particularly bizarre premise which many are left to wonder how a run-in with a comet can grant both sentience and evil malevolence to machinery.
The Langoliers
It's tough to get much more bizarre than frozen time rifts and spherical monsters literally "eating" the past. Given this trippy, mind-bendy premise, The Langoliers from 1995 does about as well as it could in the span of 180 minutes. The film/miniseries hosts a cast of colorful characters who must cope with their bizarre new reality of being trapped in a snapshot of time. This naturally leads to some conflict among the group, and the typical menace who flies off the handle.
Though you'd probably go a bit loopy too if you took a plane ride into frozen oblivion, threatened by time-eating critters with razor-sharp teeth.
