Summary
FromThe Long Walk’s sad premise to the joyful tearjerkerThe Life of Chuck,Stephen King’s latest adaptations are heavy and emotional. Both of these stories are a bit different from what the author usually writes, as instead of featuring ghosts and villains, the horror is more realistic and grounded. There areplenty of reasons to seeThe Life of Chuck,and it’s definitely a feel-good movie.
Even if King doesn’t only write terrifying stories, he talks about the horror genre all the time, and fans have started relying on his clever recommendations when looking for a series to binge ora classic film to check out. A few years ago,King shared how impressed he was with the remake of an older horror movie. It’s interesting to hear his thoughts given the movie’s low Rotten Tomatoes rating.
Stephen King Praised The 2009 Remake Of Wes Craven’s The Last House On The Left
In an article forEntertainment Weeklyabout his favorite 2009 horror films,Stephen King praised the 2009The Last House on the Leftremake.He wrote:
“Easily the most brilliant remake of the decade, and not just because the 1972 original was such a crapfest. This beautifully photographed — but hard to watch — movie is the standard by which all horror/suspense films should be judged: The acting is superior (Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul is especially fine), the story makes sense, and, most importantly,Last House‘s moral compass points to true north.”
King continued:
“We don’t want these creeps back for six or eight sequels; they are monsters, and we want them dead. This film is on par withThe Silence of the Lambs.”
The 1972 original is one ofWes Craven’s most unforgettable horror moviessince it tells the story of criminals who kidnap and then abuse Mari Collingwood (Sandra Peabody) and Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham). It has particularly violent deaths and its disturbing subject matter is tough to get through. It was Craven’s directorial debut, and in contrast to his well-known and beloved moviesScreamandA Nightmare On Elm Street, it feels like something that could really happen. Of course, that’s likely why it’s so devastating and difficult to watch.
King appreciatedthe cinematography of the 2009The Last House on the Leftremake, along withBreaking Badstar Aaron Paul’s performance. Although not a lot of horror remakes are worth watching since so many don’t have much to say, King thinks this isone of the more well-done remakesout there. The story is the same as the original, and Sara Paxton plays the main character Mari. Her parents, who get revenge on the horrible killers who take their daughter, are played by Monica Potter and Tony Goldwyn.The Last House on the Leftremake definitely benefits from a talented cast, and some might like this one better because the ending is much different.
Whilethe remake only has a 42% Rotten Tomatoes score, compared to the original’s 64%, King makes several good points. As the author suggested, other horror filmmakers could useThe Last House on the Leftas a blueprint when approaching a remake. The ending is also as haunting asthe final moments ofThe Silence of the Lambs. Every horror remakes needs strong performances, a logical storyline, and in some cases, a new ending. This one checks all those boxes.
Several Classic Stephen King Horror Movies Have Gotten Remakes (And One Exciting One Is On The Way)
Since Stephen King is such a popular horror storyteller, it’s no wonder that many of his books have gotten more than one adaptation.Some of the most disappointing ones include 2013’sCarrie, 2022’sFirestarter, and 2023’sChildren of the Corn.It seems likely thatMike Flanagan’s Amazon Prime VideoCarrieshowwill be much more compelling, especially since he’s promised a fresh take on the creepy coming-of-age story.
BesidesCarrie, which will likely be a moving and dark series about technology and bullying, King fans can also look out forthe upcoming Netflix remake ofCujo.The Last House on the Leftremake altered the ending from the original movie, andperhaps theCujoremake will feature a different endingas well. There’s alsothe remake of the 1987 filmThe Running Manstarring Glen Powell, which will be released on November 7th, 2025. Given King’s large body of work, fans can likely expect even more remakes of movies in the future, from his scariest horror films to his more realistic fare.
