Getting Back Into Stephen King
It’s official: I am a horror movie buff.
I started watching/reading horror back in 2019, and since then have found myself on an absolutely incredible journey with all things horror: books, short stories, movies, television shows, etc. I started with Carrie by Stephen King, and while it was intense, I can’t say that it was “scary.” The movie or the book, although I will say watching the movie was more sad for me, while reading the book was more disturbing. Then I read Salem’s Lot, also by Stephen King, and it was wonderful. Reminded me very much of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which is one of my favorite monster novels. And while it, too, was intense, I wasn’t scared. Then I read Misery (again by Stephen King), and that book definitely freaked me the fuck out. It was so much more visceral than the other two novels, and Annie Wilkes is an absolute marvel of a villain. I’m also obsessed with serial killers, so that true crime lover in me was enjoying that aspect of it, too.
I’ve also read King’s The Shining, which remains, to this day, one of the most amazing reading experiences of my life. It was a slow burn, and intense burn, and by the end, terrifying. That book straight up haunted me for months. I had nightmares for several days in a row about Jack Torrence, and it took months before I could pick up another King novel. And that ended up being The Mist, which was good, but not on par with The Shining. Then I read Rose Madder which I absolutely loved until about halfway through, and then by the end I wished I hadn’t started the book at all. I did not like that one at all.
As for television shows, I’ve watched American Horror Story (all but the most recent season), The Haunting of Hill House (SO FUCKING GOOD), The Haunting of Bly Manor (which was boring and I did not finish it), and Archive 81 (SO FUCKING GOOD and Netflix had to cancel it). I guess Stranger Things qualifies here, too. As much as I love AHS, I think Archive 81 is my current favorite horror show.
And now the movies. I’ve watched a lot of different types of horror films, some of which I’ve liked, some I’ve loved, and some I’ve hated.
Silence of the Lambs: zero stars. Amazing performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, but the movie is hugely transphobic, and I could not get over that as I watched the film. Do not recommend.
The Blair Witch Project and the third movie, Blair Witch: fucking outstanding, terrifying movies. The docu-drama style of filming heightens the terror and pulls the audience into the woods.
The Ritual: basically The Blair Witch Project, just with a different premise and different ending. It was good, had great acting and beautiful cinematography, but by the end I felt like the writers really didn’t know what they were doing.
Midsommar: Most. Beautiful, Horror. Movie. Ever.
The Blackcoat’s Daughter: outstanding movie. Slow burn with one of the best “jump scares” I’ve ever experienced. I actually gasped out loud and hid under the covers.
Get Out and Us by Jordan Peele: two of the scariest, most intense films I have ever seen. Jordan Peele is an absolute genius.
Hereditary: disturbing as fuck. Really well done, and such a slow burn that I was not at all prepared for where the movie ended up going.
The Witch: another slow burn that wasn’t scary so much as it engaging. The ending was much more intense than the rest of the film. I will say, though, it has one of the best screenplays I have ever seen.
It Chapter One and It Chapter Two: I loved, loved, loved both of these films, though the first one was much better, and there were moments that I was definitely frightened. But the beauty of these films isn’t the “horror,” but the love between the characters. I’ve had actual dreams where I’m Beverly Marsh because of these two films.
The Conjuring Trilogy: holy shit, these movies are stupendous. The first two, especially. I was not much of a fan of the third, and obviously the actual Ed and Lorraine Warren were sketchy people, at best. But the movies were still so much fun, and the first one definitely terrified me.
So now, after seeing all of these movies (I have many more on my list), I’m reading Pet Semetary by Stephen King. I saw this book listed as one of the top 50 most terrifying books of all time, so maybe this will be the first truly horrifying book of King’s I read?
I’ll keep you updated.
