Stephen King and His Harrowing Movie Experiences

Have you ever wondered which movies have the power to truly scare Stephen King? While no movie can match the terror of his own writing, there are a few that made an impression on the author, even in his adult years. From The Shining to Cujo, here are the movies that left the mark on him, mostly from his early years of being a fan.

The Shining: The Atmosphere and a Haunting Memory

The Shining still stands as Stephen King's most influential work, and its atmosphere has enchanted and terrified not only the master of horror but also countless fans worldwide. For a young Stephen King, The Shining was first and most impactful. The eerie and tense atmosphere, coupled with certain scenes, left a deep impression on him, far surpassing mere 'scaring'.

One particular scene has haunted his memory: the little girls in the hallway, their murder flashed as Danny's supernatural abilities are showcased, is said to have scarred him more than scared him. This scene deeply embedded the image of ghosts as very real entities. He became entrapped by the thought that these ghosts were real, haunting his psyche, causing him to imagine them in his room at night and become afraid of the dark. The fear was so intense that he used a nightlight for years to alleviate his anxieties.

Cujo: A Childhood Horror that Gave Way to Lifelong Paranoia

When it comes to canine-centric horror, Cujo is rarely mentioned alongside Stephen King's cast of terrifying leads. However, for young Stephen King, Cujo was far from just a scary dog. The monstrous growling of the dog kept him awake at night, leading him to sneak a peek into the living room to see what was going on. The fear of any creature with fangs bigger than a housecat lingered in his mind well into adulthood, thanks to Cujo's memorable growls and presence in the story.

Moreover, his mother's encouragement to hide their eyes and cover them with her palms, especially when the movie was on, heightened the horror's effect. The fear of the unknown and the power of the mind to create fear are real, as Stephen King's experience with Cujo attests.

Children of the Corn: The Indigenous Terror

Children of the Corn, directed by Fred Olen Ray and released in 1984, made a deep impression on young Stephen King, too. He was around 5 or 6 years old when it was released, and the eerie music and scenes left a lasting impact. The shock of a living boy with a slit throat tossed in front of a car is memorable, as is the sinister return of Isaac, the young demon, from the dead.

Children of the Corn holds the third position in Stephen King's list of scarier movies, cemented by its ethereal and spine-chilling scenes. The haunting presence and terrifying encounters with the corn-harvesting cult are stark and unforgettable.

Honorable Mentions: Scary Scenes and Moments

While the movies mentioned are the most significant, there are a few other scenes and moments that left an impression on Stephen King, thus rounding out his list of scarier movie experiences. Two honorable mentions stand out: Maximum Overdrive and the steamroller scene, and the floating children in Salem's Lot.

As a young boy, he witnessed the steamroller scene from Maximum Overdrive, the fear of which made him watch the parking lot from right field in Little League. The vivid imagery of the children floating outside the windows in Salem's Lot is so disturbing that it kept him drawing curtains as late as the age of 26. The scene in Pet Sematary with Pascal, his brain dripping out, was notably frightening, making him wary of the realism in horror films.

Also, the scenes from the IT miniseries with Tim Curry as Pennywise left a significant mark on him and his 5th-grade classmates, especially after its release in 1990. Even the remake, though not to his liking, still held the memory of the original.