Horrifying stories: Stephen King’s scariest book, according to John Carpenter
In the world of horror, there are a few names that have dominated the genre, depending on which medium it is expressed through. In the cinematic realm, horror has undoubtedly been dominated by the legendary John Carpenter, while fiction is pretty much ruled by Stephen King.
The horror world would be starkly missing one of its biggest icons if it weren’t for King, who has been championed for his tense and legendary novels, including Carrie, The Shining and Misery, amongst many others, some of which have been adapted into acclaimed pieces of cinema by the likes of Brian De Palma and Stanley Kubrick.
In terms of cinema, the horror genre has been captured in all its scary brilliance by John Carpenter, who defined the slasher horror subgenre with his 1978 classic Halloween. From there, Carpenter continued to deliver some of horror’s most iconic moments, including The Thing and The Fog.
As a master of horror, it’s only right that Carpenter has a deep understanding of the genre, and he has previously revealed a love for the works of King. In an interview with the New York Post, Carpenter noted some of his favourite books and pointed out the fact that he’s “known Stephen King for a long time.”
In fact, according to Carpenter, King had invited the director to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the year that The Doors were inducted. “It was great,” he said. Possessing a cultural power quite unlike any other, King could get in places that even someone as notorious as Carpenter couldn’t.
Carpenter proceeded to name King’s “scariest books ever,” pointing out his 1983 horror novel Pet Sematary. Set in the fictional town of Ludlow, Maine, King’s book focuses on a doctor who moves his family to the countryside for a fresh start in life. However, upon discovering a strange burial ground behind his house, Louis Creed finds that the animals buried there are coming back to life, or as Carpenter noted, “Those dead pets buried in the cemetery come back alive, but they’re not the same.”
King explores the themes of grief and loss, which found resonance in Carpenter, who was utterly terrified by the narrative. Pet Sematary was adapted into a movie version in 1989, directed by Mary Lambert, with another directed by Kevin Kolsch being released in 2019.
Carpenter had also taken his turn to direct a work of Stephen King’s fiction, although he did not manage to get his hands on his favourite book by the writer. Instead, Carpenter directed a version of Stephen King’s 1983 novel Christine, released in the same year and written by Bill Phillips.
Starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky and Harry Dean Stanton, Christine tells of a man called Arnie Cunningham and his friends and family, whose lives change forever when he buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury called Christine. The car looks to have a personality all of its own and leaves a shocking mark on Arnie himself.
Christine was relatively well-received upon its release, and King’s book is being remade into a film once again, with Bryan Fuller set to make his directorial debut. Responding to the news of Fuller’s version, Carpenter had noted, “Oh boy. Well, good luck to him. It will probably be better.”
Check out the trailer for the first version of Pet Sematary, John Carpenter’s favourite Stephen King novel, below.
