Stephen King names the scariest segment in TV history: “The most terrifying 19 minutes”
It must be easy being Stephen King’s agent. When an offer comes through to have one of stories turned into a movie or a show, they likely don’t even have to consult with the King of Horror – he’s probably going to say yes. Since he started writing in the 1970s, the author has seen over 55 projects emerge from his original material, ranging from classic scary movies like Carrie and The Shining to dramas such as The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me.
He is a master of writing horror, thriller, and science fiction material, well-equipped to tap into the things that make readers tick, whether that be clowns or even sentient lawnmowers. As a result, King has found significant success, becoming one of the most well-respected and beloved figures in the horror genre.
Whether you’re a fan or not, you can’t deny King’s impact – he single handedly made people across the world afraid of clowns (although John Wayne Gacy might have had a thing or two to do with that). The author has consistently delivered material that people have wanted to adapt – not just because it’s guaranteed to attract fans, but also because King’s ideas genuinely strike fear into most people’s hearts.
Thus, it’s no surprise that The Twilight Zone television show has taken cues from King by adapting several of his stories, including ‘Gramma’, which aired in a 1986 episode. It was this that King called (via Stephen King at the Movies) “the most terrifying 19 minutes ever put on television.”
The Twilight Zone actually influenced King, with the writer watching the show when he was young. In fact, it was this classic horror show that perhaps laid the groundwork for King’s approach to writing. Regarding one of the show’s writers, Richard Matheson, King once explained (via The Twilight Zone Companion by Marc Zicree), that he “was the first guy that I ever read who seemed to be doing something that Lovecraft wasn’t doing. It wasn’t eastern Europe—the horror could be in the Seven Eleven store down the block, or it could be just up the street.”
This idea of horror lurking among the everyday – a supermarket, a garden, a drain, a pet – soon seeped into King’s work. “As a kid, that was a revelation, that was extremely exciting. He was putting the horror in places that I could relate to.”
Thus, he was surely delighted when The Twilight Zone adapted one of his ideas, with Piper Laurie, who previously starred in Carrie, appearing as the voice of Gramma. With a screenplay by the writer Harlan Ellison, the episode brought King’s 1985 short story to life, and it was received well by critics and audiences. King was evidently impressed, finding it to accurately do his spooky story justice.
‘Gramma’ also starred Barret Oliver and Darlanne Fluegel, with Oliver playing an 11-year-old boy who is left alone with his grandmother, whom he is terrified of. He comes to realise that his supposedly senile grandmother is actually a witch, and his fate is left precariously hanging in the balance.
