Which Adaptations Are Worthy of King's Name?

The recent news that Universal will be adapting acclaimed author Stephen King's short story "Gramma" into a feature film directed by Peter Cornwell (The Haunting in Connecticut) — coupled with the imminent arrival of Halloween, of course — got us thinking about the contributions King has made to not only the horror genre, but to science fiction, fantasy and suspense, as well. With book sales in excess of 350 million copies and his stories having inspired well over a hundred feature films, TV movies and TV series, King shares company with such literary legends as William Shakespeare and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in terms of the influence his writing has had on popular entertainment.

Unlike (most) writing, however, Cinema is a collaborative medium, requiring a confluence of talented individuals to bring a story to life on screen. Sadly, far too people in Hollywood possess the...