Iconic Titles from a Master of his Craft
Stephen King has been a well-known figure in horror and science fiction writing for decades. His first release was Carrie, originally published in 1974. That was quickly followed by Salem’s Lot in 1975 and The Shining in 1977. There have been many adaptations of King’s novels over the years. This collection contains 4 of the most notable titles that were adapted onto the big screen, The Shining, Pet Sematary, IT and Doctor Sleep.
From Book to Cinema
No one can forget Jack Nicholson’s performance as the tormented Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubricks 1980 adaptation of The Shining. Jack’s slow deterioration into madness was perfectly portrayed by Nicholson and sparked genuine fear from the audience. The iconic images of the Overlook Hotel and the horrors within it are renowned throughout cinema due to King’s creation.
The sequel to The Shining was published 36 years after the original, first released in hardback in 2013. The movie adaptation followed shortly in 2019, starring Ewan McGregor as a now grown-up Danny Torrance. Danny must come to terms with the horrific year spent at the Overlook Hotel as a child as he battles his own demons and attempts to distance himself from his father's cruel legacy. Working in a care home, Dan uses the remains of what is left of his ‘shining’ powers to comfort residents in their final moments, earning him the name, Doctor Sleep. As the story progresses we see Dan confront his past whilst helping a child who also has ‘the shining’.
IT created one of the most iconic and terrifying figures in horror, Pennywise the Clown. Stephen King’s coming-of-age horror was originally published in 1986 and follows the Losers Club as they are forced to fight the evil creature, Pennywise. The first half of the novel is set when the Losers club are still in school, they are a bunch of misfits that are thrust together to fight an evil plaguing the town of Derry. The second half sees the gang return as adults and reluctantly realise they must finish what they started and defeat Pennywise. IT has been made into a TV movie, in 1990, starring Tim Curry as the killer clown and more recently it was adapted into two movies, Chapter 1 released in 2017 and Chapter 2 in 2019, starring Bill Skarsgard as the terrifying IT.
Pet Sematary was released in 1983 and has been adapted onto the big screen twice since its release, first in 1989 and more recently in 2019. The story follows the Creed family as they move to Ludlow, a small town in Maine. When taking a walk around the town the family stumbles upon a pet cemetery, famously spelt Sematary on the sign, little did they know the effect that this seemingly harmless discovery would have on their family. After the family cat, Church is hit by a car, Louis Creed is advised by his new neighbour to bury him in the Pet Sematary, which soon triggers a series of horrific events.
About the Author
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine and studied English at the University of Maine. King published short stories in magazines as he worked as a high school teacher. His first published novel was Carrie, the first of many books to be published by King and the first of many to become bestsellers. Take a look through the Stephen King books we have available. Stephen King continues to produce bestselling novels, his more recent titles include The Institute, 2019, If It Bleeds, 2020 and Fairytale, 2022.
As well as his novels, King has had numerous novellas adapted onto the big screen. Well-known examples include Shawshank Redemption, Stand by Me and Secret Window. Other bestselling books by Stephen King include Carrie, Salem’s Lot, Misery and many more. Check out our collection of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series featuring the first eight in the series. King’s books continue to be an incredible source of horror story-telling and he remains one of the greatest authors of our generation.
Titles in This Set :
- Pet Sematary
- The Shining
- Doctor Sleep
- IT
From the Publisher:
Pet Sematary
The house looked right, felt right to Dr Louis Creed. Rambling, old, unsmart and comfortable. A place where the family could settle; the children grow and play and explore. The rolling hills and meadows of Maine seemed a world away from the fume-choked dangers of Chicago. Only the occasional big truck out on the two-lane highway, grinding up through the gears, hammering down the long gradients, growled out an intrusive threat.
The Shining
Danny is only five years old, but in the words of old Mr Hallorann, he is a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Danny's visions grow out of control. As winter closes in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. It is meant to be empty. So who is the lady in Room 217 and who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive? Somewhere, somehow, there is an evil force in the hotel - and that, too, is beginning to shine . . .
Doctor Sleep
King says he wanted to know what happened to Danny Torrance, the boy at the heart of The Shining, after his terrible experience in the Overlook Hotel. The instantly riveting DOCTOR SLEEP picks up the story of the now middle-aged Dan, working at a hospice in rural New Hampshire, and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.
IT
Now a major motion picture - Stephen King's terrifying classic. 'They float...and when you're down here with me, you'll float, too. 'To the children, the town was their whole world. To the adults, knowing better, Derry Maine was just their home town: familiar, well-ordered for the most part. A good place to live. It is the children who see - and feel - what makes the small town of Derry so horribly different.
