Horror on YouTube, Part 3: Stephen King Short Story Adaptations

Stephen King has written loads and loads of short stories. Tons of them. In between the time I typed that first S up there and right now, King published two short stories. You know that last short story you read? Turns out it was by Stephen King. You look up "prolific" in the dictionary, it has a picture of Stephen King next to it. You get the idea.

Lots and lots of them have been adapted into movies and television programs of varying degrees of quality. You've probably seen some of the tv movies and feature films based on his stories, so I'm going to let those go. Instead, I'm just going to focus on some of the short story adaptations you might not have seen. For example:

The Moving Finger

Short stories are ideal fodder for anthology television show adaptations, and King's have been used frequently. While they may not be suited for feature films, SK's crazier ideas can usually hold up for 22 minutes of tv. Case in point, "The Moving Finger," a story about a man facing off with a finger poking up from his bathroom sink drain. That's all, but it's enough. Here we see it as an episode of Monsters, a short-lived series in the vein of Tales From The Darkside.

Word Processor of the Gods

Speaking of Tales From The Darkside, here's their adaptation of "Word Processor of the Gods," a short story about a man whose late beloved nephew left him a word processor (remember those?) with the power to alter reality. Will he be able to turn his life around and make a better world for himself before the device falls apart? Check it out in this good adaptation. Just don't get freaked out by the creepiest opening credit sequence in the history of television.

The Battle

This short animated adaptation of "Battleground" came to us from the Ukraine back in 1986. I hadn't heard of this one before today, but thanks to the internet, here we are. The story is easy to follow and doesn't require much dialogue, so the language isn't really a barrier. Watch as a hit an returns home from bumping off the head of a toy company, only to find a box of pissed off "army men" on his doorstep. This one is a favorite story of many King fans and was also adapted (live-action) in TNT's excellent Nightmares and Dreamscapes series from 2006. You should check that series out, too.

 

N.

Speaking of animated adaptations, here's a "motion comic" version of one of King's most unnerving and frightening stories from his recent output. "N." is a fantastically paranoid story, and the motion comic's visuals, music, and sound effects add to the discomfort and dread. This is Stephen King at his most Lovecraftian (not counting "Crouch End," a Cthulhu mythos short story that was also adapted in Nightmares and Dreamscapes) and at his best. Turn out the lights, turn up your speakers, and let 'er rip.  (Oh, and if the subtitles bother you, you can watch it in 25 very short parts on youtube. You should be able to find them in the "related" videos.)