Unlocking Horror: 5 Stephen King Concepts Hollywood Can’t Resist Recycling

King’s literary universe spans a vast array of chilling themes, from dystopian societies and menacing machines to ancient supernatural entities and children with extraordinary psychic abilities. Even those who might shy away from traditional horror can find something compelling in King’s work; “The Life of Chuck,” for instance, explores characters and themes that transcend the typical confines of the genre.

Beyond his direct adaptations, Hollywood often draws inspiration from the groundbreaking ideas seeded by King’s novels. While he didn’t originate every concept, his treatment of these themes has cemented their prominence in popular culture, inviting continued exploration by the entertainment industry. This influence extends to countless remakes of his originals and a slew of sequels, such as the seemingly endless series of “Children of the Corn” films. When examining King’s legacy, certain innovative ideas stand out for their lasting impact.

“Carrie,” King’s debut novel, stands as a powerful example, chronicling the harrowing experiences of Carrie White. This tormented teenager, subjected to bullying and trapped under her fanatically religious mother’s control, discovers her telekinetic abilities at the onset of her menstrual cycle. This transformation symbolizes a newfound power and awareness of her potentially lethal gift. The narrative expertly intertwines themes of femininity and empowerment, with Carrie’s teenage turmoil fueling her destructive path.

Stephen King’s first novel, “Carrie,” follows Carrie White, a teen girl bullied by her peers and living with a mother who is a religious zealot, as she struggles with the onset of her menstrual cycle. Carrie also has the power of telekinesis — the ability to move objects with her mind — and “becoming a woman” gives her a new inner strength and realization of how deadly her gift can be. The story is rooted in femininity and power, with teen angst driving Carrie’s destructive decisions.

The concept continues to be prevalent in horror. Right after the 1976 screen version of “Carrie” was released, a slew of movies clearly inspired by Brian De Palma’s film came out. 1978’s “Jennifer” is also about a bullied teen girl getting revenge on her classmates, but instead of using telekinesis, she controls snakes, while the same year’s “The Initiation of Sarah” takes the narrative to college, where a young woman uses her telekinesis to get back at a rival sorority. Most notably, the 2000 cult classic “Ginger Snaps” features a girl starting her menstrual cycle right as she begins to turn into a werewolf.

Not only are there similar films and multiple adaptations of King’s book, but the prom scene in “Carrie” is continually replicated on screen today. The musical sitcom “Glee” features newly crowned prom queen Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) getting doused in a red slushie, while “White Chicks” fans might recall, in a clear homage, Heather and Megan Vandergeld wearing white dresses and getting covered in red paint during a fashion show.

The 1994 miniseries “The Stand” follows the survivors of a virulent pandemic that kills the majority of the population of the United States, and possibly the world. Those who survive appear to have some type of immunity, but it’s unclear how or why they do. There’s also a supernatural component to the narrative as the survivors congregate around two different leaders, Mother Abagail (Ruby Dee) and Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan), in what shapes up as a battle of good vs. evil.

In a post-COVID world, bioweapons and new viruses continue to be on the minds of the public, but even in 1994, the mammoth ratings and positive reviews for “The Stand” only solidified that audiences were interested in the topic back then. Just a year after the miniseries debuted, the Morgan Freeman-led film “Outbreak” was released, showing how the government might respond to the possibility of a deadly nationwide epidemic.

Movies and TV shows about eruptions of new diseases or bioweapons have only continued from there, including “The Happening,” “Carriers,” “Contagion,” and “12 Monkeys.” Even projects like “28 Days Later” and “The Walking Dead,” in which viruses turn humans into homicidal, flesh-eating monsters, are arguably part of this genre as well — but “The Stand” remains the modern gold standard.

The “creepy clown” is a horror staple and a subgenre in its own right, and Stephen King’s “It” added perhaps the ultimate version of this archetype in Pennywise, a shapeshifting paranormal entity that frequently takes the shape of a clown. He terrorizes a group of kids in Derry, Maine, feeding off their fear, then returns again when they’re adults. What made Pennywise unique is that he isn’t just a clown — he can take any shape, including that of a loved one or a monster from one’s favorite horror movie.

The 1990 miniseries of “It” stars Tim Curry as Pennywise, a role that is not only one of his best (after “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”) but a horror icon. “The TV miniseries … [has] outlasted almost any other adaptation of King’s work,” James Smythe wrote for The Guardian. “And that’s because of Pennywise.” The character is scary in the books, but seeing him on screen made the difference and again — as King stories tend to do — set the standard for scary clowns to come, including Bill Skarsgard’s take on Pennywise in the 2017-2019 two-part film version of “It.”

Pennywise walked so that Art the Clown from “Terrifier” or the clown in “Camp Blood” could run. While Art certainly gives Pennywise a run for his money, without Pennywise, Art may not have been as effective. All these tales show how clowns can be used against people, especially when they don’t understand the sinister presence behind the makeup. Even creepy clowns who are not supernatural, like “Twisty” from “American Horror Story,” capitalize on how the public views clowns, thanks to “It.”

Evil children are a horror tentpole, whether as a result of their intrinsic nature or the work of something supernatural. Stephen King’s “Children of the Corn” features an entire town of children who kill all the adults to please an ancient being living in the nearby cornfields. While the 1984 film version is rather dated and considered one of the worst King adapations, Box Review argues that the movie “still delivers because its core horror isn’t tied to special effects; it’s tied to ideas.” 

Children trying to make their own society continues to be a popular premise, as in the one-season Netflix series “The Society,” even if it isn’t rooted in them removing the adults from the equation. But something always goes wrong, mostly because children typically haven’t grown up enough to have the social and emotional skills needed to make adult decisions.

“Children of the Corn” has had several adaptations, including multiple sequels, but that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from continuing to implement the idea of children killing adults for a higher power. “Sinister” features children who come under the influence of Bughuul, an ancient deity who convinces children to dispose of their families and join him, while a sorceress destroys a family yet leads the eldest daughter into temptation in 2016’s “The Witch.” 1989’s “Beware! Children at Play” has children killing adults for sport, though it does seem to be rooted in some type of ceremony or belief.

Stephen King has penned a number of stories in which cars and machines in general try to wipe out their human masters. “Christine” is usually what comes to mind, in which a possessed car influences the teenager who’s restoring it, while 1986’s “Maximum Overdrive,” a story about machines of all kinds going on a killing spree after a comet makes them sentient, features big rigs holding humans hostage at a truck stop. Both handle the topic a bit differently, with the trucks in the latter notably more murderous from the start, but the common element is modes of transportation turning against us.

After “Christine,” killer cars continued to pop up in cinema. In 1986’s “The Wraith,” it came in the form of a spirit using a black Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor to kill people. The 2003 movie “Black Cadillac” features a limo stalking a group of men, while the sci-fi horror film “Super Hybrid” is about a living car that finds victims by pretending to be a cab.

Director David Gordon Green, known for “Pineapple Express” and the recent “Halloween” trilogy, cited “Christine” as inspiration for the 2022 installment of the latter, “Halloween Ends.” There are certainly some similarities between Corey and Arnie, the characters in “Halloween Ends” and “Christine” respectively, who are both bullied young men going down dark paths. With self-driving cars becoming all the rage, the number of movies featuring killer automobiles is sure to grow.