When thinking about the most famous movies based on Stephen King books, there are several quotes that horror movie fans still think about as these are terrifying and, in some cases, emotional.
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“If somebody told me I was going to be having a candlelight dinner with Paul Sheldon in my own house I would have checked both legs to see which was being pulled.”
For several fans, Misery is the best Stephen King adaptation, and the script is fantastic. Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) is absolutely obsessed with Paul Sheldon (James Caan) and pretends that instead of kidnapping him, she is just enjoying a nice dinner with him.
This quote is so creepy because, of course, audiences know the truth: that Annie has taken fandom too seriously and believes that Paul owes her a better ending. Paul can tell that he might not make it and as the days go on, he becomes more and more convinced that he can’t escape, which makes the story even scarier. Misery deserves a remake because the plot couldn’t be more relevant today, and every time that Annie speaks, she drives home how people can take fandom way too far.
“Sometimes, dead is better.”
While the Pet Sematary remake makes a mistake and is too close to the original, the 1989 film is still as creepy as ever and the script has many memorable quotes. Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne) definitely freaks audiences out when he says “dead is better” as he knows that when animals and kids die in this area, they come back to life and their families will wish that had never happened.
A Pet Sematary prequel feels unnecessary because the original film is so great and Jud is definitely a big reason. Jud understands that when people move into the house in front of this burial ground, they won’t come out unscathed, and the fact that he knows so much feels terrifying.
“‘Cause when you’re alone as a kid, the monsters see you as weaker. You don’t even know they’re getting closer. Until it’s too late.”
While the 2017 IT movie does have scares and no one wants to think too much about Pennywise the clown, the film is also a devastating portrait of young characters who are sad, isolated, and bullied. Stanley Uris (Wyatt Oleff as young Stanley and Adam Bean as older Stanley) is one of the best characters. In the first movie, Stanley talks about how dangerous it can be to be alone.
IT breaks the story up into two chapters and it’s interesting to examine the Losers Club as kids and then adults. Fans get an intimate, detailed picture of the bullying that the kids experience and how they carry that around with them. When they’re grown-ups, they still feel abused and tormented, and these memories are so painful. Stanley’s words are so memorable because he is so young and it’s heartbreaking to see how scared he is of never being loved.
“If I do something bad, will you still love me?”
The 2022 Firestarter remake isn’t as good as the original from 1984, and in the first film, Charlie McGee (Drew Barrymore) asks her dad Andy (David Keith) an upsetting and heartbreaking question.
This is one of the saddest moments in the otherwise emotional film as Charlie adores her dad and feels terribly that her ability to start fires with her mind is causing so much pain and grief for him. Charlie just wants to know what every kid does: that her parents will love and be there for her even when she messes up and makes mistakes. King really nails the heart of this story as Charlie is a well-drawn, well-rounded character who feels the same tough emotions as any other child.
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
The Shining is considered one of the best Stephen King movie adaptations and Jack Nicholson’s performance as writer Jack Torrance is fantastic. The character descends into madness as he stays at the Overlook Hotel, one of the best horror movie settings, and in a scene that horror fans always remember, he keeps writing the same sentence on his typewriter.
These words are so terrifying because it’s clear that Jack has really been changed by the hotel and that there is no coming back from this. While Jack’s fate feels sealed from the moment he walks through the hotel’s front doors, the ending is still brilliant and unpredictable, and the movie is a great character study.
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