Stephen King: 10 Worst Changes Movies Made From The Books

Stephen King’s literature has a litany of film adaptations, and here are the worst material changes from book to screen.

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There have been countless Stephen King adaptations throughout the years. And why not? Taking books and making them into a cinematic experience is an incredibly rewarding and satisfying challenge. But, not all films do justice to the books they are bringing to the big screen.

Creative decisions are made that alter plotlines or change character arcs; some veer away from the source material with amazing results, while adding to the storyline. But changes aren’t always welcomed, especially when it comes to the fate of certain characters or the essence of the novel.

10 The Shining (1980) – Changing Tony

In The Shining novel, Tony is more than just a talking finger who speaks in a croaky voice. Tony is Danny’s guide and an imaginary friend. He is a source of both fear and strength as the events within The Overlook Hotel unfold.

Before the Torrance’s even leave to spend the winter at the hotel, Tony comes to Danny through a series of visions and shows him hit his father with a croquet mallet, the word REDRUM ringing in his ears.

9 Misery (1990) – Burning Paul’s Book

Misery really is just that; it’s miserable. Paul is held hostage by his biggest and most insane fan, Annie Wilkes. She has a history as a nurse and a murderer. She gets Paul reliant on drugs and hobbles him so he can’t escape.

One of the only wins Paul has against Annie was tricking her into thinking she burned his book manuscript, when really it was a pile of paper with the title page on top, while the real book was hidden. In the film, Annie really does burn his finished manuscript.

8 The Dark Tower (2017) – Fitting A Whole Series Into One Film

The Dark Tower film is a confusing adaptation with or without prior knowledge of the Stephen King Dark Tower series. It is a husk of the complex world and intricate character connections that have been created throughout King’s eight books and one short story.

It is a multiverse that can’t be watered down and made into one movie. The film is also dependent on the action to keep momentum instead of the content and changes key factors such as the death of Jake Chambers.

7 The Shining (1980) – Killing Dick Hallorann

The question is, why? Why did Dick Hallorann have to die? In the novel, Danny uses their shine connection to send a message to Hallorann to help him. Hallorann makes the journey, much like in the film, except he doesn’t die within five minutes of arriving at The Overlook Hotel.

He does sustain serious injuries by Jack’s attack with a croquet mallet, but he manages to escape with Wendy and Danny. Hallorann is also mentioned in Doctor Sleep by Danny as being like his mentor. He is not dead when he tells Danny about lockboxes and his abusive relative.

6 The Running Man (1987) – Changing The Protagonist’s Mission

In the novel The Running Man, Ben Richards isn’t some action hero. He’s not an ex-cop who is being framed for a crime he didn’t commit. His prison break footage captures the attention of Killian, who has a contract to cast felons on the show The Running Man.

In the novel, Ben Richards in unemployed and unable to afford the medicine he needs to treat his dying daughter. He voluntarily signs up as a contestant knowing he probably won’t win and just hoping he can stay alive long enough to make some money.

5 Christine (1983) – Killing Arnie As The Bad Guy

Arnie Cunningham dies in both the film and novel version of Christine. But it’s how he dies that makes the difference. In the film, Arnie dies in his attempt to kill Dennis and Leigh, flying through Christine’s front windshield during the showdown at Darnell’s. He dies trying to kill his friends. He dies as the bad guy. In the novel, Arnie isn’t even at the showdown.

He’s out of town looking at a college with his mother, while Lebay and Christine hunt down and attempt to kill Dennis and Leigh. Dennis and Leigh just manage to succeed, and the spirit of Lebay flees Christine and tries to go back to Arnie. Arnie and his mother die in a car crash after a witness sees three people in the car. Arnie died fighting off Lebay.

4 IT (2017) – Georgie’s Death

IT (2017) and IT Chapter 2 (2019) have plenty of differences from the book, like the fact that Stan leaves no suicide note, and the final defeat of It has been changed to make it worthy of an intense blockbuster finale. But one of the more subtle differences is the aftermath of Georgie’s death.

In the film, Georgie disappears and his body isn’t recovered. This leads Bill into thinking his brother could still be alive, hoping beyond hope. In the novel, Georgie’s body is discovered by a neighbor who heard Georgie’s cries but arrived to find there was nothing he could do.

3 Doctor Sleep (2019) – Danny’s Fate & Not Mentioning His Relation To Abra

Danny Torrance doesn’t die in the events of Doctor Sleep, the novel. He goes on to mentor Abra in the ways of those who shine and continues his work at the hospice. He is also directly related to Abra, having found out that his father was unfaithful during his marriage and had a daughter, Danny’s half-sister, who had Abra, his niece.

It is the reason they have such a strong connection and why they have such strong shines. In the film, Danny sacrifices himself and uses the boiler room to burn The Overlook Hotel to the ground.

2 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – All The Grisly Deaths

The novella Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption didn’t have as many deaths in it as the film.

Tommy isn’t brutally killed by the warden in an attempt to hide information; he’s transferred to a different prison. Brooks doesn’t commit suicide; he dies of old age and natural causes in a home for the elderly. And the warden doesn’t shoot himself in his office; he resigns.

1 The Shining (1980) – Jack Torrance Freezing To Death

In the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film The Shining, Jack Torrance freezes to death in a giant hedge maze after he fails to find Danny and can’t find his way out. In the novel, Jack dies in the fire that envelopes The Overlook Hotel after the boiler overheats.

But before he does, there is a moment where he tears himself out of the hotel’s possession and tells Danny to run. He tells him that he loves him. Jack Torrance was no monster who mindlessly went after his wife and son, and in a moment of strength, he pulled free. In the Doctor Sleep book, he helps defeat Rose The Hat and waves a final goodbye to his son. This, unfortunately, is also omitted from the Doctor Sleep (2019) film.

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