Stephen King Recommends These Films For Your Next Movie Night

The 2004 film Dawn of the Dead is a remake of the 1978 zombie flick directed by George A. Romero. The story follows a group trying to survive the zombie apocalypse in a shopping mall. King found the zombies horrifying, likening them to "terrorists who never quit." He also called the movie's first few minutes "one of the best opening sequences of a horror film ever made."

The Dawn of the Dead remake grossed more than $102 million worldwide and had a strong critical showing as well.

In 2005's The Descent, a group of women embark on a caving expedition, but it goes wildly astray. Directed and written by Neil Marshall, The Descent had fans among critics and audiences alike. As for King, he said of the movie:

If I were to pick another movie to analyze closely, it would be this remarkable story of six women who go on a caving expedition and encounter a race of subhumans (who resemble del Toro's Pale Man, now that I think about it). What gives the movie its resonance is how the women play against each other - their very real resentments (and secrets) allow us to believe the monsters in a way that most horror movies do not. I never tire of saying this: In successful creepshows, it's not the FX, and mostly not even the monsters, that scare us. If we invest in the people, we invest in the movie... and in our own essential decency.

King has appreciated a few movies adapted from his books. For example, he enjoyed 2017's It, which tells the story of a ragtag group of kids who take on the monstrous clown terrorizing them. The author praised the film:

I had hopes, but I was not prepared for how good it really was. It's something that's different, and at the same time, it's something that audiences are gonna relate to. They're gonna like the characters. To me, it's all about character. If you like the characters... if you care... the scares generally work... I went back and saw it a second time, and I felt I was seeing things the second time through that I missed the first time.

2017's It remake grossed more than $700 million and was a critical darling.

Released in 2000, Final Destination was the first film in its eponymous franchise. It follows several young people who individually get hunted down by the Grim Reaper. King was a fan of the entire series:

I love all these movies, with their elaborate Rube Goldberg setups - it's like watching R-rated splatter versions of those old Road Runner cartoons - but only the first is genuinely scary, with its grim insistence that you can't beat the Reaper; when your time is up, it's up.

Many critics didn't enjoy Final Destination, but audiences did - hence all the sequels.

The Mist is another King adaptation the author celebrated when it went to the silver screen, thanks to director Frank Darabont. The 2007 film, which both audiences and critics largely enjoyed, follows a group of people trapped in a grocery store as a deadly fog descends on their small town.

"The ending will tear your heart out... but so will life, in the end," King said. He continued:

Frank Darabont's vision of hell is completely uncompromising. If you want sweet, the Hollywood establishment will be pleased to serve you at the cineplex, believe me, but if you want something that feels real, come here. Darabont could have made a higher-budget film if he'd added a cheerful "It's all [okay], kiddies" ending, but he refused. His integrity and courage shine in every scene.

Featuring Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox, this 2016 horror film lauded by King portrays a pair of coroners who are father and son. Critics highly praised this film, and it grossed around six million worldwide.

King described it on Twitter: "Visceral horror to rival Alien and early Cronenberg. Watch it, but not alone."