The Most Upsetting Moments In Stephen King Adaptations

There's a reason Stephen King thought The Pet Semetary was too disturbing to publish: the story of how the Creed family lost their two-year-old son and tried to bring him back is one of the most bleak and gut-wrenching stories ever written. 

While it may be more prevalent today, at the time of Pet Semetary's release, King dared to break an unspoken rule of horror - don't kill the children. Set against the backdrop of an idyllic family picnic, the scene initially lulls the audience into a false sense of security as the Creed family enjoys a seemingly tranquil moment together. However, this tranquility is shattered forever when Gage begins to chase after a wayward kite, setting off a nightmarish chain of events. 

As Gage runs toward the dangerous road, there's a truly gut-dropping moment when viewers realize that his parents won't get to him in time and the results are crushing. Not only does Gage die, he's violently run down by a semi-truck in front of his stricken parents. The shocking sequence catapults the film into a soul-sucking exploration of the devastating impact of grief on individuals and families alike. 

In Frank Darabont's chilling adaptation of Stephen King's The Mist, the final decision made by protagonist David Drayton is a gut-wrenching twist that leaves audiences reeling in shock and despair. As the movie unfolds, a thick, mysterious mist envelops a small town, bringing with it grotesque and deadly monsters. Trapped inside a supermarket, David gradually evolves into an unlikely leader, striving to keep a small group safe from the creatures and the growing tension between fellow survivors.  

David manages to lead his son and two others out of the supermarket, but once their getaway car runs out of gas, he becomes convinced that surviving is impossible. Remembering his promise not to let the monsters hurt his son, David does the unimaginable: He uses the last three bullets in his gun to kill his son and the remaining two survivors to spare them the horrors of confronting the creatures in the mist. 

In a fit of despair, David exits the car to face off with the monsters and end the soul-shattering pain of what he had to do. But it's not monsters that come for David, but the military, coming to bring survivors to safety. If he had just waited two minutes before pulling the trigger, everyone in the car would have been saved.

Horror movies rarely shy away from violent deaths, but the botched execution of Eduard Delacroix in The Green Mile is downright brutal. The scene unfolds when a callous guard deliberately places a dry sponge on the condemned man's head before he's electrocuted. The dry sponge interferes with the conductivity, and what follows is a tortuous, two-minute sequence where Delacroix is cooked from the inside until his head catches fire. Making the whole scene worse is the fact that Delacroix is conscious throughout the torture, enduring unbearable pain in front of witnesses and fellow guards who prevent any attempt to end his suffering. 

Regardless of his past transgressions, it's hard not to extend a level of empathy toward Delacroix as he's strapped to the chair, crying and afraid. The fact that his fear is followed by a period of excruciating pain will stick with you long after the screaming fades.

Few moments are as painfully shocking as the demise of Georgie Denbrough in 2017's It. Beginning innocently enough, Georgie runs outside on a rainy afternoon to launch a paper boat into a storm-drenched gutter as his older brother looks on from the house. Georgie cheerfully chases after the boat until it slips into a storm drain, where Pennywise waits. After a brief exchange that slowly turns ominous, Pennywise offers to return the boat on the condition that Georgie reaches in to grab it. With the entire theater yelling no, Georgie obliges. 

With his prey within grasp, Pennywise unfurls rows of teeth before he bites into Georgie's arm, tearing it completely off. Maimed and terrified, Georgie attempts to crawl to safety, but Pennywise drags him through the grimy drain, his cries for help echoing into the abyss. Although the cries don't last too long, the heartache of his death isn't easy to shake. It's impossible not to want to reach into the screen and save Georgie, but you have no choice but to watch his surprisingly violent demise, knowing his last few minutes were utterly horrifying. 

Baseball Boy's death in Doctor Sleep is one of the most upsetting moments in the world of Stephen King adaptations. In this harrowing scene, young Bradley Trevor is abducted by the True Knot, a group of psychic vampires who feed on the "steam" produced by children with a supernatural ability known as the shine. Held down by his captures, Bradley's terror is palpable as he pleads for his life, evoking a raw, visceral sense of vulnerability that transcends the screen and cuts into the most desensitized hearts of horror fans. 

Considering kids aren't off the table as far as King is concerned, Bradley's desperate cries for mercy take on a new kind of desperation when you realize help isn't coming. The finality of Rose the Hat stabbing Bradley with a knife is absolutely soul-shattering, making his death an unforgettable and profoundly distressing moment in the movie. 

Despite Stephen King having more than 40 movie adaptations, few scenes are as memorable as Paul having his legs broken in Misery. After a car accident leaves him grievously injured, the disgruntled author finds himself in the care of super-fan Annie. But what first appears as salvation quickly turns into a nightmare. 

Initially grateful for her assistance, Paul soon realizes that Annie's obsession with his novels has taken a dark turn. After failing to persuade Paul to change the fate of a beloved character and his subsequent attempt to escape her care, Annie's demeanor shifts from seemingly caring to shockingly sadistic when she breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer. 

Broken bones aside, it's the overwhelming feeling of helplessness that makes the scene unbearably distressing. Before Annie takes the first swing, she calmly describes the act of hobbling as she places a wooden block between his legs. Paul's pleas and hyper-focused camera angles heighten the realization that no amount of pleading will make Annie stop. Both Paul and the audience know what's coming, and the wait turns into its own kind of agony.