‘King On Screen’ Review – A Proper Study Of Stephen King On The Big Screen

Adaptation in film makes up an unbelievable amount of the medium, especially in the modern era. Video games, comics, even classic animation, they’re all drawn from constantly to feed the industry. Likely the most tapped source for this sort of secondary storytelling is books, which have undoubtedly led to some of the most popular films and film franchises ever created. In that echelon is a quasi-genre of its own; a series of adaptations so vast that even the likes of the largest adaptation-based universes pale in comparison. That is, the Stephen King Adapted Universe (SKAD, if you will).

There are currently 60 film conversions of King’s work, a truly staggering number, with no signs of them stopping soon. A third Salem’s Lot adaptation has been filmed, and is awaiting a release date to become the next King story on the silver screen.

Consolidating this history into a documentary, King on Screen pulls from every corner of his reach; troves of filmmakers involved in converting his work speak on how they did it and what it means to them. Through their words, the doc aims to push past King’s traditional reputation as a horror writer and argue that, while he is very much that, he’s often much more.

A few interviewees suggest his writings as human thrillers, while others note his tendency for small-town American stories, but all find identity in his vast sea of tales. King on Screen wastes no time getting you to this point of discussion, either. After a neat cinematic opening (which follows through at the end) chock-full of little nods to King’s works, we’re immediately thrown into a chasm of interviews from far and wide. The spotlight isn’t on anyone aside from King though, despite many familiar faces slipping in and out of view.

The breakneck beginning can be a tad confusing, but with so much ground to cover, it does well in setting up the documentary in terms of structure and focus. Clips from many of the King-adapted films overlay a soft score and dozens of voices singing his praises as the doc gets going.

King on Screen is an enamored commitment to the author, above his brand and business, obsessed with the art. The film only ever references King, treating him as a sort of untouchable figure and feeding that overarching volley of praise. It occasionally disconnects to explore the minds of a specific director’s process in re-writing a King story for the screen, or how they translated a specific scene, but it’s always drawn back to him by interviews’ end.

The issue with not having King speak for himself, though, is in evaluating his stories beyond their cinematic equivalents. Many times in the documentary, directors suppose motives regarding King’s themes and purposes, stating what are seemingly assumptions as fact. They could be correct but, especially considering King’s history with filmmakers and their interpretations of his writing (something this doc is explicitly aware of), it seems odd that such statements are given the go without King present to bolster them.

Similarly, having everyone but King here to talk about his own works simply isn’t as engaging as him having been here would’ve been. This is also a problem with the documentary’s chosen focus; it makes sense for it to be indebted to King, but in failing to have him involved, as well as not fully focusing on the film aspect of the history at hand, no part of the project feels consistent. It’s a simple conundrum, but serves a brutal strike to the film’s effectiveness as a whole. It’d simply be a lot more compelling to hear these stories be broken down by the man who wrote them. If that wasn’t a possibility, restructuring would’ve been the next best thing.

Still, the documentary is exceedingly well put together, and due to the talented cast of storytellers assembled in the interviews, it’s engaging enough. Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) and Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep), among many others, provide interesting insight on the filmmaking side of things, even if their input on the narratives pales in comparison to that of the author’s. Their seasoned reminiscence is welcome regardless.

The editing is sharp, too, and the mixing of behind-the-scenes footage on sets, clips from various films, and new interviews is seamless. The sound mixing is occasionally muddy, but it never takes much away from what is an overall pleasing experience.

Stephen King fans are the target audience here, of course, but fans of film, and horror specifically, may find just as much to like. King on Screen is a focused, narrow documentary that provides a unique view into the impossibly deep history of Stephen King cinematic adaptations. He should’ve been in it, definitely, but the film is still a worthwhile watch for fans in all camps. Would King himself like it? Now that’s a whole different question.

King on Screen will debut in select theaters on August 11, 2023 courtesy of Darkstar Pictures. The film will be available On Demand and on Blu-Ray on September 8, 2023. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX8MoOW6sjQ]