Stephen King’s Four Past Midnight Could Be His Next Great Horror Anthology

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Stephen King’s novels are the source of many of his most famous stories. Novels like The Shining, IT, and Carrie were all adapted into incredibly popular and memorable horror films. But some of the best movies based on his work actually came from his collections of shorter stories. Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption were both adapted from Different Seasons, The Green Mile started as a collection of novellas, and his recent adaptation, Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck, was originally a story in his 2020 book, If It Bleeds.

Stephen King’s strongest novellas are found in his 1992 collection, Four Past Midnight. Published ten years after Different Seasons, it was only his second collection of this longer short story format. The book features four tales: “The Langoliers,” “Secret Window, Secret Garden,” “The Library Policeman,” and “The Sun Dog.” While some of these stories haven’t been adapted well, they’re ideally suited for individual segments, similar to how King’s 1982 film Creepshow successfully adapted five of his short stories. Creepshow divided each story into a segment, focusing on the horror without unnecessary additions. King’s novellas from Four Past Midnight would work perfectly with this same approach.

All 4 Stories from Four Past Midnight Deserve Modern Screen Adaptations

Two of Stephen King’s novellas from Four Past Midnight have been made into movies. “The Langoliers” became a 1995 TV miniseries that captured the story’s unsettling atmosphere, but suffered from poor acting and special effects. “Secret Window, Secret Garden” also received a film adaptation, though it was considered slow-paced and relied heavily on the star power of Johnny Depp, who was incredibly popular after the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

“Secret Window, Secret Garden,” “The Library Policeman,” and “The Sun Dog” are primarily psychological horror stories, exploring themes of dangerous fixations, past trauma, and fear of what’s to come. “The Langoliers” leans more toward science fiction and creature features. A longer, big-budget movie adapting these stories could work well by starting with the slower-paced psychological tales and building to the more intense action and unsettling atmosphere of “The Langoliers.” That story is the most thrilling and disturbing of the four, so a gradual build-up of suspense would be effective.

Four Past Midnight Should Use Creepshow as a Guide to a Great Adaptation

While the stories in Creepshow are a bit lighter in tone than those in Four Past Midnight, a new horror anthology could really benefit from capturing that same playful spirit and consistent style. Creepshow perfectly embodied the feel of a classic 1980s horror film, featuring recognizable actors like Adrienne Barbeau, Ted Danson, and Leslie Nielsen. It would be great to see Stephen King involved again, perhaps in a supporting role, though he may be past the point of leading a segment. The film’s consistent visual style – using comic book effects and colors during intense moments – really tied everything together. For a new adaptation to succeed, it’s essential to establish a strong artistic theme and maintain it throughout all the stories.

There’s no denying that Creepshow was a hit, and its success offers a clear path forward for adapting Four Past Midnight. Creepshow made nearly three times its production cost at the box office, spawned two sequels, and even inspired a recent anthology series on Shudder featuring work from both established and new horror talents. Given Creepshow‘s achievements, it’s surprising that more of Stephen King’s novellas haven’t been adapted as anthology films. Another similar example is Cat’s Eye, which combined two stories from Night Shift with one original story written specifically for the movie.

Using recognizable character actors, similar to what some anthology TV series do, could be key to success. Building each episode around a major star – like Billy Bob Thornton, Ewan McGregor, or Jesse Plemons – and surrounding them with well-known supporting actors can really keep audiences hooked, especially if the cast changes for each story. The consistent artistic style combined with a rotating cast is what made Creepshow so popular.

The main challenge would be making the original stories lighthearted and a bit funny without losing their serious themes or meaning. It’s a difficult balance, and might explain why Stephen King’s 30-year-old collection of novellas hasn’t been faithfully adapted before, but it could be a risk worth taking.

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2025-11-24 05:42