MovieChat Forums > Desperation (2006) Discussion > Anybody who has read Stephen King books....

Anybody who has read Stephen King books....

posted 15 years ago by jmmgausa
13 replies | jump to latest

and I mean more than one; knows that all of his stories are about good vs evil. Plain and simple. Sometimes, like in Desperation, it is more about God as Christians see him. But in the Shawshank Redemption it was man vs himself, same thing with the Green Mile. In Firestarter it was the evil govt vs nature. In delores Claiborne, it was Delores vs her husband and then everyone else as time went on. And sometimes the battle goes on thru several novels(if you have read The Dark Tower series or the Talisman, The Stand and Needful Things) the evil is the Walkin Dude, Leland Gaunt or Randall Flagg; who I have deduced over time are the same person, just reinvented.

If you have really read his books, this is very obvious. And makes for great reading and sometimes great movies. The books are very conversational with alot of descriptions and characters talking to themselves. I am sure that is very hard to translate and condense into film format.

[–] Sodade 15 years ago

Yeah, you're right, it is quite obvious after reading a few books of his.

I'd say Thinner would be an exception, however.

"I have the heart of a small boy... Which I keep in a jar on my desk."-Robert Bloch

[–] stargazer1701-1 15 years ago

I also agree with DiscoLemonade… Thinner was a story of an accident, a curse and revenge.

Cujo wasn’t evil. He had a disease that made him blood thirsty.

Survival Type was a story of one character.

Same as Beachworld and The Reach.

In Carrie, there were nasty teenagers and crazy mothers, but no ‘evil’ per say.

There was no good vs evil in Rage, The Running Man and the story of the kids walking to death for a billion dollar jackpot.

I would even venture to say that the alien entities in Tommyknockers were not evil… they only wanted to live in the only way they knew how... by inhabiting the bodies of the people.

Smoke me a kipper. I’ll be back for breakfast

[–] Lemon_Stick 15 years ago

In Carrie it was implied that her mothers rapists were the evil that had started a chain reaction.

In IT the kids are the 'turtle' against the evil shrouding Derry, the source is said to be "IT" which feeds off fear and desperation.

In Christine evil sort of comes as vengance through the lonely, selfish characters you find in life. Arnie is just a figure point in carrying on a cycle.

[–] Batgirl4ever 14 years ago

Carrie's mother wasn't raped.....are you sure you have the right book? Carrie's mother and father belonged to a religion where it was sinful to have sex in marriage...that's what the mother was talking about.

[–] scipio23 14 years ago

But in Cujo he makes it clear at the beginning that a monster had come to Castle Rock, the same one that inhabited Frank Dodd from The Dead Zone. Cujo had rabies, but he was also the latest shell for an evil force that keeps returning to Castle Rock.

Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho

[–] lassitude 14 years ago

The only one I could be bothered reading was "Insomnia", which to my relief, was god-free.

http://jenkcentral.myminicity.com/

[–] truehammer 14 years ago

Most of his books are god-free, good vs evil doesnt always mean god gets involved, I think the only novel with god heavily involved was The Stand but its still readable if you're non-religious. I didnt really like Insominia, my favourites were Pet Semetary, Misery and Cujo.

"No kitty! This is my pot pie!"

[–] kryp44 12 years ago

So you're God free are you? Sure about that? Ha HA HA HA!

[–] Danomera 13 years ago

I agree. It always cracks me up how people get all freaked out about christian themes. DUH, if you are going to write about the devil, you have to write about god, or else the story will totally one sided. Many of these supernatural stories have some form of a religious sect that helps. Sometimes its old hebrew text. Sometimes its the bible. etc. If you don't believe in god, you probably don't believe in the devil, but the stories are still fun.
I've yet to meet a person who has "seen the light" or "found jesus" by watching horror. haha

[–] tdibble-1 10 years ago

That's like saying "I'm going to write about a fictional White House conspiracy. So, President Bush is the main character."

Fiction which takes real-life characters in as main characters is doomed to failure. If you call your Texas-born doofus President "Hanes" instead of Bush you buy yourself the ability to make him a true doofus without riling up the legion Bush acolytes of the country (probably should not make him from Texas as well).

The problem with overtly Christian themes is that the artistic license is severely constrained. God is the main character in this story. Is he flawed? Does he grow? Does he undergo any change whatsoever? Does he have any conflict at all? If you call him "Flying Spaghetti Monster" instead, you can give him flaws and foibles and challenges which prey on those flaws and foibles. No one will protest. Call him God, though, and you need to ensure that your conception of him matches with the audience's perception of him, because they do have a perception of what god is, even if they don't believe in any god at all.

The problem with Christian movies is the same as with Christian rock. It isn't the Christianity so much (although overt proselytizing does leave a bad taste in my mouth), it is that is is just plain bad art. It is bland.

[–] NoahBody 13 years ago

his stories are about good vs evil.

Wow, what an astute observation an author that writes tales that have a "good guy" vs a "bad guy". What a concept. A deep thinker this one.

[–] marsdude89 11 years ago

And a butthole, you are.

Just a wannabe writer writing

[–] Noone222 9 years ago

That is a lot of books. You could say that about Mary Higgins Clark.