Summary
- King's favorite horror film is '87's The Stepfather, known for its psychological thrills.
- The author has a wide selection of horror favorites, from the '60s to the '80s.
- King's work is being adapted frequently, with upcoming projects like a prequel series to IT.
Movie buffs, bookworms, and pop culture fanatics alike will have likely crossed Stephen King’s name at least once in their media travels, emphasizing the impact the American author has had on the horror genre over the last five decades. Delving into the mind of such a prolific writer to find out what chilling stories keep him awake at night is something every fan would want to know, and Stephen King once revealed an 80s slasher film he calls a personal favorite that’s currently available to stream for free.
King is widely regarded as a “master of horror,” after crafting over 60 published novels and more than 200 short stories, many of which have been given the cinematic treatment, including The Green Mile, The Mist, and The Shawshank Redemption. King’s collection of literary masterpieces has earned him a high place in the list of authors who have had the most book-to-movie adaptations, only bested by Agatha Christie and William Shakespeare. One of the writer’s upcoming live-action endeavors is a prequel series plotting the origins of his terrifying villain, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, as IT: Welcome to Derry recently revealed its first poster ahead of its 2025 premiere on HBO.
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Stephen King Names 1987’s The Stepfather as a Horror Favorite
As reported by ComicBook, King wrote an article for the British Film Institute back in 2017, listing eight of his favorite suspense films. Within the “daunting task,” as the writer put it, was Joseph Ruben’s 1987 psychological slasher The Stepfather, starring Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack, and Lost star Terry O’Quinn as the lead serial killer with multiple identities. King recalled a “classic moment” when O’Quinn’s “murderous psycho” bludgeoned his wife with a telephone, armed with the cut-throat line, “Saaay, who am I this time?” In the same essay, King also noted 80s horror The Changeling to be a favorite of the supernatural kind, proving the “King of Horror” can still be scared witless by other triumphs in the genre.
Additionally, King mentioned Robert Harmon’s 1986 classic The Hitcher and Wolf Rilla’s 60s feature Village of the Damned to be among some of his go-to horror films. The writer shares a passion for the genre with the director behind Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House series and The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep, and Mike Flanagan is currently undertaking an adaptation of King’s 1974 debut novel for Amazon. The eight-episode Carrie series was previously rumored to star Hereditary’s Milly Shapiro before casting Summer H. Howell in the lead role, and despite having no release date yet, the project seems to be in good hands with Flanagan being a devout King fan.
Flanagan is also attached to helm a highly anticipated adaptation of King’s popular The Dark Tower series, but the author previously confirmed via social media that he would not be writing on the project. Despite production moving slowly, The Dark Tower fans think one The Last of Us star could play Roland Deschain, a gunslinger from Gilead and protagonist of the source material. With King’s adaptation rate at an all-time high, it’s thrilling to hear which films the masterful writer holds in high regard, and horror fans can experience King’s picks for themselves for free on several streaming platforms.
Horror fans and Stephen King loyalists can watch The Stepfather for free via streaming services Tubi, the Roku Channel, Fandango at Home, Crackle, Philo, Plex, and Prime Video.
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- Release Date
- January 23, 1987
- Runtime
- 89 minutes
- Director
- Joseph Ruben
- Writers
- Donald E. Westlake
Cast
-
Jill Schoelen -
Terry O'Quinn
Source: ComicBook