Stephen King: The king of horror returns to Shudder for the holidays

The curated Stephen King selection from Shudder is terrifyingly fun. Prepare for horror this holiday season and pour the bloody eggnog!

Shudder TV is an app service from AMC Networks that streams horror films and TV series, chosen by in-house experts. And the month of December is — King of Horror. That’s right, it’s a Stephen King movie marathon.

The streaming service has curated an impressive collection of his adapted works, ranging from thrillers to anthologies and fans will be delighted to discover or rediscover the collection.

• Misery – 1990
• Pet Sematary – 1989
• Creepshow – 1982
• Creepshow 2 – 1987
• Silver Bullet – 1985
• Cujo – 1983
• Salem’s Lot – 1979
• The Dead Zone – 1983

Stephen King, the beloved horror novelist and icon, has written 58 novels, 200 short stories, and six non-fiction books, including the memoir, On Writing. King graduated with a BA in English in 1970, and wrote  a weekly column for the school’s newspaper called, Steve King’s Garbage Truck. He has sold over 350 million copies internationally and King nostalgia is growing strong with the highly anticipated release of It: Chapter Two in 2019.

NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 09: Author Stephen King holds a special pink Kindle given to him by Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeffrey P. Bezos at an unveiling event for the Amazon Kindle 2 at the Morgan Library & Museum February 9, 2009 in New York City. The updated electronic reading device is slimmer with new syncing technology and longer battery life and will begin shipping February 24th. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

It’s hard to pick a favorite from the collection...but The Dead Zone features a zany standout performance from Christopher Walken, in the role of a psychic who tries to stop a dangerous politician from taking office. But then again, Kathy Bates in Misery ain’t no slouch either. Her performance as Annie Wilkes is grounded and terrifyingly banal, while Walken’s performance is weird and comic, his droll deadpan (intentionally?) hilarious.

Walken’s specialty is weirdos, drug-dealers, and mafia pimps, an admirable range for an actor. And Bates is excellent in everything she does, but particularly as the sociopathic Annie Wilkes in Misery. Annie relishing the power she has over the injured Paul — is downright disturbing. Her insecurity and neediness is so obvious, she reeks of wanting to hurt others to feel better about her dopey life. Misery is an excellent film and the story is rooted in Bates’ performance.

The collection also include creepy stories about beloved animals in Cujo and Pet Cemetery. And yes, to answer your question—Cujo the dog was a great actor, the best in the biz. Cujo might be the ‘scariest’ film since it is so hard to watch a cute dog suffer, driven mad with rabies and Dee Wallace gives a powerful performance as the tormented mother.

Creepshow and Creepshow 2 features many of Stephen King’s short stories, inspired by the E.C. horror comics of the 50’s, such as Tales from The Crypt. E.C. comics folded its horror section in 1959 and as of today is the sole publisher of Mad magazine.

Silver Bullet, based on the novella Cycle of the Werewolf, stars the young Corey Haim and Gary Busey. Haim was so funny and talented as a child star, and Busey is well-known for playing salty train wrecks who fight dirty or loving, salt of the earth fathers.

Salem’s Lot is a classic, two-part TV movie about a vampire in a small town. Late night television generally shows the heavily edited, 112 minute version, but Shudder has chosen the original, three-hour 2 tape cut for horror fans – WHO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

I wondered why Maximum Overdrive didn’t make it in, since Stephen King directed and acted in the cult film. And because I have a soft spot for sentient monster trucks. But all good things come in time, for surely, Maximum Overdrive will appear in Shudder’s ever growing library for the streaming service is about to take over the world with its horror trove.

Over the holidays, be sure to check out the King of Horror with friends and family — or alone, if you dare. Turn off the lights, lock the doors, and let it stream, baby! Or scream.

Are you excited about King of Horror? What is your favorite Stephen King film? Let us know in the comments!