Newswise — When Hollywood translates the fiction of horror-master Stephen King into film, the results can be spectacular successes or celluloid disasters. Yet none of the dozens of movies and miniseries based on King's work has lost money—perhaps partly due to the author's incredible popularity in American culture.
In "Hollywood's Stephen King," (Palgrave Macmillan, October 2003), America's premier King scholar, Tony Magistrale, brings together for the first time a detailed analysis of the major cinematic translations of King's work. Included are interpretations of "The Green Mile," "The Shawshank Redemption," "Misery," "Carrie," and "The Shining," as well as lesser-known works.
The book's first chapter is an interview with King that provides some surprising facts about the best-selling author: King sells the film rights to his books for one dollar; in return, he retains control over the choice of directors, actors and locations. King also gets five percent of ticket grosses—a cut that can range from $500,000 to several million dollars per film. Overall, "the Stephen King 'dream factory' is a billion dollar enterprise," Magistrale notes.
Magistrale, a professor of English at the University of Vermont, not only provides a perceptive literary overview of how Hollywood has interpreted—and misinterpreted—King's fiction, he also examines what cinematic and public fascination with King's work reveals about contemporary American culture. Magistrale's insights into the interconnecting themes, characters and archetypes in the King opus reveal what may be the secret to King's success—his deep understanding of the American psyche.
"Hollywood's Stephen King" has been hailed as both an important critical work and a must-read for King fans, screenwriters and producers. But the book will fascinate anyone interested in popular culture and film.
Magistrale teaches courses in writing and literature at the University of Vermont and has published extensively on topics in Anglo-American Gothicism.
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