There's always that one scene that sticks out. A scene that is known for being the worst. Now, being known as the worst scene in an original idea or adaptation can stem from numerous reasons, especially with something like a Stephen King film.
Even the best of the best, stories with heart, tales full of fantastic horror, are always going to have scenes that will either not work, feel weird, or be so disturbing, so difficult to watch, that can be considered as the worst scenes in said film. For no movie, even one from the mind of Stephen King is without the clichés, plot holes, or other problems.
Pet Sematary: Everyone Dies (2019)
To narrow down a good Stephen King adaptation beyond the more iconic ones is difficult. However, sometimes the mediocre movies, like the 2019 remake of Pet Sematary, stick out. Seen as an improvement over the 1989 version, there was one issue: Everyone dies.
Now with a movie where that's the main "gimmick," where people die and come back changed, that seems reasonable. Yet ending the movie with everyone, even Louis coming back evil, was a departure from the novel that took away from the creepy and much better ending.
The Running Man: Plain Zero (1987)
One-liners are fun, there's no doubt about that. Yet, it can be said that sometimes, one-liners can just come across as making no sense or not working at all and bog down the film, like in The Running Man, based on a book written by King under a pen-name.
While there are some great other lines in this awesome B-movie, "Here's sub-zero. Now plain-zero!" is painful. It makes no sense, hurts the movie, and even with Arnold delivering the line, comes across as being silly. Fun to say, but not the best.
It: Chapter Two: Angel of Morning (2019)
By all accounts, It: Chapter Two is a less superior film when compared to its predecessor. Still, the movie did garner some praise and love and is pretty faithful to the book despite some strange and out there scenes, like when Eddie battles the Leper.
Fighting the Leper, something created by Pennywise, starts off spooky enough, with the adult Eddie getting the upper hand and overcoming his fear... right before the Leper vomits in his face as "Just Call Me Angel" randomly blares for no reason and upsets the atmosphere.
Doctor Sleep: Wood Massacre (2019)
Most audiences would say that the biggest problem with Doctor Sleep is the runtime. A follow up to The Shining, Doctor Sleep follows a grown-up Danny Torrance taking on an immortal cult who drains children of their life force for almost three hours.
The biggest problem of the film though is the Wood Massacre. Finding the location of the people, Danny and his friend, Billy, find and kill the cult save for their leader, which turns the supernatural thriller/horror movie into an action flick for no real reason.
The Mist: Four Bullets (2007)
Death in reality or fiction should never be seen as a good thing. When that death ends up being in vain though, that's when the scene becomes unbearable and difficult to see, like in The Mist, set in a world full of monsters shrouded in mist.
In what appears to be their final moments, the protagonist, David, "spares" his son and the other three survivors with the remaining bullets before giving himself up to the monsters. However, David is instead saved by the military, who come out of nowhere.
Stand By Me: David "Lard-Ass" Hogan(1986)
Coming-of-age stories are always going to be movies full of hope and life to them but there are times when the youthful comedy can go too far. Stand By Me has that moment in the form of the story of David "Lard-Ass" Hogan.
Told as the boys are sitting around a campfire and visualized in disgusting detail, watching Hogan disgustingly eat all those pies and the results that come is disturbing in its own right and, is all-around repulsive to watch.
Carrie: Carrie's Hand (1976)
Many horror movies have that kind of an ending where it fakes the audience out with cheap scares. Even the best of Stephen King films like Carrie has that problem appear.
At the end of Carrie, Carrie White is dead and the only survivor, Sue Snell, visits her home where she's attacked by the undead arm of Carrie. Or, so it seems, as it turns out the arm was just a dream and a cheap scare, muddying the otherwise suspenseful and horrific nature of the move.
Misery: The Hobbling (1990)
Most of the scenes mentioned are no doubt iconic. Some scenes, people will agree don't always work or difficult to look at today. Others will not. However, many people can agree that the hobbling scene in Misery is hard to watch.
When "his number one fan" Annie Wilkes, one of Stephen King's best characters, discovers author Paul Sheldon has been around the house instead of being her dutiful prisoner, Annie takes to hobbling Paul by bashing his feet with a sledgehammer. Brutal and hard to watch, it's one of the worst scenes of the film.
The Green Mile: Dry Sponge (1999)
For one reason or another, two of King's best adaptations happen to be about life in prisons. The Green Mile is about the life of a prison guard on death row who begins to connect with the prisoners and witnesses, along with the audience, a horrific scene.
One prisoner, Del, is sent to the electric chair and is electrocuted with a dry sponge. Without the current, Del suffers a brutal and horrific death that causes him to burst into flames before the audience's eyes in a horrible and dreadful death.
The Shawshank Redemption: The Real Killer (1994)
It's almost ironic that the King of horror's best adaptation isn't horror at all but rather The Shawshank Redemption. A harrowing tale of a man looking for hope in prison, the near-perfect movie does have a few faults beyond being a box office bomb.
While in prison, Andy Dufrense takes to mentoring a young prisoner named Tommy who tells Andy of a guy named Elmo Blatch who maybe the real killer of Andy's wife. Clichéd, somewhat out of nowhere and only really there to serve as a tipping point, it's a moment that's never resolved.