Stephen King was left needing some time to himself after watching a film inspired by his work on Netflix, which he hailed as the ‘best adaptation’ of anything he’s ever written.
The 1986 adventure comedy, Stand By Me, moved the author so much that he left his chair, leaving director Rob Reinor ‘anxious’ of his reaction.
The film, which follows the story of four friends, Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern, has just hit the streaming service decades on from its original release.
Reiner, who was pronounced dead at the age of 78 in December 2024, previously described the movie as the one the ‘meant the most’ to him, after adapting the story from King’s 1982 book, The Body.
What happened when Stephen King watched Stand By Me
“We showed it to him privately,” Reiner said, speaking during a November 2017 interview with The Rich Eisen Show.
“I was so nervous because he’s watching this film. And I knew it was a personal story for him because he actually lived that. I mean he went with his three buddies to see this dead body.
“And actually, the three buddies that he was with, they all passed away, and that’s what happens in the book.”
‘This is the best adaptation of anything I’ve ever written’
But he could never have predicted the sobering reaction he was met with by the legendary American author.
Speaking of King’s reaction, Reiner recalled: “He says ‘I just want to think about this for a little bit. I’m going to come back in about 15 minutes’.
“And I’m thinking ‘Oh god, oh god. I hope he likes this’.”
King allegedly returned to tell him: “I just have to say this is the best adaptation of anything I’ve ever written.”
Reiner added: “He said, ‘I love this film so much’. And in the book, it’s Chris, Chris picks up the gun to fend off the older boys. And we had Gordie do that. He said, ‘When you had Gordie pick up that gun, I thought why didn’t I think of that?'”
The film is currently listed among Netflix’s US catalogue as of November 1, where fans can enjoy the classic all over again.
Set in 1959, the film follows four 12-year-old boys who set off on a two-day adventure through the Oregon countryside after hearing rumours about the body of a missing local boy.
Along the way, they encounter a series of challenges, confront their own fears and learn more about friendship, growing up and the realities of life. The film is particularly remembered for its exploration of childhood innocence, grief and the friendships that can shape us long after we’ve grown up.
Stephen King on past adaptations of his work, and how much he disliked The Shining
King is often very vocal about TV adaptations of his work, with him singing his praises for the 2017 movie adaptation of It, as well as the more recent 2026 series, Carrie, which was created by Mike Flanagan.
However, King had some pretty brutal words for the film adaptation of what is arguably one of his most iconic pieces of work – The Shining.
King called the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film ‘maddening, perverse, and disappointing’, while also comparing it to ‘a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it’.
He also criticized Jack Nicolson’s portrayal of the lead character Jack Torrance, saying he wrote him as a sympathetic, fundamentally good man slowly destroyed by alcoholism and supernatural forces.
While Kubrick’s Jack acted deranged from the very beginning of the film, a stark contrast to King’s intention for the character.