1 Of Stephen King's Darkest Novels Was Supposed To Be A Comedy

Summary Stephen King intended his novel "Needful Things" to be a comedy, but dark themes took over.

Despite some funny moments, Needful Things can't be considered a comedy, as it focuses on horror.

Some film adaptations of King's works were unintentionally turned into comedies due to various factors.

Stephen King has rightfully earned the title of “King of Horror”, which is why it’s surprising that one of his darkest novels was intended to be a comedy. Stephen King has terrorized generations of readers for decades, becoming the go-to author for those looking for a good dose of scares and suspense. King’s reign in the horror genre began in 1974 with the publication of Carrie, and since then, King has written over 200 short stories and 60 novels, not just exploring horror but also suspense, crime, mystery, fantasy, and even sci-fi, sometimes mixing one or more of these.

The success and popularity of King’s works have led to their adaptations to other media, most notably film. Many of King’s novels and short stories have made their way to the big screen, some more successfully than others, while others are still in development. Stephen King’s name is rightfully associated with the horror genre, though some novels are more about suspense and/or fantasy, so it might come as a surprise to many that one of his darkest novels (which was also adapted into film) was supposed to be a comedy.

Related A Movie Of This Never-Adapted Stephen King Story From Over 50 Years Ago Is Way More Likely Now An upcoming film remake of a 1980s Stephen King book makes the likelihood of one of his never-adapted stories getting a movie much greater.

Stephen King’s Needful Things Was Intended To Be A Comedy

Needful Things Isn’t Exactly A Comedy

In 1991, Stephen King published the novel Needful Things, his first work after his recovery from substance use disorder. Like many other Stephen King stories, Needful Things is set in Castle Rock, Maine. Needful Things sees the town’s peace being disturbed by the arrival of the mysterious Leland Gaunt, who opens a shop of collectibles and antiques named “Needful Things”. Gaunt’s shop is unlike any other, as it has items in stock perfectly suited for specific Castle Rock residents. These items are so attractive to the target customers that Gaunt only asks them to play a “prank” on someone else in town.

Needful Things is considered one of King’s darkest novels due to the horrifying events that Gaunt’s “pranks” trigger, but King originally intended the novel to be a comedy.

However, unbeknownst to them, Gaunt knows the long-standing private conflicts between the townspeople. Through those “pranks”, Gaunt provokes these conflicts to escalate, creating chaos across Castle Rock with horrible consequences. Needful Things is considered one of King’s darkest novels due to the horrifying events that Gaunt’s “pranks” trigger, but King originally intended the novel to be a comedy. Speaking to The Paris Review in 2006, King said he thought he had written “something that’s really funny” when he finished Needful Things, as he thought of it as a satire of “Reagonomics in America in the eighties”, with people buying anything and selling anything, including their souls.

However, Needful Things was marketed as a horror novel, which fits with the story but not with what King felt the book was like. Speaking to Time, King shared that Needful Things turned out to be a satire of “the whole Ronald Reagan ethos of ‘greed is good, consumerism is good’”, which, to him, was a “hilarious concept”. King insisted the novel has a black-comedy and satirical tone, and while it does have some (arguably) funny moments, Needful Things can’t really be considered a comedy or anything else aside from a horror story.

Related What Stephen King Thinks Is The Best Thing He's Ever Written Stephen King has wrote a variety of novels and short-stories, but only one has his favorite line he has written so far. Here's what it is and why.

Has Stephen King Ever Written A Comedy?

Some Of Stephen King’s Works Became Involuntarily Funny

Close

The film adaptations of some of King's works turned them into unintentional comedies.

Stephen King has never written a full-on comedy novel or short story, but some of his works have a couple of lighter, funnier moments, while the film adaptations of others turned them into unintentional comedies. The 1992 sci-fi horror The Lawnmower Man, based on the 1975 short story of the same name, deviated so much from the source that King sued to have his name removed from the movie, and the performances of the cast and the terrible special effects made it unintentionally funny (and disastrous). The same happened to the 1996 adaptation of Thinner, which failed to explore the novel’s themes.

King’s only directorial effort, Maximum Overdrive, was such a failure that many now see it as an unintentional comedy thanks to its performances, messy direction, stiff dialogue, and more. It’s unlikely Stephen King will ever intentionally write a comedy novel, though he could surprise the audience at any moment, but Needful Things can’t be considered one, and the unintentionally funny adaptations of some of his works did no good to the source material.

Sources: The Paris Review, Time.