Stephen King is a phenomenon. Dozens of his stories have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books.
In the late 1940s, Andy Dufresne receives two consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife and her lover. Despite maintaining his innocence, Andy finds himself incarcerated in Shawshank Prison, where he must adapt to the harsh and competitive environment of prison life. As a reserved banker in the outside world, Andy learns to navigate the brutality of his new surroundings. Over time, his quiet resilience garners the respect of both fellow inmates and prison staff alike.
At a Louisiana assisted-living home in 1999, elderly retiree Paul Edgecomb becomes emotional while viewing the film Top Hat. His companion Elaine becomes concerned, and Paul explains to her that the film reminded him of events that he witnessed in 1935, when he was a correctional officer at Cold Mountain Penitentiary’s death row, nicknamed The Green Mile.
Writer Jack Torrance arrives at the remote Overlook Hotel in the Rocky Mountains to be interviewed for the position of winter caretaker. Manager Stuart Ullman warns Jack about the hotel ‘s reputation: a previous caretaker, Charles Grady, killed his family and himself.
In October 1988, Bill Denbrough crafts a paper sailboat for Georgie, his six-year-old brother. As he attempts to retrieve it, Georgie sees a clown in the drain, who introduces himself as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. They find the sneaker of a missing girl named Betty Ripsom, while a member of the Bowers Gang, Patrick Hockstetter, is killed by Pennywise while searching the sewers for Ben.
In 1985, author Gordie Lachance reads in the newspaper that his childhood best friend, Chris Chambers, has died. While looking for money that he buried beneath his parents’ porch, Vern overhears his older brother Billy talking with a friend.
In Bridgton, Maine, artist David Drayton, his wife Stephanie, and their eight-year-old son Billy take shelter in the basement of their lakeside home during a severe thunderstorm. Inside the supermarket, they watch police cars speed down the street, and a terrified civilian, Dan Miller, runs into the store and warns of a danger lurking in the mist.
Mike Enslin is a writer of non-fiction works based on the theme of haunted places: Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Houses, Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Graveyards, and Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Castles. They prove to be best-sellers, but Enslin feels some guilt at their success, privately acknowledging that he does not believe in the paranormal and supernatural elements he investigates.
In Derry, Maine, a man sees his boyfriend murdered by Pennywise after homophobic youths assault them. The Losers meet for dinner and Mike refreshes their memories before It torments them with hallucinations and Stan’s suicide. It then helps Henry Bowers, who was arrested for the murder of his father, escape from a mental institution, and Henry kills a guard on the way out.
Famed novelist Paul Sheldon is the author of a successful series of Victorian romance novels featuring a character named Misery Chastain. Wanting to focus on more serious stories, he writes a manuscript for a new novel that he hopes will launch his post-Misery career. Soon after, Annie reads the latest Misery novel, discovers that Misery dies at the end of the book, and flies into a rage.
After catching his wife Amy having an affair with their friend Ted, mystery writer Mort Rainey retreats to his cabin at Tashmore Lake in upstate New York, depressed and suffering from writer’s block. That night, Mort’s dog, Chico, is found dead outside the cabin, along with a note from Shooter giving Mort three days to provide proof.
Carrie White is a shy 16-year-old girl who lives with her fanatically religious mother Margaret. Carrie is unpopular at school and is often bullied by her peers. Following conversations with Miss Collins and the principal, Carrie is dismissed from school. After arriving home, Margaret tells Carrie that her menstruation was caused by sin, and she locks Carrie in an altar-like prayer closet to pray for forgiveness.
In 1980, Danny Torrance and his mother Wendy live in Florida, still traumatized by their ordeal at the Overlook hotel. Dick Hallorann, now a benevolent spirit, explains that the hotel’s ghosts feed on Danny’s psychic ability, his shining. Now that the hotel has been abandoned, the starving ghosts are pursuing Danny.