Big Driver

Tess Thorne (Maria Bello), a famous mystery writer who gets sidetracked during a long drive home from a book signing. After deciding to take a shortcut, she becomes stranded on a lonely New England road when her tire blows out. Thorne encounters another driver (Will Harris) who turns out to be a serial killer and assaults her. After being left for dead, Thorne escapes and plots her revenge.

Why we’re looking forward to this: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, the best Stephen King adaptations, for that’s what Big Driver is from his novella in the excellent Full Dark, No Stars collection, are those that have little to no supernatural elements in them and instead focus on the real life horrors that people do to each other.

Big Driver was a chilling literary tale of revenge and with a screenplay by Richard Christian Matheson, son of the legendary I Am Legend author, the film adaptation could turn out to be a tense, nerve shredding roller coast ride that should satisfy King fans and thriller buffs alike.

Big Driver is out on DVD in January 2015.

The Stand

Way back in the first appearance of The Cutting Room we took at look forward at Josh Boone’s ambitious project to deliver Stephen King’s seminal novel to the big screen in one three hour sitting. We also promised to keep you updated on this, mainly because it’s a project that is near and dear to our hearts here at This Is Horror, and so we’re making good on our pledge.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems that despite his script being approved by King himself, the projected budget for the three hour movie of $87 million was a bit rich for the studio and they have instead suggested that Boone should use the money to make a four film cycle. Now in many ways this is good news, as given the scale of King’s masterpiece it would certainly give all of the characters and subplots time to develop and breathe, but the big problem with multiple films is that if the first one tanks then it’s adios amigo to the remaining three and essentially the end of any chance of seeing The Stand on the big screen.

The Stand is currently in development and we’ll keep you updated when we know more.

RICHARD COSGROVE