Stephen King Isn’t Always Scary (with Sean Fennessey)

It's October, which means it's time for scary books and scary movies. There's one person who is well known for both: Stephen King. Since his first novel, "Carrie," was published in 1974 and adapted into a hit film two years later, his novels and short stories have been a reliable source of material for film and TV adaptations. And while he's known as a master of horror, some of the more popular films based on his work are drawn from non-horror material. On this week's episode, Sean Fennessey, co-host of the Ringer podcast "The Big Picture," joins Gilbert Cruz to talk about "Stand By Me," "The Shawshank Redemption" and more.

Books and movies discussed in this episode:

• "Stand by Me," based on the novella "The Body" from 1982's "Different Seasons"
• "The Running Man," based on the 1982 novel of the same name published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman
• "The Shawshank Redemption," based on the novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" from "Different Seasons"
• "Dolores Claiborne," based on the 1992 novel of the same name
• "The Green Mile," based on the 1996 serial novel of the same name
• "The Life of Chuck," based on the novella from 2020's "If It Bleeds"
• "The Long Walk," based on the 1979 novel of the same name published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman

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