Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

King on Screen Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 6, 2024

Since the release of “Carrie” in 1976, adaptations of Stephen King novels and short stories have become almost a regular event. Such tales of horror and heartbreak have become catnip to filmmakers, especially those raised on the author’s work in print form, finally receiving a chance to do something with King’s vast imagination. “King on Screen” is a documentary about the writer and his experiences with filmed entertainment, and while he doesn’t appear in interview form, King’s presence is felt throughout the endeavor, which seeks to identify just what about his writing often results in cinematic magic. Director Daphne Baiwir doesn’t provide a comprehensive examination of the subject, but she chooses her topics wisely, delivering an interesting ride back into King Country, sitting down with many of the men responsible for translating these pages into occasionally terrific movies.

“King on Screen” is a documentary, but it opens with a curious bit of filmmaking. Baiwir offers an introductory mini-movie, portraying a character entering a small town with a piece of art to deliver, encountering all sorts of strange characters and mysterious businesses. What they all have in common are references to King’s writings, with the strange woman working her way around familiar sights and names, while veterans from King pictures return to play residents, including Jeffrey DeMunn and Amy Irving. It’s an opening tribute to a screen community, with Baiwir transitioning to a more traditional informational study, landing on “Carrie” as the first shot fired in the King universe. The hit feature is largely credited as bringing an audience to the unknown author, boosting his presence in Hollywood, armed with a reputation for creating scary stories featuring the struggles of real people. The everyman approach is identified by the interviewees as a major selling point of his work, creating a relationship between viewers/readers and the author, who understands the ways of Americana and isolation.

“King on Screen” doesn’t burn through the years, offering a little something on everything King has inspired. Baiwir provides a more scattered approach, ignoring a linear direction to deal with a few specific titles, including 1994’s “The Shawshank Redemption,” which displayed a different side of King. Writer/director Frank Darabont is present to examine his quest to adapt the book, getting his first itch to do so on the set of “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.” “The Shawshank Redemption” is used as an example of King’s fascination with captive characters, generating particular psychological and physical challenges for these people. “King on Screen” also spotlights the writer’s capacity to create credible female perspectives, with Taylor Hackford following this lead for “Dolores Claiborne,” though he comes fairly close to collecting credit for himself, sharing an anecdote about a female film studies teacher who refused to believe the feature was helmed by a man.

Baiwir spends a lot of time on 1980’s “The Shining,” revisiting largely known stories about King’s intense hatred of Stanley Kubrick’s take on his original book, eventually mounting a second pass at the material in 1997 with director Mick Garris. There’s also a lengthy segment on “The Green Mile,” with Darabont exploring his return to a prison setting with King’s episodic project, falling in love with the material’s humanity. BTS footage supports casting tales and memories of complete professionalism from co-star Tom Hanks. And there’s even clips of King’s set visit, where he tried on the electric chair and enjoyed a birthday celebration, presented with a massive cake. This type of intimacy helps, giving “King on Screen” a view of unfiltered behavior and respect for the author.

King on Screen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.00:1 aspect ratio) presentation handles several visual moods for "King on Screen," with the opening recreation offering saturated colors, emphasizing deep greens and reds. Interview footage is also slightly exaggerated, but skin tones stay mostly natural. Film footage is pulled from a variety of sources, and quality varies, but the disc supports the production's efforts to maintain a uniform look to the documentary. Detail is satisfactory, with a fresher sense of skin particulars on the cast and interviewees, exploring elements of age and fibrous clothing. Delineation is acceptable. Compression issues are periodic, with banding detected.

King on Screen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix offers a straightforward understanding of interview segments, which offer authoritative voices, occasionally reaching the limits of technology used on the documentary. Introduction activity offers a bit more immersion, with some channel effects and atmospherics. Scoring delivers clear musical support.

King on Screen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Shooting Maine Full" (6:01, HD) provides a look at the creation of the opening sequence of "King on Screen," studying director Daphne Baiwir in action as she oversees the creation of shots and appears as an actress. There is some good BTS footage here, including time with the King Family cameos.

• "Shooting Maine Short" (:48, HD) is offered.

• "First Trailer" (3:32, HD) is an extended look at "King on Screen."

• "Making Of First Trailer" (1:43, HD) highlights crew activity.

• "Cutting Room: Extended Interviews" (HD) offers additional time with Craig Baxley, Dan Attias, David Carson, Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, Frank Darabont, Fraser C. Heston, Fritz Kiersch, Greg Nicotero, Jeff Beesley, John Harrison, and Josh Boone.

• "77 Minute Cut" (76:41, HD) is a shorter version of "King On Screen," supported by heavily compressed sound. There's no explanation concerning what this is or why it was included on this release.

• "Deleted Shot From Intro" (:43, HD) delivers a snipped King-centric visual highlighting a spoiled cantaloupe.

• "Long Commentary From Intro" (23:29, HD) features producer Sebastien Cruz, who has the ability to pause the footage, pointing out all the elements of the short film that opens "King on Screen."

• "Intro Commentary" (11:34, HD) features producer Sebastien Cruz and director Daphne Baiwir.

• Image Gallery collets BTS snaps.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:48, HD) is included.

King on Screen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As the picture was in production during the COVID-19 pandemic, Baiwir naturally closes with an overview of the two versions of "The Stand," identifying King's gift of prescient writing and his ability to accurately capture the hysteria of society as it falls apart, also on view in "The Mist." "King on Screen" gets a little panicked in the final 30 minutes, trying to reach a number of topics before a return to King Town commences for Baiwir, touching on the author's relationship with George Romero via "Creepshow" and its follow-up, and there's a little info provided by director Mike Flanagan on his approach to making "The Shining" sequel, "Doctor Sleep," riding the line between Kubrick and the novel. It's all very interesting and the stories shared are enjoyable, but an overall arc is missing from "King on Screen," which plays like various video essays stitched together. Baiwir's access to creative players is impressive, and King fans are sure to find plenty of enjoyment revisiting a few of these titles. The feature isn't strictly committed to a cinematic assessment, going off on a few tangents, but the atmosphere of the documentary is right and the love shared for Stephen King's imagination is infectious.