Stephen King's novels are memorable thanks to his exciting characters, the worlds that he creates, and in most cases, the dark conclusions. The author doesn't pull any punches and he definitely doesn't write happy endings that make readers feel all warm and cozy.
Many of King's works have been adapted for film, and while some are better than others, one thing remains true: many of the book and short story endings have been altered for the cinematic version. There are several endings that stand out the most.
The Mist (2007)
There are some terrible horror movie endings and Stephen King fans definitely remember the conclusion of The Mist, the 2007 movie based on the novella, which was published in 1980. The novella ends with David Drayton and some other characters seemingly close to leaving the town that has been covered in fog. It's a vague ending and not a happy one, but it's still a good way to wrap things up since there's the feeling that they will be okay.
The movie has a famously upsetting ending as David (Thomas Jane) shoots his son and a few other characters... and then finds out that he didn't need to do this. Sometimes, Stephen King adaptations change his endings and make them less dark, but in this case, the opposite happened.
IT: Chapter 2 (2019)
IT is split up into two chapters and in the book, which was published in 1986, Pennywise and the Losers Club battle it out, and Pennywise dies. When there's a storm, Derry, Maine starts to fall into a skinhole, which is horrifying to think about. The second movie from 2019 does see the Losers Club killing Pennywise, but Derry is still around.
There are great horror movie settings, and Derry is one of them, as it's a small town that has seen better days and that haunts the main characters every day of their childhoods and adulthoods. It looks like a place where dreams die and there is always disappointment and fear, which is exactly what the characters experience. The sinkhole might be too intense for the movie so this change seems logical.
Cujo (1983)
In Stephen King's 1981 book Cujo, mother and son Donna and Tad Trenton are in a terrible situation: sitting in a car with Cujo right there, trying to find a way to get into the car and kill them. Tad dies of dehydration because he is in the car for so long. This is definitely a brutal way to end the story, so it makes sense that in the movie, they are able to make it out alive.
Cujo isn't often considered one of the best Stephen King film adaptations, but the story of a killer dog is compelling and scary. Donna (Dee Wallace) and Tad (Danny Pintauro) are sweet characters and after following their journey for the film's length, it would be terrible to watch the dog murder them.
Children Of The Corn (1984)
There are many underrated horror movies based on short stories, including the 1984 film adapted from King's 1977 short story Children Of The Corn. Sometimes King's endings are brutal and disturbing, and like some other adaptations, this one is much less dark.
The short story ends with the cult at the heart of the story taking the main characters Vicky and Burt. The cult members kill Vicky in a disgusting manner and take out her eyes so they can sacrifice her to the head of the group. In the movie, the couple is able to leave, which is a more palatable ending since it's horrible to read what happens to them. It would be too intense if the movie included the original ending.
Misery (1990)
Misery is a beloved film adaptation and the movie may make a subtle change to the 1987 book ending, but it's still a final scene that feels even more compelling. In Stephen King's book, Paul Sheldon cries at how happy and grateful he is to be alive and to have survived Annie Wilkes's rampage. He begins working on another book and is relieved and emotional about being able to do the work that he loves.
In the movie, Paul (James Caan) meets his agent Marcia (Lauren Bacall) at a diner. It has been 18 months since he escaped. Like in the book, Annie has died, but the final scene in the movie is a bit different as Paul thinks that he sees Annie walking toward him and talking about how much she loves him. He realizes that this is just a vision, but it's still scary. Misery has a satisfying horror movie ending that is a bit more compelling than the book since Paul will never be able to move on.