Horror fans are reminiscing about a forgotten Stephen King adaption on HBO

Image via HBO / IMDb

Stephen King is a horror icon; in fact, it’s nearly impossible to imagine the genre without him. The author has been giving us nightmares for decades, making the mundane seem terrifying, and swearing us off red balloons and little paper sailboats forever. King can both mystify and horrify us with his books and films, and he sure knows how to pack a punch with simple phrases, tying words together to ensure that we’re deeply unsettled.

A thread over in the r/horrorReddit subreddit recently saw a fan of all things King sing praise for the HBO Max miniseries, The Outsider, adapted from his book of the same name. The fan was a bit shocked that the series didn’t drum up more conversation as they felt it was really spectacular.

With over 700 upvotes and more than 200 comments, The Outsider stands out as a moment in entertainment history for King and his fans, and while some horror lovers loved it from start to finish, others felt that it fell a little flat towards the end.

Some King fans felt this was one of the most brilliant projects he’s associated with, saying it was phenomenally made.

Several fans believed the series started strong and full of potential, but it quickly fell flat after a couple of episodes. In fact, it seems to be the general consensus that the first two to three are the strongest before the series seems to slowly fall downhill from there.

Of course, not everyone believes that The Outsiders slows down at all.

This fan was reminded of a particular scene (that we’ll leave out for those who haven’t seen it yet) and said it inspired them enough to revisit the series for a rewatch.

Some fans made sure to recommend another great adaptation, Mr. Mercedes, and we know what we’re doing this weekend now.

For those who haven’t seen The Outsider, the synopsis for the miniseries reads as follows:

“Set in a small Georgia town, Outsider follows the investigation of the horrific murder of a young boy. Detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn) arrests Terry Maitland (Bateman), the local high school baseball coach, after overwhelming physical evidence connects him to the crime.”

You can also read The Outsider by King before tuning in on HBO Max and don’t forget to check out Mr. Mercedes next. There’s nothing like a great Stephen King binge-a-thon to really kick off your weekend.

About the author

Ashley Marie

Ashley Marie is a staff writer, beat leader, Disney fanatic, and Yellowstone expert. When she’s not filling her friends in on all the entertainment news they can handle, she’s drinking her go-to Starbucks order — a caramel macchiato, thank you — and wishing she was at Disney World or spending time at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. With a focus on positivity and kindness in journalism, Ashley has been writing for a decade and hopes to keep bringing you articles for decades to come.