Summer is here and it’s a great time to avoid the heat with a Monster Miniseries Marathon in the cool of the A/C with the King of Horror, Stephen King. Stephen King’s works have been adapted for many formats, but the miniseries seems to be one of the most preferred. We’ve selected four Stephen King miniseries to help you beat the heat with horror’s chill.

First is one of the lesser-known Stephen King miniseries, The Langoliers (1995). This redeye flight from hell has a great ensemble cast and a fun throwback to the early usage of computer graphics for the titular Langoliers. It’s a lighter miniseries than the rest of our recommendations, so it’s great after a day of mind-melting summer heat.

Next is the first adaptation of Salem’s Lot (1979). Even with late 70s disco-era fashion and haircuts, this vampire story is chilling, making it a perfect selection for a blistering hot day. You’ll be thinking of cool, dark basements, and the cold stare of Mr. Barlow, our vampire terrorizing Salem’s Lot, instead of the heat outside. This story is so popular that it’s had a sequel and other adaptations, but nothing beats the original.

Third, we have IT (1990), which boasts an incredible cast of child and adult actors as our Loser’s Club, being menaced by the horrifying Pennywise the Clown, played by Tim Curry. This is a miniseries about more than just a scary clown; it’s about facing down your childhood trauma. Be advised: while summer is a great time to get in the water, just because Pennywise says, “We all float down here,” doesn’t mean you should join him in the cool of the sewer.

Our final selection is The Stand (1994). This epic four-part miniseries is perhaps Stephen King’s best, and at minimum, is a fantastic adaptation of King’s personal favorite of his novels. With an incredible ensemble cast and expertly chosen musical selections, The Stand (1994) is King at his finest.

We hope these selections will help you beat the heat with an excuse to while away the hours indoors, watching some epic and scary Stephen King miniseries. While we don’t see the format as often anymore, there was a time when the miniseries was King. It’s only fitting that it was often used by the King of Horror, Stephen King. We hope you enjoy this trip down miniseries memory lane in this week’s Video Store Podcast.

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