Mark Pavia's Stephen King Horror Anthology Reveals Title And Story Descriptions

Hollywood loves a good literary adaptation, but few authors are as beloved as Stephen King. Starting with Brian Da Palma's Carrie in 1976, the master of horror has seen literally dozens of his works translated for film or television by the likes of John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Frank Darabont, and Stanley Kubrick. Now four more of his tales are about to get the silver screen treatment, as Mark Pavia prepares his horror anthology film The Reaper's Image. Find out more about the stories after the jump.

Dread Central (via First Showing) reports that two of the stories to be featured in The Reaper's Image were selected by Pavia, while the other two were chosen by King himself. Read their descriptions below:

The Reaper's Image:

This story was first published in Startling Mystery Stories in 1969 and collected in Skeleton Crew in 1985. The story is about an antique mirror haunted by the visage of the Grim Reaper, who appears to those who gaze into it. This was King's second professional sale and commercially published story.

Mile 81:

A novella by Stephen King, released exclusively as an e-book on September 1, 2011. With the heart of Stand By Me and the genius horror of Christine, Mile 81 is the chilling story of an insatiable car and a heroic kid whose worlds collide at an abandoned rest stop on the Maine Turnpike.

N.:

The story of a psychiatrist who falls victim to the same deadly obsession as his patient — an obsession that just might save the world! N. was published in King's collection Just After Sunset in 2008. In March 2010 Marvel Comics published the first issue of a comic book adaptation of N., a four-issue limited series.

The Monkey:

A short story first published in Gallery magazine in 1980 in the form of a small removable booklet. It was significantly revised and published in King's collection Skeleton Crew in 1985. The story centers on a cymbal-banging monkey toy that is possessed by an evil spirit. Every time the monkey claps its little cymbals together, a nearby living thing dies. The monkey is found in a family's attic in an old toy chest by two young brothers, unknowing that their father had been tormented by the monkey years ago, when it worked its lethal enchantment on his family and friends.

While I haven't actually read any of these stories, this seems like a nicely varied collection that includes both King's earlier stories and his later ones. A start date for the film has yet to be announced, but we'll be keeping an eye on Pavia's Facebook page for updates.