Stephen King champions his son's vampire novel over the TV adaptation

Stephen King is plugging a vampire story, and it’s a family affair. Per /Film, the horror maestro took to Threads to recommend the novel “NOS4A2,” written by his son, Joe Hill.

King called the TV series based on the book “cool,” but argued the 2013 source material is the real prize, describing it as “incredibly tense & scary.” The story centers on Vic McQueen, a young woman whose psychic abilities put her in the crosshairs of a soul-sucking villain named Charlie Manx.

The series, which aired on AMC for two seasons beginning in 2019, made significant changes. It aged up the protagonist and injected teen drama not found in Hill’s original work. The adaptation starred Ashleigh Cummings as Vic and Zachary Quinto as the villainous Manx.

King acknowledged his bias upfront but stood by his take. Hill has said his novel is, in part, a response to his father’s classic “It.” King later returned the favor by referencing Manx in his own book “Doctor Sleep.”

While the show earned decent reviews before its 2020 cancellation, King’s final advice is clear: skip the screen and pick up the page.