A new Stephen King TV show tells a standalone story but also reimagines many narrative elements from one of the most celebrated takes on the horror author’s work. The two Stephen King adaptations in question have no direct connections with one another but still seem similar in terms of how they approach their thematic elements.
Some Stephen King adaptations, like Stand By Me, The Shining, and The Green Mile, have etched themselves in the history of cinema and will always be remembered as the best adaptations of the author’s works. Others, in contrast, have struggled to capture the terrors and emotional weight that define the King of Horror’s works.
Speaking of emotional weight, a non-horror movie based on a Stephen King story is often touted as one of the greatest films ever made. Interestingly, a new adaptation of King’s work seems to share many intriguing parallels with the highly acclaimed film, despite belonging to a significantly different genre.
Despite Its Supernatural Elements, The Institute Feels A Lot Like The Shawshank Redemption
Both Stories Dabble With Themes Surrounding Freedom, Resistance, and Captivity
While The Institute falls into Stephen King’s long line of horror novels, The Shawshank Redemption is among his few non-horror stories. Despite this, the two share many intriguing parallels. For instance, similar to The Shawshank Redemption, The Institute begins with a character finding themselves in captivity despite not committing an actual offense.
…Despite facing dire situations, both Luke from The Institute and Andy from The Shawshank Redemption remain rebellious and stand tall against immoral forces.
Main characters from both end up in a highly oppressive institute, where they and their fellow prisoners struggle to hold on to hope. However, despite facing dire situations, both Luke from The Institute and Andy from The Shawshank Redemption remain rebellious and stand tall against immoral forces.
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The Institute Review: This Enthralling Stephen King Adaptation Is Way More Than An X-Men & Stranger Things Clone
MGM+’s adaptation of The Institute translates the tension and mystery of Stephen King’s novel nicely, albeit with a few mixed moderations.
Both characters put their intelligence to good use as they carefully and patiently devise a long-term escape plan. The authorities in both subject the imprisoned characters to dehumanizing conditions, but they still manage to hold on to their humanity and find family behind bars. With so many similarities between the two, it is hard not to see The Institute as a sci-fi spin on The Shawshank Redemption.
The Institute Shares Many Narrative Parallels With Several Other Stephen King Stories
It Adopts One Of The Most Common Tropes From Stephen King’s Novels
Many recurring tropes can be found across several Stephen King stories. Among them, the one that seemingly appears the most is children with supernatural abilities. The Institute‘s narrative is primarily driven by children with superpowers, who are experimented on by a shady organization.
Stephen King’s Firestarter tells a similar story, where an organization called The Shop injects individuals with a drug to give them supernatural powers. Even in The Shining and Doctor Sleep, characters possess telekinetic abilities labeled as the titular “shining.” A similar trope is also adapted in Stephen King‘s Carrie, The Dark Tower, Tommyknockers, and even The Stand.
