Stephen King's Upcoming Survival Horror Is The Revenant Meets Blair Witch

Published Jul 19, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. Warning: Includes a mild spoiler for The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. Stephen King might have earned the title "the king of horror," but this does not do him justice, as many of Stephen King's best books are not horror at all. Some are terrifying, but many lack the supernatural elements and shapeshifting monsters that he has become known for. While the adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption is a cinematic masterpiece, Stephen King has a surprisingly bad box office record, which could explain why most adaptations of his work have taken fewer risks and leant into recreating the horror stories that made his writing career, like Mike Flanagan's upcoming Carrie TV series. That said, the 2025 movie based on King's dystopian survival story The Long Walk has received positive reviews and an 88% positive Rotten Tomatoes score, which is an encouraging sign for one of the other upcoming Stephen King adaptations, which is a different kind of survival story. In The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, nine-year-old Trisha gets lost in the woodland during a trip with her family. What follows is a terrifying psychological test of endurance and courage, as she begins to hallucinate while trying to escape something stalking her. With Trisha stumbling through the woods in what may or may not be circles at one point, the story's simplicity is what makes it so effective. Like The Blair Witch Project, very little happens in terms of action, and yet it is bone-chilling. Both leave the supernatural possibility open to interpretation, with the survival aspect being disturbing enough. The deep and visceral terror that comes from fighting for survival deep in the wild is what also makes The Revenant work so well, and the movie shares one of its most gruesome moments with The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Reveals One Of Stephen King's Underrated Talents Stephen King has written some of the most iconic horror TV monsters of all time, but he has a more subtle talent that may not be apparent to people who have only been familiar with his supernatural books. King finds the horror in everyday people and situations, taking a seemingly innocent theme and turning it into nightmare fuel. A passionate fan becomes a sadistic captor in Misery. A lovable dog becomes a rabid monster in Cujo, and a romantic getaway becomes pure body horror in Gerald's Game. Tom Gordon is a real baseball player, better known by his nickname, "Flash." The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon makes horror out of Trisha's desperation to survive, with a grotesque scene involving a raw fish that rivals Gollum's Return of the King moment. The title refers to Trisha's favorite baseball player, who she begins to talk to as she grows increasingly weak. King is a master of psychological horror without needing literal monsters, with the nature of what is stalking Trisha being revealed at the last moment, yet still being open to interpretation. If done well, this sets the movie up to be one of the best recent survival thriller movies. What We Know About The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon's Upcoming Adaptation While the legendary zombie movie director George A. Romero was once in talks to direct an adaptation of the 1999 book, plans stalled and Romero passed away without any development on the movie. Production was briefly revived with Romero's production company taking on the project, but it appeared to hit development hell. As of 2025, Lionsgate optioned the rights to the movie, with JT Mollner as both writer and director. As Mollner wrote the screenplay for The Long Walk, he is likely to be a great choice for another Stephen King survival story. This would be the book's first onscreen adaptation, and it may be one of King's more adaptable works, without the need for extensive CGI. Of the two essential co-performers, one is a bear, and The Revenant has proven that one can be horrifyingly realistic without needing a real bear. The other is Tom Gordon, who is retired, but a fan of the book, making the possibility of a cameo likely. Of all the Stephen King books that still deserves an adaptation, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon may have the most potential after The Long Walk's success.