Stephen King & Ron Perlman's Forgotten Adaptation Is One Of Streaming's Biggest Hits

Published Oct 15, 2026, 10:53 AM EDT

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Stephen King and Ron Perlman's forgotten adaptation has become one of streaming's biggest hits, 20 years after it was originally released. King's movie adaptations have made him a decades-long juggernaut on the big screen, something that continues to the modern era. From classic horror movies like Carrie and The Shining, the newer films like the IT duology and The Life of Chuck, King's work has dominated the big screen for years. But he's also no stranger to TV film adaptations, including for some of his biggest works, like IT starring Tim Curry.

One of his lesser-known TV movie adaptations is Desperation. A 2006 TV film based on King's 1996 novel of the same name, Desperation sees several individuals traveling through the Nevada desert get stopped and kidnapped by Sheriff Collie Entragian, portrayed by Perlman. They are brought to the town of Desperation, which they soon learn is under the thumb of the dark entity Tak, which currently has control over the Sheriff. The survivors of his onslaught must work together not only to escape, but to defeat the entity that's trapped them there.

Desperation Is A Hit At The Perfect Time

Now, Desperation has found its way back into the spotlight decades after its initial TV broadcast. According to data from October 15, 2026, Desperation is the Number 9 movie on Prime Video in the United States. This puts it above the 2020 horror thriller Underwater, while placing it just below John Wick: Chapter 4 in the rankings. Its arrival in the Top 10 is rather surprising, considering how long it's been since the film was released, and it's a less talked-about installment in the larger Stephen King universe.

However, its success on Prime Video is arriving just in time for the Halloween season. What's more, the movie comes after another major TV release for King: the new Carrie TV show, an adaptation of his first ever novel, created by horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan. Desperation adds yet another adaptation of his work to the charts. It's a rather unique installment, too, considering Desperation isn't as well-remembered as some of his other work. It didn't score very high reviews either, having earned an audience score of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.

October Is Stephen King’s Month

The success of Desperation emphasizes how October 2026 is Stephen King's month. The success of the movie coupled with the Carrie TV show's release emphasizes how well he's been doing on Prime Video. However, he also released Other Worlds Than These on October 6, the third and final installment in The Talisman novel series, which he co-wrote with the late Peter Straub. The author has had a busy month, with the success of his once-forgotten TV movie only adding to the success that he's seen in recent weeks.

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With October only halfway over, there's no telling what other success King may be afforded as the month continues. The King of Horror is clearly still a household name for everyone on screens big and small, and in the pages of his new books. It's the kind of development that emphasizes his success as a horror creative, with Desperation uniting him and Perlman in an unlikely way that is getting a second shot at life thanks to streaming.