Since the publication of "Carrie" in 1974, Stephen King's been a consistent hot topic in horror circles. This slim saga of a girl tormented past the point of ever using her telekinetic powers for good landed like a bang, and from the start savvy readers could spot the influences King grew up with. Stories of dangerous mental abilities, vampires, and self-devouring societies quickly point to a childhood of wonderful pulp sci fi and horror, from cheapie Vincent Price classics to the works of "Twilight Zone" veteran writer, Richard Matheson.

It's an all consuming love for both the joy and goopy scares of the horror genre, but more visceral horror sometimes colors his work, too. The vague memories of a four year old King shape "The Body," as one of his friends was killed by a train, and it's not just his magnum opus, "The Dark Tower" that relived King's personal...