Devoted fans in Athens of acclaimed author Stephen King and his many memorable yet gut-wrenching tales will have the chance to see adaptations of some of his works on the big screen. The Athena Cinema, located 20 S. Court St., is currently showcasing a new series titled “Enter the Kingdom,” which includes 10 films that were brought to life from the pages of ten different Stephen King stories.
Locals and students attending will see a special selection of films on the big screen. The curated series of films shows some of King’s best work.
The Athena Cinema has planned to show one film from the series every Tuesday starting Jan. 20 and will conclude March 31. Two films in the series have been shown thus far.
One of the two films already shown was Brian De Palma’s “Carrie” (1976) starring Sissy Spacek as the lead role and John Travolta co-starring as Billy Nolan. The following week saw the arrival of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980), which stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers and Danny Lloyd.
Eight films remain in the “Enter the Kingdom” series. In the order planned to be presented by The Athena Cinema include George A. Romero’s “Creepshow” (1982), David Cronenberg’s “The Dead Zone” (1983), John Carpenter’s “Christine” (1983) and Rob Reiner’s “Stand by Me” (1986) to round out the month of February.
In March, audiences can expect to see Mary Lambert’s “Pet Sematary” (1989), Rob Reiner’s “Misery” (1990), Frank Darabont’s “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) and lastly Darabont’s “The Mist” (2007) to conclude the series March 31.
The list of films and the schedule of when they will be released is available to see on The Athena Cinema’s website. Admission for each film in the series is $8.
The last time The Athena Cinema focused on a specific filmmaker was January 2025. “Let’s Do Lynch” showed some of filmmaker David Lynch’s best films, including “Blue Velvet” (1986) and “Mulholland Drive” (2001).
It was a smart decision by those at The Athena Cinema to not only bring that series back but also create an entirely new one. “Enter the Kingdom” has the potential to be just as impactful, if not even better, for audiences in Athens.
With 10 different films, most of which were made from the perspectives of different filmmakers, this series is exactly what The Athena Cinema needs to get people in theaters and enjoy some examples of classic cinema.
The cherry on top is these films owe their existence to the creative mind of King, who has proven himself to be one of the most influential writers of his generation.
