Before He Was Famous, Stephen King Tried to Be a Film Critic in Colorado

It’s no secret that perhaps the most famous horror author of all time, Stephen King, has a lot of ties to the state of Colorado. His novels The Shining and The Stand are both set in the Centennial State; he lived in Boulder for a while, and most famously, had a terrifying stay at The Stanley Hotel, an experience that inspired the story that would become The Shining.

Get our free mobile app

However, it was recently revealed that while he lived in Boulder as a struggling novelist, King applied for a job as a film critic for a local newspaper.

Stephen King Could Have Been a Colorado Film Critic

On September 10, 1974, Stephen King sent a letter to The Daily Camera, the principal newspaper in Boulder, offering to write movie reviews for the publication.

The letter made mention of his first novel, Carrie, which was published the previous April, as well as the novel he was working on at the time, tentatively titled Jerusalem’s Lot, though that would later be shortened to Salem’s Lot.

Attached to the letter were reviews of two films, one that was playing at a theater in Boulder and another that was set to be shown in the future, and King offered to write reviews for films showing at Boulder’s Fox Theater, Boulder Theater, and Basemar Twin. The former two aforementioned theaters are presently popular music venues.
King proposed the idea for him to write movie reviews a couple of times a week and, hilariously, stated that he works “for cheap.”

Despite his best efforts, King didn’t get the job, but instead continued to write novels and short stories, some of which became big movies.

Read More: Unfinished Business: Stephen King's Abandoned Stapleton Airport Story

Check out the full story and read King’s entire letter here.