Coming of age movie Stand By Me, based on King’s novella The Body, is one of his most loved movies, and having been released 35 years ago it has gone on to inspire references in many other movies and TV shows including The Simpsons, who featured it in their Treehouse of Horror series, and more recently Stranger Things, which pulls very strongly from the King vibe.
Stand By Me became the movie that everyone would reference when looking at Phoenix’s tragically short career, thanks to his commanding performance as leader of the central group of kids.
Three and a half decades on, the performances, the story and legacy of Stand By Me is perfectly intact and if anything has only grown over the years.
The movie became an instant classic on its release, primarily due to the performances by its young leads, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix.