Stephen King’s MISTER YUMMY is Headed to the Big Screen With HOUNDS OF LOVE Director Ben Young
Stephen King’s vast library of stories continues to fuel Hollywood’s appetite for horror, and now another one of his lesser-known tales is getting the feature film treatment.
Mister Yummy, a short story from King’s 2015 collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, is officially being adapted into a movie with Australian filmmaker Ben Young attached to direct.
The project marks an exciting new chapter for a story that blends supernatural horror with emotional themes, offering something a little different from the monster-driven scares that many fans associate with King’s work.
Mister Yummy centers on Ollie Franklin, a charming resident living in an assisted care facility. After the death of another resident, Ollie begins experiencing unsettling visions that force him to revisit parts of his life he’d rather leave buried.
As memories, regrets, and supernatural elements begin colliding, he finds himself facing long-hidden truths before time runs out.
Young is co-writing the screenplay with Troy Abruzzise, with producers Aimee Schoof, Isen Robbins, and Megan Freels Johnston of Intrinsic Value Films onboard alongside Josh Kesselman and Thomas Mahoney.
For Young, the opportunity to bring a Stephen King story to life is something that carries a lot of personal significance. The filmmaker shared:
“Stephen King was one of the first authors I ever read religiously, so getting to work on something that came from his imagination is a genuine honour.
“What I love about Mister Yummy is that the horror is inseparable from the humanity. It’s creepy, moving, character-driven, and exactly the kind of movie I’d line up to see.
“It’s also the first feature I’ll direct that I’ve also written on since Hounds of Love, so helping shape the script into the kind of Stephen King film I’d want to experience myself has been a real joy.”
That passion for the material could be exactly what makes this adaptation stand out. While King’s stories often deliver terrifying concepts, Mister Yummy leans heavily into character and emotion, exploring aging, mortality, and unresolved pieces of the past through a supernatural lens.
Young first made a major impression with Hounds of Love, the acclaimed crime thriller that premiered at the Venice Film Festival and earned nine AACTA Award nominations, with Emma Booth taking home a win for her performance.
He later moved into larger-scale genre projects, directing Netflix’s sci-fi thriller Extinction starring Michael Peña and Lizzy Caplan, followed by the Southern Gothic thriller Devil’s Peak, which featured Billy Bob Thornton, Robin Wright, and Jackie Earle Haley.
Mister Yummy has the ingredients to become one of the more intriguing King adaptations currently in development.
There’s no word yet on casting or a release date, but for fans of Stephen King movies, this is definitely one to keep an eye on.