How A Fredericton Filmmaker Is Adapting Stephen King 

Mike Stafford was working at a group home when he saw an ad for the New Brunswick 48 Hour Film Competition. This competition is a great way for aspiring filmmakers to spend two days creating a short film.

Mike had no background in filmmaking before this, but took the chance and signed up anyway. Which proved to be a wise decision. 

This decision eventually led to a series on Amazon Prime, called StrongSide (which is also the name of his film company), an award-winning short film, and now a chance to adapt a short story from the king of horror himself, Stephen King. 

As a part of his dollar baby program, Stephen King sells the rights to some of his short stories for only $1. Although the program has since ended, Mike acquired the rights for The Last Rung on the Ladder before the cut-off. 

The Last Rung on the Ladder first appeared in King’s 1978 short story collection, Night Shift. The story centers on brother and sister Larry and Kitty. The first part focuses on a dangerous game played as children in the hayloft of their barn, and the second on the suicide of Kitty. 

Mike says that he didn’t want to cut the film exactly like the short story. As a writer, he wanted to put his own twist on it, and while he drew from the elements of the original story, there are parts that are unique to this adaptation. 

In June, the filming took place over three grueling days with a crew of approximately 50 people. Mike raised $4000 for the film through crowdfunding, stating that there are no grants you can get for adapted works in New Brunswick. 

“When you don’t have a lot of funds, you need to be strategic with your money and with your time,” says Mike. He also mentions the importance of having a crew that you trust, which is why Mike works with many of the same people for different projects. 

To help Mike with his goals of ensuring that everything looked realistic on a small budget, he reached out for help, giving Marc Deveault a call. Marc worked with Mike on another project, and has also done make-up and special effects for major productions such as X-Men: Apocalypse, and other Stephen King adaptations, like The Mist, and Big Driver.

The catch with The Dollar Program is that participants cannot use the works for profit. Starting in the fall when the short film is released, Mike intends to submit them to different film festivals. 

As for the future, he says he has plans and hopes that New Brunswick will eventually become a movie making hub like Nova Scotia, who are now seeing major productions in their province. 

“Nova Scotia is getting huge shows,” says Mike. “We can capitalize on that and build infrastructure here in New Brunswick.” 

Mike is a great example of a New Brunswick native who is turning up the heat. Adapting a Stephen King story is no small feat, and we can’t wait to see how it turns out.

We want to thank Mike for taking the time to speak with us about his project. Well, that’s it, another edition of the Northern Heat Report. The place you come to listen to the stories that have not yet been discovered.