Stand By Me True Story: Was It Inspired By Stephen King’s Childhood?
There's reason to believe that a plot point in Stand by Me (aka The Body) may have been inspired by a traumatic event from Stephen King's childhood. King is of course best known for his horror tales, which comprise the bulk of his work. However, King is by no means only adept at writing within the horror genre. On the few occasions he's stepped out of it, King has proven that his way with storytelling adapts just as well to any other form.
While movies like The Shining and IT are no doubt beloved, many of King's most acclaimed movie adaptations are of his non-horror work, with director Rob Reiner's 1986 film Stand by Me among that lot. A coming of age story centered on a group of four young friends who decide to go on a quest to see a real dead body, Stand by Me captures so much of what's great about King: his knack for tuning into the magic of close childhood friendships, his portrayal of the ups and downs of small town life, and a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality that usually manages not to be overly saccharine.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view. Start nowKing has made no secret of his love for Stand by Me, at one time calling it the best adaptation of his work ever made. Whether that still stands is unclear, as is just how much of Stand by Me is based on true events.
Stand By Me: Was It Inspired By Stephen King’s Childhood?
Stand by Me - and The Body, the Stephen King novella it's based on - was at least partially autobiographical, and was inspired by various memories from King's childhood. That's not in dispute, and is evidenced by main character Gordie Lachance already being a blossoming writer at a young age, much like King was. King was famously so touched when he first saw Stand by Me that he was visibly shaken. What's in question is whether Stand by Me's inciting plot point, a child getting hit and killed by a train was directly inspired by a real-life tragedy King witnessed.
As recalled by King, when he was 4-years-old, he went off to play at a friend's house, who lived near railroad tracks. An hour later, King returned looking a pale white, and was unable to speak for the rest of the day. King's mother then found out that his young friend had been hit by a train while playing on the tracks, and killed. While many have tried to suggest witnessing this horrific event is what unlocked King's macabre fictional sensibilities, he's steadfastly denied that claim, saying that he doesn't even remember seeing the other child die, just being told about it later.
Regardless of that, what remains unclear is whether the death of King's friend by train directly inspired him to write the train subplot in The Body, or whether it was just an unconnected thought. For their part, many fans believe the inspiration makes sense, and it's sort of become accepted lore, but King has yet to officially confirm or deny. Of course, there's always the possibility it inspired him on the subconscious level.
Source: screenrant.com