Secret Window

In Stephen King's novella Secret Window, Secret Garden, a popular author is haunted by a mistake in the past (plagiarism) and his ex-wife's infidelity. His distraught state of mind is severe enough to bring on delusions and homicidal insanity. Although the film adaptation follows this basic primese, there are several differences which ultimately make the film more watchable.

The story's central character, Mort Rainey, trades in a cat, Bump for a dog, Chico, in the film. This change works for the screen, giving Rainey a sounding board for his initial thoughts and musings. The secret window referenced by the title is in the cabin rather than Rainey's main house, which allows for a simpler reference point for his memories.

Although his actual plagiarism (as opposed to the fantasized one involving John Shooter) is only vaguely referenced in the film ("it was only the one time!"), it is an important aspect of the book. Its inclusion in the film, however, would probably only have muddied the water of the storyline.

The film replaces the landlord character with a PI - a large, scary one at that. His job is to protect Rainey from Shooter, but of course the two never meet.

Shooter's ultimate demand in the novella is that Rainey write a story for him, and publish it under the name Shooter ("fair is fair and right is right") In the film, he demands that Rainey "fix the ending", which Rainey ultimately does, by killing Amy and her new man. This is a dramatic change from the book, where Rainey is shot by an insurance investigator while trying to kill Amy. The film also points out the similarity between "Shooter" and "Shoot her". A subtlety that, if it was implied by the novella, I missed.

It's ironic that this stranger demands Rainey 'fix the ending', as King has often been criticized for his lack of strong conclusions. It is doubly ironic that the film improves upon this story's ending, in particular.