Sinister Director Scott Derrickson To Direct Adaptation Of Stephen King's The Breathing Method

Ethan Hawke in Sinister
(Image credit: Lionsgate)

While I didn't like Scott Derrickson's latest film, Sinister, because of its overdone plot, it's actually a very competently directed movie. Even when the story wasn't bringing the scares, the filmmaker was able to create a terrific, creepy atmosphere using smart camera placement and movement. He seems to have a knack for horror and just needs a proper story to tell. Well, he's going to one of the masters of the genres to find one.

Deadline reports that Derrickson is reteaming with Blumhouse, the production company behind Sinister, to direct an adaptation of Stephen King's The Breathing Method. The story was featured in King's 1982 collection titled "Different Seasons" and, according to the source, is the "only story in the volume that hasn’t been adapted" (examples include The Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, and Stand By Me). The story is told by a character named Dr. Emlyn McCarron who recounts an experience during the 1930s when he helped a young woman give birth to an illegitimate child. The name of the story comes from a book that Dr. McCarron wrote about helping women through childbirth, which is how the main female character in the story comes to find him.

Blumhouse, which is owned by producer Jason Blum, is also known for producing the Paranormal Activity series. While the company will likely spend more on their adaptation of the King story than they have on some of their most recent productions (Sinister only cost $3 million), Deadline says that it's unlikely the budget will go above $20 million. They've already gotten the option on the story and Scott Teems is working on the screenplay, but financing has not been found yet.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.