Stephen King Recalls the Time He Hugged Rob Reiner After Seeing “Stand By Me”

Living in Maine, you grow up with Stephen King stories the way other places grow up with folklore. His settings feel familiar because, in many ways, they are. That’s why his recent reflection on Stand by Me — and on the man who helped bring one of his most personal stories to life — hits a little harder up here.

King wrote this week that he has only ever penned one “nakedly autobiographical” story rooted squarely in his own childhood reality on the dirt roads of southern Maine. That story was “The Body,” published in 1982 and later transformed by Rob Reiner into the 1986 coming-of-age classic Stand by Me.

Reiner, 78, and his wife Michelle, were found dead Sunday at their Los Angeles home. Authorities say their son, Nick, has been charged in connection with their deaths. The news left King, by his own words, stunned and grieving.

In a New York Times op-ed, King recalled seeing Stand by Me for the first time in 1985 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Reiner, nervous about King’s reaction, left him alone to watch it. When the film ended, King was overwhelmed — so much so that he hugged Reiner, surprising them both, then ducked into a bathroom stall to pull himself together.

Though the movie was set in Oregon, King said Reiner got it right. The friendships, the awkwardness, the fear, and the ache of growing up all rang true. The leech scene? That really happened — just not to Gordie Lachance. It happened to Stephen King.

For Mainers, Stand by Me has always felt personal. It captures that moment when childhood slips away, when dreams begin to tug against reality. King saw himself on the screen, and thanks to Reiner, the rest of us did too.

As King wrote in a recent tribute, “Rest in peace, Rob. You always stood by me.” Up here in Maine, we understand exactly what he meant.