Most of Stephen King's books have not translated well into film. The first few movie adaptations of his work -- "Carrie," "The Shining," "Creepshow" and "The Dead Zone" -- are among the best of the bunch. Since then, the better King pictures often downplay the horror aspect ("The Green Mile," "Misery") and have included stories based on novellas ("The Shawshank Redemption").

		'SECRET WINDOW' Rating: PG-13 for violence/terror, sexual content and language. Players: Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton. Director: David Koepp.

"Secret Window" qualifies in both categories, being based on a short story and qualifying more as a psychological thriller than as a horror film. Director-screenwriter David Koepp gives us the requisite willies as we wait to see what happens next.

But wait we must, and Koepp never quite conquers the problem that "Secret Window" takes place largely on one set occupied by one man in the throes of writer's block -- hell, his whole life seems blocked, which explains why he spends much of his time sleeping on the couch in a ratty robe. Only the occasional jolts of nasty business keep us from wanting to join him.

And it doesn't help that, when we find out what's really going on, it turns out to be a plot device that we've seen before in a King movie. (I'm not telling which -- I'd hate to play spoiler.)

I will say that "Secret Window" may remind you of "Misery" in that it's about a writer being tortured, in a way, by a stranger who has read his work. Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) is accosted at his isolated house in the deep woods by a man who calls himself John Shooter (John Turturro), claiming Mort stole his story and, worst of all, changed the ending.

"Fix it. Make it right," Shooter says in a Southern accent as exaggerated as a fisherman's lament about the one that got away. Turturro's hick in "O Brother, Where Art Thou" seems downright sophisticated next to this black-garbed character.

Of course, Mort goes to the ineffectual sheriff (Len Cariou) and a private detective (Charles Dutton). He also tries to find an original copy of the story to prove that he wrote it before Shooter claims to have created it. But doing so means confronting his wife, Amy (Maria Bello), who's divorcing him after Mort caught her in bed with another man (Timothy Hutton).

Director Koepp has a knack for this kind of film, in which the routine of everyday life turns into something so sinister that you (or, at least, the people around you) think you're going mad. In his underrated thriller "Stir of Echoes," a working-class husband and father begins foreseeing all manner of calamities after being hypnotized as a lark. The setting couldn't be more grounded, but the character's increasing frenzy makes it seem threatening.

"Secret Window" benefits from the casting of Depp, who specializes in offbeat roles. For him, Mort seems almost normal, even with his blond hair flying off in all directions. We can tell he's a bit off in the first scene, where he seems to be giving himself advice and, to his regret, doesn't take it.

Until Shooter comes along, he seems bemused by his own sloth, which we know is motivated mainly by his personal life. He speaks to himself in witty asides (who else is he going to talk to?). As his paranoia runs rampant, we can sympathize, even if we wonder why he keeps returning to that dark, lonely house.

The alert viewer will figure it out before the movie tells us. At least it doesn't end conventionally, although the final shot involves an ear of corn, which may be more appropriate than anyone intended.