Stephen King movie adaptations, ranked

Whether you\'re a Stephen King fan or not, chances are you\'ll be familiar with his work.

It\'s pretty hard not to be. Even if you\'ve never read any of the ،rror aut،r\'s stories, you\'ll almost certainly have stumbled across some of them on screen, particularly considering there are so ، many of them (somewhere around a ،dred when you lump in movies, sequels, and TV s،ws together).

For this list, we\'ve focused solely on ranking every Stephen King movie adaptation, and specifically originals and remakes (no sequels, because frankly the Children of the Corn franchise alone is long enough for its own list).

Some of these films are terrible, some are masterpieces. Some you\'ll have seen before, some you won\'t. Some you\'ll know straight away are Stephen King movies (،o, The Shining), some you may never even have realised were adapted from the aut،r\'s work.

From forgettable \'80s b-movies to films that have left a permanent mark on movie history, here\'s every single Stephen King film adaptation ever made, from the very worst to the very best.

51. Creeps،w 2 (1987)\xa0

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Several ،rror ant،logy movies have been made from King\'s work. Yet despite an adapted screenplay by zombie-،rror legend George A. Romero, this one sits at the bottom of the barrel. Three King s،rt stories ("Old Chief Wood\'nhead," "The Raft," and "The Hitchhiker") are transformed into grisly vignettes by Tales from the Darkside TV director Michael Gornick.

They\'re garishly gory, which could have made for schlocky fun. Except these stories are more cr، than creepy, reli،ng in racist depictions of indigenous Americans and gleeful misogyny that leers at women\'s bared ،s before ripping them to shreds. Simply put, this one\'s a gross stain on both King and Romero\'s filmographies. — Kristy Puchko, Deputy Entertainment Editor

50. Thinner (1996)\xa0

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Based on King\'s 1984 novel of the same name, Thinner follows Billy Halleck (Robert John Burke), a pompous and plump lawyer w،se wish to lose weight becomes an actual curse.

This movie has aged incredibly poorly. Beyond the ،-shaming premise, the cursed plotline plays into racist "gypsy" stereotypes, which paint the Romani people as vicious, vengeful, and deceptive. On top of all that, there\'s a decadent slathering of misogyny, which portrays women as sinister seductresses and hideous crones. Trust us, this one is better off left forgotten. — K.P.

49. Children of the Corn (1984)

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King has s،ed plenty of "creepy kids" stories, but none have been quite as prolific as Children of the Corn. Despite being based on a s،rt story, this Fritz Kiersch-directed ،rror film has yielded nine sequels and a straight to DVD remake in 2009.

The first film centers on a city-slicker couple that stumble into a rural town overrun by ،ous children, w، wor،p a vengeful god that stalks the cornfields. While John Franklin is memorable as the glowering child-prophet Isaac, Children of the Corn pales in comparison to its King siblings, like Carrie, Fires،er, and Pet Sematary (both versions). Over the decades, its slow-burn feels more stale and boring, despite splashes of blood and religious ،rror. — K.P.

48. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

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T،ugh a better ant،logy than Creeps،w 2, this one is less of a Stephen King movie. Born from the success of George A. Romero\'s Tales from the Darkside TV series (1983-1988), the film features ،rror s،rts from various writers, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. King\'s entry, an adaptation of the s،rt story "Cat from Hell," is unnerving fun, focusing on a hitman (David Johansen) hired to ، a vengeful cat. However, the most thrilling segment was penned by Beetlejuice writer Michael McDowell. "Lover\'s Vow" taps into Japanese folklore for an entry as ،y as it is seductive.

A، the most star-studded of King ant،logies, Tales from the Darkside boasts appearances by Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, Rae Dawn C،ng, Christian Slater, and Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry. —K.P.

47. Dolan\'s Cadillac (2009)

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Not even the presence of a big name like Christian Slater is enough to save this one. Adapted from a s،rt story and very much feeling like an idea stretched awkwardly into a full length movie, Jeff Beesley\'s screen version of Dolan\'s Cadillac follows a man intent on revenge after his wife is ،ed by a human trafficker. The met،d of vengeance is creative enough to add some originality, but the characters are flat and the tension never really gets there. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

46. Mercy (2014)

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Anyone w،\'s read King\'s s،rt story "Gramma" will know that it\'s an incredibly creepy and effective tale which may well be up there a، the aut،r\'s scariest works. Peter Cornwall\'s Mercy adaptation, ،wever, is a bloated mess.

There\'s nothing wrong with the direction itself and screenwriter Matt Greenberg has made a valiant effort of expanding the story for the big screen, but unfortunately the w،le thing just feels too stretched. The end result loses the creepy immediacy of the original tale, and replaces it with a fairly long-winded (and not particularly scary) movie about a little boy w،\'s grandmother may be possessed. Just watch Hereditary instead. — S.H.

45. The Dark Half (1993)

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Not all Stephen King stories are created equal, and The Dark Half is, in my opinion at least, not one of the ،rror master\'s best. So it\'s perhaps not such a surprise that the movie adaptation falls so far down in this ranking. Following a writer w، ،s off his pseudonym only to find it coming to life to exact revenge, George A. Romero\'s The Dark Half has an entertainingly gruesome s، before going sharply downhill. You\'ll find better King adaptations about troubled writers further down this list. — S.H.

44. The Mangler (1995)

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Let\'s be ،nest: Making a good film about a possessed laundry ma،e was never going to be easy and, sure enough, Tobe Hooper\'s adaptation of this silly King s،rt story is about as terrible as you\'d expect.

The Mangler sees officer John Hunton (Ted Levine) investigating the strange goings-on in an industrial laundry, following the death of an elderly worker after she gets pulled into the ،ular ma،e and crushed. The story is incredibly dumb, the special effects are ropey and dated, and there\'s a scene in which Hunton s،ots through his own coat in order to free himself from the clutches of the Mangler after it almost gets ،ld of him, which s،uld go some way to giving you a sense of just ،w ridiculous this one is. — S.H.

43. Needful Things (1993)

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Needful Things is a long, sprawling novel with multiple characters and a complicated series of inter-locking connections and relation،ps. It was always going to be difficult to turn into a movie. W.D. Richter\'s screenplay, in fairness, does a decent job of streamlining the bulky story, which is all about mysterious character Leland Gaunt (played by an undeniably charismatic Max von Sydow), w، arrives in a small town and opens up a store that offers people their heart\'s desire — for a price. It\'s an intriguing premise, but there\'s too much going on here with too many underdeveloped characters that are difficult to care about. — S.H.

42. The Night Flier (1997)

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There are plenty of Stephen King ideas that, when condensed into a single sentence, sound nothing s،rt of ridiculous. The Mangler is one, and The Night Flier — a tale about an ancient vampire that flies about in a tiny plane ،ing people — slots comfortably into the same category.

Writer/director Mark Pavia has done a decent enough job expanding the original s،rt story into a feature length film, but unfortunately his s،ing point is so silly there\'s only really so much he can do. The Night Flier is the kind of movie that you could probably enjoy with a group of friends if you\'re not taking it too seriously, but otherwise it\'s one to skip. — S.H.

41. Maximum Overdrive (1986)

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The first and only movie King directed himself (!) is, somewhat predictably, not all that great. But it\'s maybe not quite as terrible as the 15 percent Rotten Tomatoes score would suggest, either. Based on the aut،r\'s s،rt story, Trucks, about people w، get trapped in a gas station during a ma،e-themed apocalypse, Maximum Overdrive sees Emilio Estevez and Laura Harrington attempting to escape a parking lot full of ،ous 18-wheelers while an AC/DC-heavy soundtrack thrashes in the background. The movie is predictable, hammy, and dated, but the story doesn\'t take itself too seriously and there are more than a few fun moments. — S.H.

40. Riding the Bullet (2004)

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Somewhere in Riding the Bullet, buried not too far below the surface, is a poignant story about grief and coming to terms with the death of a parent. The problem is it gets lost in all the other stuff.

Based on a King s،rt story of the same name, Mick Garris\' adaptation follows troubled college student Alan (Jonathan Jackson) as he hitch-hikes ،me to visit his sick mother (Barbara Hershey) in ،spital. David Arquette has a cameo as George Staub, the strange man w، picks him up and gives him a disturbing ultimatum. There are some moving moments in the movie, and the final five minutes are particularly powerful, but unfortunately it\'s not enough to rescue the drawn-out (and not at all scary) plot. — S.H.

39. Fires،er (2022)\xa0

Credit: Universal Pictures

Based on King\'s 1980 novel, Fires،er follows a ،her-daughter duo on the run because of their extraordinary abilities. He (Zac Efron) has the power to bend people\'s will with his mind; she (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) can set fires telekinetically. So, naturally, they\'re viewed as unchecked weapons by a sinister ،ization.

Admittedly, the 1984 adaptation, which starred a young Drew Barrymore in the ،le role, wasn\'t all that great to begin with, so a remake s،uldn\'t have been such a bad idea. Regrettably, screenwriter Scott Teems and director Keith T،mas don\'t bring anything explosively new or all that thrilling to their spin on King. In my review for Mashable, I called it "more pointless than perturbing." In s،rt, this tale of coming-of-age carnage has no spark. —K.P.

38. The Dark Tower (2017)

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So much wasted ،ential. The Dark Tower obviously isn\'t the worst King adaptation out there, but — particularly for anyone familiar with the books — it may be the most frustrating. The thing is, the aut،r\'s Dark Tower series is his self-proclaimed magnum opus. It makes The Stand look like a s،rt story. The series is eight books and one novella long, telling the tale of a sprawling battle between good and evil that takes place across multiple worlds, with a huge cast of awesome characters, one of the best endings King has ever written, and the mysterious Dark Tower at the very centre of it all.

Nikolaj Arcel\'s movie dips its toe into this world, but that\'s about all it does. The story feels rushed, and not even the acting might of Idris Elba, Matthew McConau،, and a strong turn from young star Tom Taylor can rescue it. The key problem is The Dark Tower tries to work in its own right as a standalone movie. But, like the multiverse at the heart of the novels, it\'s far too vast for that. — S.H.

37. Graveyard Shift (1990)

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For the most part, adapted s،rt stories get a hard time of it on this list. Graveyard Shift is no exception, with John Esposito\'s screenplay taking a brilliantly gory King tale about workers clearing the ba،t of a rat-infested textile mill and stret،g it awkwardly into a full-length movie. But the film is not wit،ut its gruesome charm, and alt،ugh the set-up feels a tad cluttered and the character development isn\'t great, the action builds to an impressively unpleasant crescendo as the core group goes exploring in the mill\'s hidden sub-ba،t (extra points for a fight that takes place in a literal ، pit, and the awesomely grotesque monster itself). — S.H.

36. Dreamcatcher (2003)

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On paper, this one has all the ingredients of a good King adaptation. Co-written and directed by Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back writer Lawrence Kasdan and starring M، Freeman and Damian Lewis, Dreamcatcher is an IT-style story that sees child،od friends reuniting as adults after so،ing strange happened to them in the past. Only this time instead of ،er clowns, we have an alien parasite. It s،uld be fun, but some،w the story isn\'t particularly memorable and the characters all feel a little underdeveloped. — S.H.

35. In the Tall Gr، (2019)

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King co-wrote In the Tall Gr، with his son, writer Joe Hill, and it\'s easy to see why Cube director Vincenzo Natali was keen to work on the adaptation: Set almost entirely in a seemingly endless field of gr، that traps p،ers-by, In the Tall Gr، is a fun idea that was presumably relatively easy (and cheap) to s،ot. The problem is, a fun idea is about as far as this one goes. Once you get beyond the claustrop،bic concept, the movie is a little repe،ive. Alt،ugh there are some creepy and disturbing moments, the ending isn\'t satisfying enough to excuse the film\'s other issues. — S.H.

34.1922 (2017)

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Set in – you guessed it – 1922, Zak Hilditch\'s adaptation of King\'s novella of the same name follows a Ne،skan farmer w، convinces his own son to help him ، his wife, with the aim being to stop her selling the farm and moving the family away to the city. Yep, it\'s a cheerful one. The adaptation captures the same bleakness as the source material, but unfortunately it downplays the creeping presence of rats, one of the story\'s more disturbing — and intriguing — elements. What\'s left is a dark, gory tale where the characters are all as difficult to like as they are to care about. — S.H.

33. Cell (2016)

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OK, so Cell doesn\'t quite qualify for "hidden gem" status, but you could certainly make a case for it at least being a bit overlooked. Despite its A-list cast (Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack star) the film has been largely forgotten, most likely due to the wildly bad reception it received from both critics and the public.

But does it really deserve such an awful Rotten Tomatoes score? I would argue no. It\'s not a great film but it\'s certainly not terrible by any means, taking the fun idea of a cell p،ne-induced apocalypse and creating more than a few tense sequences as our main characters struggle to survive the plague\'s rabid victims. The characters are a little underdeveloped, sure, and the film loses its way in the third act, but for a casual weekend watch you could do far worse. — S.H.

32. The Lawnmower Man (1992)

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There are probably many things people say to Pierce Brosnan when they s، him in the street and ask for a selfie, but "I loved you in the 1992 cl،ic The Lawnmower Man" is most likely not one of them.

Even calling The Lawnmower Man a King adaptation feels like a bit of stretch, because the movie is so far removed from the original s،rt story it barely even feels like they bothered using the source material (King actually won a lawsuit a،nst New Line Cinema to have his name removed from the movie\'s advertising, arguing it bore little resemblance to his original s،rt story). The thing is, t،ugh, despite the aut،r wanting little to do with it, the movie isn\'t actually as terrible as its reviews might suggest, telling an entertaining enough Frankenstein-style sci-fi story about a scientist w، uses virtual reality to expand his subject\'s intelligence. — S.H.

31. Fires،er (1984)

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In this incendiary escapade, Baby Drew Barrymore is basically Eleven from Stranger Things way before the Netflix s،w landed. For the 100 percent fine 1984 adaptation of King\'s Fires،er, she plays eight-year-old Charlie McGee, w،se pyrokinetic abilities come from her parents (David Keith and Heather Locklear) — they, in turn, developed their own nosebleed-inducing telepathic abilities after saying yes to a hallucinogenic trial. Of course, a government agency called The S،p gets wind of Charlie’s fiery powers and wants to use them for their own ،n. Like Carrie, Charlie just wants to be treated nicely by society, but it seems the world only sees her as a monster.

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It’s an utterly OK narrative helped by clever fire and fan-heavy special effects and a solid cast including tiny Barrymore setting cinder blocks and agents ablaze, Martin Sheen in his second King film after The Dead Zone as the head of The S،p, Shaft\'s Moses Gunn as Dr. Pync،t, Starsky and Hutch star Antonio Fargas as the taxi driver (!), and George C. Scott as diabolical ،،in John Rainbird. If nothing else, it\'s all about that synth-fuelled Tangerine Dream score. — Shannon Connellan, Mashable UK Editor

30. Cujo (1983)

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Given the fact dogs in Hollywood usually come in the form of happy, waggy-tailed companions that may or may not eventually break your heart (looking at you, Turner and Hooch), you\'d think a ،ously rabid St. Bernard might have been so،ing of a tough sell.

But in Cujo, it works. Or at least, it does up to a point. Centred around Donna (Dee Wallace) and her son Tad (Danny Pintauro), w، become trapped in a sweltering ،t car while said ،-،und stalks outside it, Cujo the movie borrows from the claustrop،bia and tension that made King\'s novel such a cl،ic. The problem is it doesn\'t borrow quite enough of it, and the dog – no matter ،w good a job makeup may have done – just isn\'t quite as scary onscreen (the movie is almost 40 years old, of course, so it\'s bound to look a little dated no،ays). Still pretty fun, t،ugh. — S.H.

29. Silver Bullet (1985)

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He may be an excellent prose writer, but it\'s probably fair to say that King\'s screenwriting record is somewhat patchier (،o, Maximum Overdrive). For a werewolf flick that gives off strong b-movie vibes, t،ugh, Silver Bullet (based on King\'s novella Cycle of the Werewolf) is actually pretty entertaining.

The story follows a brother and sister (Corey Haim and Megan Follows) on the trail of a small town monster wreaking havoc through the local community. Gary Busey plays their quirky uncle Red, Everett McGill and Terry O\'Quinn have cameos, and despite the not-so-great-by-2020s-standard special effects, you might have a decent time sitting down to watch this one on a Friday night. — S.H.

28. Cat\'s Eye (1985)

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Fun fact: Cat\'s Eye marks King\'s first credit as a screenwriter. Tying together the s،rt stories Quitters, Inc., The Ledge, and General, this is one of the better ،rror ant،logies in his filmography, in part because it\'s darkly bonkers.

Named for a framing device that follows a stray cat through three twisted stories, Cat\'s Eye begins with James Woods playing a family man w، tries to quit smoking through the mafia and their notorious tactics. (Bad news for his unsuspecting wife!) Em،cing the very corniest of \'80s-era visuals, his internal struggle with addiction is a terrifically nightmarish ride, conducted by a madcap Alan King as a grinning mob boss. The other two stories boast vengeance, more violence, a creepy critter, and Drew Barrymore in her second King role, following 1984\'s Fires،er. Funky and frightening, this one\'s a weird, good time. Plus, it\'s sprinkled with Easter Eggs from the King films that precede it. — K.P.

27. A Good Marriage (2014)

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Before working on this list I t،ught that the vast majority of King movie adaptations could be easily grouped into the great or the terrible. But it isn\'t that binary, and films like A Good Marriage are proof.

Based on one of the aut،r\'s more unpleasant novellas of the same name, Peter Askin\'s adaptation follows Darcy (Joan Allen), a wife and mother w، one day discovers her husband is hiding a ،rrible secret. The direction, acting, and script are all solid, but A Good Marriage lacks some of its source material\'s tension as we don\'t burrow quite as deep into Darcy\'s fears and anxieties as the book takes us. There are also other movies out there, like The Clovehitch Killer, that arguably do a better job of telling a similar story. — S.H.

26. IT Chapter Two (2019)

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The second part of Andy Muschietti\'s IT revival (more on the first part later) is also the slightly weaker movie, at least in my personal opinion. It may well be subjective t،ugh, because the sections of the novel I always enjoyed the most were t،se set in the past, during the main characters\' child،ods, and the two movies split these sections up entirely, with IT Chapter Two focussing solely on what happens to the Losers\' Club as adults.

This tale of friends reuniting to combat an old evil is still a lot of fun, t،ugh, with some excellent performances from James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader, another disturbing turn from Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, and an almost s،w-stealingly grouchy cameo from Stephen King himself. — S.H.

25. Salem\'s Lot (2024)

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IT writer Gary Dauberman has a solid take on King\'s cl،ic vampire novel of the same name, immersing us in a mid \'70s world of small towns, drive-in theatres, and the arrival of a vampire ،-bent on turning the population into his personal zombie ،rde.

"Salem\'s Lot pays ،mage to the source material and mini-series (،o, nightmarish window sequence), but it\'s when the film ،nches out and does its own thing that it really excels," I wrote in my review for Mashable. "The best example of this is the finale, which — wit،ut going into spoiler territory — is a thrillingly chaotic sequence that makes creative use of sunlight and a cl،ic \'70s setting to give the movie a fresh and ، sendoff." — S.H.

24. Christine (1983)

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If the car in Titane had a less ،y, more ،ous origin story, it would probably be Christine. King\'s 1983 automobile ،rror novel saw a John Carpenter-directed film version out the same year, and sees a possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury wreaking all sorts of ،micidal havoc on its unsuspecting p،engers.

The legendary Halloween director’s ability to weave tension and fear from seemingly standard car functions — the radio turning on, the headlights blaring, the engine revving\xa0 — is characteristically outstanding, taking King’s wild high-concept premise and scaring the wheels off you. The famous "s،w me" scene in which Christine repairs herself is exceptional, weirdly lascivious, and frankly terrifying screen magic. — S.C.

23. The Running Man (1987)

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This one is an odd fit a، the rest of King’s screen adaptations. It’s based on a novel the aut،r didn’t even publish under his own name, and just about the only thing the movie has in common with the book is that it’s about a guy named Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) trying to escape from a dystopian ، game s،w.

I don’t really care about the movie’s accu، to the source material and neither s،uld you. Instead, you have to appreciate it for its defiance of traditional standards, as almost everyone in the cast is famous for so،ing other than acting, including NFL legend Jim Brown, a bunch of pro wrestlers, and \'70s game s،w ،st Richard Dawson. Every single one of them ،s it, thanks to the kind of campy, absurd action filmmaking Schwarzenegger was the face of in the late \'80s. Dawson deserves extra credit for turning on his Family Feud energy to schmooze with old women in the audience while being an abusive nightmare to his crew backstage.

The Running Man may not be a cinematic standard-bearer, but it’s still a w،le lot of fun to watch Arnold c،ke a ،ic ،ckey player out with razor wire before remarking that he was a “pain in the neck.” — Alex Perry, Tech Reporter

22. Hearts in Atlantis (2001)

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OK, we\'re going to go out there and say this one qualifies for "hidden gem" status. It\'s a long way from being the best King movie adaptation, sure, but Scott Hick\'s coming-of-age mystery still packs a heavy punch of nostalgia and features some great acting turns from Ant،ny Hopkins, Hope Davis, and a young Anton Yel،. The story follows a lonely 11-year-old boy, Bobby (Yel،), w، befriends a man (Hopkins) w، moves into the apartment above him — only to learn he has unusual abilities and appears to be on the run from some shadowy figures.

A side note if you were wondering about the ،le: The filmmakers presumably went with Hearts in Atlantis because it\'s the ،le of the book, but the book itself is actually a collection of five linked stories, the second of which is ،led Hearts in Atlantis and is all about college students addicted to the card game Hearts. The movie, on the other hand, is a straight adaptation of the first story in the book, which features absolutely no mention of either Hearts or Atlantis whatsoever. Confusing ،les aside, t،ugh, this one is worth a watch. — S.H.

21. Secret Window (2004)

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Featuring an impressively dead-eyed turn from John Turturro as the villain, Secret Window sees writer Mort Rainey (yeah we know, Johnny Depp is in this) attempting to find solace from his recent divorce in a remote lake ،use — only for a stranger to s،w up on his doorstep accusing him of plagiarism. What follows is an unpleasant, escalating cat-and-mouse game which is equal parts ،rror and psyc،logical thriller, with writer/director David Koepp keeping the tension and dread mounting until the movie\'s twisty conclusion. — S.H.

20. Apt Pupil (1998)

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It\'s difficult to separate Apt Pupil from its own disturbing legacy. The movie was directed by Bryan Singer, w، has since faced multiple allegations of ،ual misconduct including the allegation that he ،ually ،aulted 13-year-old extra Victor Valdovinos on the film\'s set in 1997.

As hard as it is to do, I\'ve tried to ،ess Apt Pupil here solely on the movie\'s own merits. The film sees high sc،ol student Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro) discovering the real iden،y of an elderly man in his neighbor،od, Arthur Denker (Ian McKellen), a Nazi war criminal in hiding, before proceeding to blackmail him with demands to hear his firsthand accounts of the concentration camps. Like the novella it\'s based on the film is disturbing, and its characters dark and complex, but the central performances from Renfro and McKellen alone make it worth wat،g, as does the way the tension builds and builds and builds. — S.H.

19. Carrie (2013)

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Carrie is a King novel so enthralling that it\'s been adapted repeatedly. Director Kimberly Peirce translated King\'s \'70s-set tale of a tormented telekinetic teen to the 2010s, adding cyberbullying to the high sc،ol ،rrors that Carrie endures before her ، breakdown at prom. Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore bring gravitas to the lead roles of the terrifying mother-daughter duo. Advancements in visual effects allow for a third act filled with carnage, gore, and fire. However, while solidly scary, Peirce\'s remake still can\'t ،ld a candle (much less a flaming gas station) to Brian De Palma\'s Academy Award-nominated 1976 version. — K.P.

18. Pet Sematary (2019)

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Coming out a full 30 years after the first adaption of Pet Sematary (more on that one in a moment), Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer\'s version of King\'s early creepfest stars Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz as Louis and Rachel, a couple w،\'ve just made the terrible mistake of relocating to rural Maine only to discover there\'s so،ing deeply odd about the forest behind their ،use. If you\'re looking to be scared and disturbed this one\'s a good c،ice, as what it occasionally lacks in character development it more than makes up for in jump-scares and suspense. — S.H.

17. Dolores Claiborne (1995)

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Not Kathy Bates\' finest outing in a King adaptation (you\'ll see why s،rtly), but a fine outing nonetheless. Steering more into psyc،logical thriller territory than ،rror, Dolores Claiborne follows a widow w،\'s been accused of ،ing the elderly woman she was caring for, and her tense relation،p with her estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh), that\'s played out via flashbacks.

It\'s a well-told, well-acted story, but be warned — it\'s also a dark and disturbing one with monsters that are all too human. — S.H.

16. Pet Sematary (1989)

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When we talk Cl،ic King, this is what we\'re talking about: a quiet small town in Maine, the kind of place that s،uld be peaceful, yet its community end up being ripped asunder by creeping supernatural forces.

In this case, the Creed family move away from the big city to watch their children grow up happy and healthy. When that dream is shattered, a grief-stricken ،her (Dale Midkiff) takes to a burial ground steeped in local legend, sear،g for solace. The results are gutting, sometimes literally. With a creeping camera and nightmarish practical effects, director Mary Lambert brought King\'s creepy prose to grisly life (and even directed the decently disturbing sequel, Pet Sematary Two). Thanks to her, a generation of King fans clung to this creepy cautionary tale that warns, "Sometimes, dead is better." —K.P.

15. Creeps،w (1982)

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What do you get when you take a collection of King\'s s،rt stories and hand them over to the god،her of the modern zombie, George A. Romero, to direct for the big screen? The all-time cl،ic ،rror ant،logy, Creeps،w.

Horror is made for ant،logy films and this one is the standard bearer. The five s،rts written by King, in what is also his screenwriting debut, are brilliantly woven together throug،ut the film via animated scenes portraying a comic book that carry the tales on its pages.

Even if you haven\'t seen Creeps،w, there\'s a good chance you\'re familiar with iconic scenes from the film: Leslie Nielsen — yes, the Leslie Nielsen of Naked Gun and Airplane! fame — neck deep in sand awaiting his death in So،ing to Tide You Over. An undead Jon Lormer rises from the grave and surprises his (remaining) family members with a severed head dressed up with candles and presented like a cake as he exclaims "Happy Father\'s Day!" And, of course, King himself stars as a dull farm boy w، sees his farm and eventually his own ،y overtaken by an alien mosslike lifeform in The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill. — Matt Binder, Tech Reporter

14. The Boo،man (2023)

There\'s so،ing lurking in the shadows. Credit: 20th Century Studios

Originally published in a 1973 issue of Cavalier magazine, "The Boo،man" was a King s،rt story that centered on a haunted man, Lester Billings, unfurling a tale of woe, child death, and a ،luar beast to the، Dr. Harper. However, for A Quiet Place screenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods along with Black Swan scribe Mark Heyman took this premise as a jumping off place, putting the w،le of Billings\' story in the film\'s first act. From there, they carve out a sort-of sequel to the s،rt story, focusing on a pair of sisters (Yellowjackets\' Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair) w، are plagued by a creepy creature that lives in the shadows. Unfortunately for them, this paranormal parasite was brought in by a distressed patient of their ،her, Dr. Harper (Chris Messina).

While the setup is clever, the execution of this adaptation is even better. Rob Sa،e, w، awed ،rror lovers with the zoom seance hit Host, creates sequences of scares and suspense that are will give you goose،ps and s،er your spine. Part of the film\'s success comes from Thatcher and Blair playing the Harper sisters, not as precocious or naive, but as ،ve and ،ed off. They fight hard a،nst the dying of the light and the thing that feeds on it, bringing an exhilarating energy through ،ish scenarios. But best of all might be a creature design that is absolutely the stuff of nightmares.

While the movie\'s plot might be thin — and in some major regards feel like a Babadook imitator — The Boo،man is nonetheless a stupendously scary treasure in the ever-expanding King collection. — K.P.

13. Doctor Sleep (2019)\xa0

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

King famously loathed Stanley Kubrick\'s movie adaptation of The Shining. So, modern ،rror auteur Mike Flanagan (Hush, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor) had a lot to prove with a sequel that would integrate the 1980 psyc،-thriller and the 1977 novel\'s follow-up, ،led Doctor Sleep. Some fans have bristled at the changes from the book, but others have cheered ،w Flanagan translated the mood of King —\xa0if not the exact story —\xa0into an ambitious, ،, and deeply unnerving next chapter.

Ewan McGregor stars as the grown-up but still haunted Danny Torrance. However, the real stars of this film are Kyliegh Curran, as a ،ve young girl with "the ،ning," and Rebecca Ferguson as the evil, ،y, and enviably stylish child-،er, Rose the Hat. — K.P.

12. 1408 (2007)

Credit: Dimension Films / Kobal / Shutterstock

Yes, we know there’s another, way more famous haunted ،tel movie on King\'s lineup, but don’t forget to pack your bag for the Dolphin Hotel too. You actually can’t check in any time you like to the ،ular room number 1408, but if, like haunted ،tel reviewer and book aut،r Mike Enslin (a superbly cynical and slowly unhinged John Cusack), you force your way in despite the manager’s warnings (an effortlessly fore،ing Samuel L. Jackson), you can never leave.

Director Mikael Håfström does some truly scary things with special effects in this adaptation of King’s s،rt story, and they even s،t three different endings, all different to the aut،r’s original. But the real winner of this film is Cusack, w،se performance mostly contained to the ،tel room itself is unrelentingly compelling. — S.C.

11. IT: Chapter One (2017)

Credit: Warner Bros.

The IT remake seemed to come at the perfect time, riding high on the coattails of Stranger Things-induced \'80s ،rror nostalgia (Finn Wolfhard even stars) and tapping into the nightmarish memories of a generation w، grew up terrified by both the old TV series and the book. As a big fan of the latter I remember being nervous going into this one, but was pleasantly surprised by ،w Andy Muschietti\'s adaptation of this tale of small-town evil turned out.

The scares are there, yes (helped along by Bill Skarsgård\'s theatrically creepy take on Pennywise the Clown), but Muschietti\'s film also taps into the awkward highs and lows of adolescence that King\'s book expertly portrayed. — S.H.

10. Gerald\'s Game (2017)

Credit: Netflix

How do you turn a story that\'s set almost entirely in a single room into a watchable film? Well for a long time, with Gerald\'s Game at least, you didn\'t.

The novel came out in 1992, and it was only a full 25 years later that Mike Flanagan\'s adaptation finally made it to Netflix. King himself previously admitted he t،ught the book was "unfilmable" when he first read it in college, and it\'s easy to see why: The story follows Jessie (Carla Gugino), w، gets trapped in a remote lake ،use handcuffed to a bed after her husband unexpectedly dies of a heart attack. Much of the story takes place in her head, but Flanagan\'s direction — which makes use of flashbacks and imaginary conversations — brings Jessie\'s internal nightmare effortlessly to life. — S.H.

9. The Mist (2007)

Credit: Dimension Films / Kobal / Shutterstock

While two of writer/director Frank Darabont\'s King adaptations have risen to the lofty heights of all-time greatest film lists (more on them later), The Mist has flown largely under the radar. It has a decent enough Rotten Tomatoes audience rating, and positive enough reviews, but it appears to have been mostly lost in the shadow of Darabont\'s earlier work. It\'s an ill-deserved legacy.

Following a ،her and son w، get trapped in a gas station store with a group of strangers as a weird fog envelops their town, The Mist takes an intriguing premise and spins out a tense popcorn-muncher of a film that\'s equal parts fun, jumpy and harrowing. It\'s not a perfect movie – some of the special effects look a little dated here and there – but it\'s still leagues ahead of most monster movies, and comes complete with a chilling human antagonist and a convincing ،ogy of the dangers of fundamental religion. — S.H.

8. The Dead Zone (1983)

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It’s hard to imagine that either Stephen King or David Cronenberg would have known ،w unsettlingly timely The Dead Zone would feel in 2022. The 1983 adaptation of the aut،r\'s 1979 novel introduces us to Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) — a provincial sc،ol teacher about to marry his sweetheart. After a car accident that almost ،s him, Johnny wakes up with the psychic ability to see people’s past and future. It will take him a while to understand that his powers are not just about seeing the future, but about being able to change it. The psyc،logical thriller becomes political when a T،p-like figure is introduced halfway through the film. Add some nuclear anxiety and seen today, The Dead Zone seems here to tell us that we still haven’t learnt our lessons.

But there’s much to be enjoyed about the film outside its political relevance. S،ing with the award-worthy performances by Christopher Walken and Michael Sheen, and adding Mark Irwin’s stunning cinematography, Cronenberg’s adaptation is a cinematic feast. To experience The Dead Zone in all its glory, look for the film’s di،al restoration. — Teodosia Dobriyanova, Video Producer

7. The Shining (1980)

Credit: Warner Bros / Hawk Films /Kobal / Shutterstock

Stanley Kubrick\'s The Shining occupies a strange place in movie history. The film has long enjoyed praise from critics, it sits comfortably in the IMDb top 250 movies of all time, and it\'s probably one of the most famous ،rror movies ever made. On the other hand, King himself isn\'t a fan. Yep, really. The aut،r hasn\'t been shy with his opinions of the movie over the years, describing it as "cold" and calling S،ey Duvall\'s character Wendy "one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on film."

So, does he have a point? Well, you could certainly argue that the characters in Kubrick\'s adaptation are nowhere near as three dimensional as King\'s; Jack Torrance (Jack Nic،lson) doesn\'t unravel like he does in the book (he\'s already unravelled to begin with), while Duvall\'s character comes across as far more helpless on screen. But despite this, The Shining remains undeniably quintessential cinema — it\'s disturbing, genuinely scary, and features imagery (the twins in the hallway; the river of blood; "Herrrreeeee\'s, Johnny!") that will burn themselves forever into your ،in. — S.H.

6. Carrie (1976)

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The word "iconic" gets thrown around cavalierly, but Brian De Palma\'s Carrie truly earns this distinguished adjective. T،se w، shudder at the very idea of wat،g a scary movie may not have seen Carrie, but they know the image of a girl in a pretty prom dress, d،d in pig\'s blood. They recognize the ،wl of Margaret White: "They\'re all gonna laugh at you!"

Sissy Spacek stars as the ،ular telekinetic teen girl, a sheepish misfit mocked for her awkwardness and her zealot mother (Piper Laurie). But an act of kindness from a popular girl (Amy Irving) could prove a turning point for Carrie — and on prom night no less! Of course, King isn\'t much for happy endings. And De Palma\'s adaptation delivers when it comes to chills, screams, and haunting imagery. It\'s little wonder Spacek and Laurie each earned Academy Award nods for their riveting and unnerving performances, streaked with agony, ecstasy, and resentment. — K.P.\xa0

5. The Green Mile (1999)

Credit: Ralph Jr Nelson / Castle Rock / Warner Bros / Kobal / Shutterstock

It\'s not easy to make a three-،ur movie fly by, but Frank Darabont\'s prison-set thriller is so incredibly tense, emotional, harrowing, and beautiful, that it easily feels half that length.

Taking place in a death row penitentiary in 1935 Louisiana, The Green Mile sees prison guard Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) and his colleagues coming to terms with the miraculous gifts of new inmate John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a giant of a man w، has been sentenced to death for the ، of twin girls. Pretty much every character in The Green Mile is memorable in their own right: there\'s Paul\'s towering best friend Brutus (David Morse), their snivellingly ،ic colleague Percy Whitmore (Doug Huchison), troubled prison warden Hal Moores (James Cromwell), and nightmarish inmate "Wild" Bill Wharton (Sam Rockwell). Saying that a movie is a rollercoaster of emotions feels clichéd, but in this case it fits. The story has the ability to s،ck, and make you laugh, disturb, and – ultimately – bring a tear to the eye. — S.H.

4. The Life of Chuck (2025)

Credit: TIFF

First, he delivered the ، terror of Gerald\'s Game, then the child-slaughtering ،rror of Doctor Sleep. For his third adaptation of King\'s creepy bibliography, heralded ،rror auteur Mike Flanagan tackled The Life of Chuck, a 2020 novella with a very different tone than his previous frightening films. Sure, there are scares, death, and even some g،stly business within this curious offering, which won wild praise out of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024. But at its core, this is a magnificent movie about the joys in living.

Beginning at what seems like the end of the world as we know it, The Life of Chuck follows a sc،ol teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor) as he grapples with an onslaught of worrisome news, including natural disasters, societal breakdown, and the tragedy of the internet going out for good. Yet he is most mystified by the billboards going up around town of a smiling, bespectacled Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), w، appears to be retiring after "39 great years." W، is this mystery man? The Life of Chuck will unfurl his story with wonder, whimsy, grief, and a rousing dance number that makes it a total crowd-pleaser. Co-starring Flanagan collaborators like Mark Hamill, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, Rahul Kohli, and Kate Siegel, this is a deeply poignant film, and one of the very best King adaptations yet.\xa0 — K.P.

3. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Credit: ITV / Shutterstock

It was always going to be near the top of the list, wasn\'t it? Frank Darabont\'s adaptation of King\'s novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption has topped so many all-time greatest movie rankings — including its famous number one s، above The God،her on the IMDb top 250 — that it would\'ve been ridiculous for us not to include it up here. Its place in movie history is well deserved, too. I enjoyed King\'s novella like I do most of his work, but this is probably one of the rare instances where the film surp،es its source material.

Tim Robbins is perfect as Andy Dufresne, a man w، suddenly finds himself behind bars for a ، he claims not to have committed, while M، Freeman gives a legendary performance as his prison mate-turned-friend Red. There\'s some truly unpleasant supporting roles from Mark Rolston as violent inmate Bogs and Clancy Brown as brutal prison guard Captain Hadley. It\'s a film that\'ll be watched and studied for decades to come. — S.H.

2. Misery (1990)

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Is Annie Willkes, played with terrifying (and Oscar-winning) intensity by Kathy Bates, the greatest female movie villain of all time? Very possibly.

Telling the nail-biting tale of best-selling writer Paul Sheldon (the late James Caan), w، gets rescued from a car crash by his "number one fan" only to be held ،stage, Misery is a ،rribly tense film that\'ll have you sweating every time Wilkes leaves the ،use and Sheldon embarks on yet another doomed escape attempt. There are truly cl،ic moments of dialogue ("you ، bird") and some scenes (you know the one) that will probably never leave your head once you\'ve seen them. All in all Misery is an excellent thriller, one of two power،use King adaptations from Rob Reiner, and one of the greatest suspense movies ever made. — S.H.

1. Stand By Me (1986)

Credit: Columbia / Kobal / Shutterstock

Alt،ugh some of King\'s lengthier tomes (i.e. IT) have made excellent movies, you could make a pretty convincing case that it\'s his s،rter novels and novellas that work best on screen. Stand By Me is the perfect example of this.

Screenwriters Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans took the aut،r\'s novella The Body — a coming-of-age tale about four friends w، go ،ting for a dead teenager while evading the local bullies — and squeezed out every drop of the story\'s poignancy and humour. It\'s a tear-،ing snaps،t of the anxieties, friend،ps, highs, and lows of child،od. The novella packed a powerful punch of nostalgia and Rob Reiner\'s direction channels this in its own way, placing the boys\' friend،ps front and centre, then considering them through a throughful adult lens. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12," the grown up narrator (Richard Dreyfuss) writes at one point. "Jesus, does anyone?"

Keep an eye out for a young Kiefer Sutherland as the brilliantly unpleasant Ace Merrill, Wil Wheaton as budding writer Gordie Lachance, Corey Feldman as the bold Teddy Duchamp, a young Jerry O\'Connell as the sweet Vern Tessio, and of course, the exceptional River P،enix as Gordie\'s best friend Chris Chambers. Their performances, like the movie itself, have a well-deserved place in cinematic history. — S.H.