They don’t call him the master of horror for nothing: Stephen King has managed to write some of literature’s most acclaimed and beloved pieces of the last fifty years. He’s consistently cranked out hit after hit, stopping only briefly due to a terrible car accident that nearly killed him. He’s only had a few missteps, somehow maintaining an excellent bibliography over the course of his career as a novelist. Naturally, as with any successful book, there’s a great need for those books to be turned into movies: they demand to be seen on the big screen, and studios know that audiences will show up for his stories. Some of those adaptations turned out to be flops, but many of them ended up toeing the line between as just as good or sometimes better than the source material from which they came.
The Shining
Even though King himself doesn’t care too much for the changes that Stanley Kubrick made to his source material, there’s no denying that his rendition of The Shining is as good as it gets. The movie stands alone, allowing King readers and non-readers alike to come and enjoy the film without having to read the book first. Not to mention, it’s genuinely creepy and truly affecting.
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Stand By Me
Many might not know that King is responsible for one of the best coming-of-age movies of all time, mainly because it’s not so much a horror story as it is a realistic tale about growing up and facing the harsh realities of the world outside your bubble. It’s touching, endearing, and really funny, thanks to Rob Reiner’s knack for the dramatic comedy genre.
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Misery
In a story that feels a little too close to an anxiety of Stephen King’s, Misery tells the story of a writer who gets injured in a car crash and is taken in by a crazed fan who won’t let him leave. The broken legs don’t help his case, preventing him from escaping, and her psychosis makes persuasion or reason impossible. It’s creepy and, honestly, pretty realistic—it’s not hard to imagine something like this happening, especially with how often people get arrested for stalking the celebrities they love so much.
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Carrie
One of De Palma’s strongest films also happens to be one of the best King adaptations yet. This 1976 adaptation (we’re not talking about the 2013 version, although that one really isn’t horrible—just not as good) of King’s 1974 novel hits all the right beats, managing to be horrific and heartbreaking in the same breath.
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It
Whether you’re a die-hard defender of the miniseries or the recent feature film adaptations, it’s fair to say that both renditions of Stephen King’s classic scary clown story are pretty good (and pretty creepy). Pennywise the Clown has made countless readers and watchers afraid of circuses and birthday parties alike, and I’m sure both adaptations are equally responsible for that.
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The Dead Zone
If King is the master of horror on the page, then David Cronenberg is the master of body horror on-screen. It was only a matter of time before the two made a movie together. Cronenberg’s Dead Zone movie, starring Christopher Walken, is a slow-burn story about a politician gone mad and a civilian who feels the supernatural need to stop him. Walken and Cronenberg are a dynamic duo, just like Cronenberg and King.
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The Green Mile
One of King’s most touching stories is The Green Mile. He released it Charles Dickens-style, one piece at a time over the course of six serialized installments. Frank Darabont, frequent King adapter and Walking Dead helmer, seized the opportunity to turn a good book into a good movie. Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan lead a great cast and tell a great story while they’re at it, too.
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The Shawshank Redemption
Another one of King’s more dramatic works and another one of Darabont’s King adaptations, The Shawshank Redemption comes from a short story but, thanks to the movie, became something much bigger than that. Praised as one of the best movies of all time, not just one of the best King adaptations, the story follows two prisoners and the bond they share over a mutual appreciation for common decency.
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The Mist
Look: Frank Darabont clearly loves Stephen King. This is his third adaptation of one of King’s stories, and it’s one of the most horrific (with one of the most gut-wrenching endings) in either one’s history. You’ll have to check it out yourself because to say any more would be to ruin the film.
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Gerald’s Game
Mike Flanagan, known for his strong independent horror films, has seemingly found his niche: Stephen King books. He’s got an adaptation of Doctor Sleep coming down the pipeline as of this writing thanks to a stellar version of the strange Stephen King novel Gerald’s Game. The story follows a husband and wife in the midst of foreplay when one dies, leaving the other handcuffed to the bedpost. It’s a scary thought and an even more suspenseful film.
This movie is not available on Amazon.
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