Best Stephen King movies ranked: The top 10 adaptations ever made

Directed by David Cronenberg and starring Christopher Walken, The Dead Zone is a chilling, slow-burning thriller that tends to slip under the radar when compared to King’s more infamous blockbusters – but this one packs a haunting punch. Walken’s unforgettable performance as a man cursed with psychic visions makes this film an eerie dive into the moral burden of fate. While not an outright ‘horror’, it’s masterfully unsettling and considered a masterpiece by many die-hard King fans.

A short story adapted from King’s audiobook collection Blood and Smoke (1999), 1408 tells the tale of a skeptic trapped in a haunted hotel room, with a gripping performance by John Cusack emphasising this film’s eeriness. The character’s harrowing descent into madness is a masterclass in tension and psychological thrill, coupled with a few strategically placed jump scares that serve the plot, rather than cheapen it. It’s a meditation on guilt and grief, with a peppering of ghosts and Samuel L. Jackson – what more could you want?

2007 was a big year for King adaptations – and hands up if anyone else watched this one way too young? The Mist is a bleak descent into fear and desperation, following locals trapped in a supermarket as a mysterious fog begins to blanket the town, quickly spiraling into a nightmare of Lovecraftian terror. The film balances abject creature feature fear with the more sinister collapse of human civility, all set within the claustrophobic confines of the store. The gut-wrenching ending was also a departure from the book, with Stephen King praising director Frank Darabont’s change of direction as “so anti-Hollywood – anti-everything, really!”

Adapted from King’s 1996 serial novel, The Green Mile stars Tom Hanks as a prison guard during the Great Depression in Louisiana, who forms a relationship with a death row inmate who possesses supernatural healing powers. Less a scare so much as a sorrowful elegy, the film’s meditative pacing and exploration of themes like justice and mercy creates an intensely weighted watch that lingers long after the credits roll. The role of inmate John Coffey was actor Michael Clarke Duncan’s breakout role, and it’s easy to see why he was nominated for an Academy Award for his heartbreaking portrayal.

While some staunch Stephen King fans much prefer the Tim Curry-led ‘90s miniseries, 2017’s It became a modern box office juggernaut, introducing new generations of frightened teens to one of horror’s most iconic monsters and spawning both a sequel and an upcoming spin-off series, It: Welcome to Derry. Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of Pennywise – a chilling, cosmic predator masquerading as a clown – is both as frightening as it is bizarrely theatrical. Through the heartfelt bond of the Losers Club’s band of misfits, the film manages to skillfully balance coming-of-age nostalgia with visceral horror, which is no easy feat.

In her baby pink prom dress covered with pig’s blood, Sissy Spacek’s portrayal of Carrie White became not only the ultimate Halloween costume, but also one of the most unforgettable figures in horror history. Carrie is a timeless tale of teenage torment and unleashed wrath, following a shy outcast who becomes a psychic force of nature at her high school prom. A cornerstone of horror cinema that launched a multiform franchise, including four films and a Broadway musical, Carrie remains nearly unbeatable in its generational impact and enduring popularity.

Directed by Rob Reiner and anchored by a career-defining performance from Kathy Bates, Misery is a tense psychological thriller that strips horror down to its most intimate form. Based on King’s 1987 novel, the film follows bestselling author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) as he’s held captive by an obsessive fan, Annie Wilkes, whose chilling unpredictability launches a nightmare of control and survival. Kathy Bates earned an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Annie, and it’s not hard to see why; her masterful balance of both warmth and menace deliver a tightly-paced terror that doesn’t need flashy scares to be truly terrifying and utterly memorable.

Based on King’s novella The Body (1982), Stand by Me is a poignant coming-of-age drama that transcends typical genre boundaries. The film follows four boys in 1950s Oregon, who embark on a journey to find the body of a missing boy. Narrated by an adult version of one of the boys (Richard Dreyfuss), the story reflects on childhood friendship and the grief that comes with growing up. Also starring River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton, the now-cult classic film launched the careers of many iconic ‘80s child stars and remains one of King’s most enduring and deeply human adaptations.

While King’s original novel is a tragic supernatural horror about abuse and redemption, Stanley Kubrick made notable departures from the source material when he made The Shining, crafting a cerebral psychological horror fronted by a more unhinged leading man. Jack Nicholson’s legendary performance as the axe-wielding patriarch has become the stuff of horror legend, not to mention Shelley Duvall’s emotionally fraught portrayal of his wife Wendy. Kubrick’s unsettling visuals and meticulous direction make up for his deviation from the novel for many horror fans, with The Shining enduring as one of the most influential and unsettling horror films ever made.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, The Shawshank Redemption is based on King’s novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982) and directed by Frank Darabont, who would later direct The Mist. The film follows the decades-long bond between two prison inmates: Andy Duresne (Tim Robbins), a wrongfully convicted banker, and Ellis “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman), a long-time convict who narrates their story. Though far from a scare-laden horror, the film captures a different kind of darkness, rooted in injustice and isolation. The film remains unforgettable for the profound sense of redemption at its core, and stands as an ode to the beauty of humanity.