Best Stephen King Movies, Ranked

For every Stephen King novel or short story, you seem to find a breadcrumb trail of adaptations in its wake. There are so many movies, TV shows and miniseries, comic books, and stage plays based on his works, and all for good reason. The man knows how to write a damn good novel and scare the life out of you at the same time. That said, casual fans might not realize that King is also an incredibly warm master of character. It's no wonder that filmmakers everywhere want to try their hand at adapting his stories for the big screen!

While you might choose to rank King movies based on their accuracy to the books, you also should take into account. Firstly, this is an author who loves to let his stories breathe and has some real door-stoppers to his name. Two of his best books, The Stand and It, clear 1,100 pages! When it comes to translating these to a shorter runtime for film, readers should cut screenwriters and directors some slack. Second of all, many master filmmakers have tried their hand at King. So while we might want to see a direct adaptation of The Shining, it also doesn't hurt to view it as a purely Stanley Kubrick film.

Each of these picks is beloved for different reasons. They're terrifying, masterfully crafted, nostalgic, heartfelt, and sometimes all of the above. At the center of it all, we owe it to the King himself for introducing us to these sincere yet spooky worlds.

Here are our picks for the best Stephen King adaptations of all time:

12. 'The Green Mile' (1999)

Frank Darabont's third foray into King would only further cement him as the quintessential adapter of the author's works. The Green Mile follows the story of Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), the prison guard of a Southern jail who is on a mission to save a falsely accused, kind-hearted death-row inmate of his conviction after learning that he has the supernatural ability to heal people. While Hanks is fantastic as always, delivering one of his many iconic performances, it's Michael Clarke Duncan who steals the show here as John Coffey, a man who is sentenced to death after wrongly being accused of raping and murdering two young girls. This movie is the perfect recipe to make you cry your eyes out. It earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Duncan's beloved performance.

11. 'Dolores Claiborne' (1995)

There are a few individuals in Hollywood who just can't help but return to the world of Stephen King over and over again. Kathy Bates is one of them, returning to the author's works for a second time in Dolores Claiborne. While it isn't as gravely serious as its source material, this 1995 film is testimony to the fantastic dramatic works that King is capable of crafting. Dolores Claiborne is directed by Taylor Hackford and follows the titular character, a housekeeper who has been arrested for murdering the elderly woman whom she took care of. It's largely told in flashbacks, as Claiborne and her daughter, Selena St. George (Jennifer Jason Leigh), recount what truly happened, narratively setting itself apart from other King movies.

10. 'Silver Bullet' (1985)

Okay, I know what you're thinking, but let's get the easy part out of the way first. Silver Bullet is a 1985 horror film adapted from King's little-known novella, Cycle of the Werewolf. Directed by Daniel Attias, the story follows Marty (Marty Haim), a paraplegic boy who is convinced that the murders in his town are being done by a werewolf, pushing him to team up with his friend Jane (Megan Follows) and Uncle Red (Gary Busey) to get to the bottom of things.

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While Silver Bullet might not be one of the first titles that you think of when you try and drum up the best adaptations of his works, there are a few things to consider. This set the precedent that many recent franchises like Stranger Things have attempted to recreate, and is easily one of the best examples of Stephen King's small-town coming-of-age horror stories put on the big screen. It's also one of the quintessential gateway movies in the horror genre and stacks up easily against better-known classics like Poltergeist. The film's killer practical effects deserve a shoutout too, with a sweet werewolf design to top it all off. Sure, it doesn't have as great of a story as movies like The Green Mile and Dolores Claiborne, but Silver Bullet is so good at tapping into the fun of King's works that it deserves a spot in the top 10.

9. 'Christine' (1983)

What could be better than a crossover between the worlds of Stephen King and John Carpenter? Well, about eight other movies. Carpenter gives us his take on the story of a murderous living car and its owner, Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon), whose behaviors turn darker after taking hold of the automobile. While it doesn't exactly have the best logline ever, Christine is yet another fantastic example of King's small-town horror, this time done through the lens of the horror master behind Halloween and The Fog. Its story might not be the best, but the atmosphere that Carpenter brings is better than most other adaptations.

8. 'The Mist' (2007)

Frank Darabont's fourth and final King adaptation is lifted from the 1980 novella of the same name and is a deviation from his interests in the author's dramatic works. Calling it a deviation is putting it lightly because The Mist is a full-on cosmic horror nightmare. This film follows the members of a small town as they take shelter in a supermarket after a thick, sinister mist rolls over their community. On the surface, this is the story of otherworldly monsters, but is a tale of how a group of people react to extreme circumstances. It's a grueling picture with one of the biggest gut-punch endings in horror history, all brought to life by a killer cast, including Thomas Jane, Toby Jones, Marcia Gay Harden, and Andre Baugher.

7. 'The Dead Zone' (1983)

Like Christine, The DeadZone is another exciting crossover between King and an iconic horror filmmaker, this time being David Cronenberg. The film follows Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken), who is given psychic abilities after a tragic car accident. Cronenberg brings a necessary coldness and paranoia to this episodic thriller, all topped off by one of Walken's very best performances, and a ruthless villain in Martin Sheen's politically aspirant Greg Stillson. Come for the Cronenberg flare, stay for the eerie tone, and its lead going full Walken as he shouts "the ice... is gonna break!"

6. 'It' (2017)

Andy Muschietti'sIt duology is the Gone With the Wind of King adaptations. They're epic, sprawling works that capture the sheer scope of his lengthier novels better than any other. Still, the first installment is easily the better of the two. It follows a group of kids as they uncover the threat of a murderous supernatural clown in their seedy small town. The combination of King's pop horror sensibilities and coming-of-age story no doubt led to this film becoming a cultural phenomenon. Everyone remembers Bill Skarsgård's iconic performance as Pennywise, but the child performances from Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, and the rest of the Losers Club are what makes It work so well. It: Chapter Two doesn't land anywhere near the top King movies, but if you're a fan of the author's stranger storytelling tendencies, then the sequel isn't too bad.

5. 'Misery' (1990)

Rob Reiner's second Stephen King adaptation proved that he could take on any corner of the author's wheelhouse, this time taking him to the author's darker side. Misery follows Paul Sheldon (James Caan), a famous author who crashes his car in the mountains during a blizzard and is rescued by a hostile obsessive fan, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). Wilkes holds him captive as she forces him to rewrite the finale to the last book in his series, giving Paul no other option but to find a way to escape.

Misery is an airtight 107-minute rollercoaster that ratchets up the tension more and more as it goes on, with wild curveballs being thrown our way every other minute. While Reiner's direction shines, it's a real two-hander more than anything. James Caan as Sheldon sells sarcastic and paranoid perfectly. In the end, it's Kathy Bates who steals the show as the loose cannon, Annie Wilkes, who has a loving heart on the surface but is a short fuse that's ready to go off at any second. She's so good that she scared the Academy into giving her the Oscar for Best Actress. No easy feat for a horror performance, as we sadly know too well.

4. 'Carrie' (1976)

By being the first King adaptation, Carrie didn't make things easy for filmmakers following in its footsteps. Brian DePalma brought his A-game to this supernatural tale of Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), a quiet teenage girl who unknowingly possesses telekinetic powers. This movie has it all — killer performances from Spacek and Piper Laurie (who plays Carrie's emotionally unstable mother), inspired direction from DePalma, a fantastic supporting cast, and the quintessential small-town King feel. Carrie is a simple movie, but its simplicity is what makes it so scary.

3. 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)

Are you surprised? Frank Darabont's second King adaptation (but first feature-length) is his best, lifting its tale from the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Drop the "Rita Hayworth" and you have a film that tells the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a man who is wrongly sentenced to life at Shawshank State Penitentiary for murder. There's not much to say that hasn't been said already. Between homerun performances from folks like Morgan Freeman and Bob Gunton, a masterfully written script, and a heartwarming story of friendship, this movie rounds out to be a bona fide classic.

2. 'Stand By Me' (1986)

Stephen King might be a master of terror, but he might be just as good at writing coming-of-age stories. Stand By Me, an adaptation of his novella The Body, is exact proof of this. Before introducing audiences to Annie Wilkes, Rob Reiner told us the story of four boys as they venture out into the woods to find the body of a missing child. Along the way, the group evades sinister teenagers, tells funny stories, and helps each other grapple with the hardships of growing older. River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell just might deliver the four best child performances ever here. Stand By Me is so good that even King himself considers it the best adaptation of his works.

1. 'The Shining' (1980)

Then, there's The Shining, a movie King hates so much that he adapted it himself as a 1997 miniseries. Kubrick's film might be wildly deviant from the original novel, but it's not like this is The Shining in name only. With Kubrick's adaptation, the Torrance family's long stay at the Overlook Hotel makes for one of the most haunting and bizarre stories ever brought to the big screen. Jack Nicholson delivers one of the best performances of his career as Jack Torrance, but Shelley Duvall delivers just as much recognition for her work as his petrified wife, Wendy. Meanwhile, Danny Lloyd holds his own in the Stephen King Child Actor Hall of Fame as their psychic son, Danny.

More than anyone, Kubrick is the star of the show here. His dedication to leaving the mysteries of the Overlook unsolved, use of surreal imagery, otherworldly tone, and ability to craft one iconic image after another make this an experience that you'll never forget. The Shiningmight not be a capital-F faithful King adaptation, but that becomes more forgivable given it's one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Please don't kill me for this choice, Mr. King.

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