Stephen King is a master of horror, but it can be trickier than it may seem to translate his material to the big screen. King’s best books are often complex and epic in scope, and making them work in the confines of just a few hours can be almost impossible.
Still, there are a number of films and filmmakers that have found great success in adapting King’s works to the big screen, and created some great horror movies in the process. Often, those beloved works were recognized by critics at the time as worthy of praise. The movies below are the cream of the crop when it comes to King adaptations. They’re scary, sad, and above all else, great movies.
10. Doctor Sleep (2019) - 78%
9. 1408 (2007) - 79%
8. Dolores Claiborne (1995) - 85%
7. The Shining (1980) - 85%
6. It Chapter One (2017) - 86%
This more recent entry deserves its place on this list, as the first half of It works much better than its sequel. Following a group of kids who discover that an entity that takes the form of a clown is haunting their small town, this movie is effective because it is genuinely frightening. It follows a truly terrific group of young actors, and while it does have a certain Stranger Things energy, this chapter of It seems genuinely interested in the inner lives of each of these kids. Their fears are rooted in something mysterious yet timeless, and that’s part of what makes the movie work.
5. The Dead Zone (1983) - 90%
4. Misery (1990) - 90%
3. Stand by Me (1986) - 91%
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - 91%
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