Stephen King's Top 25 Movie Adaptations Ranked - Part Two

Continuing our countdown of Stephen King’s best on screen adaptations…

13 – The Mist (2007)

Belief divides them, mystery surrounds them, but fear changes everything.

IMDb:

7.1

RT Users:

6.5

Letterboxd:

6.84

6.81

Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction

Directed by:

Frank Darabont

Top Billed Cast:

Thomas Jane, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, William Sadler

SYNOPSIS:

After a powerful storm damages their Maine home, David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his young son head into town to gather food and supplies. Soon afterward, a thick fog rolls in and engulfs the town, trapping the Draytons and others in the grocery store. Terror mounts as deadly creatures reveal themselves outside, but that may be nothing compared to the threat within, where a zealot (Marcia Gay Harden) calls for a sacrifice.

12 – Creepshow (1982)

The Most Fun You’ll Ever Have… BEING SCARED!

IMDb:

6.8

RT Users:

6.8

Letterboxd:

7.20

6.93

Comedy, Horror

Directed by:

George A. Romero

Top Billed Cast:

Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Leslie Nielsen, Carrie Nye

SYNOPSIS:

A compendium of five short but terrifying tales contained within a single full-length feature, this film conjures scares from traditional bogeymen and portents of doom. In one story, a monster escapes from its holding cell. Another focuses on a husband (Leslie Nielsen) with a creative way of getting back at his cheating wife. Other stories concern a rural man (Stephen King) and a visitor from outer space, and a homeowner (E.G. Marshall) with huge bug problems and a boozing corpse.

11 – The Dead Zone (1983)

In his mind, he has the power to see the future. In his hands, he has the power to change it.

IMDb:

7.2

RT Users:

7.7

Letterboxd:

7.00

7.30

Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction

Directed by:

David Cronenberg

Top Billed Cast:

Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Anthony Zerbe, Martin Sheen

SYNOPSIS:

When Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) awakens from a coma caused by a car accident, he finds that years have passed, and he now has psychic abilities. Heartbroken that his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) has moved on with her life, Johnny also must contend with his unsettling powers, which allow him to see a person’s future with a mere touch. After shaking the hand of aspiring politician Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), Johnny sees the danger presented by the candidate’s rise and resolves to kill him.

10 – Storm of the Century (1999)

By Stephen King

IMDb:

7.3

RT Users:

8.5

Letterboxd:

6.64

7.48

Drama, Fantasy, TV Mini-Series, Science Fiction

Directed by:

Various

Top Billed Cast:

Colm Feore, Tim Daly, Debrah Farentino, Jeffrey DeMunn, Becky Ann Baker

SYNOPSIS:

A dangerous blizzard hits an isolated town and brings along a mysterious stranger intent on terrorizing people for his own desires. A dangerous blizzard hits an isolated town and brings along a mysterious stranger intent on terrorizing people for his own desires.

9 – It Chapter One (2017)

Your fears are unleashed

IMDb:

7.3

RT Users:

8.4

Letterboxd:

7.04

7.58

Fantasy, Horror

Directed by:

Andy Muschietti

Top Billed Cast:

Jaeden Martell, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Bill Skarsgård

SYNOPSIS:

Seven young outcasts in Derry, Maine, are about to face their worst nightmare — an ancient, shape-shifting evil that emerges from the sewer every 27 years to prey on the town’s children. Banding together over the course of one horrifying summer, the friends must overcome their own personal fears to battle the murderous, bloodthirsty clown known as Pennywise.

8 – Dolores Claiborne (1995)

Sometimes, an accident can be an unhappy woman’s best friend.

IMDb:

7.4

RT Users:

8.2

Letterboxd:

7.24

7.61

Crime, Drama, Mystery

Directed by:

Taylor Hackford

Top Billed Cast:

Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judy Parfitt, Christopher Plummer, David Strathairn, Eric Bogosian,

SYNOPSIS:

In a small New England town, Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) works as a housekeeper for the rich but heartless Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt). When Vera turns up dead, Dolores is accused of killing her elderly employer — so her estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a well-respected New York City journalist, decides to visit her mother and investigate the matter for herself. As Selena digs deeper into the case, she uncovers shocking truths about the murder and her own childhood.

7 – Carrie (1976)

If you’ve got a taste for terror… take Carrie to the prom!

IMDb:

7.4

RT Users:

7.7

Letterboxd:

7.74

7.61

Horror, Thriller

Directed by:

Brian De Palma

Top Billed Cast:

Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, John Travolta, Nancy Allen

SYNOPSIS:

In this chilling adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel, withdrawn and sensitive teen Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) faces taunting from classmates at school and abuse from her fanatically pious mother (Piper Laurie) at home. When strange occurrences start happening around Carrie, she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers. Invited to the prom by the empathetic Tommy Ross (William Katt), Carrie tries to let her guard down, but things eventually take a dark and violent turn.

6 – Doctor Sleep (2019)

Dare to go back.

IMDb:

7.3

RT Users:

8.9

Letterboxd:

6.82

7.67

Fantasy, Horror, Thriller

Directed by:

Mike Flanagan

Top Billed Cast:

Ewan McGregor, Kyliegh Curran, Rebecca Ferguson, Cliff Curtis, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind

SYNOPSIS:

Struggling with alcoholism, Dan Torrance remains traumatized by the sinister events that occurred at the Overlook Hotel when he was a child. His hope for a peaceful existence soon becomes shattered when he meets Abra, a teen who shares his extrasensory gift of the “shine.” Together, they form an unlikely alliance to battle the True Knot, a cult whose members try to feed off the shine of innocents to become immortal.

5 – Misery (1990)

Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now, he’s writing to stay alive.

IMDb:

7.8

RT Users:

9.0

Letterboxd:

7.86

8.22

Drama, Thriller

Directed by:

Rob Reiner

Top Billed Cast:

Kathy Bates, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall, Graham Jarvis

SYNOPSIS:

After a serious car crash, novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who claims to be his biggest fan. Annie brings him to her remote cabin to recover, where her obsession takes a dark turn when she discovers Sheldon is killing off her favorite character from his novels. As Sheldon devises plans for escape, Annie grows increasingly controlling, even violent, as she forces the author to shape his writing to suit her twisted fantasies.

4 – Stand by Me (1986)

For some, it’s the last real taste of innocence, and the first real taste of life.

IMDb:

8.1

RT Users:

9.4

Letterboxd:

8.26

8.59

Crime, Drama

Directed by:

Rob Reiner

Top Billed Cast:

Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko

SYNOPSIS:

After learning that a stranger has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way, Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton), Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell), Chris Chambers (River Phoenix) and Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman) encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, as they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys’ adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.

3 – The Shining (1980)

He came as the caretaker, but this hotel had its own guardians – who’d been there a long time

IMDb:

8.4

RT Users:

9.3

Letterboxd:

8.54

8.75

Horror, Thriller

Directed by:

Stanley Kubrick

Top Billed Cast:

Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Philip Stone, Scatman Crothers, Joe Turkel

SYNOPSIS:

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer’s block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack’s writing goes nowhere and Danny’s visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel’s dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.

2 – The Green Mile (1999)

Miracles do happen.

IMDb:

8.6

RT Users:

9.4

Letterboxd:

8.26

8.75

Crime, Drama, Thriller

Directed by:

Frank Darabont

Top Billed Cast:

Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter

SYNOPSIS:

Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) walked the mile with a variety of cons. He had never encountered someone like John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a massive black man convicted of brutally killing a pair of young sisters. Coffey had the size and strength to kill anyone, but not the demeanor. Beyond his simple, naive nature and a deathly fear of the dark, Coffey seemed to possess a prodigious, supernatural gift. Paul began to question whether Coffey was truly guilty of murdering the two girls.

1 – The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

IMDb:

9.3

RT Users:

9.8

Letterboxd:

8.96

9.35

Crime, Drama

Directed by:

Frank Darabont

Top Billed Cast:

Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows

SYNOPSIS:

Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to a tough prison. However, only Andy knows he didn’t commit the crimes. While there, he forms a friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), experiences brutality of prison life, adapts, helps the warden, etc., all in 19 years.

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