Stephen King's Top 25 Movie Adaptations Ranked

Stephen King, described as the “King of Horror”, a play on his surname and a reference to his high standing in pop culture, his books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. King has published 64 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections.

We collected data on every film, tv-movie and TV mini-series that has been based on the works of Stephen King and ranked and rated them. Here are the results.

25 – Pet Sematary (1989)

Sometimes dead is better.

IMDb:

6.5

RT Users:

5.9

Letterboxd:

6.46

6.29

Drama, Horror

Directed by:

Mary Lambert

Top Billed Cast:

Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby, Brad Greenquist, Kavi Raz, Michael Lombard

SYNOPSIS:

Doctor Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) moves his family to Maine, where he meets a friendly local named Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne). After the Creeds’ cat is accidentally killed, Crandall advises Louis to bury it in the ground near the old pet cemetery. The cat returns to life, its personality changed for the worse. When Louis’ son, Gage (Miko Hughes), dies tragically, Louis decides to bury the boy’s body in the same ground despite the warnings of Crandall and Louis’ visions of a deceased patient.

24 – Secret Window (2004)

The most important part of a story is the ending.

IMDb:

6.5

RT Users:

6.5

Letterboxd:

5.98

6.33

Mystery, Thriller

Directed by:

David Koepp

Top Billed Cast:

Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton, Len Cariou

SYNOPSIS:

While in the process of an ugly divorce from his wife (Maria Bello), writer Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) relocates to his remote cabin in upstate New York for solitude. Attempting to recover his mental health, Rainey has the misfortune of being found by John Shooter (John Turturro), a farmer who claims Rainey plagiarized his work. At first, Rainey ignores the accusations, but Shooter has no intention of quietly disappearing. Soon, Shooter becomes increasingly vicious in his quest for retribution.

23 – The Running Man (1987)

2019. A game nobody survives. This year might be the exception.

IMDb:

6.6

RT Users:

6.0

Letterboxd:

6.50

6.37

Action, Thriller, Science Fiction

Directed by:

Paul Michael Glaser

Top Billed Cast:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Dawson, María Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura

SYNOPSIS:

In the year 2019, America is a totalitarian state where the favorite television program is “The Running Man” — a game show in which prisoners must run to freedom to avoid a brutal death. Having been made a scapegoat by the government, an imprisoned Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has the opportunity to make it back to the outside again by being a contestant on the deadly show, although the twisted host, Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), has no intention of letting him escape.

22 – 1408 (2007)

The only demons in room 1408 are those within you.

IMDb:

6.8

RT Users:

6.1

Letterboxd:

6.32

6.41

Horror, Mystery

Directed by:

Mikael Håfström

Top Billed Cast:

John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, Jasmine Jessica Anthony, Tony Shalhoub

SYNOPSIS:

Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a successful author who enjoys worldwide acclaim debunking supernatural phenomena — before he checks into the Dolphin Hotel, that is. Ignoring the warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson), he learns the meaning of real terror when he spends the night in a reputedly haunted room.

21 – It (1990)

They All Float

IMDb:

6.8

RT Users:

6.3

Letterboxd:

6.30

6.47

Drama, Horror, Mystery, TV Mini-Series

Directed by:

Tommy Lee Wallace

Top Billed Cast:

Tim Curry, Richard Thomas, Harry Anderson, Dennis Christopher, John Ritter, Richard Masur

SYNOPSIS:

In 1960, seven preteen outcasts fight an evil demon that poses as a child-killing clown. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the demon once and for all when it returns to their hometown.

20 – Hearts in Atlantis (2001)

What if one of life’s great mysteries moved in upstairs?

IMDb:

6.9

RT Users:

6.4

Letterboxd:

6.22

6.51

Drama

Directed by:

Scott Hicks

Top Billed Cast:

Anthony Hopkins, Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Mika Boorem, David Morse, Alan Tudyk

SYNOPSIS:

“Hearts In Atlantis” is a drama based on Stephen King’s best seller of the same name. It is the story of a mysterious man (Anthony Hopkins) who enlists the aid of a brilliant young boy (Anton Yelchin) to save his life. This friendship with a mysterious stranger forever changes the way he sees the world.

19 – Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006)

From the Mind of Stephen King

IMDb:

6.8

RT Users:

N/A

Letterboxd:

6.28

6.54

Drama, Fantasy, TV Mini-Series, Science Fiction

Directed by:

Various

Top Billed Cast:

Greta Scacchi, Claire Forlani, Tom Berenger, William Hurt, William H. Macy, Henry Thomas

SYNOPSIS:

Nightmares & Dreamscapes is a short story collection by American author Stephen King, published in 1993 and turned into an anthology series in 2006.

18 – Gerald’s Game (2017)

Some games you play. Some you survive.

IMDb:

6.5

RT Users:

7.0

Letterboxd:

6.40

6.63

Horror, Thriller

Directed by:

Mike Flanagan

Top Billed Cast:

Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas, Chiara Aurelia, Kate Siegel, Carel Struycken

SYNOPSIS:

A woman accidentally kills her husband during foreplay. They had driven out to a remote area in an attempt to reignite their flailing relationship. Handcuffed to the bed, she soon becomes delirious.

17 – Rose Red (2002)

Based on the Works of Stephen King

IMDb:

6.6

RT Users:

7.1

Letterboxd:

6.22

6.64

Fantasy, Mystery, TV Mini-Series, Science Fiction

Directed by:

Various

Top Billed Cast:

Nancy Travis, Matt Keeslar, Kimberly J. Brown, David Dukes, Judith Ivey, Melanie Lynskey

SYNOPSIS:

Joyce Reardon, a psychology professor, leads a team of psychics into the decrepit mansion known as Rose Red. Her efforts unleash the spirit of former owner Ellen Rimbauer and uncover the horrifying secrets of those who lived and died there.

16 – Christine (1983)

How do you kill something that can’t possibly be alive?

IMDb:

6.7

RT Users:

6.4

Letterboxd:

6.94

6.68

Horror

Directed by:

John Carpenter

Top Billed Cast:

Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton, Christine Belford

SYNOPSIS:

Unpopular nerd Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury, which he names Christine. Arnie develops an unhealthy obsession with the car, to the alarm of his jock friend, Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell). After bully Buddy Repperton (William Ostrander) defaces Christine, the auto restores itself to perfect condition and begins killing off Buddy and his friends. Determined to stop the deaths, Dennis and Arnie’s girlfriend, Leigh Cabot (Alexandra Paul), decide to destroy Christine.

15 – Stephen King’s The Stand (1994)

The end of the world is just the beginning.

IMDb:

7.1

RT Users:

6.7

Letterboxd:

6.28

6.69

Drama, Fantasy, TV Mini-Series, Science Fiction

Directed by:

Mick Garris

Top Billed Cast:

Gary Sinise, Rob Lowe, Bill Fagerbakke, Shawnee Smith, Peter Van Norden, Molly Ringwald

SYNOPSIS:

After a deadly plague kills most of the world’s population, the remaining survivors split into two groups – one led by a benevolent elder and the other by a malevolent being – to face each other in a final battle between good and evil.

14 – It Chapter Two (2019)

You’ll Float Again

IMDb:

6.5

RT Users:

7.8

Letterboxd:

5.94

6.75

Fantasy, Horror

Directed by:

Andy Muschietti

Top Billed Cast:

Bill Skarsgård, James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan

SYNOPSIS:

Defeated by members of the Losers’ Club, the evil clown Pennywise returns 27 years later to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine, once again. Now adults, the childhood friends have long since gone their separate ways. But when people start disappearing, Mike Hanlon calls the others home for one final stand. Damaged by scars from the past, the united Losers must conquer their deepest fears to destroy the shape-shifting Pennywise — now more powerful than ever.

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