A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Stephen King Movies

For over 40 years, the works of famed horror novelist Stephen King have been adapted to the big (and small) screen with varying degrees of success; some are great, some are okay, others deserve to be burned and never spoken of again. The recent release of his PET SEMATARY, the second big-screen version of the story, has sparked discussion over which of the King stories have made the best films. With that, Reel Speak proudly presents its first Top 10 Best Stephen King Films. 

To qualify, the work must be written by King or adapted from his previous works, and must be a theatrical release (sorry, no TV here). The criteria is story, character, scares, and cultural impact. Movie comes first, so any book-to-film changes are not considered. 

So lets grab that shovel and start digging…

10. PET SEMATARY (2019) 

This brand-new film has yet to be put to the test of time, but for now it earns a spot on this list thanks to its effective scares, well-developed characters, excellent performances, and a direction that generates an un-nerving, creepy atmosphere. This remake has an emphasis on family which makes it palpable, it smooths out the bumpier spots of the 1989 version, and makes some bold moves that work very well. And man, that ending…

9. THE GREEN MILE (1999)

The late, great Michael Clarke Duncan earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as a mysterious prisoner with mystical healing abilities. The strong cast of Tom Hanks, James Cromwell, Sam Rockwell, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, and Barry Pepper (among others) carry the film as not just a fantastical mystery but a character piece. It has one of the most despicable “villains” ever to appear in a King adaptation (played by Doug Hutchison), and somehow makes the death of a mouse hurt like hell. 

8. CREEPSHOW (1982)

This wasn't based on a previous King book, but it was his screenwriting debut. He and famed horror director George A. Romero (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD), paid homage to the horror-comics of old with this collection of short stories told in various ways. From a farmer (played by King himself), who encounters an asteroid, to a doomed wife and her lover buried on a beach during high tide, CREEPSHOW is one of those special, anthology-style films that have gone out of style in recent decades…but doesn’t feel at all dated and still brings the creepiness. 

7. CHRISTINE (1983)

John Carpenter, director of THE THING (1982), directed this adaptation in which a high school dork buys a beater Plymouth and becomes obsessed with it…only for the car to become obsessed with him. This one had some excellent special effects for its time and elevated the Plymouth Fury in pop culture. 

6. CARRIE (1976)

This was the very first of the King novels to make it to the big screen, and although a little dated, still holds up. Sissy Spacek plays an abused teen who gets pushed too far by high school bullies and her abusive mother…and unleashes her terrible power in a literal bloodbath. It’s a horror movie that explores religious oppression and the teen experience, which gives it a deeper feel and a lasting impression. 

5. MISERY (1990)

The only King adaptation to win an Oscar (so far), and it belongs to Kathy Bates for her role as a mentally-disturbed nurse who kidnaps her favorite author and forces him to do her will. James Caan, as the poor author, is excellent and perfectly paired with Bates, and the tension and suspense built by director Rob Reiner is unmatched. At almost 30 years old, MISERY today stands very relevant considering the vile nature of obsessive fans today. 

4. IT: CHAPTER ONE (2017)

This terrifying tale of a group of kids who have to fend off an evil demon in clown form was brought to the small screen as a TV series, and then re-adapted for film by Andy Muschietti. The first part was an absolute relentless assault of terror, with Bill Skarsgard’s performance the stuff nightmares are made from; which is exactly what the novel wanted to do in the first place. We can only imagine, for now… what CHAPTER TWO is going to bring. 

3. STAND BY ME (1986)

This Blogger’s personal favorite of the King collection; a film that brings back memories of stomping through the woods with best buddies on a mission of up-to-no-good during the hot and endless summer days. Rob Reiner directed this film which follows a group of boys hiking across their home state to find a dead body while exploring lost youth and the value of friendship. The young cast is excellent, the writing sincere, and today can be quoted endlessly. 

2. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)

One of the best films of 1994. Tim Robbins plays a mild-mannered accountant wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife, and over the course of 20 years of incarceration finds a life-long best friend. Robbins and Morgan Freeman are both unforgettable, as is the entire cast. The cinematography and music is excellent, and the film is packed with quotes that movie-buffs often spin today. Memorable and almost mythical in its telling. 

1. THE SHINING (1980)

The late, great Stanley Kubrick directed this creepy-as-hell thriller about a family employed as caretakers at an isolated hotel with a sinister past. A masterpiece of horror that is about the psychological as much as the spiritual, it ranks as one of the scariest films ever made thanks to Kubrick’s fluid camerawork…which feels like spying more than filming. The performances by Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall are chilling, and the quotes are endless. Stephen King himself disapproved of the film, but if the original purpose of the story was to terrorize us to the bone, then no other King adaptation has done it better. 

THE TOP 10 BEST STEPHEN KING MOVIES

1. THE SHINING
2. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
3. STAND BY ME 
4. IT: CHAPTER ONE
5. MISERY
6. CARRIE
7. CHRISTINE
8. CREEPSHOW
9. THE GREEN MILE
10. PET SEMATARY (2019)