Top 20 Best Stephen King Movies

Stanley Kubrick took King's book and turned it into something completely his own. And King? He didn't like it at all. Still, The Shining is one of the best horror films ever. Jack Nicholson's 'Here's Johnny!' is iconic, the atmosphere is suffocating and the slow, hypnotic horror makes it timeless. King later had the book adapted again as a miniseries, but hardly anyone watches that version anymore.

Many people don't even realize this is a Stephen King story. No supernatural powers, no horror, just a gripping prison drama with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman at their best. It underperformed in theaters but later became a beloved classic and sits consistently at the top of IMDb's Top 250.

Pennywise is one of King's scariest creations, and Bill Skarsgård's version is even more frightening. The 2017 film takes the childhood half of the book and turns it into a chilling coming-of-age horror. Not perfect, but the atmosphere, scares and the Losers' Club make it one of the best modern horror films.

Sometimes the scariest horror is just a person with a sledgehammer. In Misery, a writer (James Caan) is held captive by his 'number one fan', and Kathy Bates gives the performance of her life as the psychotic Annie Wilkes, winning an Oscar. The hobbling scene? Unforgettable.

The first Stephen King adaptation, and an instant hit. Carrie is a bullied girl with a deranged mother and a hidden gift: telekinesis. The ending at the prom? Blood, fire and revenge. A legendary climax that makes it one of the best horror films of all time.

Not all King stories are scary. Stand by Me is a nostalgic coming-of-age film about four boys searching for a dead body. Director Rob Reiner strikes a perfect balance between humor, emotion and adventure, with a rock-solid cast (River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman) and a soundtrack that takes you straight back to the '50s.

Another prison film, another masterpiece. Tom Hanks plays a prison guard who meets a mystical inmate with healing powers. Michael Clarke Duncan gives the performance of his life as the gentle John Coffey. The ending? Hard-hitting and emotional.

A sequel to The Shining seemed like a bad idea, but Mike Flanagan managed to bring together the spirit of both King and Kubrick. Ewan McGregor plays an adult Danny Torrance still struggling with the trauma of the Overlook Hotel. Strong horror, an impressive finale and a worthy follow-up to a legendary film.

Many King adaptations fail when they stretch short stories into features, but 1408 gets it right. John Cusack plays a skeptical writer who spends the night in a hotel room nobody leaves alive. Less about cheap jump scares, more about pure psychological horror.

'Sometimes dead is better,' says Jud Crandall, and he's right. Pet Sematary is one of King's scariest stories, and the original 1989 film still holds up. The scenes with Zelda? Pure nightmare fuel.

What if there's something in the mist... and it wants to kill you? The Mist is a merciless monster movie in which a group of people are trapped in a supermarket while creatures lurk outside. But the real danger? The people themselves. And that ending, one of the most shocking ever, was Frank Darabont's own invention that King praised.

A film about a demonic car sounds ridiculous, but under John Carpenter's direction Christine becomes a terrifying force. The car repairs itself, takes revenge on bullies and has a dark consciousness. King's story is about obsession, control and destruction, and the film brings that perfectly to life.

No horror, no monsters, just rock-solid drama and acting. Kathy Bates plays a woman suspected of murdering her employer while wrestling with a dark secret from her past. A psychological masterpiece with a strong script and superb performances.

The miniseries that made a generation afraid of vampires. A writer returns to his hometown and discovers an ancient vampire is taking over. The scene with the floating boy at the window? Nightmare material.

King wrote Creepshow himself, an anthology of short horror stories in the style of the old EC Comics, directed by George A. Romero. Zombies, meteorites and rotting bodies make it pure horror fun, with King himself in a hilarious role as a farmer who turns into a plant.

A man wakes from a coma and discovers he can see the future by touching someone. But what do you do when you know someone will cause a catastrophe? David Cronenberg directs this gripping, tragic story with a phenomenal Christopher Walken.

A little girl with pyrokinesis and a shadowy government agency on her heels. Drew Barrymore, fresh from E.T., plays a girl who can set anything ablaze with her mind. The story is simple, but the fire scenes and suspense keep it gripping.

A woman is left handcuffed to a bed when her husband dies of a heart attack. What follows is a pure nightmare, with hallucinations, trauma and one of the most wince-inducing scenes ever filmed (that hand!). Mike Flanagan proves you can create maximum horror with minimal means.

Under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, King wrote a story about a dystopian game show in which people fight for their lives. The film turned it into a brutal action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not very faithful to the book, but pure '80s fun.

In a small town, a mysterious man opens a shop where you can get anything you want... for a price. Max von Sydow is brilliant as the charming but terrifying shopkeeper. An underrated thriller that deserves more attention.