Stephen King is one of the most recognized and celebrated writers of the last 50 years and his movies have been adapted into some of the most recognized and celebrated films of the last 50 years. King has a seminal voice in the pantheon of modern horror and supernatural fiction, yet he has also proven he can write some incredible tales in a multitude of genres.
His stories have become increasingly popular as his career has expanded, which has caused some of the most major filmmakers working from 1975 all the way to the present day to have a desire to adapt his stories. Not only are King’s books widely recognized by the masses, but the films that bear his name have also become pop culture touchstones in their own right.
With this list, I present to you the 5 greatest movies based on Stephen King stories…
5. Stand By Me (The Body) (1986)
Not only the best film directed by Rob Reiner, but also one of the best films of the ’80s. I was going to include Misery in this spot, but Stand By Me narrowly took its place.
Stand By Me is a relatively simple story about a group of young boys who have been lifelong friends that find a dead body. The premise sounds more like one of King’s horror films, yet it is one of the best coming of age dramas ever committed to film. The interaction between the cast and the richness of the story benefit the film immensely. You can almost smell the woods (the cinematography is that rich) and Reiner’s direction presents an achingly honest portrayal of young friendship that makes this film very rewarding.
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12 Comments
Firestarter. Not as good as the films on the list, but still a good one.
Stand By Me, one of the best coming of age dramas ever made?
Yes sir. One of the best I’ve ever seen anyway
Great list! The only other one I can think of is Misery, starring Kathy Bates.
Complicated achieve this kind of list. I congratulate you for it.
This is mine:
1. Misery
2. The Shawshank Redemption
3. Dolores Clairbone
4. The Children of the Corn
5. The Green Mile
Even though i thaught mine is very irregular an less consistent than yours ;)
Good list! The only one I haven’t seen is Carrie (if you can believe that). Both the movie and the book of “The Shining” are great in their own right. I saw the movie before I read the book and I’m glad I did because it probably would have detracted from the film. It’s not the best “adaption” of a book, but it’s one of the best horror movies ever!
Be honest… You kept Shawshank out of the top 2 just cause you were trying to defy expectations….
That was a reason but the real reason was I prefer Carrie over that film. I know it sounds crazy but I’m a huge horror fan and if given the choice between Carrie or Shawshank I’ll take Carrie any day. Carrie was also the film that basically launched Stephen King so I would have felt weird keeping it off of a high spot haha
I’m not huge on Carrie, would’ve loved to see Pet Semetary (cheesy but awesome) or Misery on make the list. Good list overall though
The Mist was an awesome adaptation with one of the best endings ever.
Giving yourself only an option of “5 Greatest Movies” is somewhat
limiting when you’re writing about a mightily prolific author don’t you think. The list was good only because the majority of people out there can relate with your hodge-podge choices. The Green Mile and Shawshank are kind of predictable, basically prison dramas about endurance and the human spirit… Ho-hum. The Shining and Carrie work well because everyone knows they’re great. And Stand By Me? Is it great, really? Maybe “good-ish”. Just one commenter mentioned a half-decent SK adaption; the one that revolves around a sacred Indian burial ground, the others sent me to sleep. Be more broader next time, expand i.e. include MORE films.
I actually didn’t include more films so I could make a list that celebrates only the very best of King’s career. I’m also pretty sure that someone else already ranked all of the adaptions of his work from worst to best somewhere on the site