10 Best Stephen King Movie Adaptations

By Jack Pooley /

10. The Running Man

TriStar Pictures

This 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring cult classic action flick may only be a very loose adaptation of King's work, which he published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, but that doesn't prevent it from being one of the more flat-out fun King movies to date, a barmy socio-political satire wrapped around a grisly fight to the death.

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Schwarzenegger is terrific here but only as good as his co-stars, namely the lovely MarĂ­a Conchita Alonso as his exasperated prisoner-turned-lover (really), Jesse Ventura as the hilariously-monikered Captain Freedom, and most memorably Richard Dawson as the villainous game-show host Damon Killian.

It's very much a product of its time and constantly has to battle against Paul Michael Glaser's so-so direction, but the litany of hilarious one-liners custom-built for Arnie, colourful characters and highly entertaining action makes it an endearingly wild romp.

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