10 Best Stephen King Movie Adaptations

8. The Dead Zone

Having David Cronenberg direct a King novel was pretty much a dream come true, and as such this is the rarest of King adaptations that even the author himself credited as improving upon his original vision.

The Dead Zone isn't as inherently horrific as many of King's tales, but its provocative premise, of a man who develops psychic powers after emerging from a coma, is psychologically intense and propelled forward by one of Christopher Walken's finest ever performances as protagonist Johnny Smith.

Cronenberg knows just when to ramp things up and when to pull them back, resulting in a thriller both thoughtful and unexpectedly affecting. It's also got a deliciously slimy supporting role for Martin Sheen as a Presidential candidate destined to turn the world into a nuclear wasteland.