10 Underrated Movies Based On Stephen King Stories

Stephen King is one of the most prolific horror writers the world has ever known. With over fifty published novels and hundreds of short stories to his name, it's no surprise that King's work has been adapted for film and TV on countless occasions.

These adaptations have varied vastly in quality, from Academy Award winning movies like The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption all the way down to laughable flops and box office bombs like Cell and Graveyard Shift.

But how about the middle ground? What about those movies that didn't exactly set the world on fire but are still worth a watch? Misery, The Shining, IT and Carrie are often cited among the greatest King movies, but there are plenty of other awesome King adaptations that are too often overlooked.

Released last year, Gerald's Game is based on a King story written in 1992. The movie was greeted with good reviews upon release but seemed to fade away quickly without getting the plaudits it deserved. The story follows married couple Jessie and Gerald as they attempt to spice up their love life, but things take a dark turn when Gerald collapses and Jessie is left handcuffed to the bed with no way out.

Almost the entirety of the film takes place in one room, relying on the very small cast to provide sufficient tension and drama to keep us glued to our screens. Fortunately, Carla Gugino provides an award-worthy performance as the stranded Jessie, who rides a rollercoaster of emotions in her bid to escape the bedroom.

Gugino's acting is top notch and Bruce Greenwood turns in an excellent performance too in the part of Gerald, while special praise is also reserved for Carel Struycken in his role as the mysterious 'Moonlight Man' who haunts Jessie when the sun goes down. Director Mike Flanagan keeps the tension high from the opening moments to the closing credits and the film features some truly nightmare-inducing scenes in its latter stages.