The 10 Best Movies Based On Stephen King Books (According To IMDb)

Stephen King is considered not only one of the most prolific horror authors of our time, with over sixty novels and approximately two hundred short stories to his name; King is also considered one of the best horror authors of our time, and it makes filmmakers itch to adapt his written works for the screen.

Though countless movie adaptations have been made based on Stephen King’s works, the users over at IMDb have a definitive ranking of their favorites, if you’re looking for something good to watch tonight!

10 No Smoking, 2007 (7.2/10)

Kicking off this list is a movie most Americans probably haven’t even heard of unless they’re either a Stephen King diehard or a fan of Indian movies. Branching out into movies from other countries is always fun, so No Smoking might be a good place to start for King fans or horror fans.

Though the movie received a mixed-to-negative reaction from Indian critics, IMDb users gave this movie a 7.2 out of 10 stars, which shows it might just be enjoyable enough for your average viewer to enjoy. Based loosely on Stephen King’s short story Quitters, Inc. from his 1978 collection Night Shift, this 2007 adaptation might just be enjoyable enough to work.

9 The Dead Zone, 1983 (7.2/10)

Now we’re talking about The Dead Zone, a King staple. Based on the 1979 Stephen King novel of the same name, The Dead Zone was adapted for film by screenwriter Jeffrey Boam and director David Cronenberg, a big name in the horror genre specifically for body horror. The story goes that, as soon as the book came out, a copy was given directly to Jeffrey Boam to adapt into a screenplay so a movie could be made as quickly as possible.

They pulled it off, and The Dead Zone was released in 1983 to extremely positive reviews, making it surprisingly low on this list; however, after seeing the other movies coming up, you probably won’t be as surprised anymore!

8  It, 2017 (7.3/10)

Also, thankfully, Muschietti cut out some of the worst parts of the books to make the story more palatable. Though this movie is technically better than its other half, It Chapter Two, the latter is an excellent film in its own right, too.

7  Dolores Claiborne, 1995 (7.4/10)

Taylor Hackford’s 1995 psychological thriller Dolores Claiborne is not often mentioned when people list the great King adaptations, but it should be. A returning King actress, Kathy Bates, comes back to play the titular Dolores Claiborne, a maid accused of killing her elderly employer.

Though some might even call this a drama, and others still categorize it as a horror, and other people still classify it as a Gothic romance, what’s important is that Dolores Claiborne not only delivers on its Tony Gilroy screenplay based on the King novel of the same name, but also features a phenomenal cast alongside Bates, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, John C. Reilly, and Christopher Plummer, as well as music by Danny Elfman.

6 Carrie, 1976 (7.4/10)

When anyone thinks of Sissy Spacek, they think first of her iconic role as the titular Carrie White in the 1976 film Carrie, based on King’s 1974 novel of the same name. Though Carrie was the fourth novel King wrote, it was his first book published, and the movie adaptation came out only two years after the epistolary novel. From there, the rest is history.

Many horror fans still fondly remember Carrie as one of their favorite horror movies of the ‘70s, warmly recalling Carrie drenched in blood at her prom, using her telekinetic powers to torment her tormentors.

5 Misery, 1990 (7.8/10)

Kathy Bates stars in arguably one of the best Stephen King stories ever, Misery, about a homicidal former nurse who holds her favorite author hostage after a car accident. Kathy Bates’ performance as Annie Wilkes is, without a doubt, the greatest King villain there is, as well as one of the most terrifying most people refuse to watch the famous (or, infamous?) hobbling scene between Bates’ Annie Wilkes and James Caan’s Paul Sheldon, the Stephen King self-insert turned palatable character by Kathy Bates’ proximity.

Surprisingly enough, Misery is actually the only King film adaptation to win an Oscar — which rightfully went to Kathy Bates, for Best Actress, in 1991.

4  Stand by Me, 1986 (8.1/10)

When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we see, we can watch Stand by Me, the 1986 Rob Reiner coming-of-age film based on King’s 1982 novella The Body.

Though ostensibly about four boys hiking out to find the body of a missing boy one weekend, the story is about so much more so much so that, upon seeing it, Stephen King himself needed to take fifteen minutes to collect himself before saying this was the first truly successful adaptation of anything he had written. Rob Reiner still lists this movie as his personal favorite amongst all the ones he’s made.

3 The Shining, 1980 (8.4/10)

The fact that this movie is not number one may be surprising to many people (Stanley Kubrick among them, probably), but Stephen King himself would’ve ranked it drastically lower. Then again, he just wanted a direct adaptation of his work, which Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation The Shining is not.

However, it is an amazing adaptation in its own right, taking a lot of the best elements of the book for the film. Though some of the best parts are left out, in fairness to King, the film as a whole and the performances, in particular, make this movie a standout favorite among adaptations of King’s work.

2 The Green Mile, 1999 (8.6/10)

Is The Green Mile a fantasy movie? Is it a supernatural movie, or a horror film, or maybe a thriller? Is it a crime drama? The answer to all of these is yes because The Green Mile is an absolutely bonkers story that was adapted into an absolutely bonkers movie, both of which are truly phenomenal in a way few stories are.

Starring Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, James Cromwell (sorry, the list just goes on and on), The Green Mile has earned its #2 spot on the list of King’s best adaptations (according to IMDb).

1  The Shawshank Redemption, 1994 (9.3/10)

Surprising no one, surely, The Shawshank Redemption rolls into the #1 spot on the list with a whopping 9.3 stars out of 10 from IMDb and its users. Though everybody and their mother now cites The Shawshank Redemption as one of their favorite King adaptations or the best of his film versions of his books, the movie was a box office bomb when it came out.

In spite of that, it was then nominated for multiple Academy Awards that season before going on to a theatrical re-release that more than tripled its original box office haul. Now, The Shawshank Redemption has secured its place as one of the best of the best when it comes to King’s movies.

About The Author

Nicole Mello
(66 Articles Published)

Nicole Mello is an author of horrors, romances, and comedies. On occasion, they will attempt to combine all three, as there really isn’t too much to life overall than fear, love, and laughter.

Nicole currently resides in Massachusetts with their husband and two best friends. They encourage everyone reading this to question everything, stay hydrated, and treat others with kindness.

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