Best Stephen King Movies
The literary genius has helped to craft several film and TV adaptations of his novels and short stories. These are the best and scariest ones.
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- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsSissy SpacekPiper LaurieAmy IrvingCarrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.Stephen King's first novel, and a damn good one too, gets a wonderfully frightening and dramatic adaptation from maestro Brian De Palma. Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie pull off incredible performances, and while there is plenty of gore and enough scares, the drama behind teenage misfit Carrie White's life is equally as scary as getting pig's blood poured on you at your prom.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.Kubrick's "The Shining" is very different when compared to King's novel, but on its own, it stands as one seriously scary movie that drips with atmosphere, shock, claustrophobia, and disturbingly memorable imagery. Whether Jack Nicholson is over-the-top or just crazy enough, his performance is as iconic as his Academy Award-winning turn as McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKeith GordonJohn StockwellAlexandra PaulA nerdish boy buys a strange car with an evil mind of its own and his nature starts to change to reflect it.A demonic car? Sounds pretty cheesy, right? WRONG! John Carpenter, director of the classic "Halloween," finds plenty of pure horror in a situation that would normally come off in a very corny way. And with awesome special effects, creepy music, and solid performances from the cast, "Christine" hits the mark right on the bulls-eye.
- DirectorLewis TeagueStarsDee WallaceDaniel Hugh KellyDanny PintauroCujo, a friendly St. Bernard, contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town."Cujo's" story is plenty scary, and the fact that director Lewis Teague and Stephen King can pack enough horror into a rabid dog's furious attack on a mother and her son in a Ford Pinto is demonstrative of some serious talent.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsChristopher WalkenBrooke AdamsTom SkerrittA man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.Maybe not the scariest Stephen King adaptation, but certainly one of the most suspenseful, with a great performance from Christopher Walken and one seriously stomach-churning scene that leaves everything to the imagination.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsJames CaanKathy BatesRichard FarnsworthAfter a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse."Misery's" incredible impact can be summed up by Kathy Bates' Oscar-winning performance and one word...hobbling.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsKathy BatesJennifer Jason LeighChristopher PlummerA big city reporter travels to a small town where her mother has been arrested for the murder of an elderly woman for whom she worked as a housekeeper.Not supernatural horror, but a deeper horror. "Dolores Claiborne" involves the horrors of the mind, the memories and implications that forever haunt us. Kathy Bates gives another incredible performance, and she is ably supported by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, and David Strathairn.
- StarsDavid SoulJames MasonLance KerwinA novelist and a young horror fan attempt to save a small New England town which has been invaded by vampires.For a TV movie, "Salem's Lot" is a very creepy vampire tale that has the benefits of a great all-star cast and the direction of Tobe Hooper, director of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist."
- DirectorMary LambertStarsDale MidkiffDenise CrosbyFred GwynneAfter tragedy strikes, a grieving father discovers an ancient burial ground behind his home with the power to raise the dead.Flawed, but gory, moody, and creates an uncomfortable environment in its harsh subject matter. One of Stephen King's darkest stories, "Pet Sematary" is host to some absolutely ghoulish imagery.
- StarsRichard ThomasTim ReidAnnette O'TooleIn 1960, seven pre-teen outcasts fight an evil demon who poses as a child-killing clown. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the demon once and for all when it returns to their hometown.Three words: I. Hate. Clowns.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsThomas JaneMarcia Gay HardenLaurie HoldenA freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.You want monsters? You got them! Stephen King vet Frank Darabont assembles a great cast to face down a dense fog and the things inside it while trapped in a grocery store. The ending is one giant FML, but it's certainly appropriate.
- DirectorDavid KoeppStarsJohnny DeppMaria BelloJohn TurturroA successful writer in the midst of a painful divorce is stalked at his remote lake house by a would-be scribe who accuses him of plagiarism.A flawless performance from Johnny Depp and a cool story all add up to one shocking twist.
- DirectorMikael HåfströmStarsJohn CusackSamuel L. JacksonMary McCormackA man who specialises in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.One of the first horror movies in the wake of the torture-porn subgenre to rely completely on mood and suspense, and it's damn good. "1408" is a plenty creepy little haunted hotel story and John Cusack is spot-on.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.Not a horror story, but an uplifting, perfectly directed and performed drama that hits all the right buttons.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsWil WheatonRiver PhoenixCorey FeldmanA writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.One of my favorite movies. Period. "Stand by Me" is an honest, well-written Stephen King adaptation that sticks with you forever.