The 10 Best Stephen King Movies

Horror fans have had a mixed blessing type of relationship with Stephen King. Several of his films have been well crafter chillers while others have been bottom of the barrel trash. Interestingly, many of the best films adapted from King's work have contained little to no horror whatsoever. There's even a few that have contained nary a supernatural element in the whole film.

Fans could look forward to the next two film adaptations, both of which are old-fashioned Stephen King horror. First up is "1408," a chiller with John Cusack as an author who becomes obsessed with ghosts and the afterlife following the death of his young daughter. He investigates various sights finding nothing until he comes across a haunted hotel room at a posh New York hotel. Samuel L. Jackson co-stars.

This November writer/director Frank (Shawshank Redemption; Green Mile) Darabont will bring to the big screen his latest adaptation of a Stephen King story, "The Mist," a truly creepy tale of a small town terrorized when a mist rolls in with bad weather and a group is trapped inside a grocery store after it is discovered there are some not so friendly creatures within the mist. This is one of the few stories I have read more then twice (4 times now - planning a 5^th) and it never fails to shake me up. I can only hope Darabont continues his strong showing with King's work and makes it a truly memorable horror film.

With that in mind I have taken a look back at the Stephen King books, stories and original screenplays made into movies and thought it would be fun to list the ten best. In doing the research I discovered just how difficult this task was going to be. There have only been five movies that are truly exceptional while trying to find five others proved to be a bit tasking. There are some decent films in here but you hate to use the word "decent" to describe movies on a best list.

What was more amazing was the number of amazingly awful movies (look for a 10 worst list - much easier to create) that have come from the works of King or from King himself. As successful as King's books are they are largely descriptive and more difficult to adapt for the screen. Of course that hasn't stopped a slew of directors, some very successful and some hacks, to try and make a buck off King.

Just for the record I have read of all King's books with the exception of the last few. Up until about ten years ago a King book assured the reader of a truly frightening experience but he has been hot and cold since then.

For this list I have purposely avoided all the mini-series' to come over the last 28 years, none of which are great anyway but some that have truly memorable moments (Salem's Lot (1979); It). I am concentrating on only big screen releases.

You will note that this list does not include Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," that is a favorite among many horror fans. I simply was not impressed with the film enough to include it here. Considering the talent of its great director and star (Jack Nicholson) and the terrific novel on which it was based I find the film to be a great disappointment though it does have its merits. It isn't awful in the way the worst list will be but it falls short of being the masterpiece others claim it to be.

Other films I liked that didn't make the list include "Secret Window," "Hearts in Atlantis" and "Thinner." None of these films are great but they are watchable, thus raising it above many of the other films King has been apart of. I would also add that "The Running Man," "Sleepwalkers" and "Silver Bullet" have some merit but fall short.

Here is my choice for the 10 best films either written by or adapted from the works of Stephen King. The list is in alphabetical order instead of by preference.

CARRIE (1976) - King's first book adapted to the big screen happened to be based on his first novel. Sissy Spacek starred in the title role as a teenage loner who discovers she has telekinetic powers and is soon the target of a cruel practical joke at the high school prom. Piper Laurie returned from a self imposed retirement (after 1961's "The Hustler") to play Carrie's religious fanatic mother. The film also starred Nancy Allen, John Travolta (in a rare villain role), William Katt, P.J. Soles and Betty Buckley. Director Brian DePalma joined the ranks of top directors with this film and watch closely the brilliant editing in the scene leading up to the spilling of the bucket filled with pig's blood. DePalma drags out the pay off to the point where the audience is squirming in anticipation of what is to come. And let's not forget the tremendous final shock that has been imitated but rarely duplicated. Both Spacek and Laurie were nominated for acting Oscars.

CHRISTINE (1983) - King and horror master John Carpenter teamed up for this thriller about a demonic car and the nerdy teenager who buys it and whose personality soon begins to change to match the car he now owns. The film captures teenage life perfectly and offers a few chills (though not as many as one would hope) and is buoyed by a terrific lead performance by Keith Gordon, whose transformation from innocent to evil is astounding.

CREEPSHOW (1982) - King teamed up with another horror master, George A. Romero, for this anthology film that is hit and miss, but with more hits. The first story of five is about the corpse of a dad man that comes to laugh to take revenge on his wealthy but soulless family. This story has a few good jolts and look for a young Ed Harris in an early role. The second story stars King himself as a man who finds the remnants of a meteor and, dreaming of riches, tries to preserve it and starts turning into a giant bush. Needless to say this is a silly story that conclusively proves King should stick to writing and avoid acting. Story three is a creepy revenge story with Leslie Nielsen as a husband who buries his wife's lover (Ted Danson) up to his neck in sand on the beach and then waits for the tide to come in. This is my favorite story of the five with one great scare towards the end. Another good story concerns a crate found underneath a stairwell at a college and the hungry creature that lurks inside it. Hal Holbrook, Fritz Weaver and Adrienne Barbeau star with Holbrook standing out as a henpecked husband who takes sweet revenge on his bully of a wife. The last story stars E.G. Marshall as a pest control freak in a well protected apartment that soon finds his place infested by cockroaches. Due to his nasty nature towards others he finds himself alone and helpless. This story has all the ingredients for a spooky story but it's undone by its silliness and disgust factor that reaches its zenith at the very end.

THE DEAD ZONE (1983) - One of my favorite film adaptations is David Cronenberg's stylish thriller about a young man who wakes from a five-year coma after a near fatal accident and discovers that when he touches a person he can see their ultimate fate. Christopher Walken gives one of the best performances of his illustrious career as the man blessed (or is it cursed) with this gift. The film moves all over the place from his rehabilitation to a serial killer to a crooked politician but the film never loses its focus. Cronenberg assembled an impressive supporting cast including Tom Skerritt, Martin Sheen, Colleen Dewhurst, Brooke Adams and Herbert Lom. Interestingly the film, with one notable exception, veers away from violence despite the collaboration of King and Cronenberg.

DOLORES CLAIBORNE (1995) - One of King's absolute worst books is, shockingly, turned into one his best film adaptations thanks to director Taylor (Ray; An Officer and a Gentleman) Hackford. Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as a woman who returns to her childhood home in Maine after her mother (Kathy Bates) is accused of murdering her employer. While there they begin to put the pieces of their relationship back together and explore a past that contains unanswered questions and secrets. Thanks to a tight screenplay by Tony Gilroy the film unfolds slowly but never manages to lose the interest of the audience. Kathy Bates, who never manages to be less then terrific, gives one of her very best performances here.

THE GREEN MILE (1999) - Frank Darabont's second (after Shawshank Redemption) go around with a King story is this Best Picture nominated tale of prison guards on Death Row in the 1930's and the relationship between one guard and the prisoner with a special gift. Tom Hanks, David Morse, Berry Pepper, James Cromwell, Patricia Clarkson, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan (Oscar nominee), Sam Rockwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Harry Dean Stanton and Dabbs Greer head an impressive cast. Some found the film too long and tedious but I found it compelling and, for a change, it stuck relatively close to the source material.

MISERY (1990) - Rob Reiner brings Stephen King's ultimate nightmare to the big screen in this thriller with James Caan as a fiction writer (ala King) who is critically injured in a car accident having just completed his latest book. Things only go from bad to worse when he is rescued by a nurse (Kathy Bates) who happens to be his number one fan and has no intention of letting him leave after he has healed. Bates shines in her Academy Award winning performance as she moves back and forth between oddball and psychopath. Richard Farnsworth co-stars as the town's sheriff who slowly but surely begins to figure out what is happening.

NEEDFUL THINGS (1993) - This sharp black comedy/thriller is not a favorite of most fans but I enjoyed the book and thought Fraser (Charlton's son) Heston's take was dead on. The story tells of a small town where a new store, Needful Things, will soon open with a proprietor who is able to make dreams come true - at a price. Soon enough the townspeople start turning on one another eventually leading to violence and death while the helpless sheriff (Ed Harris) looks on. For the first time ever I read a book and pictured an actor in a role who was actually cast - Max Von Sydow as the proprietor who may or may not be the devil. The film may not be for everyone's taste but I thought its mix of dark humor and violence was perfectly balanced.

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) - Perhaps the most loved of all of King's adaptations is this prison drama based on the short story, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. The film focuses on the friendship between a banker/accused murderer (Tim Robbins) and a "lifer," (Morgan Freeman) who, along with other inmates, learn to respect the banker who is seemingly able to get everything he strives for despite a sadistic warden at their side. Perhaps the best prison film ever made, it failed to catch on with audiences when it was first released (despite a Best Picture nomination) possibly due to its odd title. Since then it has found its audience and the respect it deserves.

STAND BY ME (1986) - Based on King's novella The Body, Rob Reiner directs this simple drama about four teenage friends in the 1950's who take a trek to find a dead body they have heard about. This is an affectionate and nostalgic look at teenage life in a more innocent time (told in flashback and narrated by Richard Dreyfuss) with dead on references to everything from pop culture to death. The performances of everyone involved (especially the four young leads and Keifer Sutherland as a punk) are terrific with a knockout musical soundtrack. This is a wonderful film.