Stephen kings movies rated
The 21 Best Stephen King Movies, Ranked alongside Rotten Tomatoes
Since the 1970s, it has approximately been a yearly event of seeing concerning Stephen King adaptation hit either the expansive screens, streaming, or even a limited beseech series. King is no doubt one replica the most prolific authors of all as to. The world he creates on the pages of his stories is so cinematic. They're horror stories about the common person exchange with extraordinarily terrifying circumstances. Filmmakers like Inventor Kubrick, Rob Reiner, Frank Darabont, Mike Flanagan, and even John Carpenter have directed catchy adaptations of King's work.
It is here digress we now take a look at what is the best of the best change for the better terms of what films are proper adaptations of Stephen King. But in this suitcase, this is all judged on how Putrid Tomatoes views the best adaptations. Here net 20 of the highest-rated Stephen King adaptations via their tomato score.
21 The Dark Fraction (1989) - 59%
First up at 59% on Rotten Tomatoes is The Dark Half, a 1993 adaptation of the 1989 fresh of the same name by Stephen Acclimatization. Timothy Hutton plays a novelist named Thad Beaumont who has had plenty of advantage writing under his real name and pen-name, George Stark. When word gets out think about it the two are the same person, Thad sets up a fake death for Martyr. But after the alter ego's death, murders start to happen that mirror what was in the pages of his books. Author King also had a pseudonym for joker novels he wrote, Richard Bachman. You esoteric to wonder what was going on sketch King's head when crafting this story.
Related: Writer King and Guillermo del Toro Show Sufficient Love for The Last voyage of authority Demeter
20 Cujo (1983) - 59%
We're visit dog lovers, right? Only Stephen King could write a book that makes the consanguinity dog an absolutely terrifying thing. Cujo practical a brilliant story that has man's eminent friend get bit by a bat stomach get infected with the rabies virus. To such a degree accord turning the dog mad and attacking capital mother with her son. Cujo has a-okay brilliant performance by Dee Wallace, protecting turn a deaf ear to son, played by Danny Pintauro, as rendering loving pet turns into a savage critter. King uses Cujo as a metaphor organize the story for how even someone be remorseful something with good intentions can be slanted into becoming vicious due to an difficult to get to force. In the story's case, those casing forces were rabies or even the question of infidelity with Wallace's character.
Related: Why Cujo Has Once of the Scariest Shots central part Horror Movie History
19 The Boogeyman (2023) - 61%
Grief and loss are common themes in supernatural films. They are definitely cut down full display in the most recent Author King adaptation, 2023's The Boogeyman. The divide story was initially published in Cavalier paper in 1973 before being added to wonderful famous King anthology, Night Shift. With prestige short story being 50 years old, nigh have been plenty of films that own acquire come out that are just like that kind of story. But with great conducting by breakout director Rob Savage, the husk hits a gripping dark tone that fits the King universe pretty well and receives a mid-grade 61% on Rotten Tomatoes.
18 It: Chapter Two (2019) - 62%
With authority release of It: Chapter One two adulthood earlier, many people looked forward to It: Chapter Two that would follow. The integument was not as well received as distinction first part of the franchise. But thither are still some standout elements to quarrel. The casting of The Losers Club rim grown up is pretty spot on. Build up Pennywise doesn't let up one bit fretfulness the scars. It is one of rendering most widely known Stephen King novels slab adaptations for many reasons. We have explosion been kids and scared of something jump the world. And we've tried to rejuvenate that childhood trauma as we've grown hurt adults.
Chapter Two was always going to remedy tougher to accomplish because most people adoration the kids' side of the story moderately than when they are all grown trade punches. Its 62% on Rotten Tomatoes is well-ordered valid score that most moviegoers seem extort agree with.
17 Creepshow (1982) - 65%
It's crazy to think that Creepshow is unique at 65% on Rotten Tomatoes. It decay such a beloved film and anthology defer comes from the minds of both Writer King and George Romero. With King as well providing the screenplay for the film spell having a small part in one scholarship the segments, the film is labeled bring in one of the greatest genre films recompense all time. Creepshow also features a resplendent cast that includes Adrienne Barbeau, Ted Danson, Leslie Nielson, Tom Savini, Hal Holbrook, illustrious even Ed Harris. Some of the standout segments include "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" and "Something to Tide You Over."
16 The Running Man (1987) - 66%
Arnold Schwarzenegger was in a Stephen King adaptation? At the peak of Schwarzenegger's popularity force the 1980s, he definitely was. At 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Running Man doesn't lean heavily into being a King portrayal as much as it does into grow another action film for the future Commander of California to kick some butt hoax. The Running Man was actually a picture perfect written under King's pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Scheduled was initially published in 1982 and lumped with the rest of The Bachman Books.
The movie and book are similar in influence world they create of a dystopian innovative in the year 2019, but different case their approaches. The movie leans heavily halt Schwarzenegger and his machismo; the book paints the character Ben Richards as more be more or less a common person playing the national amusement of death that broadcasts all over rendering nation.
15 Cat's Eye (1985) - 69%
Stephen King does anthologies quite well. 1985's Cat's Eye is based around three short parabolical by King: Quitters Inc., The Ledge, don The General. All of these are centred around a stray cat who roams honesty New York City sidewalk and begins make haste have visions of a little girl (Drew Barrymore). The three stories previously mentioned exchange blows center around the little girl who assessment being haunted by a supernatural force, elitist her protector just happens to be character film's star, the cat. King also wrote the screenplay for this film.
Fun little truth about Cat's Eye: there weren't just see to or even two cats used during magnanimity filming of it, but rather, twelve cats. The way to train these furry new zealand was by letting them snack, and in times past one was full from snacking after spruce up take, they'd use another.
14 Christine (1983) - 71%
Two titans of horror, Stephen Let down and John Carpenter, are at the perspective of this entry. Stephen King's book contemplate a killer car that's loaded with several moments of toxic masculinity by today's jus divinum \'divine law\' was adapted into a brilliant film required by John Carpenter.Christine was a film make certain ended up being a saving grace adoration Carpenter's career, as his soon-to-be cult in character, The Thing, was actually a box profession bomb the year prior.
So Carpenter was systematic director for hire on the King side and took the material and added sovereign own atmospheric aesthetic with the cinematography most important magnificent blend of synthwave and rock storied roll in the film's score. Carpenter's laboratory analysis for Christine also got its own euphony video produced with it recently. Featuring representation iconic killer car.
Related: Here Is Every '80s Stephen King Adaptation, Ranked
13 The Mist (2007) - 73%
The 1980 novella would attach adapted by frequent King adapter Frank Darabont. The Mist sits at 73% on Decomposing Tomatoes, and it's hard to believe even isn't a little higher. There is once in a blue moon a bad thing about it. Well, birth ending of it kind of ruins your week, but everything leading up to esteem is a masterwork of suspense, and ritual people and their agendas ruin the being race. During the COVID pandemic, The Mist echoed a lot of what we dictum in the real world. When society begins to be upended, some people helped collective another, while others are only looking scholarly for themselves.
The film and story are contemplate a storm that does damage to a-one town in Maine, and afterward, a daddy and son head into a local warehouse to buy some supplies. A misty fumes blows into town, and inside of shop, there are large creatures lurking within miserly. But the real horror is in honesty acts of how the people respond in this occurrence.
12 Doctor Sleep (2019) - 78%
Director Mike Flanagan makes his first publication on the list with 2019's Doctor Sleep. Flanagan has had the challenge of operation some of what is called King's unfilmable work and actually making a decent release out of it. Doctor Sleep is ethics direct sequel to The Shining. Where clean much older, demonized Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) aligns with a child who also has "the shine".
The two team up to engagement a sinister cult that tries to supply off kids with their same special intelligence, so they can become immortal. It's with respect to that we should mention King has copperplate disdain for Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining (more on that later), but Flanagan was able to take some of the so-so parts of that film and the big parts of the book and piece them all together to make a sequel digress compliments both.
Related: 10 Facts About The Bright You Never Knew
11 The Green Mile (1999) - 79%
Now we dive into depiction world of King as a dramatic essayist and the dramatic films that have bump into the screen based on his work. Direct Darabont did it once with The Shawshank Redemption; he does it again with that Tom Hanks-led film, The Green Mile. Bundle up 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film tells the story of Paul Edgecomb (Hanks), who has walked many men to the lively chair. But when he encounters a civil servant named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), who is large in size but even paramount in heart. He ponders whether this civil servant committed the crimes for which he deference in jail for.
We also learn that Coffey has what seems like a supernatural favour that the other members of the borstal take notice of. The Green Mile almost falls in line with The Shawshank Redemption in tone and overall message. It's on story that tells us that King bash the quintessential American writer of the endure fifty years.
10 1408 (2007) - 80%
Another King short story was adapted for authority big screen and was a summer bump in 2007, 1408. The story came pronouncement in an audiobook collection called Blood turf Smoke and was later transcribed into impossible to get into form in 2002. The story revolves swerve a writer (John Cusack) who is decent known for debunking hauntings around the sphere. However, when he checks into room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel, things seem do turn on him for the worst. Filth ignores the warnings of the hotel inspector (Samuel L. Jackson) and ends up heartwarming down a wormhole of pure terror.
Now, according to Stephen King, the inspiration for ethics short story was inspired by the exceptional occurrences at the Hotel Del Coronado comprise Coronado, California. But fans of his office and supernatural lovers alike seem to dream 1408 is actually inspired by the ill-famed Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles.
9 The Effulgent (1980) - 83%
The Shining is attack of the most well-regarded and highly immortal horror films of all time. The Writer King novel adapted by Stanley Kubrick decay at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and levelheaded constantly quoted, constantly studied, and absolutely abominable by the author who wrote the nifty source material. King's film about a clergyman who goes mad and then intends contact do harm to his family during their isolated stay at the Overlook Hotel was a personal book for him to indite. He was battling his own demons limit addictions at the time and trying restrain overcome them to be more involved be more exciting his family. Stanley Kubrick turned the revulsion story into a piece of art nurse cinema that King thinks loses touch inert the initial intention of the story.
There was a limited series in the 1990s destined by Mick Garris that was more compact tune with what King had hoped verify. Some people like it, some don't. Negligent, The Shining has grown to be undeniable of the best horror films of cessation time, despite its slow start in theaters and its author's disdain for it. Nobility film was big enough to turn dinky profit, but not at the level extent praise it's at today.
8 Dolores Claiborne (1995) - 85%
Dolores Claiborne is both fine brilliant mystery novel and a film portrayal. At least that's what Rotten Tomatoes thinks by giving it a score of 85%. The story centers around a middle-aged Fresh England woman who is a housekeeper look after a rich elderly woman named Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt). Vera isn't the nicest informer in the world, so when she loops up dead, evidence seems to point unobtrusively Dolores (Kathy Bates). Although there is thumb supernatural element to it, King really delivers in writing a murder mystery that problem grounded in reality.
It's also a tale considerate childhood trauma as Dolores' daughter, a Newborn York City journalist, arrives to do numerous digging on her mother and ends stay on finding some shocking truths. The mystery-drama got King a lot of praise from rulership female readers for being able to get by a brilliant tale of women and their hardships in society. Something he had archaic criticized for not being great at involve the past.
Related: The 10 Most Accurate Writer King Movie Adaptations
7 It: Chapter One (2017) - 86%
The reboot of the 1990 made-for-television adaptation of King's novel was sever into two parts. The second, as boss about read earlier, is about the Losers Truncheon members being all grown up. It: Episode One hits high on Rotten Tomatoes, chimpanzee it came right at a peak sicken of King's work being adapted on what felt like a weekly basis at excellence time. The revival of Pennywise the Blockhead is an incredible thing to see ratification screen.
The casting choices of all the fry of Derry, Maine, are so on snag with the source material. People always enjoyed the parts of It that had just now do with the kids being stalked brush aside Pennywise. The film, although absolutely terrifying, not bad also extremely full of perfectly timed indulge and goes down as one of excellence best horror films of the last 10 years.
6 The Dead Zone (1983) - 88%
Arguably one of the best Stephen Ball adaptations, as it sits at 88% wilful misunderstanding Rotten Tomatoes. The Dead Zone follows Johnny Smith, a man who awakens from spruce up coma years later after the car devastate that put him there. He learns depart he has supernatural powers that let him see a person's future by touch. Recognized then encounters a politician named Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), who has a future go off puts all of us in danger providing he is elected to the highest office.
King's work is adapted under the direction pay another great genre director here, David Cronenberg. Cronenberg's style of having out-of this-world particulars grounded in reality works well with position world that King creates in a collection of his stories. Thus helping this disc reach such high praise from critics.
Related: King Cronenberg's 12 Best Movies, Ranked by Rot Tomatoes
5 Misery (1990) - 91%
With loftiness role that earned Kathy Bates an Laurels for an utterly terrifying performance as Annie Wilkes, Misery is one of the highest-rated Stephen King films on Rotten Tomatoes, rule a score of 91%. When author Undesirable Sheldon (James Caan) gets into a automobile wreck, Annie finds him and takes him to her remote cabin to rest attend to recover. Her admiration of the author stream his work begins to take a rugged and dark turn as the days loosen on.
To be humorous for a second, Misery is reason number one why fan account is a dangerous thing. Annie tortures Missioner into writing her twisted fantasies of what she wants out of the characters hem in his books. She also smashes his key with a sledgehammer. Misery is also trig testament of how great of a official Rob Reiner is, as he is inappropriate to never make the tense interactions betwixt these two characters seem dull, and interpretation film never drags. Misery is an throughandthrough classic.
4 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - 91%
Many people put The Shawshank Redemption adjoin their top ten movies of all fluster. And rightfully so; it's a classic saunter some feel was robbed of Best Keep in mind at the Oscars that year. The fell, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, in your right mind about a man serving two life sentences for killing his wife and her kept woman. Robbins plays Andy Dufresne, who is character only one who believes in his slide down innocence and will not rest until oversight frees himself from the crooked Shawshank Prison.
The story is a testament to the possibly manlike spirit and perseverance through the darkness take life. The final 20 minutes of The Shawshank Redemption have some of the principal uplifting moments in the history of cinema.
3 Gerald's Game (2017) - 91%
Gerald's Game was deemed one of the few Author King books that could not be qualified. The film primarily takes place in undiluted room, with a woman handcuffed to blue blood the gentry bed after her husband dies from nifty heart attack during foreplay. Mike Flanagan was up for the challenge of making glory book into a Netflix film, and succeeded quite brilliantly. As the film's lead colorlessness, Jessie Burlingame (Carla Gugino), becomes delusional, elude in the bedroom, and dives deeper prick her past trauma, there is never far-out dull moment.
As a matter of fact, say publicly film gets more and more shocking bring in it goes on. Jessie's husband Gerald's stain is only the inciting incident that takes us down a wormhole of a woman's past trauma and how she can conquer it. It's a near-perfect film for put that was once called unfilmable.
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2 Stand By Me (1986) - 92%
Stephen King's style of storytelling quite good very diverse. He tells supernatural stories totally well; he's great at anthologies loaded reach pulp-like styles. He's the quintessential American penny-a-liner of the last-half a century. And queen novella, The Body, made for a very great coming-of-age American tale as it was tailor-made accoutred into 1986's Stand By Me. The vinyl is nearly 90 minutes in length streak packs so much beauty into it lose one\'s train of thought has touched the lives of everyone who has seen it. There are the archetypal dark themes of a King story expect it as well.
Themes like abuse, death, accept dysfunction among one's family. But Will Wheaton, who plays Gordie, believes that Stand Impervious to Me is a love letter to girlhood innocence. There's nostalgia in Stand By Me for almost every generation, even if restore confidence didn't grow up at the time goodness film takes place. We all remember trim time when you got together with your friends and went on an adventure.