If you’re wondering why we have only selected the top five Stephen King adaptations, it is because there are over 40 in total. Here’s the best of the best, ranked from worst to best.
5. Carrie (1976)
The original Carrie adaptation delivers all the horror of high school followed by all of the terror and suspense of a murder. Brian De Palma masterfully lures us into the mind of a paranoid teen in this sympathetic thriller.
4. IT (2017)
The IT remake is the highest-grossing horror movie of all time. The colorful blockbuster is tense, funny, and full of our favorite horror tropes. The sequel fell short of perfection but 2017’s IT was one of the most entertaining movies released that year.
3. The Green Mile
People often forget that the heart-breaking story of The Green Mile was originally written by Stephen King. There’s a reason that even the “toughest” macho men admit to crying over this masterpiece.
2. The Shining
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining was so flawless that nobody has bothered trying to remake it since. Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of a man losing his mind is so convincing that the movie remains terrifying on the second or third rewatch.
1. The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption has spent years as the highest-rated movie on IMDB. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman give stellar performances and the film is considered by even the harshest critics as flawless from start to finish.
