Our Favorite Stephen King Inspired Movies / Films
Stephen King earned his stripes as a Master of Horror and a personal favorite around Hell Horror. Of course, we included Carrie, Firestarter, The Shining, Salem’s Lot but there are so much more to include. Some films may not have followed the books/novels/short stories correctly, so we decided to make a single HUGE list of all of our favorite Stephen King-inspired movies that are scored and ranked. Makes we want to sit down and have a Stephen King movie marathon.
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Stephen King Movies Inspired by his written works
Best Movies
The Shining (1980)
Our Score: 9/10 IMDB Score: 8.4/10
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson
Why You Should Watch The Shining:
Alright, let's talk about "The Shining"! This movie, man, it's something else. Directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1980, it's this horror classic that still gives me the creeps. Jack Nicholson is in it, playing Jack Torrance, who ends up looking after this massive, spooky hotel over the winter.
What I absolutely love about this movie is how it messes with your head. It's not about monsters jumping out at you; it's way sneakier. Nicholson's slow slide into craziness? It's just so well done. And the whole vibe of the hotel, all empty and echoey, it really gets under your skin.
The way the film is shot is super cool, too. Those long, slow shots through the corridors, those creepy twins, and oh man, that weird river of blood thing? It’s like horror, but make it art. Every time I watch it, I spot something new, which is pretty neat.
And let's not forget about the suspense. Kubrick is a master at making you feel tense without even knowing why. It's like you're always waiting for something to happen. Plus, the music in the movie? So eerie. It sticks with you, you know?
"The Shining" is one of those films I can watch a bunch of times and not get bored. It’s spooky, sure, but it’s also just a really well-made movie. If you're into horror that’s more about getting in your head than just scaring you outright, you’ve got to give it a watch. Plus, Jack Nicholson just nails it!
The Dead Zone (1983)
Our Score: 8/10 IMDB Score: 7.2/10
Starring: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Anthony Zerbe
Misery (1990)
Our Score: 5/10 IMDB Score: 7.8/10
Starring: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall
The Mist (2007)
Our Score: 7/10 IMDB Score: 7.1/10
Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones
The Running Man (1987)
Our Score: 8/10 IMDB Score: 6.6/10
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura
Carrie (Remake) (2013)
Our Score: 8/10 IMDB Score: 5.8/10
Starring: Julianne Moore, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gabriella Wilde, Portia Doubleday, Zoë Belkin
Apt Pupil (1998)
Our Score: 7/10 IMDB Score: 6.7/10
Starring: Brad Renfro, Ian McKellen, Joshua Jackson, Mickey Cottrell, Michael Reid MacKay
Christine (1983)
Our Score: 5/10 IMDB Score: 6.8/10
Starring: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton
Cujo (1983)
Our Score: 6/10 IMDB Score: 6.1/10
Starring: Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Christopher Stone, Ed Lauter
The Dark Half (1993)
Our Score: 6/10 IMDB Score: 6.0/10
Starring: Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan, Michael Rooker, Julie Harris, Robert Joy
Secret Window (2004)
Our Score: 7/10 IMDB Score: 6.5/10
Starring: Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton
Pet Sematary (1989)
Our Score: 6/10 IMDB Score: 6.5/10
Starring: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby, Brad Greenquist, Michael Lombard
Why You Should Watch Pet Sematary:
Have you seen "Pet Sematary" from '89? It’s one of those Stephen King adaptations and pretty wild. It’s about this family that moves to a new place next to this pet cemetery. And, get this, there’s this ancient bu*ial ground behind it that's supposed to bring things back to life. So when their cat gets hit by a car, things start getting really weird, really fast.
The vibe of the movie? Totally creepy. It’s not just the spooky stuff; it’s also about dealing with loss and all these what-ifs. Dale Midkiff, the guy who plays the dad, really shows you how messed up you’d get in that situation.
The thing about "Pet Sematary" is it's not just about the horror. It’s kind of heavy, too. It messes with your head, especially with the stuff about the kid. That part? Totally gives me the chills.
It’s one of those movies that sticks with you because it’s not just trying to scare you. It makes you think about all this deep, dark stuff.
If you're looking for a horror movie that's a bit more than your usual scream-fest, "Pet Sematary" is a solid pick. It’s classic Stephen King – fr***y, a little sad, and definitely twisted. Just a heads up, it's not exactly a feel-good film, so maybe save it for when you’re in the mood for something a bit heavier!
Children of the Corn (1984)
Our Score: 7/10 IMDB Score: 5.6/10
Starring: Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, R.G. Armstrong, John Franklin, Courtney Gains
Silver Bullet (1985)
Our Score: 7/10 IMDB Score: 6.4/10
Starring: Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Corey Haim, Megan Follows, Robin Groves
Firestarter (1984)
Our Score: 5/10 IMDB Score: 6.1/10
Starring: David Keith, Drew Barrymore, Freddie Jones, Heather Locklear, Martin Sheen
The Night Flier (1997)
Our Score: 6/10 IMDB Score: 6.0/10
Starring: Miguel Ferrer, Julie Entwisle, Dan Monahan, Michael H. Moss, John Bennes
Creepshow 2 (1987)
Our Score: 6/10 IMDB Score: 6.0/10
Starring: Domenick John, Tom Savini, George Kennedy, Philip Dore, Maltby Napoleon
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
Our Score: 5/10 IMDB Score: 4.8/10
Starring: Emily Bergl, Jason London, Dylan Bruno, J. Smith-Cameron, Amy Irving
Dreamcatcher (2003)
Our Score: 6/10 IMDB Score: 5.5/10
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant
The Lawnmower Man (1992)
Our Score: 5/10 IMDB Score: 5.4/10
Starring: Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan, Jenny Wright, Mark Bringelson, Geoffrey Lewis
A Return to Salem's Lot (1987)
Our Score: 5/10 IMDB Score: 4.3/10
Starring: Michael Moriarty, Ricky Addison Reed, Samuel Fuller, Andrew Duggan, Evelyn Keyes
Quicksilver Highway (1997)
Our Score: 4/10 IMDB Score: 4.8/10
Starring: Christopher Lloyd, Matt Frewer, Raphael Sbarge, Missy Crider, Silas Weir Mitchell
Graveyard Shift (1990)
Our Score: 5/10 IMDB Score: 4.9/10
Starring: David Andrews, Kelly Wolf, Stephen Macht, Andrew Divoff, Vic Polizos
Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995)
Our Score: 4/10 IMDB Score: 4.3/10
Starring: Dano Cerny, Ron Melendez, Jim Metzler, Nancy Lee Grahn, Jon Clair
Cell (2016)
Our Score: 6/10 IMDB Score: 4.4/10
Starring: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Clark Sarullo, Ethan Andrew Casto
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
Our Score: 6/10 IMDB Score: 5.4/10
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, Yeardley Smith, John Short
Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992)
Our Score: 5/10 IMDB Score: 4.3/10
Starring: Terence Knox, Paul Scherrer, Ryan Bollman, Christie Clark, Rosalind Allen
Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001)
Our Score: 3/10 IMDB Score: 3.4/10
Starring: Claudette Mink, Kyle Cassie, Michael Ironside, Troy Yorke, Michael J Rogers
Worst Movies
Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998)
Our Score: 4/10 IMDB Score: 3.9/10
Starring: Stacy Galina, Alexis Arquette, Eva Mendes, Greg Vaughan, Angela Jones
Share our list if you enjoyed it!
Most importantly, big thank you to Stephen King who has dedicated his life to inspiring and amazing us with his literary works.
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