Every Stephen King Film, Ranked From Worst To Best
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Over the past few years, the renaissance of Stephen King back into the zeitgeist has been a boon to fans both old and new.
With his next novel on the horizon and adaptations of more of his wicked work on the way, I've decided to amass a definitive ranking of his cinematic adaptations from worst to best, which excludes his mini-series and made-for-TV movies.
48.The Lawnmower Man (1992)
The only Stephen King adaptation to receive the dishonor of the author legally removing his name from the project, The Lawnmower Man remains noted as one of the most misguided and absurd horror films ever produced.
47.The Dark Tower (2017)
The Dark Tower is a complete mess from start to finish, as it alienates the built-in fanbase of the books while attempting to sanitize and normalize the violence and mythology of the property.
46.Cell (2016)
Reuniting 1408 costars John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, Cell is not only bad, but it's boring as nothing feels particularly exciting or scary from start to finish.
45.Carrie (2013)
The 2013 remake of Carrie isn't as bad as it is pointless and a bit soulless, as it attempts (and largely fails) to modernize the project for today's audiences.
44.The Mangler (1995)
There's some truly weird and bonkers stuff on display in The Mangler, but even the "so-bad-it's-good" elements won't keep most viewers from shutting this bad boy off long before those credits hit.
43.Dolan’s Cadillac (2009)
While the lead performances from Wes Bentley and Christian Slater elevate Dolan's Cadillac, the dark revenge film stalls out fairly quickly and meanders long enough to wonder if it'll ever kick into high gear (which, unfortunately, it does not).
42.Dreamcatcher (2003)
Contrary to popular opinion, Dreamcatcher isn't a complete catastrophe, as the film has its charms, particularly that of the over-the-top villainous performance from Damian Lewis, but ultimately, the film is a half-baked mash-up of Stephen King's greatest hits.
41.Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
Hearts in Atlantis is proof that a film needs to be more than the sum of its parts, as beautiful cinematography and rock solid performances can't save its melodramatic, lame-duck script.
40.Sleepwalkers (1992)
Much like The Mangler, Sleepwalkers has an element of campy fun to its unabashed sleaziness and impressive SFX work, but the film's tonal tug-of-war between horror and bizarre exploitation ultimately works to its detriment.
39.A Good Marriage (2014)
A Good Marriage offers a trio of killer performances from Joan Allen, Anthony LaPaglia, and Stephen Lang, but as tense and unnerving as the film can be at its best, there's simply not enough material to be spread out effectively across a feature film.
38.Firestarter (1984)
Firestarter has a lot of great ideas ported over from the source material, but pacing and tonal issues cemented its legacy as a snoozer in the grand scheme of King adaptations.
37.Pet Sematary (2019)
While the filmmakers behind the terrifying Starry Eyes tried their damnedest to create an edgier, more unpredictable Pet Sematary for a new generation, the film failed to craft enough unique scares or intrigue to connect with audiences.
36.Maximum Overdrive (1986)
"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." Stephen King stepped behind the director's chair for Maximum Overdrive, and the end result was chaotic, unusual, and bewildering on almost every level.
35.Graveyard Shift (1990)
A Stephen King creature feature about killer rats seems like the recipe for a fun time, but outside of some memorable performances and practical monsters, Graveyard Shift is mostly forgettable.
34.Mercy (2014)
Mercy may have that Blumhouse sheen, but this witchy horror-thriller can't quite cast a spell on the audience with its ho-hum dialogue and convoluted plot mechanics.
33.Apt Pupil (1998)
With great performances across the board, especially from the film's monstrous anchor, Ian McKellen, Apt Pupil never finds its footing as its attempt at moral ambiguity feels questionable at best and flat-out offensive at worst.
32.Thinner (1996)
Fright Night filmmaker Tom Holland's adaptation of Thinner is certainly memorable, but the film's outrageous premise, low stakes, and make-up driven execution feels hilariously dated in 2022.
31.It Chapter Two (2019)
It Chapter Two has some pitch-perfect casting, but sadly, it feels overstuffed and anticlimactic, as it especially overstays its welcome during its endless epilogue.
30.Needful Things (1993)
While the film works well enough in its own right thanks to King's core premise and its rogue's gallery of great character actors, Needful Things doesn't have many scares to its credit and is probably best known for its fantastic parody on Rick and Morty.
29.The Dark Half (1993)
The late horror icon George A. Romero returned to the maddening mind of Stephen King with The Dark Half, and while Timothy Hutton's performance is devilishly entertaining at the very least, the film doesn't quite find that intangible it-factor to cement it as a classic chiller.
28.Secret Window (2004)
Secret Window is a well-made and twisty thriller punctuated by impressive turns from Johnny Depp and John Turturro, but the film's cheese factor and predictable ending make it a middle-of-the-road Stephen King adaptation.
27.Dolores Claiborne (1995)
One of the more understated Stephen King adaptations, Dolores Claiborne is driven by a great cast with serious dramatic chops, but unfortunately operates in the shadow of Kathy Bates' more iconic Stephen King role of Annie Wilkes.
26.The Night Flier (1997)
Creepy, surreal, and hypnotic, The Night Flier is an underrated title in Stephen King's pantheon, but its lack of star power, its art house sensibilities, and its low visibility in the years since its release has helped to keep the film from receiving the praise it deserves.
25.In the Tall Grass (2019)
A mind-melting adaptation of Stephen King and Joe Hill's goosebump-inducing novel, In the Tall Grass may not be a home run but is certainly creepy and disturbing enough to keep your eyes glued to the screen.
24.Silver Bullet (1985)
Few Stephen King adaptations better capture small town Americana than Silver Bullet, whose goofy character design and stark tonal shifts keep it from the high halls of King film greatness.
23.Riding the Bullet (2004)
A genuinely underrated and criminally underseen adaptation from Mick Garris, Riding the Bullet is a surprisingly effective rumination on grief and suicide ideation that's bolstered by a strong cast and consistently eerie tone.
22.Cat’s Eye (1985)
Though every segment of Cat's Eye is freaky fun, none are particularly exceptional, putting the anthology firmly into "good, but not great" territory.
21.1922 (2017)
One of the more slow-burn and singular interpretations of King's petrifying prose, 1922 is effectively dread-inducing but definitely not for all audiences, especially for those who expect their scares to come rapidly and bombastically.
20.Creepshow 2 (1987)
Though it may not have the batting average of its predecessor, Creepshow 2 is not without its classic segments, including one about an undead hitchhiker that'll likely be burned into your brain permanently.
19.The Dead Zone (1983)
The Dead Zone is absolutely amazing, and Christopher Walken's performance is among the top in any King adaptation, period. But the film's excruciating running time and tonal gymnastics as it wavers between political thriller and horror movie keep it just at the bottom of Stephen King's upper echelon.
18.The Running Man (1987)
Believe it or not, Stephen King (or should we say, Richard Bachman) can handle the action genre pretty darn well, with this satirical Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle offering a remarkable level of bloody and badass fight sequences in between clever dialogue and biting jabs at society and pop culture as a whole.
17.Children of the Corn (1984)
Children of the Corn is a fun, creepy time elevated by the commitment of its cast to the admittedly thin premise, but ultimately hurt by lower cinematic aspirations, which often has the film mistaken for a made-for-television offering.
16.1408 (2007)
Plain and simple, 1408 rules, effectively flipping the script for haunting projects to sneakily posit something more chilling and, ultimately, ambitious, although the fairly one-man-show element of the film and the murky canon of its multiple endings has made it a divisive title in King's canon.
15.Christine (1983)
Christine has undoubtedly iconic imagery and that rare blend of both Stephen King and John Carpenter magic, but the fact that Carpenter's love of orchestrated chaos and King's penchant for more absurd otherworldly elements clash at points pulls the emergency brakes on the film ever reaching "Best of" status.
14.Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Often considered one of the best horror anthologies of all time, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie only ranks lower on this list as only one of the stories, "The Cat from Hell," is based on a King tale, depicting the battle between a dapper assassin and a malevolent black cat.
13.Cujo (1983)
A tense and simple story that has stood the test of time, Cujo loses points for not being the most imaginative King adaptation even if it's incredibly inventive, claustrophobic, and heartbreaking in its own right.
12.Gerald’s Game (2017)
Gerald's Game has long held the reputation of one of King's most "unfilmable" adaptations, but Mike Flanagan was able to do so. While the film isn't quite King's scariest output, there are a handful of moments that audiences won't ever be able to shake, for one reason or another.
11.Pet Sematary (1989)
Pet Sematary may not be the best overall Stephen King adaptation, but Mary Lambert kills it in creating numerous iconic King movie moments, including the longstanding nightmare fuel that is Zelda.
10.Doctor Sleep (2019)
Filmmaker Mike Flanagan fills some of the biggest shoes in cinematic history with Doctor Sleep, continuing the story set by Kubrick with The Shining while expanding into the vision crafted by King in his sequel novel.
9.The Mist (2007)
Renowned for introducing audiences to one of the bleakest endings in horror movie history, The Mist is a phenomenal King adaptation that feels scary and grounded, and is perhaps only harmed by its necessary reliance on CGI.
8.The Green Mile (1999)
Frank Darabont returned to prison-set Stephen King stories with The Green Mile, a film that made Michael Clarke Duncan a household name and turned eyes on future Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell as the film's most vile character.
7.It (2017)
The It mini-series may have set the table, but Andy Muschietti's It made the whole damn dinner, skyrocketing the careers of its young leads while instantly sending Bill Skarsgård's take on Pennywise into horror superstardom.
6.Stand by Me (1986)
Director Rob Reiner first displayed his aptitude for King's voice and vision with Stand by Me, which combines childlike wonder with the dark undercurrent of mortality.
5.Creepshow (1982)
With the dream team of Tom Savini, George A. Romero, and Stephen King behind-the-scenes, Creepshow brilliantly captures the many frightening faces of King, including those featuring twisted tales of irony, gut-busting dark comedies, and supernatural yarns of violent comeuppance.
4.Misery (1990)
There may be no Stephen King villain as utterly despicable as Annie Wilkes in Misery, whose presence transforms the film from a taut thriller to a legitimately uncomfortable masterpiece of bone-shaking (or breaking) horror.
3.Carrie (1976)
For Stephen King, the first was almost the best, as the harrowing and unsettling horror picture put the author as well as director Brian De Palma and star Sissy Spacek on the map.
2.The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Even if it's not one of his horror titles, few films are as cherished and instantly recognizable as The Shawshank Redemption, an epic drama that'll move even the most hardened person to tears.
1.The Shining (1980)
Kubrick makes the difference, as The Shining is easily the most beloved and terrifying King adaptation (despite the author's personal dislike of the film), and has remained present in pop culture for more than 40 years.
