Stephen King is one such storyteller who can play with your brain with his innovative takes, even on straightforward stories. He can give you chills with his compelling ability to brew suspense and horror in a way that no other can match. Be it the eerie atmosphere of The Shining’s Overlook Hotel or the wind-up monkey toy of The Monkey movie, King never disappoints. So, if you wonder what films of Stephen King stand out in the crowd, here’s a list of the top 10 Stephen King movies you shouldn’t skip.
10. In the Tall Grass
- Director: Vincenzo Natali
- Starring: Harrison Gilbertson, Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Will Buie Jr.
- Rachel Wilson, Patrick Wilson
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 5.5 /78%
After hearing cries of a young boy named Tobin, a brother and sister duo enter a vast field of tall grass to help him. However, soon they get separated and realize that an evil force doesn’t want them to leave. While struggling to navigate each other in the nightmarish labyrinth, they stumble into Tobin’s parents and discover some dark secrets of the field.
The film is about survival and isolation. It is about a supernatural entity that isn’t a ghost of someone who died tragically, but it is the tall grass that plays with time, space, and also with the minds of the ones who get trapped in it. So, it basically tortures the victim by isolating them.
9. The Monkey
- Director: Osgood Perkins
- Starring: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy, Adam Scott, Elijah Wood
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 6/78%
Starring Theo James in the central role, The Monkey follows twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn, who encounter a cursed wind-up monkey that eventually tears their family apart. Even though the boys try every possible way to get rid of the monkey, it comes back in their lives after twenty-five years and starts a new trail of killings.
The way Stephen King has used a toy to create the horrifying aspect in The Monkey movie is truly admirable. If you are someone who isn’t afraid to watch top-notch gore on the screen, this Stephen King movie is for you.
8. 1922
- Director: Zak Hilditch
- Starring: Thomas Jane, Neal McDonough, Molly Parker
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 6.2 /92%
The story follows a farmer, Wilf, who, having his teenage son Henry by his side, kills his wife Arlette for monetary gains. He feeds her corpse to the rats in a dry well. As time passes, Henry parts ways with his father and elopes with his girlfriend. Wilf adapts to alcoholism as he starts to see the things that aren’t a part of his reality.
1922 explores the theme of supernatural horror and isolation. It also blessed the industry with some good graphics and a complex yet thought-provoking storyline that most of the films of the modern age lack.
7. It Chapter 1
- Director: Andy Muschietti
- Starring: Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Skarsgard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Nicholas Hamilton, Jackson Robert Scott
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 6.8/85%
It follows a group of seven children who are terrorized by a clown known as “Pennywise the Dancing Clown.” These outcasts must fight their inner demons to confront the evil clown, as he is a spirit who enjoys feeding on his prey’s worst fears.
They say clowns are a child’s best friend, but Stephen King left no stone unturned to make the clown an evil entity. The film’s popularity stems from the eerie atmosphere and Bill Skarsgard’s portrayal of Pennywise.
6. The Mist
- Director: Frank Darabont
- Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 7.1 /73%
After getting their home destroyed in a storm, David Drayton and his family leave in search of food supplies. However, they soon get stuck in a grocery store with some other people as a mysterious mist engulfs the town. Spider-like creatures start showing up and end up killing people.
Being a horror fanatic, if you are missing out on this Stephen King movie, you’re certainly missing out on something huge. The movie sheds light on the emotions that a person feels under pressure, and besides that, without spoiling the entire game for you, just letting you know that the ending of The Mist is unmatchable, and you might not have witnessed something like this in the history of horror cinema.
5. Doctor Sleep
- Director: Mike Flanagan
- Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 7.3/78%
Doctor Sleep is the sequel to “The Shining.” Ewan McGregor replaces Danny Lloyd and steps into the shoes of Dan Torrance, Jack’s son, who is all grown up in this film. Doctor Sleep is the continuation of the events that traumatized Dan when he was too young to understand anything. In this film, he is seen as an alcoholic adult who is plagued by the demons of his past.
The film didn’t perform well at the box office when it was released, but over time, it garnered the attention of fans of The Shining and the horror genre as a whole.
4. Carrie
- Director: Brian De Palma
- Starring: Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, Piper Laurie
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 7.4 /94%
Carrie follows a socially awkward girl named Carrie White, who is usually bullied by her peers and everyone around her. She also gets physically abused by her mother at home. The girl never stood up for herself until she discovered the telekinesis powers within herself. Things take a violent turn when she starts using the powers to punish the ones who tortured her.
The film explores the themes of adolescent struggles, self-discovery, bullying, and physical abuse. There are many adults out there who have been bullied by someone in their early lives, and Carrie gives them a story to resonate with.
3. The Life of Chuck
- Director: Mike Flanagan
- Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mia Sara, Carl Lumbly, Benjamin Pajak, Jacob Tremblay, Mark Hamill
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 7.7/82%
We all have different experiences, be it childhood fun, trauma, adulthood, that first love, and whatnot; Stephen King lets us explore all these through this film. It follows a man named Charles “Chuck” Krantz and explores his life struggles from childhood to his death at the age of 39.
King’s Life of the Chuck sheds light on the beauty of the little occurrences in our daily lives that we often ignore. Apart from that, it also teaches us to embrace our relations and ourselves, no matter what the circumstances are. The film essentially allows us to experience life through the eyes of the main character.
2. The Shining
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, Danny Lloyd
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 8.4/83%
Written by Stephen King, The Shining is one such movie that revolutionized the horror genre. The film follows Jack, a troubled writer who is unable to produce something new. So, he decides to travel to the Overlook Hotel situated in an isolated area. He also takes his wife Wendy and son Danny and becomes the winter caretaker of the hotel. However, soon the dark secrets of the hotel start to emerge, transforming Jack into a maniac who wants to kill his own family.
It’s not Jack or any other human character appearing in the form of a ghost that makes The Shining a horror story, but it’s the spookiness of the hotel that gives all the chills.
1. The Green Mile
- Director: Frank Darabont
- Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Barry Pepper, Jeffrey DeMunn, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes: 8.6 /79%
Taking place in 1935, it follows a death row prison guard named Paul Edgecomb, portrayed by Tom Hanks. He witnesses the convicts getting executed, but when a Black man accused of murdering two girls arrives, things take a disturbing turn. The Black Man’s child-like demeanor and his fears change something within Paul and push him to see beyond good and evil.
This is a thought-provoking film that changes your perception of life. Despite being a supernatural film, this also makes you shed some tears with the emotional elements.
