The Best 7 Movies Adaptation of Stephen King's Works

Stephen Edwin King, 67 years old at the time this blog posted, was born in Portland, Maine, on 21st September 1957. He is one of the most notable American author of horror, mystery, suspense, thriller and fantasy with 54 novels and about 200 short stories published. Which many of them adapted into movies, television series, mini series and even comic books.

Stephen King is one of my and maybe other millions of people in this world's most favorite author. I, who spent much of my childhood time by watching and craving for horror movies, often see a name before a film begins playing, "Stephen King", in such movies as Carrie, Pet Sematary, Children of The Corn to Firestarter which was starring very young Drew Barrymore. Those movies adaptations of Stephen King's works stayed in my mind for year and year that when I was in college and had internet in my hand, I started to commit to myself that I have to watch all of his movie adaptation. (Link to Wikipedia: List of adaptation of works By Stephen King)

It turns out those movies I watched when I was a kid is just a very little number compare to more than 100 movies, television series and mini series adaptation of Stephen King's works. Some of those film even get into the 'pride list' in The Top 250 movies at IMDb.com.

Here is my personal opinion of The best movie adaptation of Stephen King's novels or short stories. Check out and watch this in your spare time because it's worth it!

7. The Shining (1980)

IMDb Rating : 8.5

Director : Stanley Kubrick

Cast : Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall

Genre : Horror

Although The Shining had received a good recognition by being at number 58 of 250 IMDb Top Movies, it doesn't have a good response even from Stephen King himself. He once being quoted that even though Stanley Kubrick had succeeded to direct such a memorable movie, it's not a good adaptation from the Novel and missing a main idea of the story. Well, The Shining indeed had a significant difference to the novel of the same title. 

The Shining has Psychology Horror as its main theme and tells stories about a family who lives in an isolated winter left because of heavy winter. The father agrees to work as a caretaker and stay in the hotel along with his family in order to use the hotel's solitude to write. However, something evil in the hotel and maybe alcohol, turn the father into someone else, someone whom is ruthless and intended to kill his own wife and son. 

Trailer :

6. Stand By Me (1986)

IMDb Rating : 8.1

Director : Rob Reiner

Cast : Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connel

Genre : Adventure, Drama

Although the title of this movie derived from Ben E. King song of the same name, which also plays over the end credits (some parts of the lyric are: So darling, darling, stand.. by me..) this movie actually adapted from King's novella The Body.

Starring River Phoenix -- brother of Joaquin Phoenix -- who sadly died at his very young age (if you ever read Japanese Manga, Kocchi Muite! Mikko by Ono Eriko, Tappei character is based on River Phoenix's figure), this movie stays at number 179 of 250 Top Movies IMDb.com and indicated by Stephen King the first success of his work's adaptation.

Stand By Me tells story about four close friend's journey, Chris the natural born leader (River Phoenix), Gordie the smart and tend to always think clearly (Wil Wheaton), Vern the chubby (Jerry O'Connel) and the emotionally disturbed Teddy (Corey Feldman), to find a missing dead body. 

Trailer :

Soundtrack By Ben E. King, Stand By Me (this is a very nice song!):

5. Carrie (1976)

IMDb Rating : 7.4

Director : Brian De Palma

Cast : Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, John Travolta

Genre : Horror

Carrie is both the first published novel and movie adaptation of Stephen King. It received a lot of positive feedback and considered as the best movie of the year 1976. The legend of Carrie's Success attracts Hollywood to remake this film and released it in 2013 with a same title, starring the uprising young star, Chloë Grace Moretz as Carrie and the seasoned actress Julianne Moore as the mother. 

This movie tells the story of a shy teenager named Carrie (Sissy Spacek) whom has no friend and is a victim either by bullying at school by her friends or even by her abusive mother at home. Somehow, Carrie learns that she actually has a telekinetic power, the ability to move objects using only her mind. All of the oppression upon her eventually pushes her to use her telekinetic power into its maximum limit.

Trailer :

4. The Green Mile (1999)

IMDb Rating : 8.5

Director : Frank Darabont

Cast : Tom Hanks, David Morse, Michael Clark Duncan

Genre : Crime, Drama, Fantasy

The Green Mile is an adaptation of Stephen King's serial novel of the same title and published between March and August 1996. It is the most successful King's movie adaptation in terms of budget and revenue. With USD 60 million, they got revenue more than USD 290 million worldwide. Thus, make The Green Mile the only King's movie adaptation which got more than USD 100 million revenue.

Not only successful in terms of financial, it also nominated in 4 Academy Award nominations including, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Michael Clark Duncan) and Best Sound Mixing.

This movie tells the past story about Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) as a guard of death row correction officer in a jail whose guarding a very big black guy named John Coffey (Michael Clark Duncan). John Coffey accused guilty of raping and murdering 2 little girls and he sentenced into the death row. On the contrary of his appearance and all of the accusation upon John Coffey, Paul Edgecomb found that he has actually been a very shy, loving person and more questionable, he has a mysterious power.

Trailer :

3. 1408 (2007)

IMDb Rating : 6.8

Director : Mikael Håfström

Cast : John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson

Genre : Horror, Mystery

Personally, 1408 is really frightened and scared me to death in a very different way than any other horror movies has ever done to me. It doesn't use the horror movie's shocking power and other spooky apparition of ghost to frighten the audience. It brings and shows a human's greatest fear upon something unintelligible and unseen, it is slow but sure give the chills behind the audience back, by something that is.. psychologically disturbing.

This movie is based on Stephen King's short story on same title and tells the story about Mike Enslin (John Cusack), a horror author, whose based on his experience staying in what people say as a haunted place, actually skeptical of anything supernatural. Until one day he feels challenged when he has repeatedly receives a postcard with Dolphin Hotel Pictures on it that said "don't enter 1408". He ignores warning from the hotel manager, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) and being skeptical as usual, he does not believe that something evil has killed 56 people in the last 95 years, is exist in room number 1408.

Kindly reminder, this movie has 4 endings. Check on YouTube or its DVD if you are not happy enough with the ending you have watched.

Trailer :

2. The Mist (2007)

IMDb Rating : 7.2

Director : Frank Darabont

Cast : Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden

Genre : Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

Director Frank Darabont had been interested to pick up Stephen King's short story of the same name into the big screen since the 1980s and recently materialized in 2007. Frank Darabont insist to make the end of The Mist, a different ending from the original Stephen King's writing to make it very dark. He even refused an offer of a producer to produce The Mist, with a budget of USD 30 million but with conditions: change the ending of what is wanted by Frank Darabont. He switched to another producer who agreed with the ending he wants and produced The Mist with a budget of USD 18 million. Even after reducing his salary as Director.

David Drayton (Thomas Jane), the main character, along with his son and many others, are trapped in a grocery store when a strange mist spreading around the city hide dreadful monster in it.

Although the main theme is an invasion of monster, the conflict in the film is not only about the main characters survive and protect himself and his son from the monsters, but also from others who also are struggling to survive.

Frank Darabont's effort to make the ending with his style was memorable. The Mist is one of the most stifling ending ever.

Trailer :

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

IMDb Rating : 9.3

Director : Frank Darabont

Cast : Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman

Genre : Crime, Drama

Based on trivia at IMDb, The Shawshank Redemption is Morgan Freeman's favorite of all films he ever starred in. Unfortunately, it is not financially success and just pocketed USD 19 million in U.S. domestic market before the Academy Award and USD 30 million in international markets. Instead, the biggest revenue USD 40 million coming from video rental in 1995. It looks like it is caused by ancommunity mediocre interest upon this movie changed after The Shawshank Redemption was announced as one of the Best Picture Academy Award nominations in 1994.

On the website Rotten Tomatoes, The Shawshank Redemption got Certified Fresh with a score of 91%. What's more, in the website IMDb.com The Shawshank Redemption got an average rating of 9.3 with voters as much as 1.4 million, making it as the movie with the highest score and occupying the number 1 in the IMDb Top 250 Movies list.

This movie adapted from Stephen King's Short story titled Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption tells story about a banker named Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) who is sentenced to death after specified guilty and sentenced to a lifetime in jail of shooting and killing his wife and her affair, although he did not actually do so.

Trailer :

Written By : Syarifah Dhira - I do not own any of pictures, posters and videos in this blog post.