Stephen King is an icon of literature who will forever and always be associated with the horror genre. Responsible for creating such iconic characters as Pennywise the Dancing Clown from It, Christine, and Annie Wilkes, the prolific writer has made himself immortal through his horrific writings and imaginings. But supposing the average fan has seen all the movies and TV miniseries that bear the man's name and still wants more, that's when they turn back to the books.
While some of the greatest films ever created were all inspired by books, King's work translates differently from the page to the screen. As an author, he expresses things differently that just wouldn't make it properly onto a movie screen, and that can ring especially true for many of his famous stories.
Updated on May 17th, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: Stephen King has had more movies made out of his stories than almost any other author. His horror, and some not-so-horror stories, have come to the big screen, small screen, and now the streaming services over the years. In 2022, there will be yet another adaptation of Firestarter, a 1970s King novel whose first movie helped make Drew Barrymore a star.
Sadly, the ratio of good movies to bad when it comes to the Master of Horror weighs heavily to the side of bad. So many King adaptations get bad reviews, poor fan reception, and even his hardcore readers refuse to accept most adaptations because they never seem to weigh up to the books on which they are based. There are also more stories that deserve a good movie or TV show made out of them.
The Stand
There have been two adaptations of The Stand and both of them came to television. The first was a made-for-tv miniseries in the 1990s with stars like Rob Lowe and Gary Sinise in the lead roles. The biggest problem with this series was that it was edited for network television and never had the bite of the book.
That should have been fixed when it came to the 2020 adaptation on Paramount+. This version had no censors like the network version, but it had some serious problems in pacing and the propensity to jump back and forth in time, making it a confusing watch. This book is Stephen King's masterpiece and deserves a dark and violent adaptation, one that might never get made.
Under The Dome
Under the Dome was a massive book that had an interesting premise. An entire town was surrounded by a giant dome that allowed nothing in or out. As with the best Stephen King stories, the supernatural elements were just there to show how evil and cruel humans could be as they began to rule over the town tyrannically.
CBS made this into a TV series in 2013 and it actually lasted for three seasons. While it had a great producer in Brian K. Vaughan, it never offered what the book delivered and while it started out good, it fizzled out down the line and never gave fans a satisfying adaptation of a really good book.
Children Of The Corn
No offense to Fritz Kiersch, who directed the first Children of the Corn movie, but that movie is dated and could use a fresh remake, one that could work with today's audience. The sad thing is that there have been more movies based on this story than any other King release, and only the first one has any merit.
Children of the Corn presents a group of children in Nebraska who killed all the adults in their town in the name of a god in the cornfields. They sacrifice each other when they turn 18 and when adults mistakenly arrive in town, they become the next offerings to the corn's god. This is a Stephen King story that needs a new big-budget adaptation.
Joyland
Joyland is one of Stephen King's contributions to the Hard Case Crime novel imprint. The book The Colorado Kid was another, and that was turned into the TV show Haven. However, not only is Joyland superior in every way as a book, but it is one that has shockingly never been made into a movie.
Joyland is about a teenager who takes a job at an amusement park in North Carolina for the summer. While he is there, he gets to know the carnies but things go bad when he learns there was a batch of unsolved murders at the park and the killer might still be there to slay again.
The Long Walk
If there is one Stephen King book that deserves a movie more than any other, it was The Long Walk, which he wrote under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman. There have been two Bachman books made into movies with The Running Man and Thinner, but The Long Walk remains one of King's most beloved stories.
Some big-name filmmakers have optioned it, but have not yet been able to make it into a movie. Frank Darabont, who made The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist, optioned it and never got a movie made. George Romero also had a chance to make it and most recently, André Øvredal was named as a possible director. The story is about a reality competition where 100 teen boys were forced into a walking contest without rest, and if anyone dropped below 4mph, the military shot and killed them. The last man standing won a prize of their choice, if their mind didn't break on the long walk.
The Lawnmower Man
If readers think about the film adaptation involving strange computer graphics, they are sorrowfully mistaken. The original story has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence, sci-fi, or freaky CGI faces as is seen in the underrated '90s adaptation. On the contrary, it talks about exactly what the title describes, a lawnmower man, but with a weird and semi-unexplainable secret.
The short story contains a mixture of modern fantasy and mythological imagery but in the twisted world of suburban America. It's not one of King's most iconic stories, but readers who have been exposed to this outing into the surreal will never forget it.
The Man In The Black Suit
Every great horror writer recreates the devil at some point in their career, and King is no exception. While it has yet to receive a film or TV adaptation, The Man in the Black Suit is just one of the author's infernal reimaginings, and it's one version of the Prince of Darkness that lingers with the reader.
The story has a mixture of folk horror, suspense, and a Ray-Bradbury-inspired approach to a close encounter with Satan himself as a boy comes upon a sharply dressed man in the middle of the woods. It's a slow burn, but one that does it so incredibly well for a short story.
Needful Things
Compared to the book, the film adaptation of Needful Things is highly condensed and leaves out a lot of visceral details. That being said, the original novel is a tall drink of water that might be an acquired taste for some. But if they can sit through the book's thickness, they'll be rewarded with an insidious plot to destroy the entire town of Castle Rock.
Leland Gaunt is a more obvious devil stand-in than the Man in the Black Suit but one that leaves more of a lasting impression. Where the previous demonic charmer sought to scare, this one seeks to reign down a storm of chaos the little town has never seen before. It's violent, it's twisted, it's everything one might expect from the author - and more.
Trucks
Maximum Overdrive was Stephen King's B-movie, but the short story that inspired it, Trucks, was a small-scale suspense story featuring a group of diners in a truckstop being held captive by living vehicles. It might lack the AC/DC soundtrack, but it has a familiar dose of suspense made more famous by the film.
Those expecting the same amount of '80s cheese that went into the movie might be a little underwhelmed because the short story plays out as a tad more controlled. The plot of the original might be compared to a boat full of passengers surrounded by sharks just waiting for someone to fall into the water.
Graveyard Shift
If readers have an issue with rats or claustrophobic situations, they might want to stay away from King's Graveyard Shift. The film adaptation of the same name might have ventured into the classic monster movie formula with its giant mutated rodent, but there are worse things waiting for the mill employees in the original short story.
The story features not just one giant rat but an army of intelligent vermin that infest the sub-basement of a textile mill. The details are exquisite and the skin-crawling nature of King's writing scurries like his rats across each page. It will definitely leave readers with an uncomfortable creeping sensation afterward.
The Ledge
The Ledge is what happens when Stephen King does Hitchcock, and, while it was adapted into a segment of Cat's Eye, the story spins faster than a scene from Vertigo. Though not a strict horror story one might expect from the author, the suspense is palpable and thrilling.
When a man has an affair with a crime boss's wife, he's cornered in his penthouse and given a chilling challenge. Step onto the ledge of the building and walk the entire perimeter. If he survives, he walks away alive with 20 grand. If he refuses, then he dies. Naturally, combatting the staggering challenge provides thrills galore, but it's the ending that makes the real killing.
Gray Matter
If King fans are familiar with Shudder's Creepshow, then they've already been somewhat exposed to Gray Matter in the pilot episode. The story is essentially the same: a man turns into a monster thanks to a mutated can of cheap beer during a terrible snowstorm. The series delivers, but the story goes so much farther.
The original story featured in Night Shift has all the makings of a Cronenberg film and a classic monster movie rolled into one. If readers can't handle some distinctly gruesome body horror, they might want to choose another book.
Carrie
Brian De Palma's classic '80s adaptation of King's first novel, Carrie, is an icon of the genre, but those familiar with the original story know that there's more to Carrie White than pig's blood and a ruined prom dress. The book dives into excruciating detail about Carrie's torture, powers, and acts of destruction.
The novel is presented almost like a crime scene investigation with second-hand accounts and newspaper articles mixed in with the narrative. Reading the book peels back a side of the story never presented in the movies, but at least attempted in the musical.
The Gunslinger
The Idris Elba film version wasn't exactly what fans of King's fantasy series were expecting, so saying the book was better than the movie is a complete no-brainer. Although the series spans eight volumes long, the first entry alone is more than worth a read.
The Gunslinger is what would happen if J.R.R Tolkien wrote a gritty western, all the action and magic included. It's quite a step away from King's usual material, yet it entirely fits his style. Even if readers aren't hooked in for the rest of the Dark Tower series, this first entry is one no King fan should go without.
The Shining
If readers only pick up one horror novel from the master of the genre, it should be The Shining. Yes, Kubrick's version of the novel is one of the most studied and praised horror films in existence. But, King himself took issue with the film for straying so far from the source material.
The book is one of the scariest things the writer has ever put his name to, and it has more than a few chapters that will mess with the reader's head. There might not be a hedge maze or elevator of blood, but the novel will definitely keep some up at night.