Every 2025 Stephen King Movie & TV Show Ranked

It’s no secret that Stephen King is one of the world’s greatest living storytellers, as he has written novels, novellas, and collections of short stories that have been entertaining and terrifying fans for decades. Adapting King’s work to the screen has become a time-honoured tradition, with many of the best Stephen King movies earning themselves a place within the very fabric of modern pop culture. From horror to drama by way of sci-fi and fantasy, King’s stories are often perfect for adaptation, and have consistently proven to be popular among movie and TV audiences, winning multiple awards and attracting major stars to King-based projects.

2025 has been no exception. Stephen King’s stories have proliferated on the screen over the calendar year, with some of 2025’s best horror movies and TV shows a result of adapting the author’s work. While the year has seen no fewer than six Stephen King movies and TV shows, some stand out as being better than others, especially as they each seem to fit into a slightly different narrative niche.

6) The Institute

There have been several Stephen King TV series over the years, though his stories have typically fared better on the big screen than the small one. This is also true of The Institute, which, despite being a tense and gripping story, is arguably the worst King-based release of the year. It follows a teen boy who wakes in a mysterious facility where he learns he possesses incredible abilities, only for them to be exploited by his captors. It’s far from a bad show, but The Institute struggles to keep pace with 2025’s other great Stephen King adaptations.

5) The Running Man

When it comes to Stephen King movies that need reboots, The Running Man has long been one of the most-named titles. 2025 delivered the much-anticipated project, with Glen Powell starring in the role played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original 1987 movie. Its dystopian story of a man attempting to earn a fortune by evading hitmen for a murderous game show was already well-known, and the addition of Powell’s star power certainly helped the movie’s reputation. While it’s far from a cinematic masterpiece, The Running Man is still one of 2025’s most exciting blockbusters.

4) The Monkey

It’s well-known that Stephen King loves horror movies, and horror movies certainly seem to love Stephen King. Even the author’s short stories have proven fair game for big-screen adaptation, with one of the latest examples being The Monkey. Its story follows an incredibly creepy, cursed toy monkey that causes the random violent deaths of those around it. One of 2025’s unexpected horror hits, The Monkey‘s stellar cast and excellent execution of King’s story made it one of the best adaptations of his work this year.

3) IT: Welcome To Derry

Pennywise the Clown is one of Stephen King’s scariest villains, and the recent adaptations of his novel IT proved that to a whole new generation. IT: Welcome to Derry delves further into the origins of the terrifying antagonist, exploring ideas established in the interlude chapters of King’s original novel. The show immediately established itself as one of 2025’s scariest TV series, delivering suspense and scares aplenty. It’s a great show that adapts King’s work while also offering something that feels new, making it one of the year’s best Stephen King stories.

2) The Long Walk

When first announced, some considered The Long Walk evidence that filmmakers were beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel with Stephen King adaptations. Its premise, which involves a dystopian setting in which teenage boys are forced to maintain a steady, nonstop walking pace over several days, might not seem like particularly exciting cinematic fare, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The movie surpassed expectations in almost every way and has gone down not only as one of 2025’s best movies but as a rare Stephen King adaptation superior to the book.

1) The Life of Chuck

Both Stephen King and Mike Flanagan are best known for their work in the horror genre, but 2025 saw the pair collaborate on something far less spooky. The Life of Chuck is a fantasy drama that chronicles the life of Charles “Chuck” Krantz in reverse, starting with his death, which happens to coincide with the end of the universe. Immediately earning critical praise and being hailed as one of Mike Flanagan’s best movies, The Life of Chuck managed to establish itself as the best Stephen King adaptation of 2025.

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