Movies based on the works of author Stephen King are like the IT franchise’s Pennywise: They’re relentless.
At last look, more than 300 King-related properties were listed on IMDb.com. The list of A-list actors who’ve appeared in King-inspired movies is nearly as long: Jack Nicholson (The Shining), Idris Elba (The Dark Tower), Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption and Dreamcatcher), Matthew McConaughey (The Dark Tower) and Drew Barrymore (Firestarter and Cat’s Eye), just to name a few.
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Using Metacritic‘s aggregated movie-review data, we’ve ranked every Stephen King movie, from the very worst to the very best, that debuted in theaters or on streaming, and that is either based on a King work or features an original screenplay by the author. (Note: Owing to our criteria, you won’t find discussion here of the original versions of Salem’s Lot and IT, both of which were made for traditional television. You also won’t find the likes of The Rage: Carrie 2, which features some characters from King’s Carrie, but is otherwise not a King adaptation.)
Our list covers more than 40 years of Hollywood history: From the original Carrie, starring Sissy Spacek, to recent entries, including 2019’s Pet Sematary and IT CHAPTER TWO. There are Oscar-winning movies, such as Misery, starring Kathy Bates. There are notorious duds, including the Emilio Estevez-driven Maximum Overdrive. And there are cult faves, such as the original Children of the Corn. Are they all movies fit for a king? According to critics, no. (The median Metascore for the surveyed movies is a middling 51.) But they are definitely all inspired by a King.
Read on for the complete rankings.
43. The Mangler
Based on the same-titled short story, and directed by horror legend Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist), this terrible 1995 entry is about a laundry press from hell. “Go do your laundry instead,” the Austin Chronicle‘s Marc Savlov advised.
Metacritic score: 8
42. Maximum Overdrive
This 1986 title about machines gone bad marks King’s only work thus far as director. With a gross of less than $8 million at the domestic box office, the film was ignored by audiences. Critics paid attention, but they didn’t like what they saw. The New York Times judged it “one long car-crunch movie.”
Metacritic score: 24
41. Silver Bullet
This 1985 werewolf tale starring Gary Busey and Corey Haim, based on the novel Cycle of the Werewolf, drew largely negative reviews. The Chicago Tribune‘s Rick Kogan called it “about as frightening as a rubbery Richard Nixon mask.”
Metacritic score: 26
40. Graveyard Shift
King himself is no fan of this 1990 film, an adaptation of his short story about a mill with a serious rat problem: He’s called it “a little bit, like, yuck.” The San Francisco Chronicle branded it the “all-time worst” King movie.
Metacritic score: 28
39. Thinner
This 1996 adaptation is about an overweight lawyer who’s cursed to lose weight. The Baltimore Sun‘s Michael Ollove called out the movie for providing “little suspense,” and disparaging “Gypsies, Italians and women.”
Metacritic score: 33
38. The Dark Tower
This 2017 sci-fi western, based on the King novel of the same name, stars Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. The Philadelphia Daily News faulted the $60 million film, which grossed just $50 million domestically, for a “silly script.”
Metacritic score: 34
37. Dreamcatcher
Loads of talent, including star Morgan Freeman, screenwriter William Goldman and director Lawrence Kasdan, came up short with this 2003 adaptation about a camping trip from hell. “Dreamcatcher has no business being this bad,” wrote Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News.
Metacritic score: 35
36. The Night Flier
This bloody vampire tale took in only about $125,000 from a small domestic release in 1998, per BoxOfficeMojo. Critics passed on it, too. The New York Times‘ Stephen Holden called it “devoid of wit and only minimally suspenseful.”
Metacritic score: 36
35. Riding the Bullet
A distressed young man tries to hitchhike his way home in this 2004 rendering of the short story of the same name. A non-entity at the box office, where it grossed less than $135,000 domestically, Entertainment Weekly‘s Owen Gleiberman said the film “falls short of its source.”
Metacritic score: 37
32 (TIE). Cell
A cell-phone signal sparks a zombie apocalypse in this 2016 adaptation featuring a screenplay co-written by King. The film grossed just $1.1 million worldwide, and got bombed by critics. “[The movie] only proves how hard a job it is to adapt King. Even the author himself can’t ace it,” judged Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times.
Metacritic score: 38
32 (TIE). Sleepwalkers
This 1992 movie, about energy vampires, killer cats and virgins, delighted audiences who made the $15 million movie a $30 million box-office hit. Critics, however, weren’t sold. “You expect more from King,” wrote the Miami Herald‘s Rene Rodriguez.
Metacritic score: 38
32 (TIE). Pet Sematary (1989)
Released in 1989, and adapted from King’s novel of the same name, this entry is about a burial ground where the dead don’t stay put. Even after all these years, Pet Sematary is the sixth-highest-grossing Stephen King movie at the domestic box office, with a take of $57.5 million. Still, Variety said it “squander[s] its chilling and fertile source material.”
Metacritic score: 38
31. Creepshow 2
This 1987 anthology sequel to Creepshow, featuring a script by zombie king George A. Romero, flopped with audiences and critics. Time Out London said the only terrifying thing about it was “the thought of Creepshow 3.”
Metacritic score: 39
29 (TIE). Stephen King’s A Good Marriage
This 2014 thriller, featuring a King screenplay, is about a woman (played by Joan Allen) who learns her husband is a serial killer. RogerEbert.com’s Brian Tallerico called A Good Marriage “arguably the dullest King film yet.”
Metacritic score: 43
29 (TIE). Needful Things
In this 1993 entry, based on the same-titled novel, Ed Harris plays a sheriff of a small town that is thrown into turmoil by a new antique shop. “It should have been edited with a meat ax,” wrote Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Metacritic score: 43
27 (TIE). The Running Man
In this 1987 sci-fi-action hit, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a wrongly convicted cop put through the paces of a sadistic reality-TV show. Critics bought in, but only up to a point. TV Guide Magazine called the film “a frustrating experience.”
Metacritic score: 45
27 (TIE). Children of the Corn
A Nebraskan corn field turns kids into killers in this low-budget 1984 thriller that reaped a nearly $15 million domestic box-office bounty. The New York Times‘ Vincent Canby said the film “has a kick to it even though it hasn’t much taste.”
Metacritic score: 45
25 (TIE). In the Tall Grass
In a twist for this list, this 2019 film isn’t based on a tale by Stephen King. It’s based on a tale by Stephen King and Joe Hill, King’s son. Released on Netflix, this horror drama is about a very bad field of grass. “The movie is a mixed bag,” wrote The A.V. Club’s Katie Rife. She found it well acted, but meandering.
Metacritic score: 46
25 (TIE). Secret Window
Based on the novella, Secret Window, Secret Garden, this 2004 thriller stars Johnny Depp as a writer who’s accused of plagiarism. Critics said the film lacked originality. “This Window ultimately feels like one most of us have climbed through before,” wrote Michael O’Sullivan of the Washington Post.
Metacritic score: 46
24. Firestarter
This 1984 film, about a girl with pyrokinesis, marked the 9-year-old Drew Barrymore’s first star vehicle. Despite the fireworks, critics panned the film as boring.
Metacritic score: 50
23. Apt Pupil
This 1998 thriller, an adaptation of the same-titled novella, was director Bryan Singer’s 1998 follow-up to The Usual Suspects. It stars Brad Renfro as a teen who comes under the tutelage of a Nazi war criminal; David Schwimmer costars as the boy’s concerned high-school counselor.
“Apt Pupil is too serious to work as a genre movie, and too contrived to be taken seriously,” Newsweek‘s David Ansen judged.
Metacritic score: 51
21 (TIE). Carrie (2013)
Chloë Grace Moretz won praise for her turn as King’s classic bullied telekinetic teen, but the 2013 film itself received a mixed reception from moviegoers and critics. USA Today‘s Claudia Puig said the film offered “a purely cosmetic revamp.”
Metacritic score: 53
21 (TIE). The Dark Half
An author is stalked by his pseudonym in this 1993 adaptation from the Creepshow franchise’s George A. Romero. Critics were “meh” on the movie. “You’ll see worse,” wrote the Boston Globe‘s Jay Carr, “but The Dark Half could have been darker.”
Metacritic score: 53
20. Hearts in Atlantis
In this 2001 period piece, adapted from the novella Low Men in Yellow Coats, an 11-year-old boy (played by Anton Yelchin) is befriended by a boarder with mysterious powers. Critics found it too sappy. “What a shame, though, that the movie isn’t a livelier business,” Peter Travers wrote for Rolling Stone.
Metacritic score: 55
17 (TIE). Cujo
In a 2016 interview with Deadline, King called this 1983 bad-dog movie one of his oeuvre’s best “smaller pictures.” Time Out London, however, complained that the pooch was miscast: “Rabid St Bernards tend to evoke pity rather than terror.”
Metacritic score: 57
17 (TIE). Pet Sematary (2019)
This new take on the King novel wasn’t much of an improvement at the box office over its far-older predecessor. It didn’t represent much of an upgrade in the reviews department, either. The Chicago Sun-Times‘ Richard Roeper called the entry “ugly but not scary,” and “creepy but not chilling.”
Metacritic score: 57
17 (TIE). Christine
Halloween master John Carpenter helmed this 1983 film, adapted from the novel of the same name, about a 1958 Plymouth Fury with possession issues. The Chicago Sun-Times‘ Roger Ebert found the film dumb fun; Variety called it a “retread.”
Metacritic score: 57
15 (TIE). The Mist
The first of three Frank Darabont movies in this rundown, this 2007 sci-fi/monster hybrid is about a small town attacked by space creatures. The film was alternately called “riveting” and “pretentious” by critics.
Metacritic score: 58
15 (TIE). IT CHAPTER TWO
Red balloons and Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise are among the holdovers in this must-anticipated sequel to 2017’s IT. Based on the second half of King’s 1,000-page-plus IT, CHAPTER TWO fell short of its predecessor among moviegoers and critics.
While Empire‘s Alex Godfrey found the film to be a “rollicking funhouse,” Comicbook.com’s own Brandon Davis wrote that it lacks the magic and focus of the earlier movie.
Metacritic score: 58
13 (TIE). Doctor Sleep
This 2019 sequel to The Shining is based on King’s own 2013 novel of the same name. Ewan McGregor stars as the grown and predictably troubled Danny Torrance. From a Hollywood-modest budget of $45 million, the film grossed $71 million worldwide, per The Numbers. Critical response was mixed. “…Doctor Sleep proves stronger in parts than as a whole,” Vulture’s Angelica Jade Bastien judged.
Metacritic score: 59
13 (TIE). Creepshow
Another George A. Romero-directed effort, this popular 1982 horror anthology features an original screenplay by King. Reviews were mixed. Jay Scott of Toronto’s Globe and Mail wrote that while Romero fans probably didn’t get everything that wanted, they “probably [got] enough.”
Metacritic score: 59
12. The Green Mile
Frank Darabont’s 1999 drama about a corrections officer who encounters a condemned inmate with special powers is the third-biggest box-office hit on this list ($290.7 million worldwide). The New York Post‘s Jonathan Foreman called the Best Picture Oscar nominee “a reminder of just how good Hollywood storytelling can be.”
Metacritic score: 61
11. Dolores Claiborne
This 1995 thriller, based on the same-titled novel, tells the story of a woman (Misery‘s Kathy Bates) accused of killing her employer. Critics liked the movie, but they loved Bates. “… [A] vivid film that revolves around Ms. Bates’s powerhouse of a performance,” wrote Janet Maslin for The New York Times.
Metacritic score: 62
10. 1408
This 2007 film, based on the short story of the same name, is about a supernatural skeptic and writer who books himself into a supposedly haunted hotel room. The film did well at the box office ($131.3 million worldwide), and generally won over critics. “…[I]ts old-world creepiness is exactly right,” The New York Times‘ Jeannette Catsoulis wrote.
Metacritic score: 64
9. The Shining
Now regarded as a horror classic, back in the day, this 1980 Stanley Kubrick chiller produced more Razzie nominations (two) than Oscar nods (zero). Still, The New York Times‘ Janet Maslin raved that The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson as a writer who loses his mind, was “never less than fascinating.” Fun fact: King hated the movie then—and hates it now.
Metacritic score: 66
7 (TIE). The Dead Zone
In director David Cronenberg’s 1983 take on the same-titled novel, a clairvoyant man (played by Christopher Walken) is set on a collision course with a ruthless politician. TV Guide Magazine called the film “arguably the best adaptation of a Stephen King novel.”
Metacritic score: 69
7 (TIE). IT (2017)
Pennywise finally got his big-screen close-up in this 2017 adaptation of the same-titled King novel (previously brought to TV via a popular 1990 miniseries). The San Francisco Chronicle called the box-office hit—to date, the top-grossing King movie of all-time at $700 million worldwide—a film “that’s guaranteed to have you gripping your seat.”
Metacritic score: 69
5 (TIE). 1922
This period chiller, released via Netflix in 2017, and based on a same-titled King novella, tells the bloody story of a murderous farmer. The online magazine Consequence of Sound said it benefited from star Thomas Jane giving one of “the strongest performances in any King adaptation to date.”
Metacritic score: 70
5 (TIE). Cat’s Eye
A tabby cat is the connective tissue in this 1985 anthology film that stars Drew Barrymore, and features a screenplay by King who wrote one original yarn, “General,” and adapted two short stories, “The Ledge” and “Quitter’s Inc.” Roger Ebert called Cat’s Eye one of King’s “most effective films.”
Metacritic score: 70
3 (TIE). Stand by Me
A coming-of-age tale with a corpse (it is based on a King novella, The Body, after all), this popular 1986 Rob Reiner film made stars of its young cast, including River Phoenix. Stand By Me scored an Oscar nomination for its screenplay. Variety praised the “scripters [who] have written inspired dialog.”
Metacritic score: 75
3 (TIE). Misery
This 1990 thriller, based on the novel of the same name, and about a writer’s unhinged number-one fan, won Kathy Bates the Best Actress Oscar. It also gave director Rob Reiner another King hit—with both audiences and critics. “… [O]ne of the best movies made from a Stephen King story,” the Orlando Sentinel‘s Jay Boyar wrote.
Metacritic score: 75
2. The Shawshank Redemption
Upon its release in 1994, the third (and final) movie on our list from director Frank Darabont barely made back its $25 million budget at the box office. But the film, about a wrongly convicted man’s life behind bars, and adapted from the novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, went on to earn seven Oscar nominations, and eventually a popular following, too. Critics were on board all along. Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle praised the film as “altogether brilliant.”
Metacritic score: 80
1. Carrie (1976)
This is the 1976 film that started Hollywood’s love affair with King. Appropriately, it’s from the same-titled 1974 King novel that launched the writer’s career. The tale of Carrie White has been told on screen three times, including in a 2002 TV movie. According to critics, Brian De Palma’s original version, featuring Oscar-nominated performances from Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, is the best: “a teasing, terrifying, lyrical shocker,” per the New Yorker‘s Pauline Kael.
Metacritic score: 85
