5 Essential Stephen King Adaptations That All Horror Fans Should Watch

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Any horror fan worth their screams must have some love for at least one Stephen King tale that was adapted to the big screen. Since 1976, the beloved author responsible for some of the most iconic horror stories in history has been seeing his works earn the same amount of love in theaters. Over the years, these have accumulated a box-office take of over $3 billion. While the likes of "Stand By Me" and "The Shawshank Redemption" (which is considered by IMDb as the greatest film ever made) have stood the test of time, there has been a varied collection of horrors that have stood as filmic favorites and earned a different kind of love, as a result. Sorry, Andy Dufresne, but your prison break from Shawshank might still bring tears, but there are other stories from the esteemed writer's works that raise pulses in a very different way.

But which heart-pounding tales that have been turned into films are what any self-respecting scary movie fan really can't live without seeing? Sure, meeting individuals such as Michael Myers is compulsory, and there's a bundle of ghost stories you should get through, but in the case of Stephen King's stories, there's a stellar collection of scares that are absolutely worth visiting. With that in mind, we've gathered together the quintessential movies that involve killer clowns, dead girl ghosts, and perhaps one of the scariest kinds of villains one can imagine — obsessed fans of a popular franchise. Good thing this is all fiction, though, right?

While it might be well documented how much Stephen King wasn't a fan when it came to Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of "The Shining," the master director's visit to The Overlook Hotel still stands as not just one of the most beloved adaptations of the author's work, but also as one of the greatest films ever made. The decline of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) may have taken a different path from the one initially mapped out in King's book, but the air of impending dread and absolute terror remains etched into the walls of Kubrick's adaptation, which has endured since its 1980 debut.

Numerous components make "The Shining" such a nightmarish experience that aren't just seared into the memories of horror fans, but also into popular culture as a whole. The elevator bursting with blood, the woman in Room 237, the Bear Man, and poor Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) taking a turn for the worse and bumping into the Grady Twins still chills bones. The panic and fear only grow thanks to Shelley Duvall's incredible performance as Jack's increasingly weary wife, Wendy, and Jack slowly losing his sanity and getting an axe to grind. King may have tried to improve upon the masterpiece he didn't see eye-to-eye with, but any self-respecting horror fan could and should absolutely ensure they give it a look.

"Carrie" is a gem for so many reasons. It's the first Stephen King adaptation from the author's work based on his first-ever novel. The 1976 film also marks one of Brian De Palma's rare but wonderful dips into horror in what would become his most iconic venture with a blood-soaked Sissy Spacek and a prom night her bullies would never forget. Spacek plays the titular socially awkward but innocent soul with a secret waiting to explode, as a result of the torturous existence she's forced to endure both at home and at school. Besides Nancy Allen's big-haired bully Chris Hargensen and John Travolta as her boyfriend, Billy Nolan, Carrie's God-fearing mother, Margaret (Piper Laurie), applies the strain just as hard, until all of them fall victim to Carrie's telekinetic powers.

The outcome leads to a twisted but terrific finale that has you cheering for Carrie, while also fearfully concerned whether she's going to ease off her attackers. But why would she? As Margaret warned, "They're all going to laugh at you." 

After the last drop of pig's blood gets spilled, the pile of cruel high schoolers is no laughing matter in what is still a great watch. While the film was followed up with an atrocious sequel in 1999 and remakes in 2002 and 2013, hopes are high that King-adapting favorite Mike Flanagan will bring an equally enthralling dose of revenge when his "Carrie" show arrives on Amazon Prime.

It might have been met with a disappointing reception upon its release, but "Doctor Sleep" is, besides being an unthinkable achievement from director Mike Flanagan, an impressive horror movie that doesn't hesitate in pushing boundaries to a shocking extent. Following the events of "The Shining," Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) has grown up and is resorting to addictive means to escape his past, only to find himself on the same self-destructive path that his father walked. Unfortunately, all roads somehow lead back to The Overlook Hotel.

One of the most underappreciated legacy sequels in recent years, "Doctor Sleep" brilliantly marries King's follow-up story to "The Shining," while still paying homage to Kubrick's classic adaptation. Expanding on the masterful author's world and those that shine within it, "Doctor Sleep" houses some truly remarkable characters that include Rose the Hat, who, thanks to Rebecca Ferguson's incredible performance, might be one of King's greatest ever villains ever transferred to screen. Leading a soul-sucking group known as The True Knot, this horrible bunch is at the center of one of the film's most disturbing scenes, which involves the murder of an 11-year-old boy. That's even before Flanagan attempts the daring task of waking up the monster hotel and the disturbing guests that are lost inside.

A film made for horror fans by a true horror fan, "Doctor Sleep" is one of the early but expertly crafted King adaptations from Flanagan and the first of many great ones yet to come.

After breaking hearts with "Stand By Me" and "When Harry Met Sally," director Rob Reiner went about breaking ankles by keeping James Caan bedbound and leaving Kathy Bates to go bats**t crazy as his biggest fan. "Misery" sees Caan as author (shock) Paul Sheldon, whose plans to kill off his beloved literary character Misery Chastain are interrupted when he finds himself stranded in the house of his biggest fan, the absolutely bonkers Annie Wilkes (Bates). A helpful hand to put Paul back on the mend quickly becomes anything but as he's held against his will by Annie, who is determined to see that Misery's future gets a rewrite, no matter what.

King's greatest horror characters are often bred from the monsters within us, and Annie Wilkes is a prime example. Bates switches from doting nurse to obsessed fan in an instant, perfectly encapsulating the monster waiting at the foot of Paul Sheldon's bed, and therefore allowing James Caan to create a true image of helplessness that, at the time, some male actors weren't willing to attempt. Like many adaptations, Reiner's "Misery" alters a major plot point by stopping Sheldon from losing a foot in the book, but that doesn't derail from his version, which makes the average viewer brace for impact when Annie walks in with a hammer. It's the highlight that lets her take a swing at one of the best psychopaths ever to grace the screen, and a well-deserved Oscar win for her troubles.

It turns out that if you want to make a good Stephen King adaptation, killing a kid really is the way to go. That's how director Andrés Muschietti gets to bloody work on his own version of adapting "IT" and does an excellent job with "Chapter One." Tweaking the timeline and turning the Losers into children of the '80s and not the '50s is one of the many big and bold alterations that still manage to work, but the real treat is the perfectly picked cast that brings the horror of Derry to life. Tapping the same nostalgic nerve of the likes of "The Goonies" and King's non-horror tale, "Stand By Me," Muschietti's younger generation of the Losers Club is such a lovable group, which raises the tension to even higher levels when they come face to face with Bill Skarsgard's take on Pennywise.

Considering Tim Curry's iconic performance in the 1990 TV movie, Skarsgard had some massive clown shoes to fill as Pennywise. The trick with the new star taking on Derry's oldest resident, though, is that he brings a very different kind of monster to Muschietti's adaptation. This version of the evil clown is so much more menacing, barbaric, and unforgiving than Curry's iteration, and the 2017 film thrives because of it. While the second chapter might drag on a little too long for some, Skarsgaard is thankfully as much of a highlight there as he is here, and that makes the promise of his return to the HBO anthology series, "Welcome to Derry," even more exciting.