5 Stephen King Adaptations That Are Horrific in The Best Sense
From horrors to dramas, the novels of the King of Horror himself have had their fair share of screen time during the past decades.
Stephen King is one of the most influential authors of our time, known for his compelling storytelling and ability to terrify readers with his chilling imagination.
Over the years, many of his works have been adapted into movies or series, transforming and capturing his legacy on screen. Here are some of the best Stephen King adaptations that we personally love the most.
Stand By Me (1986)
Based on King's novella The Body, the film is set in 1959 and follows a group of young friends who plan on a journey to find the body of a missing boy.
The story is all about coming-of-age drama, childhood friendships and the bittersweet nature of growing up makes fans drawn to the heartfelt performances of the leads and the acute storytelling.
The movie also stars River Phoenix as one of the main characters and offers viewers a fair amount of nostalgia.
It (2017)
The adaptation of the King's most famous horror novel is best known for bringing the terrifying clown Pennywise to life with the help of the amazing Bill Skarsgård.
The movie focuses on a group of young kids known as the Losers Club as they battle their deepest fears and confront the evil creature that haunts their town.
With its effective scares and strong performances, the film became a box office success and brought a fresh take on a popular dark story.
The Shining (1980)
If you mix two geniuses, you will get a masterpiece. Based on King's bestseller of the same name and directed by Stanley Kubrick, this psychological horror film is a masterclass in building suspense and tension.
Starring Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, it explores the descent into madness of a writer who becomes the caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel for the winter.
While King himself had mixed feelings about the adaptation, some fans consider the film even better than the book and praise the movie for becoming a cult classic.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Based on King's novel Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the movie tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker who is wrongfully convicted of murder and plans to escape the high-security prison.
The film beautifully captures the themes of hope and redemption that are a pivot to King's writing. Though the drama didn't do well at the box office, it still remains one of the best film adaptations of all time.
The Green Mile (1999)
Set on death row in a Southern prison during the 1930s, this emotional drama follows the lives of the prison guards and the extraordinary events surrounding a death row inmate with a mysterious gift.
The film beautifully captures the moral dilemmas and themes of injustice that are prevalent in King's writing.
Special attention should be paid to the incredible cast, including Michael Clarke Duncan, whose outstanding portrayal of John Coffey, a gifted innocent inmate, was both heartbreaking and heartwarming, and had audiences crying their hearts out throughout the film.