September 21 was the 66th birthday of Stephen King, one of the few illustrious mega-authors of Today. To commemorate his birthday GS decided to look back at 10 of his best novels made into movies. Stephen King is without a doubt the best and most infamous horror author alive, and it is because of him that books, storytelling and original work is still alive and doing extremely well. We could spend the entire day talking about his top books alone, not even mentioning the massive plethora of  TV and Film adaptations based on his work.

Creating a list of only 10 was seemingly impossible, hence we ended up listing 11. Agree with our list? Let us know in the comments…

Here’s our Top Stephen King Novels made into Movies:

 

1. Carrie (1976)

This story about a young girl named Carrie (Sissy Spacek) has a spot in the hallowed halls of classic horror movies. Carrie’s over-protective mother shelters her so much that when she gets taunted mercilessly by her classmates, they learn that teasing Carrie is a bad idea. The movie, which also stars Piper Laurie and John Travolta, grossed more than $33 million. This was the first film adaptation of a King story.

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A remake is on the way later this year starring Chloë Grace Moretz (Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass), you can catch up on all the latest details below:

• 5 Movies that will be back….again?
• Carrie (2013) Trailer Released
• Carrie (2013) Remade in a “Modern Way”

 

2. The Shining (1980)

The term cult classic doesn’t really cover what The Shining is to American pop culture. Starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall and directed by Stanley Kubrick. This film put Jack Nicholson on the map. The Shining gives you a haunted cabin where tidal waves of blood occur from time to time and a force called “the shining” possesses little kids. Stephen King intensely disliked what Kubrick did with the story, he still preferred the mini-series, which is an exceptional horror film that really brings the book to life and delivers a terrifying film that is worth the watch every time. Nevertheless, Kubrick’s movie spawned a dozen catchphrases, including “Heeeeere’s Johnny” and “Redrum! Redrum!”

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3. Christine (1983)

Christine wasn’t even published before preproduction began on the movie version. Producers took a chance on his latest story about a boy and his car. Director John Carpenter who can now be considered as the “master of horror film” took the helm. Christine is a car, not a girl. Arnie Cunningham, who might have been played by Kevin Bacon if he hadn’t chosen Footloose instead, is a high-school nerd who falls in love with a 1958 Plymouth Fury. The car is possessed and threatens to kill anyone who tries to get in its way. The author has the uncanny ability to tap into people’s basic fears, but his portrayal of a fearsome car didn’t terrorize audiences as much as some of his other menaces.

• Top 5 John Carpenter Horror Films

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4. Stand By Me (1986)

A King collection entitled Different Seasons included a story called “Fall from Innocence: The Body.” Stand By Me, one of King’s greatest movie successes, was based on this story. A group of preteens go on an adventure to find the body of a classmate who is missing and presumed dead. They are tailed by bullies and must make very grown-up decisions throughout the course of the film, which garnered an Oscar nod for Best Adapted Screenplay. A critical and box-office success, Stand By Me starred teen heart-throb River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, and Corey Feldman, and is one of the most widely enjoyed King films to date, perhaps due to the focus on tension among humans rather than killer clowns or deadly cars.

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5. Pet Sematary (1989)

This work was one of Stephen King’s finest horror novels. There is a haunted pet cemetery, spelled cutely with an ‘S,’ where everything buried comes back from the dead, but comes back twisted and evil. This is a great film where the tragic loss of a child proves too much temptation, and what comes back is terrifying and evil beyond belief. The ending of this film is absolutely fantastic, and one of the best endings of a King movie. The movie also spawned a sequel, Pet Sematary II (1992). Watch for a King cameo in the funeral scene.

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6. Children of the Corn (1984)

There’s something exceptionally scary about evil children. Children of the Corn was based on a collection of short stories called “Night Shift”.“Outlander! Outlander! We have your woman!” This classic line and scene helps define the movie, where a child prophet has convinced every child to murder all the adults in town, as they worship “He who walks behind the rows.” Talk about the wrong town to break down in! This is a very solid horror flick, with some really genuinely creepy moments. We’re not mentioning the 6 horrible sequels that were made after the original…

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7. IT (1990)

This three-hour movie is a two-part movie, with Pennywise the Clown perhaps one of the most disturbing horror villains in movie history. Never has a movie turned one of the most loveable characters into the most feared.  This movie is often judged as the first half being excellent and the second half mediocre, in part because of a changed ending. In fairness, the book’s ending would be next to impossible to fully convert into a movie format, but all in all, this movie is still a great view, and the first half is excellent. You might want to skip this one if you have a phobia of clowns.

Also see:

• The Actors behind the Masks, Who played these famous roles?
• 10 Movie reboots to look forward to

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8. The Green Mile (1999)

The Green Mile was based on King’s series of six short books of the same name. In one of King’s most successful movie adaptations, Tom Hanks stars as Paul Edgecomb, a cynical death-row prison guard. Michael Clarke Duncan, Oscar-nominated for his role in the film, plays John Coffey, a prisoner accused of murdering two children. The movie grossed $136 million at the box office and DVD sales are still strong. King reportedly came to the set and asked to sit in the electric chair being used in the film. He didn’t like how “Old Sparky” felt and asked to be released right away.

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9. The Stand (1994)

This epic mini-series is based on the epic novel about a post apocalyptic Earth where most the world was killed by a Super Flu. The good flock to Grandma Moses, while the evil flock to Randall Flagg, setting up an ultimate conflict between good and evil even after most of the world’s population is dead. This was one of King’s greatest works, and the movie did a good job staying close to the storyline considering the massive amount of material it had to ingest into the plot.

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10.  Misery (1990)

This was one of the best horror novels written by Stephen King, and the best movie based on a horror work. Annie Wilkes, the number one fan, is the worst nightmare of every celebrity, or every individual who has ever been stalked. An author gets in an accident, but is “rescued” by an obsessive fan, who ends up killing anyone who snoops around and creates the word “hobbling.” Anyone who saw the movie just winced at the mention of that word. I can still see and hear the dreaded breaking of feet and ankles…Kathy Bates is exceptional as Annie Wilkes, and one of the most convincing movie psychopaths of all time.

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11. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

This movie is one of only three from the IMDB website that has a rating of over 9.0 (out of 10), and is rated as the second best movie of all time on that website, and for very good reason. This amazing movie is based on the equally amazing novella about a banker who is wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and is sent to a sadistic prison where the guards and warden are both corrupt. The acting is incredible, the storyline is amazing, and everything about this movie works. Not only is this the best movie ever adapted from a Stephen King work, but many cinema fans agree that it was one of the better movies ever made.

• Top Prison Break Movies

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Here is a complete list of all the TV and Film adaptations based on Stephen Kings work:

1976 – Carrie
1979 – Salem’s Lot
1980 – The Shining
1982 – Creepshow (Five short films: “Father’s Day,” “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill,” “Something to Tide You Over,” “The Crate,” and “They’re Creeping Up On You”)
1982 – The Boogeyman (short film)
1983 – Cujo
1983 – The Dead Zone
1983 – Christine
1983 – Disciples of the Crow (short film)
1983 – The Woman in the Room (short film)
1984 – Children of the Corn
1984 – Firestarter
1985 – Cat’s Eye (Three short films: “Quitters, Inc.,” “The Ledge,” and “The General”)
1985 – Silver Bullet
1985 – Stephen King’s Nightshift Collection (Two short films: “The Woman in the Room” and “The Boogeyman”)
1985 – Word Processor of the Gods (episode of Tales from the Darkside)
1986 – Gramma (episode of The Twilight Zone)
1986 – Maximum Overdrive
1986 – Stand By Me
1987 – Creepshow 2 (Three short films: “Old Chief Wood’n’head,” “The Raft,” and “The Hitchhiker”)
1987 – A Return to Salem’s Lot
1987 – The Running Man
1987 – The Last Rung on the Ladder (short film)
1987 – Sorry, Right Number (episode of Tales from the Darkside)
1989 – Pet Sematary
1990 – The Cat From Hell (short film)
1990 – Graveyard Shift
1990 – It (TV mini-series)
1990 – Misery
1990 – The Moving Finger (Monsters episode)
1991 – Golden Years (TV miniseries)
1991 – Sometimes They Come Back
1992 – Sleepwalkers
1993 – The Dark Half
1993 – Needful Things
1993 – The Tommyknockers (miniseries)
1993 – Chinga (episode of The X-files)
1994 – The Shawshank Redemption
1994 – The Stand (miniseries)
1995 – The Langoliers (miniseries)
1995 – The Mangler
1995 – Dolores Claiborne
1995 – Stephen King’s Nightshift Collection
1996 – Thinner
1997 – The Shining (TV miniseries)
1997 – Ghosts (music video)
1997 – The Night Flier (HBO Movie)
1997 – Quicksilver Highway (segment Chattery Teeth)
1997 – Trucks (TV Remake of Maximum Overdrive)
1998 – Apt Pupil
1999 – The Green Mile
1999 – The Rage: Carrie 2
1999 – Storm of the Century (TV miniseries)
1999 – Llamadas (short film)
2000 – Paranoid(short film)
2001 – Hearts in Atlantis
2001 – Strawberry Spring (short film)
2002 – Rose Red (TV miniseries)
2002 – The Dead Zone (TV Series)
2002 – Night Surf (short film)
2002 – Rainy Season (short film)
2002 – Carrie (TV movie remake)
2003 – Dreamcatcher
2003 – The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (TV movie)
2003 – Autopsy Room Four (short film)
2003 – Here There Be Tygers (short film)
2003 – The Man in the Black Suit (short film)
2004 – Secret Window
2004 – Kingdom Hospital (TV series)
2004 – Salem’s Lot (TV miniseries)
2004 – Luckey Quarter (short film)
2004 – The Secret Transit Codes of America’s Highways (short film)
2004 – All That You Love Will Be Carried Away (short film)
2004 – Riding the Bullet
2005 – I Know What You Need (short film)
2006 – Desperation (TV miniseries)
2006 – Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the stories of Stephen King
2006 – Suffer the Little Children (short film)
2007 – 1408
2007 – The Mist
2007 – No Smoking (Bollywood movie)
2009 – Dolan’s Cadillac
2010 – The Haven (TV series based on the characters from The Colorado Kid)
2011 – Bag of Bones

 

[Sources, Sources]