Stephen King’s most famous works have been adapted over and over since his first published novel – but which of those with multiple takes is worth the watch?
The king of horror has written some classic novels and short stories that have been turned into equally classic movies and TV. It first happened when Brian De Palma adapted King’s first novel “Carrie” in the ’70s and since then some of his biggest – both figuratively and literally – books have gotten the big-screen treatment more than once. But with so many takes on these iconic stories, which include “The Shining,” “It” and more, it can be a daunting prospect but we’re here to help.
These are the definitive King adaptations to watch.
Carrie
Options: “Carrie” (1976), “Carrie” (2002), “Carrie” (2013) “Carrie” (2026 Series)
The Pick: “Carrie (1976)
The fact that King famously threw out the manuscript for “Carrie,” only for his wife to fish it out of the trash and encourage him to keep going, makes for one of the great stories about the author. That the book became the first of his prolific career AND spawned an adaptation that earned two Academy Award nominations makes the story even better.
Brian De Palma truly knocked it out of the park with his 1976 adaptation of “Carrie,” and a lot of that came down to the stellar casting. Sissy Spacek, as the titular character, and Piper Laurie, as her religious nightmare of a mother, Margaret, both earned Oscar nominations for their tour-de-force performances in the story of a bullied girl who manifests supernatural powers and turns them on her classmates after a rough upbringing and a disastrous prom night.
The Shining
The Options: “The Shining” (1980), “The Shining” (1997 Mini-Series)
The Pick: “The Shining” (1980)
This is the pick that everyone but King himself would choose as the definitive adaptation of “The Shining.” Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic has been analyzed and thought-pieced to death since its release in the 1980s but it remains a truly terrifying take on one of the author’s most famous novels. Shooting the film about a struggling writer and alcoholic who takes his family to a Colorado hotel to be caretaker for the winter was famously grueling – particularly for Shelley Duvall – but the results are the results.
It’s pulse-pounding, it’s tense, it’s thought-provoking and beautifully shot. It’s not only easily the best adaptation of “The Shining” it might eternally remain the best adaptation of any of King’s work.
‘Salem’s Lot
The Options: “‘Salem’s Lot” (1979 Mini-Series), “‘Salem’s Lot” (2004 Mini-Series), “Salem’s Lot” (2024)
The Pick: “‘Salem’s Lot (1979 Mini-Series)
Tobe Hooper’s 1979 mini-series adaptation of King’s seminal vampire story remains the very best. The story follows a writer who moves back to a town he spent his childhood in only to find himself beset by a vampire who has also just moved to the town with plans to take it over.
For the ’70s, the adaptation was still packed with plenty of scares from the showdown with Barlow the vampire to one of the biggest frights of all time – where young boy Ralphie Glick shows up floating outside Mark Petrie’s bedroom window tapping on the glass begging to be let in. Hooper’s sense of place within the small town as well as the bigger scares elevates this adaptation well above the others.
The Stand
The Options: “The Stand” (1994 Mini-Series), “The Stand” (2020 Limited Series)
The Pick: “The Stand” (1994 Mini-Series)
One of King’s major doorstop novels has gotten the mini-series treatment twice and the first outing proved superior. While the 2020 series stretched the story out to 10 episodes and boasted an extended ending written by King himself, it still fails to capture the magic of the ’90s ABC mini-series.
Firstly the cast: Gary Sinise, Rob Lowe, ’80s icon Molly Ringwald and even Patrick Star voice actor Bill Fagerbakke all star and give it their all across four hour and a half episodes – and that’s before talking about how great Ruby Dee is as Mother Abigail. It’s all killer and no filler compared to the later attempt which has a bit too much wheel-spinning despite adapting a 1100 page book.
It
The Options: “It” (1990 Mini-Series), “It: Chapter 1” (2017), “It: Chapter 2” (2019)
The Pick: TIE – “It” (1990 Mini-Series) and “It: Chapter 1” (2017)
“It” is a bit of an odd case when it comes to adaptations, thus it’s the one tie on the list. “It: Chapter 1” from 2017 captured a lot of the coming-of-age magic from part of King’s massive story but once that story wraps and the film pivots to the adult Losers’ story in “It: Chapter 2” it falls apart entirely. So if you want the story of Pennywise the Clown as just a half-finished and more modern story check out the 2017 version.
But if you want the full story, the 1990 mini-series is your ticket. Tim Curry is truly a revelation as the iconic clown in the two-part series that earned horrific talismanic status among kids of the time as one of the scariest things ever put to the screen. It’s much more campy now but the overall beginning-to-end story of The Losers Club is much better told here.
Pet Sematary
The Options: “Pet Sematary” (1989), “Pet Sematary” (2019)
The Pick: “Pet Sematary” (1989)
One of King’s most famous lines is: “Sometimes dead is better” and it has never sounded better than when it was delivered by Fred Gwynne playing Jud Crandall in the 1989 adaptation of “Pet Sematary.” He hits it with the perfect Maine twang morphing it into “Sometimes dead is bettah.” Anyone who thinks of that line hears Gwynne’s delivery.
On the horror front, Mary Lambert’s adaptation is the cause for many sleepless nights. The story follows a grieving man who learns that the titular Pet Sematary behind his home can bring the dead back to life – certainly with consequences. Between undead kids and a scene depicting spinal meningitis, the movie has had its mental hooks in people for decades.
Firestarter
The Options: “Firestarter” (1984), “Firestarter” (2022)
The Pick: “Firestarter” (1984)
A lot of shows and movies owe a lot to “Firestarter” – one of the biggest currently being “Stranger Things.” But the original adaptation of King’s story about a girl with pyrokinesis on the run with her father from a shady government entity remains the cream of the crop. A young Drew Barrymore stars as Charlie McGee and her star power was evident from even that young age. If you’re feeling like you’re missing out on “Stranger Things” and want a dose of what inspired it then the 1984 “Firestarter” is your place to start.
Children of the Corn
The Options: “Children of the Corn” (1984), “Children of the Corn” (2009 TV Movie), “Children of the Corn” (2020), Countless sequels and Direct-To-DVD editions
The Pick: “Children of the Corn” (1984)
None of King’s stories have had more attempts at the adaptation plate than “Children of the Corn.” The original short story has been retold three times but there is an ocean of ill-advised sequels and straight-to-DVD messes to truly call this a franchise for better or worse.
The story of a couple who stumble into a small Nebraska town while road-tripping only to find it has been taken over by a religious cult of children was never better than that first outing. Nobody has captured the bone-chilling nature of young preacher Isaac quite like John Franklin.
