Top Ten: Favorite Stephen King Adaptations

I’ve been on a bit of a Stephen King kick lately, between Haven and earreading a handful of his books. So I thought this was appropriate. Let me start this out with a disclaimer: I don’t like/watch horror movies.

Top Ten Stephen King Adaptations I Love

1. It– Amazing cast and it did justice to both time periods of the book quite well. Clowns are not one of my phobias, so that aspect of It never freaked me out, but other parts did while I was reading! I pop this one in whenever I want a good friendship/bonding adventure story and have already seen the Goonies 😉
2. The Stand– I rewatch this once every few years. But, just like the first time, I have to watch the first 15-20 minutes through fingers as my hands cover my face. I didn’t get to do that while earreading the book on audio; it was traumatic to get through the beginning, but I love the characters and even though the ending is the ending, I still really enjoy going on this journey with them every single time.
3. Rose Red– This miniseries is one of my guilty pleasures. I watch it at least once a year and have parts largely memorized. I can’t explain why I love it so much, I just do.
4. The Shining (Sci-Fi miniseries)– Sorry, Kubrick fans, I liked the miniseries version better. Maybe it lacked some of the iconic visuals, but the story and characterizations made more sense and got a chance to develop properly
5. Stand By Me– The cast. The visuals. The depth. And it’s nice that even Stephen King’s non-horror stories can come across so well on film.
6. The Shawshank Redemption– I was overpowered by emotion the first time I saw this movie; I haven’t read the original story yet, but seeing the movie the first time is still one of those pivotal experiences for me when I realized what words and good storytelling were capable of doing to an audience
7. The Green Mile– even though I didn’t realize it was on two DVDs and had to wait days to finish the story, it was still moving and dark and lovely all in one
8. The Dead Zone (tv show)– Okay, so, yeah, I love Anthony Michael Hall’s Johnny Smith. Sorry, Christopher Walken, you were good but the TV show was able to go far beyond the book into much more interesting territory sometimes. Oohhhh the angst! Give me more!
9. The Secret Window– I own this on DVD. The acting is grand (I mean, come on, it’s Johnny Depp). And I never regret rewatching it. I love the twists even when I know what they are.
10. 1408– Stephen King really excels at short stories. And short stories can go badly wrong when adapted to full-length movies. But it doesn’t in this case. The drama and suspense are perfect. And John Cusak is fantastic.

So, yeah. I’ve left out a lot that most people would have put on their list. Some I haven’t seen (Children of the Corn, Apt Pupil, Pet Cemetery, Cujo), some I didn’t like (‘Salem’s Lot, Bag of Bones, The Night Flier), and some I just didn’t have the room for in a top ten list (Misery, The Langoliers, Nightmares and Dreamscapes). I don’t even know where I’d put Carrie.