From ‘Carrie’ to ‘IT Chapter Two,’ Your Complete Guide to the Films and TV Shows of Stephen King

‘Carrie’ (1976)

Don’t piss off high school student Carrie White (Sissy Spacek). Not only is she taking a lot of crap from her uberly-religious mother at home, but she’s tormented at school by her classmates (among them John Travolta and Nancy Allen) on a daily basis. Of course, newly-developing telekentic abilities come in handy in dealing with all of it. In the end, Carrie does for high school proms what Jaws did for recreational swimming and Fatal Attraction for extramarital affairs. Director Brian De Palma’s magic still works over 40 years later. Spawned 1999’s The Rage: Carrie 2 (focusing on Carrie’s half-sister) and a 2002 TV remake starring Angela Bettis.

‘Salem’s Lot’ (1979)

Author Ben Mears (David Soul) returns to his hometown of Salem’s Lot to write a book about a purportedly haunted house, and discovers the truth about that place as well as the town itself — the “ghost” is actually vampire Kurt Barlow and he’s gradually bringing the citizens under his control. Originally aired as a mini-series, director Tobe Hooper generates plenty of chills, no easy feat for television at the time. Barlow’s make-up design is a tribute to the first vampire film, Nosferatu.

‘The Shining’ (1980)

Recovering alcoholic and author Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) relocates his family to the Overlook Hotel to serve as caretaker. Located twenty-five miles from the nearest town and pretty much cut off from civilization due to the weather and treacherous roads during the winter, the Overlook offers up a dose of cabin fever like you’ve never seen, as the ghosts of the past start “influencing” Jack. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!

‘Creepshow’ (1982)

Anthology film done in tribute to the old EC horror comics, Creepshow, directed by George Romero, consists of five King stories, “Father’s Day,” “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” (which marks the author’s acting debut), “Something to Tide You Over,” “The Crate” and “They’re Creeping Up on You.” Appropriate collaboration between writer and director. Followed by Creepshow 2 in 1987 and Creepshow 3 in 2006. King wasn’t involved with them.

‘Cujo’ (1983)

A St. Bernard contracts rabies and goes on a rampage, trapping a mother (Dee Wallace) and her young son (Danny Pintauro) inside their car. Claustrophobic, thrilling and terrifying.

‘The Dead Zone’ (1983)

English teacher Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is plunged into a five-year coma. When he awakens, his fiance has moved on, his job is gone, his legs have been rendered practically useless due to entropy and … oh yes … he is suddenly endowed with the ability to see a person’s past or future simply by touching them. Unfortunately, he shakes hands with Senator Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen) and has a vision of the future in which Stillson, as President Of The United States, triggers Armageddon. Does Johnny set out to alter that future? What do you think? One of the best adaptations of King’s writings.

‘Christine’ (1983)

Boy meets girl, girl loves boy, boy’s possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury car — the film’s title character — attempts to kill girl. A King premise seemingly tailor-made for director John Carpenter.

‘Children of the Corn’ (1984)

A couple inadvertently stumbles upon a small town governed by children devoted to a cult religion and a demon known as “He Who Walks Behind The Rows.” They find themselves in danger of being sacrificed. Probably the most shocking aspect of this one — based on a King short story — is the sheer number of sequels it’s inspired: Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992), Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995), Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996), Children of the Corn V: Fields Of Terror (1998), Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return (1999), Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001), Children of the Corn: Genesis (2011) and Children of the Corn: Runaway (2017) There was also a remake of the original for television (2009). It should be noted that none of these sequels have anything to do with Stephen King.

‘Firestarter’ (1984)

A couple who, through experimentation, gained telekenisis, gave birth to a child (Drew Barrymore) who can create fires with her mind. Now a government agency known as The Shop wants the child, Charlie, to be utilized as a weapon. After her mother is killed, she and her father go on the run. For audiences of the time it must have been shocking to see little Gertie from ET burning people to death. Spawned the sequel Firestarter 2: Rekindled (2002), with word of a remake on the way.

‘Cat’s Eye’ (1985)

The success of Creepshow not that far behind him, King returned to the notion of big screen anthologies. Consisting of three stories, two of them — “Quitters, Inc.” and “The Ledge” — were based on his short stories, while the third — “General” — was written exclusively for this project. Lewis Teague also directed the adaptation of Cujo two years earlier.

‘Silver Bullet’ (1985)

The investigation into a series of murders — which sees many of the pursuers killed themselves — leads to a wheelchair-bound boy discovering that the culprit is actually a werewolf. Based on King’s novella “Cycle Of The Werewolf.”

‘Maximum Overdrive’ (1986)

Making his directorial debut, Stephen King compared himself to a dancing bear at the circus: you don’t go expecting to see the bear dance well, just that he does it at all. Given critical response, it would seem the bear fared better. A group of people are trapped at a truck stop when — due to a passing comet — machinery comes to life and it ain’t happy.

‘Stand By Me’ (1986)

A coming of age story about a quartet of friends who, in 1959, embark on an adventure to see a dead body. What follows is an incredibly moving character study of best friends who are drawn together despite coming from such different backgrounds. One of the finest films to come from King’s fiction, and Rob Reiner’s best directorial effort (though When Harry Met Sally is pretty damn close).

‘A Return to Salem’s Lot’ (1987)

Anthropolist Joe Weber (Michael Moriarty) and his son return to Salem’s Lot and discover the town is filled with vampires. The vampires end up hiring him (!) to write their story, and the only hope he has for he and his son escaping comes down to a Nazi hunter. Truthfully, not a lot of connective tissue to King’s novel.

‘The Running Man’ (1987)

Long before The Hunger Games became televised competition to the death, there was this idea of criminals being executed in a game show setting. Ahnuld’s Ben Richards, naturally, has been wrongly convicted.

‘Pet Sematary’ (1989)

An animal graveyard returns pets to life with something a bit off about them. When Louis Creed’s son is hit by a trucker, he decides to use that graveyard. What comes back isn’t his son. Spawned the 1992 sequel Pet Sematary Two and a 2019 remake. To quote the film, “Sometimes dead is better.” 

‘Tales From the Darkside: The Movie’ (1990)

From the anthology TV series comes this film that consists of three stories, only one of which — “Cat From Hell” — is based on the works of Stephen King.

‘IT’ (1990)

TV miniseries adaptation of the King novel. A group of pre-teen friends try to fight off the clown Pennywise (Tim Curry) that’s actually a child-killing demon. Flash forward three decades, and they reunite to stop that demon which has arisen again. Damn clowns.

‘Graveyard Shift’ (1990)

From the King short story, deep within an abandoned textile factory there is a massive rat infestation, which leads to the discovery of a giant bat that goes hunting at night. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

‘Misery’ (1990)

Still one of the best adaptations of King. Chilling stuff here as an author (James Caan) suffers a car crash in the remote wilderness, and finds himself rescued by his number one fan (Kathy Bates). With fans like this…. Caan and (especially) Bates are amazing.

‘Sometimes They Come Back’ (1991)

A teacher (Tim Matheson) moves his family back to his home town, where he finds them terrorized by the ghosts of greasers who murdered his brother, and are now after him. The story continues in the made for video films Sometimes They Come Back…Again (1996) and Sometimes They Come Back…For More (1998).

‘Golden Years’ (1991)

Caught in the blast of a laboratory explosion, janitor Harlan Williams (Keith Szarabajka) finds that he’s growing younger rather than older. When he realizes the government is attempting to capture him so that he can be studied, he flees and a chase across America begins. Serialized television when that was far from the norm.

‘Sleepwalkers’ (1992)

A mother and son move to a new town for what sounds like a good old fashioned family drama — until you realize that they’re actually creatures who have come a visiting to feast on a young virgin.

‘The Dark Half’ (1993)

Things go awry when author Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton) attempts to “kill” his pen name, George Stark. Apparently George doesn’t like this idea, and he takes on a physical form, seeking vengeance against his creator.

‘Needful Things’ (1993)

A shop in a small town opens, the elderly owner seemingly having everything a customer could possibly want. What they don’t expect is the price they’re going to ultimately pay for each purchase. Max Von Sydow’s character of Gaunt is chilling.

‘The Tommyknockers’ (1993)

As an alien object is unburied, the residents of a small town find themselves compelled to a variety of gadgets that are transforming them into creatures. Damn gadgets! Aired as a four-hour TV mini-series starring Jimmy Smits.

‘The Shawshank Redemption’ (1994)

This is one of two adaptations (the other being Stand By Me) that made the audience say, “That’s Stephen King?” A character study of two prisoners and their growing friendship over the course of 40 years, beginning in 1947. It was nominated for seven Oscars, and for good reason.

‘The Stand’ (TV Miniseries, 1994)

A plague decimates most of humanity, and those who do survive find themselves drawn to two different factions which will represent the ultimate battle between good and evil. The big bad of the piece, Randall Flagg, is a character that may also be familiar to readers of The Dark Tower. Aired as a TV mini-series.

‘The Langoliers’ (TV Miniseries, 1995)

Many of the passengers of a flight from Los Angeles to Boston mysteriously disappear. The rest land and find that reality has altered and they need to find a way to get back home before they’re consumed by these creatures that can best be described as Pacman with major attitude problem (thank God visual effects have improved).

‘The Mangler’ (1995)

Admittedly the concept is pretty ridiculous — a laundry folding machine has been possessed by a demon and begins attacking customers —but you might want to check out the King short story first, because it absolutely works. Spawned the sequels The Mangler 2 (2002) and The Mangler Reborn (2005).

‘Dolores Claiborne’ (1995)

When her wealthy employer is murdered, maid Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) stands accused. Her daughter (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a reporter, returns home to uncover the truth, learning about her background at the same time. Ah, that Kathy Bates. Always in cockadoodie trouble.

‘Thinner’ (1996)

When overweight attorney Billy Jalleck uses the system to avoid jail time after running over and killing a gypsy woman, he finds himself cursed and unable to stop losing weight. Not the kind of diet you’d want to try.

‘The Night Flier’ (1997)

Reporter Richard Dees is pursuing the story of a vampire-like serial killer who flies from city to city to commit murder via a Skymaster airplane. Hey, if he was a vampire he’d be able to turn into a bat and get around that way, saving a hell of a lot in fuel.

‘The Shining’ (Miniseries, 1997)

Jack, Wendy and Danny Torrance, and the Overlook Hotel are back in this TV mini-series. Given how much Stephen King disliked the Kubrick version, one can only imagine the joy he had scripting this take.

‘Trucks’ (1997)

Think of Maximum Overdrive, but made for TV. Trucks in a small town start to come to life and begin killing the residents and destroying their homes. It wasn’t that good the first time around.

‘Quicksilver Highway’ (1997)

A TV movie consisting of two stories, Stephen King’s “Chattery Teeth” (a man is saved from a killer by a pair of wind-up teeth) and Clive Barker’s “The Body Politic,” about a guy whose hands decide to try and take him out.

‘Apt Pupil’ (1998)

A 14-year-old boy discovers that his neighbor is actually a Nazi war criminal and sets about manipulating the man by bribing him to relive the horrors of the war. Bryan Singer’s direction is great, and Ian McKellan does an amazing transformation from an elderly man into the monster he once was.

‘Storm of the Century’ (1999)

Not only is a small town dealing with an impending massive storm, but also a visitor who seems to know everything about everyone, and threatens to tear the town apart from within.

‘The Green Mile’ (1999)

A powerful exploration of the impact that a prisoner accused of murdering and raping a child (who is much more than he appears to be) has on the lives of Death Row prison guards. King, prison and writer/director Frank Darabont are obviously a potent combination. Tom Hanks stars.

‘Hearts in Atlantis’ (2001)

The late Anton Yelchin plays a young man approached by a mysterious gentleman (Anthony Hopkins) who’s dying, and who has a profound impact on his life.

‘Rose Red’ (Miniseries, 2002)

An original miniseries written by Stephen King, the setting is a haunted mansion (which has been given the name Rose Red) where a team of psychics, joined by a girl with special abilities, arrive to uncover its secrets.

‘The Dead Zone’ (TV Series, 2002-06)

Anthony Michael Hall takes on the role originated by Christopher Walken in the 1983 film of the same name, about Johnny Smith awakening from a five-year coma with the ability to see someone’s past or future just by touching them.

‘Dreamcatcher’ (2003)

Four friends who, when younger, were connected through a telepathic bond, are drawn together again as adults who have to fight an alien presence that can control humans and threatens the future of Earth.

‘The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer’ (TV Movie, 2003)

Steven Brand plays an industrialist, Lisa Brenner his submissive wife, and together they have to dealt with supernatural forces that have made their presence known in their Seattle mansion.

‘Secret Window’ (2004)

Johnny Depp is writer Mort Rainey, trying to pull himself together following a divorce, who finds himself the target of retribution from a farmer (played by John Turturro), who claims that he plagiarized his work and will stop at nothing to prove it.

‘Kingdom Hospital’ (TV Series, 2004)

Adapted from a Danish TV show by King, it’s a single-season television series about a hospital where ghostly things start happening. The employees consist of a surgeon who actually lives in the basement (Andrew McCarthy) and a nurse who passes out any time she sees blood.

‘Salem’s Lot’ (Miniseries, 2004)

In this second mini-series adaptation of King’s novel, Rob Lowe plays novelist Ben Mears, who returns to his hometown where he discovers that there are vampires living among the population.

‘Riding the Bullet’ (2004)

An art student (Jonathan Jackson), who has been suffering from a variety of emotional issues, has to hitchhike his way back home to get to his sick mother, but en route encounters a number of bizarre characters, including one who could very well be the devil himself.

‘Desperation’ (2006)

The only hope against an evil force that has invaded the remote mining town of Desperation, Nevada are a trio of people (played by Tom Skerritt, Steven Weber and Annabeth Gish).

‘Nightmares and Dreamscapes’ (2006)

Over the years, King’s short stories have served as creative fodder for a number of projects, and this one is no exception: eight tales from the author are adapted in this miniseries.

‘1408’ (2007)

John Cusack is horror novelist Mike Enslin, whose bestsellers discredit the idea of haunted houses and graveyards. Needless to say he starts to see things a little differently after checking into suite 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel.

‘The Mist’ (2007)

After a violent thunderstorm hits a small community, the inhabitants are threatened by creatures living within a fog that has moved into the area and will not dissipate.

‘No Smoking’ (2007)

A film produced in India that is a loose adaptation of King’s short story “Quitter’s, Inc, which had previously been adapted as part of the 1985 anthology film Cat’s Eye. The focus is on a heavily addicted smoker (played by John Abraham), who doesn’t realize the extremes he’s going to have to go through when agreeing to use a guru to quit smoking.

‘Dolan’s Cadillac’ (2009)

A grieving husband (Wes Bentley) begins masterminding a revenge plot against a gangster named Jimmy Dolan (Christian Slater) who murdered his wife (Emmanuelle Vaugier), who has witnessed him murdering someone.

‘Haven’ (TV Series, 2010-15)

FBI Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) arrives in Haven, Maine, on what she believes is a routine assignment. But the longer she stays, the more curious she becomes about the townspeople, who seem to be beset by a range of supernatural afflictions. This show is very loosely based on the King novel The Colorado Kid.

‘Bag of Bones’ (2011)

According to the film’s official description, Pierce Brosnan plays Mike Noonan, a novelist who suffers from writer’s block after the death of his wife, Jo (Annabeth Gish). A dream inspires him to return to the couple’s lakeside retreat hoping to find answers about his wife’s sudden death, but he is plagued by ever-escalating nightmares and mysterious ghostly visitations from Sara Tidwell (Anika Noni Rose), a blues singer whose spirit lingers in the house. As the inhabitants of Dark Score Lake haunt him, Mike comes to realize that his late wife still has something to tell him.”

‘Under the Dome’ (TV Series, 2013-15)

A small town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome and its inhabitants must deal with surviving the post-apocalyptic conditions while searching for answers.

‘A Good Marriage’ (2014)

With a serial killer on the loose and a stranger stalking her family, a dedicated wife unveils a sinister secret about her husband that threatens their marriage – and lives. The original story comes from King’s 2010 collection Full Dark, No Stars.

‘Mercy’ (2014)

Two mischievous young brothers uncover frightening secrets regarding the true nature of their grandparents. This is another loose adaptation of a King short story, the one in question being “Gramma,” published in his 1985 anthology Skeleton Crew.

‘11.22.63’ (2016)

A Hulu series based on King’s novel, which the streaming network describes as follows: “Imagine having the power to change history. Would you journey down the “rabbit hole?” This eight –part event series follows Jake Epping (James Franco), an ordinary high school teacher, presented with the unthinkable mission of traveling back in time to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Jake travels to the past in order to solve the most enduring mystery of the 20th century: who killed JFK, and could it have been stopped? But as Jake will learn, the past does not want to be changed. And trying to divert the course of history may prove fatal.”

‘Cell’ (2016)

John Cusack is back in King territory, this time playing a graphic novelist, who, following a mysterious cellphone signal that transforms New Englanders into murderers, desperately searches for his wife and son.

‘The Dark Tower’ (2017)

Roland (Idris Elba) and the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) share an ancient vendetta and must fight to the death in an epic battle over the fate of the Universe. To be perfectly frank, this film (directed by Ron Howard), was perhaps one of the most anticipated adaptations of King’s work, but also one of the most disappointing. Reportedly there’s a television series in the works that will set things right.

‘IT’ (2017)

Previously made as a 1990 TV miniseries, the focus is on a small town where children mysteriously begin to disappear. A group of young friends bond together and must face their biggest fear, which is brought to life as the deadly clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard).

‘Gerald’s Game’ (2017)

During a session of sexual bondage with her husband (Bruce Greenwood), a woman (Carla Gugino) accidentally kills him and, in the aftermath, finds herself handcuffed to the bed with no means of escape.

‘1922’ (2017)

Notes Netflix, “A farmer pens a confession admitting to his wife’s murder, but her death is just the beginning of a macabre tale. Based on Stephen King’s novella.” Thomas Jane, Molly Parker and Dylan Schmid star.

‘The Mist’ (TV Series, 2017)

The Spike network offers this description of this single-season series: “An unexplained mist slowly envelops the town of Bridgeville, Maine, creating an almost impenetrable barrier to visibility. The residents of the town soon learn the situation is even more precarious as unexplained anomalies and phenomena in the mist attack and kill most who enter it, trapping several groups of people in a shopping mall, a church, and a hospital. Eventually, people begin to see apparitions in the mist from their past, fears, or guilt that help or kill them depending on how they react.”

‘Castle Rock’ (TV Series, 2018-)

A psychological-horror series set in the Stephen King multiverse, Castle Rock is an original story that combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of King’s best-loved works, weaving an epic saga of darkness and light, played out on a few square miles of Maine woodland. As things go on more and more characters and elements from his stories come into play.

‘Mr. Mercedes’ (TV Series, 2017-)

Based on King’s best-selling trilogy, a demented killer taunts a retired police detective with a series of lurid letters and emails, forcing the ex-cop to undertake a private, and potentially felonious, crusade to bring the killer to justice before he can strike again.

‘IT Chapter Two’ (2019)

Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard), IT returns to terrorize the town of Derry once again. Now adults, the Losers have long since gone their separate ways. However, the kids are disappearing again, so Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), the only one of the group to remain in their hometown, calls the others home. Damaged by the experience of their past, they must each conquer their deepest fears  to destroy Pennywise once and for all, putting them directly in the path of the clown that has become deadlier than ever.

‘In the Tall Grass’ (2019)

Coming to Netflix, in this film siblings venture into a vast field of grass to help a lost boy, only to discover there may be no way out. It’s based on the novella written by King and and his son, Joe Hill.

‘Doctor Sleep’ (2019)

This is the sequel to. The Shining. Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra (Kyliegh Curran), a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the ‘shine.’ Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality. Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra’s innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before — at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.

Needless to say, all of. this is a whole lotta King with a heck of a lot more on the way.