With over 60 published books and short stories, Stephen King has built a career as the master of the horror genre. His written works have been incredibly successful, selling an estimated 350 million copies, according to The Washington Post, and his works are still popular today.
King’s written work has also been the source material for many film and TV series adaptations over the years. His first novel was Carrie, published in 1974, and followed the story of a bullied teenage girl who discovers she has telekinetic powers and uses them to enact revenge on those who tormented her. The novel was an instant success and was promptly followed by a film adaptation in 1976 starring Sissy Spacek in the lead role, and was later rebooted in 2013.
From there, King’s catalog of film and TV adaptations continued rapidly expanding and still is today. Gary Dauberman, the writer responsible for King movie reboots It and It: Chapter Two, is working on a reboot of ‘Salem’s Lot. The remake is based on the 1975 novel and the original 1979 film adaptation and is set to premiere later this year. More recently, there’s also the Firestarter reboot by Blumhouse Productions, premiering on May 13, 2022, in theaters and on Peacock.
While Stephen King’s written works have been adapted on-screen since he wrote his first novel and continue on today, the 1980s were the heyday for film and TV adaptations of his works.
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11 Silver Bullet (1985)
Paramount Pictures Studios
Stephen King wrote the novella Cycle of The Werewolf in 1983, and two years later it was adapted on screen as Silver Bullet. The movie is about a series of unexplained murders in a small town that residents try to solve, but don’t have any luck and start turning up dead themselves. Later, a young boy named Marty (Corey Haim) begins to believe a werewolf is responsible for the murders and teams up with his sister Jane (Megan Follows) and their uncle (Gary Busey) to capture the wolfman.
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The 1980s were a pretty popular time for werewolf-focused media. Several similar movies like Teen Wolf, The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, and even Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf premiered throughout the ’80s. But compared to other popular werewolf movies in the decade, Silver Bullet may not be the best. It’s a classic ’80s horror flick that has some good scares, specifically for younger audience members, but it doesn’t live up to its potential considering the source material it’s based on. And, granted, it was released in the early ’80s, but the visual effects leave much to be desired.
RELATED: Stephen King’s It Prequel Series in the Works at HBO Max
10 Cujo (1983)
Paramount Pictures Studios/Warner Bros Pictures
This 1983 movie adaptation of the novel of the same name follows Cujo, a St. Bernard who gets bitten by a bat and turns into a rabid killer beast, going on a rampage in a small town. While the movie is a short hour and 30 minutes, it has a very slow beginning and takes a while to really get interesting. The movie itself isn’t necessarily scary and doesn’t feel like a horror movie by definition, but it does do a good job at building tension and stress within the audience. In a way, it leans more toward psychological thriller than it does horror movie.
From the speed to the acting to the plot as a whole, there are certainly aspects that could use some heavy editing. That said, for it being the 1980s, it feels like the best movie that could’ve been produced given the resources available at the time, and is worth watching for anyone going through King’s Rolodex of classics.
9 Children of the Corn (1984)
New World Pictures/Hal Roach Studios
Children of the Corn follows Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicki (Linda Hamilton) as they’re driving across the cornfield-covered Midwest and wander into a small town exclusively full of children who are led by a sinister kid-sized preacher, Isaac (John Franklin). Isaac and his disciples serve a demonic entity they call “He Who Walks Behind the Rows,” that requires the children to perform murderous rituals on all the adults in town. The plot progresses, and Burt and Vicki find themselves frantically trying to flee town to avoid being the children’s next sacrifice.
The creepy kid trope is a popular one in the horror genre, like The Omen film franchise that began in 1976. Children of the Corn certainly has a creepy cast, but aside from that, the movie itself isn’t necessarily scary. Certain concepts, like the desolate nature of the town and the ritualistic behavior of the children are definitely unsettling, but it’s not as scary as other King adaptations.
8 Christine (1983)
Columbia Pictures
In this 1983 King adaptation, Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury that he becomes concerningly obsessed with named Christine. But Christine isn’t a normal car, has a mind of her own, and a jealous, murderous personality.
This King novel was brought to life by well-known horror director John Carpenter (Halloween) and everything about it feels very ’80s. From the acting to the writing to the plot itself, it feels like a movie that only could’ve been made in the ’80s. Yet, the movie stands the test of time and is a decent King adaptation. It’s also the perfect hybrid movie for both car lovers and horror fans to enjoy.
Blumhouse Productions is also in the process of developing a Christine reboot that will be written and directed by Bryan Fuller, the mind behind the Hannibal series.
7 Cat’s Eye (1985)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists/De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Cat’s Eye is unique in that it’s an anthology film that covers two King stories, Quitters, Inc., The Ledge, and also includes a story unique to the movie titled General. The only connection between the three stories is a stray cat that ends up playing a role in each story.
While some of the elements in the movie feel a little corny and dated, the unique format and storytelling make it worth the watch. It’s also one of Drew Barrymore’s first movie roles as a young actress. She and the rest of the cast, which includes James Woods (Hercules, Once Upon a Time in America), plus Stephen King as the screenwriter, makes for a great watch — especially for those who are looking for something different.
6 Firestarter (1984)
Dino De Laurentiis Company/Universal Pictures
Firestarter is a Stephen King classic that follows a young girl (Drew Barrymore) who develops pyrokinesis and deals with a secret government agency seeking her out to control her. It’s one of Drew Barrymore’s most iconic roles as a young actress and has her starring alongside other greats like George C. Scott, Heather Locklear, and Martin Sheen.
A reboot of the movie is also set to premiere in theaters and on Peacock on May 13, 2022. The reboot is being produced by Blumhouse Productions (Insidious, Get Out) and will star Zac Efron (High School Musical, The Greatest Showman) and Ryan Kiera Armstrong (It Chapter Two, American Horror Story) as the leads.
5 Creepshow & Creepshow II (1982 & 1987)
The 1982 Creepshow is another unique adaptation and is actually a collection of five short scary stories, all within a one-hour and 57-minute movie. It’s a horror/comedy combo that delivers decent scares and excellent storytelling. It’s also one of the King adaptations where Stephen King himself has an acting role and gets to bring one of his own characters to life.
Five years later in 1987, Creepshow was followed up by Creepshow II. The sequel had a similar format in that it was another, shorter collection of King stories presented in one feature-length film, but it didn’t have as much success as the original.
RELATED: Blumhouse Television Developing Limited Series of Stephen King’s Later
4 Pet Semetary (1989)
At just a short hour and 39 minutes, Pet Semetary packs a decent punch. Even with the shoddy visuals of 1989, it still manages to be highly disturbing, and while it may not be terrifying, it definitely has its fair share of chills.
The main point of the film is that there’s an old cemetery that brings anything buried there back to life. However, when things come back, they’re not the same as they once were and come back with an evil vengeance. While predictable at times, the plot still has room for suspense that keeps the audience watching until the end.
Pet Semetary was rebooted in 2019, following a similar story to the original. But the original seemed to have more charm than the remake.
3 The Dead Zone (1983)
Dino De Laurentiis Company/Paramount Pictures
One of the highest-rated King adaptations, 1983’s The Dead Zone follows Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) as he wakes from a coma and realizes several years have passed and he now has psychic abilities that allow him to see a person’s future through a simple touch. The plot thickens when Johnny shakes hands with a politician (Martin Sheen) and sees how dangerous he would be in office, so he decides to kill him before he can cause any harm. It’s less horror and more of a sci-fi thriller, but it has an element of mystery and suspense — plus a great performance by Walken — that keeps the audience engaged from start to finish.
Stephen King also came on as a writer for the movie, which helps to ensure the adaptation is staying true to the original source material.
2 Stand By Me (1986)
Stand by Me is a coming-of-age film based on King’s novella The Body, in which a group of four young boys discover the body of a missing boy when they’re out on a hike. The name of the film comes from the 1961 hit song by Ben E. King. This 1986 classic features young stars like Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, River Phoenix and Jerry O’Connell in monumental roles for their ages.
Stand by Me is a unique body of work for King, but it’s one of his most poignant adaptations that still resonates with audiences today.
1 The Shining (1980)
Warner Bros.
Possibly one of the most recognized King adaptations, 1980’s The Shining follows struggling writer Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) as his mind unravels while he’s snowed in at an old hotel with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Llyod). As time creeps on and Jack slips into homicidal madness, he becomes fixated on terrorizing his family.
Directed by Stanley Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove), The Shining pays great attention to detail and does the book justice. It’s a long movie, coming in at nearly two and a half hours, and some parts feel a bit slow. But the story itself is worth sticking around for, and the dynamism of the characters, specifically Jack’s, is captivating.
While the 1980s were full of adaptations of several of Stephen King’s written works, The Shining seems to encapsulate everything a King story is. Suspense, horror, interesting characters, and a deep-seated plot that bewitches the audience.
