The best Stephen King movie adaptations, ranked (including 'The Monkey')

USA Today

21-02-2025

The best Stephen King movie adaptations, ranked (including 'The Monkey')
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New 'It Chapter Two' trailer haunts Comic-Con
Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) returns to terrify the adult members of the Losers' Club in the horror sequel 'It Chapter Two.'
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Almost as long as that legendary master of horror Stephen King has been keeping book lovers up at night, filmmakers have been adapting his novels and short stories. Which means there have been some stone-cold classics ("The Shining," anyone?) and more than a few clunkers.
For every "The Dark Tower" there's an "It" – though we got two of those, both of them good. So is the new one: Director Osgood Perkins' "The Monkey" (in theaters now), based on the short story from King's "Skeleton Crew" collection, stars Theo James as twin brothers plagued by a cursed monkey toy with a drumbeat that literally kills.
It's actually shaping up to be a pretty big 2025 for King and his Constant Readers: "The Life of Chuck," which won the audience award at last fall's Toronto International Film Festival, arrives in theaters June 6. Before then, King's latest novel "Never Flinch" debuts in bookstores May 27 and "Hansel & Gretel," his children's book with Maurice Sendak, is out Sept. 2.
In honor of "The Monkey," here are the most essential King movies, ranked:
15. 'Gerald's Game' (2017)
Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood play a couple who go on a romantic getaway to rekindle their marriage. The wife gets handcuffed to the bed, hubby has a heart attack, there are no neighbors to call and she struggles to maintain her sanity in a stressful situation. (Also, good luck trying to unsee the super-duper creepy Moonlight Man.)
Where to watch: Netflix.
14. 'It: Chapter Two' (2019)
The Losers' Club from the first "It" are all grown up – but demonic clown Pennywise is as dastardly as ever. Along with the buckets of gore and blood, the sequel is also an emotionally deep chiller, exploring the very real effects of childhood trauma and innocence lost.
Where to watch: Max.
13. 'The Running Man' (1987)
So what if this futuristic action flick isn't exactly faithful to the '82 King book (written as Richard Bachman)? It's an enjoyable time watching Arnold Schwarzenegger as a framed military man on a brutally deadly game show, tackling over-the-top bruisers and TV host baddie Richard Dawson in a movie that's more WrestleMania than social satire.
Where to watch: Paramount+.
12. 'The Monkey' (2025)
Gory and gloriously absurd, the horror comedy stars Theo James in a dual role as twins who thought they got rid of a cursed monkey toy when they were kids until it comes back into their lives and brings a whole heap of bloody death. Sure, it's extremely demented, but this wacky film also has something deep to say about mortality.
Where to watch: In theaters.
11. 'The Green Mile' (1999)
The sentimental prison drama based on King's serial novel gets its hooks in thanks to the one-two emotional punch of Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. Hanks plays a death row prison guard who doesn't know what to make of a gentle but enigmatic giant (Duncan), convicted of murdering two girls, who exhibits strange abilities.
Where to watch: Tubi.
10. '1408' (2007)
In the most underrated King movie, a supernatural skeptic (John Cusack) who writes about haunted places takes interest in the legendarily creepy room of a New York high-rise. It's astoundingly kooky but also a thoughtful study of cynicism and belief.
Where to watch: Apple TV and on demand.
9. 'Doctor Sleep' (2019)
Ewan McGregor stars in "The Shining" sequel as a grown-up Danny Torrance, decades past surviving the horrors at the Overlook Hotel, now sober after years of alcoholism and helping a young psychic girl (Kyliegh Curran). It mines familiar ground by carrying over "Shining" themes and characters, but it's best going its own way as a reluctant hero's journey.
Where to watch: Apple TV and on demand.
8. 'Stand by Me' (1986)
King is as much a master of Americana as he is frights, and Rob Reiner's coming-of-age tale of four misfits and their adventures to find a dead body is top notch at capturing the unbreakable bond of friendship and the fleeting nature of childhood innocence.
Where to watch: Netflix.
7. 'The Mist' (2007)
How do you make a King novella even more bleak? Director Frank Darabont manages to do that rather well with this story of small-town Maine folks stuck in a supermarket, thanks to a mysterious mist and monstrous hidden creatures outside. Come for the paranoia and tribalism, stay for the gut-punch ending.
Where to watch: Prime Video.
6. 'Misery' (1990)
A modern take might have nutty Annie Wilkes making a TikTok or simply sliding into the DMs of author Paul Sheldon to profess her fandom but it wouldn't have been so malevolently perfect as this pre-Internet chiller. Kathy Bates earns her Oscar and then some, taking Annie's terrifying adoration for James Caan's Sheldon to a disturbing, hide-your-eyes level.
Where to watch: Tubi.
5. 'The Dead Zone' (1983)
Christopher Walken is a psychic schoolteacher who 'sees' someone's secrets if he touches them, including a vision of a nuclear holocaust after shaking the hand of a senatorial candidate (Martin Sheen). More than 40 years later, the film's political bent seems timelier than ever.
Where to watch: Pluto TV.
4. 'Carrie' (1976)
Sissy Spacek exudes quiet, tortured grace as a teenager just blossoming into womanhood, leading to bullying from classmates and her abusively religious mom (Piper Laurie). The last 30 minutes is a jaw-dropping transformation from childhood innocence to murderous hysteria.
Where to watch: Tubi, Pluto TV.
3. 'It: Chapter One' (2017)
Taking the friendship stuff from "Stand By Me" and weaving in a deliciously evil clown in a poufy wardrobe, "It" works magic on a lot of different levels and leaves you desperately seeking more Pennywise. Warning: May not be for those skeeved out by buckets of blood shooting out of a sink.
Where to watch: Max.
2. 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)
There's not much scary here other than some jail guards. Instead, what makes "Shawshank" an all-timer is the core friendship of two inmates (played by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) who figure out they'd better 'get busy living or get busy dying."
Where to watch: Apple TV and on demand.
1. 'The Shining' (1980)
King notoriously disliked Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece, but it's by far the best of the entire lot. Come for the infamous scenes – 'Heeeeere's Johnny,' anyone? – and stay for the exceptional exploration of isolation, one man's descent into madness, and the terrifying effect on his family.
Where to watch: Apple TV and on demand.