Horror novelist Stephen King was not even 30 years old, when the first of his novels was adapted: CARRIE (1976) was directed by Brian De Palma and starred a young Sissy Spacek. In the following years, King's popularity as a writer increased, leading to a large number of adaptations of his novels in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1986, he even attempted to direct a movie himself. MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE is usually regarded as a junk movie, however. The story for SLEEPWALKERS (1992) was his first written directly for the screen.
It is often at the center of discussion, which may be the best King adaptation of them all. There are some good ones (CUJO, DEAD ZONE, STAND BY ME, ...) and some extremely bad ones, but the best of them may just be Stanley Kubrick's SHINING (1980), one of the earliest King adaptations. The filmography below omits any TV series credits as well as any mention of the six(!) sequels to CHILDREN OF THE CORN (1984).
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Filmography:
Carrie (1976; based on his novel)
Salem's Lot (1979; based on his novel; made for TV)
The Shining (1980; based on his novel)
Knightriders (1981; act)
Creepshow (1982; scr, act; based on two of his stories)
Cujo (1983; based on his novel)
The Dead Zone (1983; based on his novel)
Christine (1983; based on his novel)
The Woman in the Room (1983; based on his story; short)
Firestarter (1984; based on his novel)
Children of the Corn (1984; based on his story)
Cat's Eye (1985; scr; based on his stories)
Silver Bullet (1985; scr; based on his novel)
Maximum Overdrive (1986; dir, scr, act; based on his story)
Stand By Me (1986; based on his novella)
Creepshow 2 (1987; coscr, act; based on his story)
The Running Man (1987; based on his novel)
A Return to Salem's Lot (1987; loosely based on his novel)
Pet Sematary (1989; scr, act; based on his novel)
Tales From the Darkside: The Movie (1990; based on his story)
Graveyard Shift (1990; based on his story)
It (1990; based on his novel; made for TV)
Misery (1990; based on his novel)
Sometimes They Come Back (1991; based on his story; made for TV)
Golden Years (1991; scr, coprod, act)
The Lawnmower Man (1992; based on his story)
Sleepwalkers (1992; scr, act)
The Dark Half (1993; based on his novel)
The Tommyknockers (1993; based on his novel; made for TV)
Needful Things (1993; based on his novel)
The Stand (1994; scr, coprod, act; based on his novel; made for TV)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994; based on his story)
The Mangler (1995; based on his story)
Dolores Claiborne (1995; based on his novel)
The Langoliers (1995; act; based on his novel; made for TV)
The Boogeyman (1995; based on his novel; short)
Thinner (1996; act; based on his novel)
Sometimes They Come Back ... Again (1996; loosely based on his story)
The Shining (1997; scr, coprod; based on his novel; made for TV)
Quicksilver Highway (1997; based on his story; made for TV)
The Night Flier (1997; based on his story)
Apt Pupil (1998; based on his novel)
Sometimes They Come Back ... For More (1998; loosely based on his story)
Storm of the Century (1999; scr, coprod, act; made for TV)
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999; loosely based on his novel)
Ratcatcher (1999; act)
The Green Mile (1999; based on his novel)
Strawberry Spring (2001; based on his story; short)
Hearts in Atlantis (2001; based on his novel)
Mangler 2 (2001; loosely based on his story)
Rose Red (2002; scr, act; made for TV)
Firestarter 2: Rekindled (2002; loosely based on his novel; made for TV)
Carrie (2002; based on his novel; made for TV)
Dreamcatcher (2003; based on his novel)
Click here to find out which Stephen King titles are currently available to buy
© Ron Altman (last update 11/11/03)