Stephen King’s Hit List: 5 Movie Adaptations He Loves, and 5 He Hates

Stephen King is a master of horror, but he's also one of Hollywood's sharpest critics—especially when it comes to movies based on his own work. He's never been shy about which films captured the soul of his stories and which ones missed the mark entirely. Here are five adaptations King has publicly praised, and five he famously couldn't stand.

The King's Favorites: 5 Films That Got It Right

1. Stand by Me (1986): This might be the gold standard. Adapted from his novella *The Body*, King has said this is one of his personal favorites and that he was genuinely moved after seeing it. It's a deeply human story that, for him, hits harder than any killer clown.

2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994): Another non-horror win. Director Frank Darabont turned a short novella into one of the most beloved films of all time, and King loves it. He respects its faithfulness and restrained, emotionally devastating storytelling.

3. Misery (1990): For King, this one is all about Kathy Bates. Her portrayal of Annie Wilkes terrified him—which is the highest praise possible. He has called it one of the adaptations that truly understood the core psychological tension of his work.

4. The Green Mile (1999): Another Darabont success. King visited the set and even sat in the electric chair, which he found deeply unsettling. He loved the movie, calling himself “a sentimentalist at heart,” and praised its perfect tone and emotional weight.

5. The Mist (2007): In a rare move, King has repeatedly said the movie’s ending is better than the one he wrote. That famously bleak, soul-crushing finale was Darabont's idea, and King has praised its bravery and thematic power.

The Royal Disasters: 5 Films That Failed

1. The Shining (1980): King's opinion on this is legendary: he considers Stanley Kubrick’s film a beautiful movie but a terrible adaptation. His main issue is that Jack Torrance starts the film unhinged, which guts the book’s tragic story of a gradual descent into madness.

2. The Lawnmower Man (1992): This adaptation made King furious. The movie had almost nothing to do with his short story, slapping his name on it for marketing. He successfully sued to have his name removed from the film. Message received.

3. Maximum Overdrive (1986): King directed this one himself, and he's the first to admit it was a disaster. He has since called it a “moron movie.” While it has a cult following for its chaotic energy, King doesn't count it as a good film.

4. Firestarter (1984): Despite being fairly faithful to the plot, King found the execution dreadfully flat. He once described it as “flavorless”—perhaps the most damning critique an author can give. Not even a young Drew Barrymore could save it.

5. The Dark Tower (2017): Everyone was disappointed with this one, including King. He argued the PG-13 rating stripped the story of its grit and that condensing an eight-book epic into a single 95-minute movie was a fatal mistake.