16 TERRIFYING MOVIES AND TV SHOWS BASED ON STEPHEN KING'S BOOKS

PEOPLE

 

16 Terrifying Movies and TV Shows Based on Stephen King’s Books

By Christopher Rudolph  Published on October 12, 2026 06:00AM EDT

 

Hollywood has been in the business of adapting Stephen King’s work for half a century.

 

The author published his debut novel, Carrie, in 1974, and the film Carrie — starring Sissy Spacek as Carrie White — was released just two years later, in 1976. Spacek was nominated for an Oscar for her performance, and a slew of other King adaptations soon followed.

 

Most recently, Carrie was again adapted by showrunner Mike Flanagan for Prime Video. The series premiered on Oct. 7, 2026.

 

“The only way to approach it was to build something new out of the ingredients of Carrie,” Flanagan said of his strategy for the adaptation at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026. “Otherwise, there’s really no purpose in trying to retread ground that’s been so beautifully walked before.”

 

Other stories by King that have been adapted into films and TV shows include Children of the Corn — which spawned an entire franchise — and It, whose clown character, Pennywise, has terrorized several generations of young audience members.

 

Here are 16 movies and TV shows that have been based on Stephen King’s books over the years, from 1976’s Carrie to its 2026 remake.

 

01

of 16

Carrie

 

King’s debut novel, Carrie, has been adapted several times, beginning with director Brian De Palma’s 1976 film, which has since become a cult classic.

 

In 1999, a sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2, was released, followed by a TV movie in 2002 and another film in 2013 starring Chloë Grace Moretz as Carrie and Julianne Moore as her mother, Margaret.

 

Most recently, Carrie was again adapted by Flanagan for a series on Prime Video that he described as “completely different” from the 1976 version in a July 2026 interview with Entertainment Weekly.

 

“We’re getting there a completely different way and the events of that prom are going to be completely different,” the showrunner said. “That’s a wonderfully delicious and irresistible opportunity for someone who loves adapting things.”

 

02

of 16

Cujo

 

Man’s best friend becomes a monster in Cujo, King’s 1981 novel about a rabid Saint Bernard who goes on a killer rampage.

 

The 1983 film adaptation stars E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’s Dee Wallace and Who’s the Boss’ Danny Pintauro as a mother and son trying to survive the dangerous dog.

 

03

of 16

Children of the Corn

 

King’s Children of the Corn story was first published in a 1977 issue of Penthouse, before being published in the 1978 collection, Night Shift.

 

Children of the Corn is about a couple who end up in a remote Nebraska town where a murderous cult of kids have slaughtered everyone over the age of 18.

 

The 1984 movie kicked off a franchise, which would go on to include 11 total feature films.

 

04

of 16

It

 

When the TV adaptation of It premiered in 1990, the miniseries terrorized an entire generation of kids, instilling in them a fear of clowns and sewer grates.

 

King’s 1986 novel is one of the author’s most popular and acclaimed titles, inspiring multiple adaptations, including a two-part feature film — released in 2017 and 2019, respectively — and a prequel series, IT: Welcome to Derry.

 

05

of 16

Misery

 

After Misery premiered in 1990, Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her portrayal of Annie Wilkes, an obsessive fan of author Paul Sheldon (James Caan), whom she keeps captive in her home after rescuing him from a car crash.

 

Bates’ performance was so terrifying that at the 2024 Emmy Awards she joked, “Do you know how hard it was to get a date after Misery?”

 

06

of 16

Pet Sematary

 

King’s 1983 novel, Pet Sematary, tells the scary tale of a family who discovers a graveyard behind their house — a graveyard that can bring back the dead.

 

The novel was made into a 1989 film starring Dale Midkiff, followed by a sequel, Pet Sematary Two (1992), and a 2019 remake.

 

07

of 16

Dreamcatcher

 

King combined sci-fi and horror in his 2001 novel, Dreamcatcher, about a group of four friends who have telepathic powers. While on a hunting trip in a remote cabin, the men end up having to fight an invasion of alien parasites.

 

The 2003 movie stars Thomas Jane, Morgan Freeman and Donnie Wahlberg, among others.

 

08

of 16

The Mist

 

Based on King’s 1980 novella of the same name, The Mist features a group of townspeople who are stranded in a grocery store when a mysterious fog — hiding terrifying monsters — rolls into their community.

 

The 2007 film was directed by Frank Darabont, who also made the King-inspired films The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Green Mile (1999).

 

09

of 16

1408

 

A skeptical writer spends the night in a haunted hotel room in King’s scary short story, 1408. First released as part of the 1999 audiobook collection Blood and Smoke, 1408 was later published in the 2002 short story collection, Everything’s Eventual.

 

In 2007, 1408 was made into a movie starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.

 

10

of 16

Castle Rock

 

Castle Rock, which premiered on Hulu in 2018, wasn’t an adaptation of a single King book, but rather a mashup of various characters from the writer’s stories.

 

The series takes place in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine, where multiple King novels are set. The cast features faces familiar to King fans, such as Spacek and Bill Skarsgård.

 

11

of 16

The Shining

 

King’s 1977 novel The Shining became one of his most well-known titles when it was adapted into a film starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall in 1980.

 

In both the book and the movie, Jack Torrance (Nicholson), his wife Wendy (Duvall) and their son, Danny (Danny Lloyd) move to a mountain resort in Colorado, where Jack’s psyche soon unravels.

 

12

of 16

Doctor Sleep

 

Carrie isn’t Flanagan’s first foray into the terrifying world of King. He has directed three previous adaptations: Gerald’s Game (2017), The Life of Chuck (2024) and Doctor Sleep (2019).

 

Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining, follows a grown-up Danny Torrance, played by Ewan McGregor.

 

13

of 16

In the Tall Grass

 

Based on the novella co-written by King and his son, Joe Hill, Netflix’s In the Tall Grass follows a brother and sister who are lured into a field of grass and find themselves unable to escape.

 

The story was adapted into a 2019 film starring Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted and Patrick Wilson, among others.

 

14

of 16

Firestarter

 

Carrie isn’t the only young girl with supernatural powers that King has written about. His 1980 book, Firestarter, told the story of Charlie McGee, a child with pyrokinesis, the ability to control fire with her mind.

 

The 1984 movie adaptation stars Drew Barrymore as Charlie, while the 2022 version features Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Charlie, and Zac Efron as her father.

 

15

of 16

Salem’s Lot

 

King’s second novel, Salem’s Lot, shows what happens when a quaint Maine town is taken over by vampires.

 

The original TV miniseries premiered in 1979, and was directed by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s Tobe Hooper. In 2004, it was made into another miniseries — starring Rob Lowe — and in 2024, a Salem’s Lot movie featuring Lewis Pullman was released on HBO Max.

 

In 2024, Pullman told PEOPLE that the film’s climactic scene set at a drive-in was a “behemoth” to shoot. “Took us three and a half weeks or something,” he said.

 

16

of 16

The Monkey

 

Longlegs director Osgood Perkins followed up his Nicolas Cage horror hit with The Monkey, a 2025 adaptation of a 1980 short story by King.

 

The violent film focuses on a wind-up monkey toy who terrorizes a pair of twin brothers with death and havoc.