40. Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
The first thing you’ll probably think in the opening moments of Scott Hicks‘ adaptation of Hearts in Atlantis is that this is Stand By Me–style Stephen King. And it is! But then you discover Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins), who becomes a quasi-father figure to Bobby (Anton Yelchin), has psychic abilities. Ok, so then, like King’s The Dead Zone? Well wait, see, he’s not just psychic. He’s also on the run from some spooky men-in-black called the Low Men. I see, like special agents from King’s evil organization The Shop? Not so fast, gunslinger.
On its own, Hearts in Atlantis is an incredibly solid yet mediocre film. It tries to blend two aspects of King’s interests, the supernatural and the psychology of adolescence, into one easily digestible piece of tear-jerking entertainment. It mostly succeeds, thanks in no small part to an effective performance from Yelchin. However, it truly comes alive when viewed through the lens of King’s original intention: The Dark Tower. You see, those Low Men are actually henchmen of the Crimson King, the big bad of the Stephen King literary universe sent to use Brautigan’s power as a Breaker to destroy The Dark Tower. If only we had seen some of that in this middle-of-the-road adaptation! (Jacob Trussell)
39. Cell (2016)
In the wake of the zombie renaissance brought on by 28 Days Later and Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead, Stephen King demanded to partake in the genre that his buddy George A. Romero birthed. But like Alex Garland and Danny Boyle, he didn’t want to simply ape Night of the Living Dead’s concept; he needed to throw a little stink on the cell phone generation. An electronic pulse erupts through every mobile unit across the globe, transforming those within earshot into ravenous flesh-eaters. Tod Williams’ adaptation does what it can with the concept, and pitting John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson as antagonistic partners does the rest. Could the film be a little nastier, a little gnarlier, and a whole lot gorier? Yeah, sure. But as cheap, disposable B-movie entertainment, Cell achieves the appropriate time-killer energy. (Brad Gullickson)
38. The Tommyknockers (1993)
From prolific TV movie director John Power, 1993’s The Tommyknockers hit the small-screen in 1993 to unequivocally negative reviews. But look, you (a.k.a. Variety’s Tony Scott) may call it “hokey whoop-de-doo.” But I call it goofy intergalactic gouda; a level of cosmic cheesiness that befits rainy Saturdays and late-late-nights. Set in (say it with me) Maine, the four-hour sci-fi horrorama tells of alcoholic poet Jim (Jimmy Smits) who returns home after a bender to find a glowing metal object half-buried in the woods. Somehow, the chartreuse-coloured presence is having a pernicious effect on the surrounding area producing unexplainable phenomena and mutating the locals into something decidedly inhuman. The Tommyknockers is a challenging watch for even the most die-hard King fan. But taken for what it is (schlocky 90s made-for-TV horror) it’s wholly comforting. (Meg Shields)
37. Desperation (2006)
The long line of Stephen King network television miniseries adaptations that began with Salem’s Lot concludes with an unfortunate whimper, rather than a hell of a bang in Desperation. Based on one half of the dual novels King wrote in 1996 under his alter-ego Richard Bachman, Desperation takes an interesting idea – a mad sheriff picking off the town’s residents one by one – and then mires it in a tedium that will be all too familiar to King fans.
It’s not that the film feels altogether safe, rather we’ve seen it all before, and better, in King’s previous novel-turned-miniseries like The Stand. While that book has an overarching motif of the power of religion in its global battle between Good and Evil, the theocratic subtext of Desperation is so overt that it smacks of sentimentality, depriving it of any nuance. Thankfully the miniseries is buoyed by considerate direction from Mick Garris, and an extensive cast of accomplished character actors including Ron Perlman, Annabeth Gish, and Charles Durning as well as King miniseries veterans like Steven Weber and Matt Frewer. (Jacob Trussell)
36. Rose Red (2002)
Stephen King may be the king of literary horror, but he’s also quietly the king of the television miniseries. Since Salem’s Lot (1979), King’s TV events have had various degrees of success, but they were successful enough to afford him the opportunity to write an original story strictly for the format. Well, “original” may be too strong of a word, because Rose Red is a finely diced blend of The Haunting, The Legend of Hell House, and with a dollop of Burnt Offerings thrown in for added spice.
Clearly King had been bursting at the seams to offer his twist on The Haunting, because there is so much story in Rose Red. One could argue there’s too much story, which is a feat considering the miniseries runs over four hours. The film lacks something that was paramount to the success of the original Haunting — ambiguity. We’re given so many flashbacks to the various victims of Rose Red that we’re not given the space to draw our own conclusions on the mysteries of the house. Luckily the miniseries is competently directed by Craig R. Baxley, the madman behind I Come in Peace, and has a cast filled with recognizable faces, from Melanie Lynskey and Matt Ross to Julian Sands and Jimi Simpson. Even the star of Halloweentown is here! Don’t go out of your way to find Rose Red, but if you run across it and are stuck at the DMV or jury duty, your day won’t be wasted giving it a watch. (Jacob Trussell)
35. Sometimes They Come Back (1991)
Based on Stephen King’s 1974 short story of the same name, Sometimes They Come Back marks yet another made-for-television King adaptation that can’t help but charm despite itself. Directed by Tom McLoughlin (of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives fame), the TV movie tells of Jim Norman (Tim Matheson), a high school history teacher who moves back to his hometown. Soon after his return, Jim begins experiencing nightmares about his older brother, who was murdered by a gang of bullies in a train tunnel when Jim was just a child. Then, to Jim’s horror, the undead greasers who killed his kid brother appear to finish what they started. Sometimes They Come Back has two things going for it: (1) it’s cheesy as all hell and (2) at 97 minutes, it’s one of the shorter King TV adaptations. Zombie teens and a ghost car with flames on it are just the cherry on top. (Meg Shields)
34. Apt Pupil (1998)
Brad Renfro stars as Todd Bowden, a high school student who discovers his neighbor Arthur Denker (Ian McKellen) is a former SS soldier who is now a war-criminal in hiding. Fascinated by Nazism, Todd threatens to turn Denker into authorities unless he tells him stories about his time serving under Hitler and carrying out genocide. The two develop a strange bond in which they blackmail one another to get what they both want. Apt Pupil is a great-looking thriller with stellar lead performances from Renfro and McKellen but it never feels like it quite hits the mark. It’s a more polished version of Naziploitation without the explicit sex that wants to be taken seriously. (Chris Coffel)
33. 1408 (2007)
1408 is perhaps one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations. This creepy ghost story follows writer Mike Enslin (John Cusack) who pens books about the supernatural despite his intense skepticism. So when he receives a postcard from The Dolphin Hotel in New York City saying, “don’t enter 1408,” he takes that as a challenge. When he arrives, hotel manager Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) implores him not to stay there, explaining that in 95 years, no one has lasted more than an hour in that room. But of course Mike gets his way and he enters the room prepared to experience nothing.
And yet, he is plunged into a nightmare of tortured ghosts and his own dark memories as he struggles to fight against the evil of the room. This was one of the first films that really made me appreciate jump scares. I would watch this movie over and over again so I could predict the scares and analyze how they worked. 1408 does have a special place in my heart as a film that helped my young brain understand crafting horror. (Mary Beth McAndrews)
32. Riding the Bullet (2004)
Mick Garris gets Stephen King. Every one of his adaptations deserves attention, and while his takes on The Stand and The Shining might get the most noise, Riding the Bullet could be his most deserving of your eyeballs. The original novella came out in 1999, and it was the first thing King wrote after a reckless driver nearly stole his life while he was out walking along the road. Garris read the tale and discovered a profound connection to the material. The director radically extended the narrative for his adaptation, changing the era and injecting a good portion of his own story into King’s premise.
If you ever talk with Garris about Riding the Bullet, his eyes widen, and his heart opens up. He speaks of this film wistfully, careful not to expose too much of his pain when explaining why the story connected so deeply with him. Watching the film with an eye on this honest hurt forces reevaluation. There is a genuine conversation with death occurring here. (Brad Gullickson)
31. 1922 (2017)
King is no stranger to dark tales and depressing fates, but the novella on which 1922 is based is easily among the author’s bleakest efforts. That’s not a bad thing and instead lends the story a horrifying air of dread and consequence. A farmer in the early 20th century works the land with his wife and teenage son, but when the lady of the house decides to sell on move to the city, Wilfred (a terrific Thomas Jane) convinces their son that it’s time to murder mom. They do just that and dump her body in a well where she’s gnawed on by rats, but the bounty Wilfred hoped for in her absence never comes leaving him only with doubt, depression, and bankruptcy.
Like a grimly humorous tale rejected from the pages of EC Comics, the film follows Wilfred’s descent while hungry rats wait in the wings. It’s a downer across the board as the man’s son — along with the boy’s young pregnant wife — meet the darkest of deserved fates, and it all results in a mean little slowburn that scratches an itch most genre fare avoids in favor of more “entertaining” beats. Director Zak Hilditch (of the excellent and underseen These Final Hours) captures both the period and the despair with a sharp eye for atmosphere and desperation, and it remains something of a hidden gem among King’s adaptations. (Rob Hunter)
Related Topics: 31 Days of Horror Lists
