By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:27am PDT, Aug 2, 2017
Stephen King's work has been adapted countless times over the years — whether as feature films, made-for-TV movies, miniseries or TV shows — and the trend of borrowing from the prolific writer continues in 2017 as several of his stories are getting the Hollywood treatment. His nine-book "The Dark Tower" series has been adapted for the big screen in an eponymous film, which debuts on Aug. 4, while a feature film adaptation of his novel "It" arrives in box offices on Sept. 8. But that's not all! A Spike TV show based on "The Mist" debuted in June and an Audience network adaptation of "Mr. Mercedes" is due on Aug. 9. And many more of King's novels, novellas and short stories are in various stages of production — from new takes on "Children of the Corn" and "Pet Sematary" (both in development hell) to first stabs at "Gerald's Game" and "Drunken Fireworks" (both in development). In honor of "The Dark Tower" — in which Matthew McConaughey stars as the villainous Man in Black alongside Idris Elba as the heroic Gunslinger — Wonderwall.com is counting down the best adaptations of King's work. Keep reading to see if your favorite made the list…
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No. 22: "Pet Sematary"
Animal death AND child death? Nope. Nope. Nope. Child actor Miko Hughes starred as Gage Creed, who returns from the dead with an appetite for murder after he's buried by his father in the titular cursed burial ground, in the iconic 1989 horror film "Pet Sematary," which is based on Stephen King's 1983 novel of the same name and spawned a 1992 sequel. It might be one of the best adaptations of King's work — he wrote the screenplay himself and even has a cameo in the film — but that doesn't mean we have to like it!
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No. 21: "Apt Pupil"
Bryan Singer directed Brad Renfro as a high school student obsessed with the Holocaust who discovers that his neighbor (Ian McKellen) is a Nazi war criminal in the 1998 psychological thriller "Apt Pupil," which is based on the 1982 Stephen King novella of the same name. The movie, which chronicles the twisted bond that forms between the two leads, is truly disturbing and received mixed reviews from critics.
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No. 20: "Dreamcatcher"
Damian Lewis, Thomas Jane, Timothy Olyphant and Jason Lee starred as four childhood friends who share a psychic gift in the 2003 sci-fi horror flick "Dreamcatcher," which is based on the 2001 Stephen King novel of the same name. Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore and Donnie Wahlberg round out the cast of the so-bad-it's-good flick, in which the gang fight to stop a species of parasitic aliens from taking over the planet.
No. 19: "The Shining"
Steven Weber starred as alcoholic writer Jack Torrance — who relocates with his family to an isolated hotel, where he works as the caretaker and is slowly driven insane by malevolent spirits — on the 1997 ABC miniseries "The Shining." Stephen King took a hands-on approach to the three-part series, which he wrote himself to be a more faithful adaptation of his 1977 novel after taking issue with the Stanley Kubrick-directed 1980 film. (More on that to come!) "The Shining" won two Emmys and earned a third nomination for outstanding miniseries.
No. 18: "Firestarter"
Drew Barrymore starred as a little girl with pyrokinesis who's on the run from a government agency in the campy 1984 sci-fi thriller "Firestarter," which is based on Stephen King's 1980 novel of the same name. (The writer has called the movie one of the worst adaptations of his work, but it's worth the watch for baby Barrymore!)
No. 17: "Cujo"
While our inner animal lover would rather not sit through a film about a rabid dog, it's hard to deny that "Cujo" deserves a watch. Dee Wallace starred as a mother attempting to protect her young son (Danny Pintauro) from the titular St. Bernard in the 1983 thriller, which is based on the 1981 Stephen King novel of the same name. We'd much rather watch another animal-themed film on this list…
No. 16: "Cat's Eye"
Two short stories from Stephen King's 1978 "Night Shift" collection — "Quitters, Inc." and "The Ledge" — were combined with "General," an original story he wrote for the film, to make the 1985 horror anthology "Cat's Eye," in which a tomcat witnesses various horrors inflicted on the humans he encounters. The movie culminates with the cat fighting to protect a little girl who adopts him (Drew Barrymore) from a dangerous (but miniscule) troll hell-bent on stealing her breath.
No. 15: "The Stand"
In 1994, ABC aired a four-part television adaptation of Stephen King's novel "The Stand," in which the survivors of a deadly plague that wiped out 99 percent of the world's population have split into two groups in the final battle between good and evil. Gary Sinise and Molly Ringwald starred on the miniseries, which won two Emmys and was nominated for another four, including outstanding miniseries. (King actually wrote the teleplay himself, and he even has a small role on the show.)
No. 14: "Secret Window"
Johnny Depp starred as writer Mort Rainey, who seeks refuge from both his writer's block and his impending divorce at a secluded cabin, where a man confronts him for allegedly plagiarizing a story he wrote. Things take a turn in the psychological thriller — which is based on Stephen King's 1990 novella "Secret Window, Secret Garden" — when people start turning up dead near Mort's retreat. While there's nothing exceptional about the film, it's worth a watch for Depp, who was at his prime when "Secret Window" debuted in 2004.
No. 13: "Haven"
"Haven," which is loosely based on the 2005 Stephen King novel "The Colorado Kid," aired on Syfy for five seasons between 2010 and 2015. Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Adam Copeland and Eric Balfour starred as residents of the mysterious small town of Haven, Maine, where the locals are being afflicted by supernatural phenomena known as The Troubles. While the series, which makes countless references to various forms of King's work, didn't exactly win raves from critics, we liked it just fine!
No. 12: "1408"
John Cusack starred as writer Mike Enslin — a debunker of the supernatural who checks into the titular haunted hotel room, which he quickly becomes trapped within — in the 2007 horror film "1408," which is based on the 1999 Stephen King short story of the same name. The well-reviewed thriller is truly terrifying!
No. 11: "Under the Dome"
"Under the Dome," which is based on the 2009 Stephen King novel of the same name, aired on CBS for three seasons between 2013 and 2015. The series — which chronicles the lives of the residents of a small town after they're cut off from the rest of the world when a transparent dome suddenly and mysterious appears over them — earned raves from critics and broke records for summer TV viewership when it debuted. (It was the most-watched drama to premiere in the summer on any television network since 1992.) But by the time the third season premiered in 2014, the audience for "Under the Dome" had been decimated. Sadly, the show, in which Rachelle Lefevre and Mike Vogel starred, just never bounced back.
No. 10: "Christine"
Keith Gordon starred as Arnie Cunningham in the 1983 John Carpenter-directed horror film "Christine," which is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. The film, which debuted the same year as the book, centered around a nerdy teen who's seduced to commit acts of evil by the titular 1958 Plymouth Fury.
No. 9: "Children of the Corn"
Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton starred as a couple who get stranded in the small town of Gatlin, Nebraska, where all but two children have murdered the local adults as sacrifices to an evil deity, in the 1984 horror film "Children of the Corn," which is based on Stephen King's 1977 short story of the same name. The movie spawned a nine-film franchise, with one major sequel, six direct-to-video follow-ups and one made-for-TV movie under its umbrella.
No. 8: "Salem's Lot"
David Soul starred as novelist Ben Mears — whose return to his hometown to write a book about a local haunted house coincides with the arrival of a vampire — in the 1979 two-part made-for-TV movie "Salem's Lot," which is based on the 1975 Stephen King novel of the same name. The miniseries, which aired on CBS, earned three Emmy nominations. (The novel was adapted again in 2004 with Rob Lowe in the lead role for a poorly received two-part TNT miniseries.)
No. 7: "Misery"
Kathy Bates won the Oscar for best lead actress for her performance as Annie Wilkes, a psychotic former nurse, in the 1990 Rob Reiner-directed thriller "Misery," which is based on the 1987 Stephen King novel of the same name. James Caan co-starred in the film as Annie's favorite novelist, whom she saves from a car wreck and then imprisons in her farmhouse, where she forces him to write a new book just for her.
No. 6: "It"
Tim Curry portrayed Pennywise, a murderous demon in the form of a clown who feeds on children's fears, in Hollywood's first stab at adapting the 1986 Stephen King novel "It." The two-part ABC miniseries aired in 1990 and won an Emmy for music composition and earned a second nomination for editing.
No. 5: "The Green Mile"
Tom Hanks starred as a prison guard who befriends death row inmate John Coffey (the late Michael Clarke Duncan), a large but seemingly gentle man with a supernatural gift — who may or may not have committed an atrocious crime — in the Frank Darabont-directed 1999 drama "The Green Mile," which is based on the 1996 Stephen King novel of the same name. The film earned four Oscar nominations, including best picture and best supporting actor for Duncan.
No. 4: "Stand by Me"
Rob Reiner directed future stars Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman, River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton in the 1986 coming-of-age drama "Stand by Me," an adaptation of Stephen King's 1982 novella "The Body." The film, which earned an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay, centers around four young friends who set out to find the body of a missing child. (King once called the movie the best adaptation of any of his works!)
No. 3: "Carrie"
Brian De Palma directed Sissy Spacek as the titular teen — a shy but repressed high school girl who unleashes her murderous telekinetic powers on her cruel classmates after they humiliate her at prom — in the 1976 adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. The horror film earned two Oscar nominations: best lead actress for Spacek and best supporting actress for Piper Laurie, who portrayed Carrie's abusive, religious-fanatic mother. The novel has been adapted twice more since then (with less successful results): Angela Bettis had the lead role in a 2002 NBC made-for-TV movie and Chloë Grace Moretz starred as the titular teen in a 2013 film.
No. 2: "The Shining"
Though it actually received two Razzie Award nominations back in the day, "The Shining" is now considered one of the greatest horror films in cinema history and has an 87 percent fresh rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Jack Nicholson starred as alcoholic writer Jack Torrance in the 1980 Stanley Kubrick-directed thriller, which is based on the 1977 Stephen King novel of the same name. The author's opinion of the film has also changed over the years. He's praised it for being a well-made horror flick but has also criticized it for being an unfaithful adaptation, which is why he was more hands-on the second time Hollywood took a stab at "The Shining" with the 1997 miniseries.
No. 1: "The Shawshank Redemption"
Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman starred as prison inmates in the Frank Darabont-directed 1994 drama "The Shawshank Redemption," a big-screen adaptation of the 1982 Stephen King novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption." The film, which Freeman's convicted murderer Red narrates, centers around the suffering endured behind bars by Robbins' banker Andy Dufresne, who is sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife and her lover but maintains his innocence. It earned seven Oscar nominations, including best picture, best adapted screenplay and best lead actor for Freeman.
