My 10 Favorite Stephen King Adaptations
Over the years there have been many, I'd say too many, Stephen King adaptations. Some stuck to the original source material and some ended up with a whole new story all together. Some were fantastic Oscar worthy productions and some look like they were made in my backyard.
They continue to be released at an increasing rate. They're even at the point of remaking adaptations. While I don't hold much hope for the upcoming Dark Tower adaptation. I'm quite intrigued by what I've seen of the new IT.
My Top 10 Favorite Stephen King Adaptations:
10 - The Mist
The Mist had so much potential. The previews looked great. The source material was excellent. It had Frank Darabont directing, who had already done an incredible job adapting The Shawkshank redemption and the Green Mile and it had Thomas Jane AKA The Punisher in the main role. Ultimately the studio cut the budget for effects which really killed this movie but I included it because the ending was fantatic. A completely different take than the book and one that really caught me by surprise.
9 - Pet Semetary
Ok this movie was cheesy. No doubt about it but that's part of what works. The plot is sinister and the possessed toddler on a rampage is classic. Definitely worth watching if you've never seen it.
8 - Thinner
Again cheesy but there's something about this movie that makes me watch it every time it's on tv. Watching Billy waste away is entertaining and seeing how he resolves things is worth staying till the end.
7 - Carrie
A classic. "They're all gonna laugh at you!" While not as good as the book this was the first of many adaptations and it still holds up. The remake that came out in 2013 should be skipped.
6 - Secret Window
An excellent movie that I wasn't expecting much from at all. Johnny Depp was still a good actor at this point and they really wrapped this movie mystery up well.
5 - It
Who hasn't been creeped out by this beloved tv mini-series. Tim Curry did an outstanding job bringing Pennywise to the screen and creeping out a generation kids. I still watch this at least once a year. The opening with Pennywise peering through the sewer grate offering a balloon to poor ol' Georgie never gets old.
4 - Green Mile
Frank Darabont's second stab at bringing a Stephen King novel to life was outstanding. He kept the soul and character of the novel and really brought the story of John Coffey to life. Tom Hanks really shined in the movie and they couldn't have found a better actor than Michael Clarke Duncanto bring John Coffey to the screen.
3 - Shawshank Redemption
This was Frank Darabont's first adaptation and it came off without a hitch. It's a classic that's on TV almost every Saturday and it gets better every time through. They stayed pretty close to the original although Red became Morgan Freeman instead of a red headed Irishman.
2 - Misery
Kathy Bates was so great as Annie Wilkes that it won her the acadamy award. This was the Rob Reiner's second Stephen King adaptation. Watching Kathy Bates on screen torturing James Caan is pure entertainment and one of the best adaptations yet.
1 - Stand By Me
My personal favorite Stephen King adaptation captured everything about childhood friendships and exploring, that makes youth so magical; everything back then seemed so important. I've never seen another movie capture that part of Stephen King's book as well as Stand By Me did. Stephen King has a knack for capturing what it was like being a child and it was nice to see Rob Reiner bring that to the screen.
Honorable Mention:
Even though Storm of the Century isn't an adaptation I think it deserves mentioning. Stephen King wrote the Screen Play directly for the mini-series and it was fantastic. It's got the cheesiness of other adaptations but the story is fascinating and Linoge is one of Stephen King's greatest villians.