There was once a widespread joke that Stephen King was so prolific—and so verbose—that he was forced to donate millions of dollars to tree-planting charities every time he released a new novel. King had published books quite regularly since his debut, Carrie, in 1974, sometimes releasing several books a year. In 1987 alone, he published The Dark Tower Part II: The Drawing of Three, Misery, and The Tommyknockers, which together totaled 1,268 pages. That's even longer than 1986's It, which alone clocked in at 1,138 pages.
Hollywood immediately began exploiting Stephen King's bibliography, starting with Brian De Palma's 1976 adaptation of Carrie. Since then, King adaptations have become a genre in their own right, with countless films, TV shows, plays, audio dramas, comic books, and video games based on his works. Indeed, so many films have been based on King's works that you might have missed some of them. For example, very few people on the planet have seen all of the Children of the Corn films. Likewise, I'd give you extra credit if you could find and watch all 52 episodes of the Bollywood adaptation of It (aka Wo).
The five films featured below are major studio releases, some of which were hits upon release, but seem to be largely ignored by new generations. So, we at /Film want to remind you that King's books have inspired many wonderful horror and/or drama films that are worth watching. King fans may already be familiar with these, so you can take them with you on your journey through his world.
Read also: 12 Best Unofficial Movie Trilogies of All Time, Ranked
Cat's Eye (1985)
A cat hisses and bares its teeth in the film "Cat's Eye" — MGM/UA
The 1985 triptych Cat's Eye was written by Stephen King and directed by Lewis Teague. It adapts two of King's stories, previously published in his 1978 collection Night Shift. The third story, however, was originally written specifically for the film, though it is arguably the most memorable of the three.
In the first segment, "Quitters, Inc.", James Woods (yes, I know) plays a smoker desperately trying to quit. He checks into a rehab clinic with 100% success, eager to learn their secret. It turns out the clinic is run by Vinnie (Alan King), a former mob boss who threatens his family with horrific violence if he smokes again. The cat of the title is used as a reference. Fortunately, the cat manages to escape. Dick's wife is not so lucky.
In the second segment, "The Ledge," Robert Hayes plays Johnny, a young man who is kidnapped by a wealthy scoundrel named Cressener (Kenneth McMillan) for sleeping with his wife. Cressener forces Johnny to climb the ledge of a tall building and walk its perimeter as atonement. Cat witnesses the whole thing.
Finally, in the third segment, "The General," Drew Barrymore plays a young woman named Amanda, who is haunted at night by a strange, troll-like creature that enters through a hole in the wall. Fortunately, the cat (who suffered terribly in the first two segments) turns out to be a hero and battles the troll.
The second half is a bit weak, but the other two are memorable, dark, and unconventional for King. The aforementioned troll will haunt your nightmares, and Woods (a pretty awful person in real life) is brilliant as a smug bastard who gets what he deserves.
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Evil Cat in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie - Paramount
Stephen King can be argued to be directly responsible for the decade-long renaissance of EC Comics-inspired horror anthologies, as he wrote the screenplay for George A. Romero's 1982 feature-length anthology film Creepshow, also inspired by EC Comics. A direct connection can then be made between Creepshow and the 1984 debut of Romero's anthology television series Tales from the Darkside. That series ran until 1988, nearly coinciding with the 1989 debut of HBO's controversial and violent (and one of the best ever) Tales from the Crypt, based directly on 1950s EC Comics. The combined popularity of Darkside and Krypta led, at least spiritually, to the 1990 film Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, which adapted stories by Masaki Kobayashi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and, yes, Stephen King.
King's segment is called "Cat From Hell" (always with cats!), and stars David Johansen, aka Buster Poindexter, as Halston, a hitman hired by a decrepit old man (William Hickey) to find and kill the black cat living in his house. Halston doesn't think highly of the old man, but he'll pay $100,000 to kill the cat. Of course, it seems the cat is a demonic spirit of vengeance, come to kill the old man in revenge for all the test animals his pharmaceutical company has killed. Thus, killing one cat becomes the most challenging task of Halston's career.
This episode is dark, but also incredibly funny. There's even a disturbing scene where the cat crawls out of... well, you'll have to watch to find out.
Necessary Things (1993)
Leland Gaunt looks at a boy in a baseball cap in Needful Things - Columbia Pictures.
Fraser K. Heston's 1993 film Needful Things is reminiscent of an old parable. The story centers on Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow), a mysterious shopkeeper who opens an antique shop in the quiet town of Castle Rock, Maine (and a favorite filming location for Stephen King). His store, called Needful Things, seems to have everything anyone could need. But his prices are high. Early in the film, Leland sells a local boy a Mickey Mantle baseball card. All he wants is a dollar… and the promise of a prank on his neighbor.
Gaunt soon emerges as Mephistopheles, and his requests for antiques become increasingly sinister. Specifically, he begins exploiting the townspeople's simmering discontent, resorting to light-hearted vandalism to stir suspicion and paranoia. Soon, fights break out, animals are killed, churches are bombed, and outright murders occur. Meanwhile, Leland Gaunt watches with calm amusement as he unleashes the chaos he is creating.
«Needful Things is marketed as a horror film, but the horror stems from the fact that Castle Rock seems too mired in its provincial grievances to escape Gaunt's grasp. Some characters, particularly Sheriff Alan J. Pangborn, played by Ed Harris, understand what's happening, but this is not an optimistic film. The devil knows your inner hatred, and small-town America is doomed. The film's ending even implies that Gaunt is an immortal figure, sowing discord throughout his existence.
And all it took to fuel our hatred was nostalgia for "simpler times" and objects from our past. This is a thought worth pondering in 2026.
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Dolores looks on intently in the film "Dolores Claiborne" - Columbia Pictures.
It's surprising how little Taylor Hackford's 1995 Stephen King adaptation, Dolores Claiborne, is remembered these days. Starring Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, and David Strathairn, the film is a dark and thoughtful drama about the effects of domestic violence. The story follows Dolores (Bates), who is accused of murdering the elderly woman she was caring for. Dolores is particularly suspect because of the circumstances surrounding the death of her abusive husband, Joe (Strathairn), in 1975. Flashbacks reveal that Joe was not only physically abusive but also an alcoholic who stole money from Dolores and committed other horrific acts. Dolores then takes a job as a caregiver to the elderly woman (the same woman she's accused of murdering in the film's present tense), and their conversations suggest that, well, sometimes it's okay to kill abusive husbands. Just saying.
Suffice it to say, Dolores's adult daughter, Selena (Lee), doesn't know what to make of it, but then she, too, begins to recall troubling, repressed memories from her childhood. What, morally, should she do?
«"Dolores Claiborne" is a dark, personal drama with no supernatural elements and only a few juicy crime scenes. More than that, it's a story about what women must do to survive in a world where evil men are born and never punished. The film's ending is satisfying and morally ambiguous, and the acting is superb. "Dolores Claiborne" was nominated for an Oscar, but the Academy ignored it. It's a shame. The film could easily have received several nominations, especially for Bates and Lee. On top of that, the screenplay was written by Tony Gilroy, known for his work on "Andor.".
Secret Window (2004)
Mort Rainey reads a book in his car in the film "Secret Window" - Columbia Pictures.
Many may have forgotten that David Koepp's 2004 film Secret Window is an adaptation of Stephen King's short story "Secret Window, Secret Garden" from the 1990 collection Four Past Midnight. In the film, Johnny Depp (yes, I know) plays Norton Rainey, a successful writer whose days are filled with tattered robes, long naps, and procrastination. He's about to divorce his wife (Maria Bello) and is clearly depressed. Then one day, Norton encounters John Shooter (John Turturro), a mysterious man who claims Norton has plagiarized one of his stories. Norton doesn't know what Shooter is talking about, but he's at a disadvantage, having once committed brazen plagiarism himself.
The interaction between Norton and Shooter dominates the film, with Shooter committing horrific acts both on and offscreen, including several acts of violence. How will this depressed writer cope with a sadistic prosecutor? There are echoes of Misery in Secret Window. (Fun fact: Misery is the only Stephen King adaptation to win an Oscar.)
Secret Window has a twist that might make some people roll their eyes. It's the kind of twist you might expect, and even if you don't, it's been used many times in horror films. Secret Window may not be particularly sharp in this regard, but the chemistry between Depp and Turturro is superb (it's a reunion of the actors from The Fountainhead!), and the script (also written by Koepp) is impeccable. We all know that Depp (yes, supposedly) is an alcoholic and abusive in real life, so everyone should follow their own conscience when deciding whether to continue watching his films.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.