We have all heard of Stephen King, the most well know horror writer of all time. Most of his books and many of his short stories have been made into movies or miniseries. This was a difficult feat to put all those (round 80) into a list of 10. But here it is and I hope you will enjoy and agree with my ranking of the top 10 Stephen King movies. If there is one or more on the list you have not seen, take the time to watch as they are all worth it.

#10 The Mist (2007)

The Mist is based on the novella of the same name written in 1980. The movie is about how a freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives. Although a ‘monster movie’, the central theme explores what ordinary people are driven to do under extraordinary circumstances.

#9 Carrie (1976)

Carrie was Stephen Kings first novel and was written in 1974. The film has had a significant influence on popular culture. Several publications have regarded it as one of the greatest horror films ever made. The movie is about Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom. The lead role of Carrie is played by Sissy Spaceck.

#8 Cujo (1983)

Cujo is based on Stephen King’s 1981 novel of the same name. The film follows a mother and her son who are trapped inside their car, while protecting themselves from a rabid St. Bernard who conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.

#7 Misery (1990)

Misery is a 1990 American psychological thriller film directed by Rob Reiner based on Stephen King’s 1987 novel of the same name, starring James Caan, Kathy Bates and Lauren Bacall. Bates’ performance won her the Academy Award for Best Actress , making Misery the only film based on a Stephen King novel to win an Oscar. The movies centers around a famous author who is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.

#6 IT (2017)

It is based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of seven children in Derry, Maine,In the summer of 1989, who band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.

#5 Stand By Me (1986)

Stand by Me is a 1986 American coming-of-age film directed by Rob Reiner and based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella The Body, with a title derived from Ben E. King’s song. The film stars Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and Kiefer Sutherland. In Stand by Me, four boys in 1959 Castle Rock, Oregon, go on a hike to find the dead body of a missing boy. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and two Golden Globe Awards. This was the first non-horror adaptions of King’s work and thirty years after its release, it remains every bit as affecting, heartbreaking, and entertaining.

#4 The Shining (1980)

The Shining has become one of the most memorable and well-regarded horror films for a reason: an intimate tale of alcoholism and abuse, the ghostly horrors play out across a cavernous canvas in Stanley Kubrick’s epic haunted house film. The film is based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name and stars Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. The film centers on a family who head to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.

#3 The Green Mile (1999)

The Green Mile is a 1999 drama based on Stephen King’s 1996 novel of the same name. It stars Tom Hanks as a death row corrections officer during the Great Depression who witnesses supernatural events that occur after an enigmatic inmate (Michael Clarke Duncan) is brought to his facility. David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Doug Hutchison and James Cromwell appear in supporting roles. The film was was nominated for four Academy Awards.

#2 Pet Sematary (1989)

Pet Sematary is a 1989 horror film, an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 novel of the same name. The title is a sensational spelling of pet cemetery. After tragedy strikes, a grieving father discovers an ancient burial ground behind his home with the power to raise the dead. This tale of grief and poor choices is one of the exceptions. Long touted as the only book of King’s to actually scare the author himself.

#1 Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 drama written based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. It tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murders of his wife and her lover, despite his claims of innocence. Over the following two decades, he befriends a fellow prisoner, contraband smuggler Ellis “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman), and becomes instrumental in a money-laundering operation led by the prison warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton). William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, and James Whitmore appear in supporting roles. The film went on to receive multiple award nominations, including seven Academy Award nominations.