Stephen King is one of the most prolific writers working today, and he has penned some of the most notable and most haunting horror novels in the history of the genre. Many of these have, of course, been translated to the big screen in one form or another.
However, it is also the case that he has written several very successful non-horror novels that have also been turned into movies. It is thus worth taking a look at just which of these have earned the best rankings on the Internet Movie Database, in order to see which deserve the most recognition.
One of King’s great skills as a storyteller is his ability to capture the horrifying things that even supposedly ordinary people do. That is exactly the premise of this chilling movie, which focuses on a wife who discovers that her husband is actually a serial killer and has to decide what to do about it. It is the type of psychological thriller that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, and it features an inspired performance by the great actress Joan Allen.
Dolan’s Cadillac is one of the lesser-known Stephen King adaptations, as well as one of his less famous stories. Nevertheless, it is as chilling and disturbing as any of his other offerings. Focusing as it does on a man who sets out to kill a gangster responsible for murdering his wife. Like all great stories, it forces the viewer to ponder the difference between good and evil, and it features powerful performances from both Wes Bentley and Christian Bale.
One of the most admirable things about Stephen King is just how adept he is at moving between genres. With his sprawling story The Dark Tower, he showed that he also knew how to create a compelling epic fantasy story.
Though the movie adaptation wasn’t everyone’s favorite, it nevertheless featured a great cast, including Idris Elba in one of his best roles as Roland, a gunslinger who works against the sinister figure known as the Man in Black. It is a perfectly blended dark fantasy that only King could create.
One of the extraordinary things about Stephen King is his ability to capture the horror in everyday life. That is very much in display in his novella Apt Pupil, which was adapted into a movie of the same name. Focusing on a young man in the 1980s who becomes obsessed with a former Nazi living in his neighborhood, it shows how easy it can be to slide into evil. Ian McKellen delivers one of his most powerful and memorable performances, and the movie retains its power to disturb the viewer with its portrait of human depravity.
In addition to the many books that he published under his own name, King has also written several under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. One of these was The Running Man, which is a dystopian story about a fictional television series in which convicted criminals are hunted before the adoring masses. In addition to being one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best roles, it’s also the sort of movie that offers a scathing indictment of the viewing public.
Anthony Hopkins has been in some great movies, and he turns in a very moving performance in the movie Hearts in Atlantis. Though it lacks some of the substance of the collection on which it’s based, it still features a powerful performance from Hopkins, as well as a young Anton Yelchin. What’s more, it also features extraordinary cinematography that captures the atmosphere of its central location.
David Cronenberg has established a reputation as one of the best directors working in Hollywood, and The Dead Zone should be seen as one of his best movies. In part, this stems from the power of King’s story about a man whose brain injury uncovers psychic powers.
However, the movie’s success also emerges because of the powerful performance of Christopher Walken, who brings out the extraordinary depth of his character.
Kathy Bates has been in many great movies, but there’s no doubt that Dolores Claiborne is one of her best roles. Though it isn’t a horror story, per se, it is nevertheless a profoundly disturbing movie, focusing as it does on the fraught, and often toxic, relationship between a mother and her daughter. It features powerful performances from its leads, and it’s the type of psychological drama that drills deep into the minds and complicated motivations of its various characters.
There are many examples of the coming-of-age story, but arguably one of the best of these is Stand by Me. Regarded by many as one of the best movies of the 1980s, it follows a group of boys as they set out to see a dead body. Though it starts out simply enough, it soon becomes clear that there is a great deal going on beneath the surface, and it allows the viewer to understand and appreciate the profound friendship that exists among its main characters.
Tom Hanks has been in many highly-regarded movies, but there’s no question that The Green Mile is one of those. Though it contains some of the elements that one associates with King’s work, including an element of the supernatural, it is far more than that. Instead, it is a profound and haunting exploration of the human spirit and the tremendous toll that being imprisoned for a long period of time ultimately takes on the soul, both that of the inmates and the guards.
The Green Mile isn’t the only Stephen King novel that dealt with the prison experience, for he also did so in The Shawshank Redemption. The movie, in fact, is widely regarded as one of the best prison movies of all time. There are many reasons for its popularity among both critics and audiences, not the least of which is the powerful performances of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. However, it is also a haunting exploration of prison life, and of how difficult it is to escape the past.
