Personal note from the author: As with most suspense/horror writers, I owe a large chunk of my original inspiration to put pen to paper (or better yet fingers to keyboard) to the modern master. Though I do fancy his earlier works, most notably the era of the ‘80’s that spawned ‘Christine’, ‘The Dead Zone’, ‘Cujo’, ‘The Stand’, and the short story collections ‘Night Shift’ and ‘Skeleton Crew’, I still consider Stephen King the one true Zen master of the supernatural thriller. That said, there have only been a scant handful of Hollywood adaptations that have escaped my intrusive glare over the years. Below are my opinions on said projects.

 Carrie (1976) – The prototype of all King-based films to come. Supplemented by a great cast (particularly Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie), Director Brian DePalma (Scarface, Sisters) does the novel primo justice. The final ten minutes are worth the price of admission alone, and it still holds up today amongst the countless ‘teen angst revenge’ horror flicks that followed in its wake. Rating – A

The Shining (1980) – Stanley Kubrick’s bone-chilling, if not somewhat flawed masterpiece; a lingering snapshot of a man’s gradual descent into madness. Nobody, but nobody can play the dementia card with more zestful glee than Sir Jack. Rating – B+

Creepshow (1982)- A team-up forged in horror hall-of-fame infamy; George ‘Night of the Living Dead’ Romero directs five separate vignettes taken from King shorts. Always considered ‘The Crate’ my personal favorite (‘Just call me Billie…everybody does!”). Fantastic genre cast (Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielson, Adrienne Barbeau, E.G. Marshall, Fritz Weaver, and with King himself featured in the ‘Lonesome Death of Jody Verrill’ segment). Rating – B+

Christine (1983)-Helmed by horror-maven John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), King’s tragic tale of a teenage boy’s love for his car, this particular model having rolled off an assembly line located somewhere in the vicinity of Hell’s deepest, darkest pit, boast solid thrills and decent-enough production values all around, though for some reason I always considered it a mild disappointment for all the talent involved. Rating – B-

The Dead Zone (1983) – Christopher Walken steals the show as a telepathically-cursed everyman in David Cronenberg’s most commercial film to date (his ‘Fly’ remake notwithstanding). Personally, I considered this King’s most thought-provoking novel, and this gripping cinematic feast did little to alter my perspective. Rating – A

Cujo (1983) – Despite its outwardly simplistic plot, that being the oft-used ‘when good pets go horribly awry’ scenario, it mostly works. Dee Wallace Stone shines in pretty-much a one-woman show, while the rabies-challenged canine in question delivers as menacing a performance as any human baddie in recent memory. Rating - B

Firestarter (1984) – One of the few (lone?) King works that the film actually improves on. Solid performances abound; from David Keith’s tormented father to George C. Scott’s one-eyed maniac, while the weakest link is that of little Drew Barrymore, whose incessant pouting and brooding grows increasingly annoying; essentially your typical spoiled-brat slash human flamethrower with pigtails. On the plus side, Martin Sheen (last seen as a similar baddie in The Dead Zone) exudes a reptilian sliminess as a crooked bureaucrat. Rating – C+

Cat’s Eye (1985) – Lewis Teague directs four more King shorts, the most entertaining of which stars James Wood as a man desperate to curb his cigarette smoking ways in ‘Quitters, Inc’. Passable for the most part, though a bit toothless when compared to the similar-in-theme ‘Creepshow’. Rating – C+

Stand By Me (1986) – Based on the short ‘The Body’ from the novel ‘Different Seasons’, I considered this surprise hit a bit of a fraud in terms of the dialogue used by its teenage cast (including then up-and-comers River Phoenix and Kiefer Sutherland). Enjoyable in parts, though a bit sappy and overly sentimental as a whole, it simply hasn’t held up well over time. Rating – C

Maximum Overdrive (1986) – King attempts (for hopefully the last time) his hand at directing a script based on his short ‘Trucks’. Not the least bit scary and at several intervals unintentionally hilarious, perhaps this lame efforts worst sin is the painstaking dullness that sits in from practically the initial reel. Rating – D

The Running Man (1987) – This Arnold Schwarzenegger action pic hardly resembles the King novella of the same title, though its futuristic ‘tournament of death’ plotline is given a definite boost by the presence of Richard ‘Family Fued’ Dawson as a corrupt, conscience-less MC. Rating – B-

Pet Sematary (1989)– Despite a mostly no-name cast (the exception being the iconic presence of Fred Gwynne) and director (Mary Lambert, who also directed the rancid sequel three years later), I still consider this one of the better King adaptations. I dare anyone to watch the final ten minutes and not wince at least once. One of King’s darkest novels, the overt creepiness will settle on you like a second skin. Rating – A-

 Misery (1990)- Rob Reiner was never better behind the camera, nor was James Caan any better standing before it. As the hopelessly psychotic Anne Wilkes, Kathy Bates is absolute perfection. Rating - A

The Dark Half (1991) – George Romero returns to King territory one more time with not quite the same level of success, though Timothy Hutton is fine playing twin roles, especially when he morphs into the evil-is-as-evil does George Stark persona. Rating – B

Needful Things (1993) – Great cast (headed by Max Von Sydow and Ed Harris) and top-notch production values, but a bit overlong and dare I say it…even grows a bit tedious and predictable after a rip-roaring start. Rating – C+

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – An enduring classic, one of the finer prison films of the modern era. If possible, it actually exceeds the novella in terms of dramatic thrust. Simply a magical testament of the human spirit lovingly transferred to film. Rating – A+

Dolores Claiborne (1995) – As in ‘Misery’, Kathy Bates is perfectly cast in Taylor Hackford’s mesmerizing character study of one woman’s undying devotion to her only daughter. Jennifer Jason-Leigh, Christopher Plummer and David Strathairn round out a fine cast. Rating – B+

Thinner (1996) – Infamous as the ‘Bachman’ book that was eventually uncloaked as a King novel, the film version suffers from a glaring lack of cohesion and woeful lack of suspense, despite the novel’s intriguing premise. Even the make-up effects lack the necessary realism to make the premise believable. Rating – C

The Green Mile (1999) – Darabont’s follow-up to the classic ‘Redemption’ doesn’t quite reach the same mile-high pinnacle, though it is undoubtedly one of Tom Hanks’ finer moments. Also boasts fine ensemble performances from David Morse, Michael Jeter, Barry Pepper, and Michael Clarke Duncan. Rating – B+

Dreamcatcher (2003) – It only goes to show that a solid cast and proven director do not always a quality flick make. Then again, I always considered this (along with the dreary, dull-as-a-butter knife ‘Insomnia’) one of King’s weakest recent novels. I would have never thought it possible to make any character portrayed by the great Morgan Freeman so clichéd and one-dimensional. Rating - C

Secret Garden (2004) – Easily my favorite short taken from King’s collection ‘Four Past Midnight’, it’s given an extra surge of adrenalin by the slightly off-kilter lead performance by Johnny Depp, as well as Jon Turturro’s mysterious goggle-eyed lunatic. Its only weakness is perhaps in tipping its hand a bit too quickly. Overall, a solid effort. Rating – B

1408 (2007) – Call it ‘The Shining’-lite, it does contain several edge-of-your-seat moments, and is centered by Jon Cusack’s intense portrayal of a cynical ghost-hunter who gets his comeuppance. Again, its weakness is perhaps its ending, a bit too pat and safe for what had come before it. Rating – B-

The Mist (2008) – Frank Darabont’s suspenseful adaptation gains an extra letter just for the ending…reportedly approved by King himself.  Dark, merciless, unforgivining…in other words…horror filmmaking at its best.

 Rating - A 

***Update Oct 2019***

It (2017) - As one of the masses who felt this remake was just another cash-grab, I was pleasantly surprised at the end product.  Though not scary in the least, it did boast some outstanding set-pieces and fine performances from its young cast.  Best of all is Skarsgard as an effectively creepy Pennywise.

Rating - B+

Gerald's Game (2017) - Short but sweet: One of the year's best, and easily one of the best King adaptations in years.  'Nuff said.  

Rating - A 

1922 (2017): Faithful adaptation of the ultra-grim novella taken from 'Full Dark, No Stars', Thomas Jane ('The Punisher') knocks it out of the park.  Netflix seems to have cornered the 'King' market, and so far, that's a good thing.  

Rating - B+

Pet Semetary (2019 remake): I'm probably in the minority here, but I enjoyed this 'reimagining' of the 1989 version (see rating above), mostly for the surprisingly downbeat ending, which I view as even bleaker than the original.  

 Rating - B 

IT: Chapter Two (2019): 

While not horrible as such follow-up's go, a major stepdown nonetheless, as true frights were few--replaced by predictable jump scares and forced humor--and marred by an ending that seemed rushed despite a run time that felt at least a half-hour too long.  

Rating - C 

‘Quick-hit’ ratings of additional films:

Children of The Corn (1984) – C

Silver Bullet (1986) – C+

Hearts in Atlantis (2001) – C (Note: another effort that veered so far from the source material it was almost unrecognizable)

Ride the Bullet (2005) – C-

The Mangler (1995) – D (Note: in a word: rancid)

 The Night Flier (1997) – B- (Note: A guilty, grisly pleasure)

Graveyard Shift (1990) – C+

TV mini-series: Salem’s Lot (1979) – A (NOTE: The first and still the best; screen legend James Mason is malevolence personified) – A

 IT (1990) – B-

The Tommyknockers (1993) – C+

The Stand (1994) – B+

The Langoliers (1995) – C+

Storm of the Century (1997) – C+

Rose Red (2002) – B-

Desperation (2006) – C-

Cell (2016) - D 

In the Tall Grass (2019) - C