Adapting a book for the big screen is not an easy thing to pull off. Fans of a book can be very particular when it comes to how a film handles the source material. I would know, because I’m one of them. I can’t even count the amount of times that I have walked out of a theater completely disappointed with yet another mediocre adaptation. The life of an avid reader is not an easy one, I can assure you.
But every once in a while, I come across a film that just gets it. No adaptation is going to be perfect, because it’s not realistic to expect a two-hour movie to faithfully adapt a 300-plus page novel. There have been a lot of Stephen King adaptations over the years, ranging from awful to life-changingly amazing. But some of them have, in my estimate, actually eclipsed King’s source material in ways I never would have expected.
The Shawshank Redemption
Get busy living
Based on the 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, this isn’t just one of the best King adaptations, it’s easily one of the best films of all time in general. What makes The Shawshank Redemption so special is its cast, led by the spellbinding performances of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman as two prisoners who become the best of friends.
The novella is also very good, and the movie is actually fairly faithful to the novel. But I like the conclusion of the movie far more. Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton) actually faces consequences for forcing Andy (Robbins) to launder his money beyond just resigning from his post, like he does in the novella. King’s endings can be hit or miss, anyway, so it’s not entirely surprising to me that director Frank Darabont improved on it here. They’re both great stories, but The Shawshank Redemption just feels more complete.
Doctor Sleep
This sequel shines
I waited a long time for the Doctor Sleep book to release, and I was overall impressed with it. The way King dealt with Danny’s trauma surrounding the events at the Overlook hotel in The Shining hit all the usual strengths of the author’s writing. It seemed like only a matter of time before the book was adapted, considering how timeless and popular The Shining movie is. Still, any King fan knows that he’s not a huge fan of the movie adaptation of that book, as it changed quite a bit. So how would a Doctor Sleep movie reconcile this?
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Well, filmmaker Mike Flanagan figured it out in 2019 with his adaptation of Doctor Sleep, a truly fantastic film. While it does a nice job of adapting the book, it also includes elements and references to the beloved movie as well. It’s truly the best of both worlds, and I’m not convinced anyone other than Flanagan could have pulled it off. Once again, I also believe the movie’s ending is vastly superior to the book. The stakes just feel higher, and Danny’s character arc is more significant and emotional. For me, it’s a horror movie that’s on par with some of the best horror films of 2025.
Stand by Me
The ultimate coming-of-age tale
This one is tough, because the movie and the novella are very close to being the same. What makes Stand by Me slightly more compelling to me than The Body novella is the brilliant cast. They elevate King’s material, which is a tough thing to do considering it’s one of his best novellas. Lots of the lines in the movie are lifted directly from the story, but there’s an added level of emotion and maturity to them.
Still, this one is kind of a coin toss and my love for Stand by Me is probably rooted more in nostalgia than it is anything else. I only read The Body years after I had already watched Stand by Me a lot, so the latter has a special place in my heart. It’s easily one of my biggest feel-good movies, even if it’s ultimately a bittersweet story, like so many of King’s works.
The Mist
That ending though
The Mist is a very good movie, and also a very good novella. In fact, they play out nearly the same, which is the joy of watching Darabont adapt a King story. He can bring the page to life while injecting his own style into it, much like he did with The Shawshank Redemption. That’s a rare gift. But things get absolutely wild when the ending hits. Main character David (Thomas Jane) elects to kill his companions, including his son, rather than let them be horrifically killed by the creatures. Just when that happens, the military arrives and kills the creatures, leaving a devastated David. It’s horrific, cruel, and absolutely brilliant.
However, the novella is more ambiguous with its ending. David and his son still escape, but their fate is left uncertain, and the creatures and mist remain. King loves his ambiguous endings, and I get what he was going for here, but it lacks the emotional gut punch of the movie. They’re both great stories, and honestly, the novella’s ending is one I do enjoy. But there’s a reason so many horror fans reference The Mist movie’s ending as one of the most shocking things of all time.
Stephen King adaptations are great opportunities to be creative
Depending on the story, adapting one of King’s works is a great chance for a filmmaker to flex some creative muscle. While fans are very much attached to his works (that includes me), I do still contend that his endings can be a bit on the weak side. There are plenty of stories left in his oeuvre that deserve the adaptation treatment, and the chance to improve. For me, these movies do just that.
Speaking of King though, who has often been called the master of horror, make sure you check out these horror films that are pure nightmare fuel.
