Entertainment
Is there anyone more prolific than Stephen King? More than 50 films and over 25 TV series, mini-series, or made-for-TV movies have been inspired by his work. In some cases, his short stories or novels have received numerous iterations, including the latest reboot of Pet Sematary, a 2019 version coming 20 years after the original directed by Mary Lambert, based on King's bestseller, published in 1983. The author is also an Easter egg factory, since he not only bases many of his stories in the same area of his home state Maine, but he also pops up in several onscreen adaptations, making cameos like Marvel's Stan Lee. King plays a priest at a funeral in the original Pet Sematary, and also other small roles in several of the other Stephen King movies you can stream now.
The author doesn't always have a huge hand in the cinematic projects borrowing from his work, but in some cases, he's contributing behind-the-scenes as an executive producer (like on Riding the Bullet and the forthcoming Doctor Sleep). It seems he has more fun making appearances on camera, playing everything from a truck driver (Creepshow 2) to a cemetery worker (Sleepwalkers) to a pharmacist (Thinner). But the 1989 Pet Sematary, now streaming on Hulu, was among his first memorable onscreen moments.
"I wanted the screen credit, too," King recently told Entertainment Weekly. "I did. I figured if somebody’s gonna f*ck this up, it’s gonna be me! "
While King won't be in the Pet Sematary reboot, he's supportive of the new iteration hitting theaters this Friday, and remains one of the most adapted authors ever. Luckily, several of those adaptations have made their way to streaming, just in time for a cinematic celebration of all things Stephen King. These 26 movies are all currently streaming for free, as long as you have a subscription.
1
'1922' (2017)
Stephen King loves animals — just not in the way PETA might appreciate. Thomas Jane stars as Wilfred, a farmer upset enough with his wife's plans to sell her land that he enlists their own son to murder her. Rats begin to eat her dead body and then haunt Wilfred for the rest of his life.
Streaming on Netflix.
2
'Gerald's Game' (2017)
Carla Gugino stars as a woman handcuffed to the bed for initially sexy purposes, but finding herself in a scary circumstance once her husband dies unexpectedly, leaving her locked up in a remote lake house, battling her inner demons.
Streaming on Netflix.
3
'Cell' (2016)
Cell phones start turning humans into the undead in this thriller starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson as the heroes looking to survive violent attacks from the "Phoners."
Available on Showtime.
4
'A Good Marriage' (2014)
Joan Allen is Darcy, a wife and mother who finds out her husband's secret alter-ego is a serial killer who targets women and young people. King says the story was based on the BTK Killer and his wife, who claimed she had no clue about her husband's murderous ways despite having been married to him for 30 years.
Streaming on Lifetime.
5
'Mercy' (2014)
Based on King's short story Gramma, Mercy follows a family whose ailing matriarch has some otherworldly powers.
Available on Starz.
6
'Dolan's Cadillac' (2009)
A schoolteacher (Christian Slater) avenges his wife's death, devising a plan to bury her murderer alive in his infamously bulletproof Cadillac.
Streaming on Showtime.
7
'Riding The Bullet' (2004)
A college student (Jonathan Jackson) tries to die by suicide and then hitchhikes home to see his mother in the hospital. Along the way, he's visited by creepy apparitions and symbols that have him considering death in a much more serious way.
Streaming on Tubi and Vudu.
8
'Secret Window' (2004)
Johnny Depp is a depressed author suffering from writer's block and the loss of his marriage. While at an isolated cabin, he's accused of plagiarism, except the dual story has a different, bloody ending for the cheating wife that begins to materialize.
Streaming on HBO Now.
9
'Carrie' (2002)
Bryan Fuller's take of the iconic telekinetic teen starred Angela Bettis as the titular Carrie and Patricia Clarkson as her overbearing mother.
Streaming on Amazon Prime.
10
'The Green Mile' (1999)
Tom Hanks's Paul Edgecomb is former prison officer on Death Row who tells the story of an inmate, John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), with supernatural powers. Although John could heal and resuscitate other people, he isn't able to save himself, a fact that haunts Paul literally forever.
Available on Cinemax.
11
'Apt Pupil' (1998)
Brad Renfro and Ian McKellen deliver strong performances as a teen obsessed with a former SS officer he finds living nearby, respectively. They both use their relationship to threaten the other, with deadly results.
Streaming on Crackle.
12
'Thinner' (1996)
A greedy lawyer, Billy, hits and kills an elderly woman who is part of a caravan. When the woman's grandfather finds out, he curses Billy to become thinner and thinner until there's nothing left of him.
Streaming on Hulu.
13
'The Dark Half' (1993)
An author (Timothy Hutton) tries to bury his pen name but finds out he has an evil twin willing to kill for representation in his brother's next novel.
Streaming on Starz.
14
'Graveyard Shift' (1990)
A rat infestation at a textile mill has the workers finding a much more sinister creature behind the evil goings-on during the late-night shifts.
Streaming on Hulu.
15
'Tales From The Darkside: The Movie' (1990)
This anthology had a sense of humor served with its horror (one vignette is called "Cat from Hell"), and a stellar cast including Debbie Harry, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, and Christian Slater.
Streaming on Starz.
16
'Pet Sematary' (1989)
One of the best King adaptations ever made, this truly terrifying take on reincarnation also boasted the author himself as the screenwriter — the new one can't say the same.
Streaming on Hulu.
17
'The Running Man' (1987)
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in a story set in the dystopian years of 2017 through 2019. Although King's story posited we'd have reality TV, his idea is much more Hunger Games-esque than what Bravo or The Bachelor delivers, as The Running Man is the name of a widely-televised broadcast series where convicted criminals fight for their lives.
Streaming on Tubi.
18
'Creepshow 2' (1986)
A sequel to Creepshow, this part animated comedy-horror anthology has several connected stories that come right out of a magazine of the same name.
Streaming on Shudder.
19
'Stand By Me' (1986)
While this film is less scary than most of King's work, it's still got a body count. Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and Kiefer Sutherland all star in this Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated coming of age film about friendship and mortality.
Streaming on Starz.
20
'Maximum Overdrive' (1986)
Things start going terribly wrong as machines turn murderous, inspired by Earth's passing through a comet. Emilio Estevez stars and King's wife, Tabitha, even makes an appearance.
Streaming on Starz.
21
'Silver Bullet' (1985)
Numerous unsolved murders in a small town are making everyone go mad, but siblings Marty (Corey Haim) and Jane (Megan Follows) are prepared to take on the killer: a werewolf who is truly a wolf in sheep's clothing by day.
Streaming on Hulu.
22
'Children Of The Corn' (1984)
The cornfields of Nebraska make for a chilling setting when a religious sect of children begin sacrificing the adults.
Streaming on Hulu.
23
'Cujo' (1983)
A family's St. Bernard becomes a killing machine after getting bit by a rabid rabbit.
Streaming on Hulu.
24
'The Dead Zone' (1983)
David Cronenberg directed this film starring Christopher Walken as a man who exhibits psychic abilities after waking from a five-year coma. Specifically, he can see when people are going to die, and takes it upon himself to try and stop them.
Streaming on Hulu.
25
'The Shining' (1980)
In another King classic, Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall are a couple who, with their young psychic son, start experiencing frightening scenarios at a haunted hotel where they are the only guests.
Streaming on Hulu.
26
'Carrie' (1976)
Sissy Spacek is famous for her turn as the prom queen bathed in pig's blood. She gets her revenge, of course, by setting fire to her school.
Streaming on Starz.
That's five decades of Stephen King to work your way through, not even including his actual writing!
