For decades, Stephen King has been regarded as a horror icon and legend. Since the release of the first adaptation of one of his works by Brian De Palma, Carrie (1976), his filmography has nearly reached one hundred titles. With such an impressive list, movies based off of works by Stephen King are scattered throughout various streaming services. Despite this fact, several have found a home on Netflix.
As Stephen King grows increasingly popular in the 21st century with the success of Andy Muschietti’s 2017 adaptation of one of his most famous works, IT (1986), fans of all generations are saying “hail to the King.” In 2019 alone, four of his titles made it to the big screen such as Kevin Kölsch’s and Dennis Widmyer’s Pet Sematary as well as Doctor Sleep, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Stanley Kubrick film The Shining (1980).
Regardless of the uncertainty of the reopening of theaters to the public, there is no doubt that King’s works will find new avenues for release and continue their reign as top-tier horror films. With so many services to watch his horrifying tales, here are all of the Stephen King inspired films available on the streaming platform.
Carrie (2005)
Stephen King’s 1973 supernatural horror novel Carrie has undergone numerous adaptations. In 2002, David Carson (Star Trek: The Next Generation) released his own take on the classic story of the telekinetic teenage girl. The film stars Angela Bettis as Carrie White, a shy girl who is constantly bullied by her peers but uses her supernatural powers to fight back. As the story goes, Carrie and Tommy are crowned prom king and queen but as they accept their crowns, a bucket of pig blood spills all over them.
An enraged Carrie kills nearly everyone in attendance with her telekinesis as revenge. Carson’s film is the second of three adaptations of the novel. While it did not receive the acclaim that Brian De Palma’s did, it does follow the source material nearly to the exact word. It is definitely a film to catch before it has the chance to leave Netflix.
Haven (2010-2015)
Haven is a supernatural drama television series based on King’s novel The Colorado Kid (2005). The series ran from 2010 to 2015 and released nearly eighty episodes in its five seasons. It follows Audrey Parker (Emily Rose), an FBI agent, as she discovers that her town of Haven, Maine is involved in a plague called “The Troubles.” It causes various supernatural afflictions on the infected. The series resembles early episodes of the popular CW show Supernatural and a similar premise to the X-Files. At the same time, Haven retains its Stephen King qualities and makes for a unique take on popular sci-fi and horror television programs. All five seasons are currently available to stream through Netflix.
Gerald’s Game (2017)
Stephen King’s 1992 novel Gerald’s Game was adapted to film by Mike Flanagan for Netflix in 2017. They both follow the married couple Jessie and Gerald as they arrive at an isolated cabin for a romantic vacation. After Gerald takes two male enhancement pills in order for the two to have sex. As a result, he suffers from a heart attack and leaves Jessie tied to the bed with no means of escape. The psychological horror thriller details the aftermath as she tries any means of escape with gut-wrenching results.
Gerald’s Game is not for the faint of heart and is a nail bitter from beginning to end. It is everything that makes King a master of crafting horrific stories and the reason why his adaptations are so ingenious. With palpable tension and well-developed characters, Flanagan’s film takes special attention to the minute details King includes in the novel. There is nothing quite like this film and, as it is a Netflix original, it is expected to stay on the platform indefinitely.
1922 (2017)
Zak Hilditch’s Netflix original horror drama 1922 is based on King’s 2010m novella of the same name. Set in the year 1922, it follows a farmer named Wilfred “Wilf” James (Thomas Jane) living in Nebraska with his family. When he discovers that his wife plans to sell the family farm, he convinces his son to assist him in murdering her. As the story progresses, he grows increasingly consumed by his own guilt and starts to see his wife’s ghost around the house.
The film features classic King elements of a man gone mad over grief and guilt, such as in Pet Sematary. It resembles various tropes that are present in various adaptations of his works but it is also what makes the film so enjoyable. 1922 is a glimpse into what happens when a King character continues to live on with the guilt and grief that they inflicted onto themselves by committing dark crimes. It differs from any other adaptation with a similar leading character.
The Mist (2017)
Christian Torpe’s sci-fi horror thriller series The Mist took its premise and title from Stephen King’s 1980 horror novella. The series follows the horrific events that take place as a thick mist envelops the town of Bridgeville, Maine, bringing terrifying monsters with it. As inexplicable phenomena take place, people take shelter in hospitals, churches, houses, and malls in order to protect themselves from the mist. Except, it begins to morph into apparitions of its desired victim’s past to lure them outside with feelings of guilt and remorse.
The series only lasted for one season comprised of ten unforgettable episodes. It is a slow burn but just as exhilarating as the previous adaptation of the same work by Frank Darabont in 2007. With mixed reviews, it never received the green light for renewal. Regardless, it offered a peak into the various ways that a single town can experience one phenomenon in drastically different ways. It is a well-crafted depiction of the world King creates in all of his stories.
In The Tall Grass (2019)
Stephen King co-wrote the 2012 novella In The Tall Grass with his son, Joe Hill (Locke & Key). It was adapted as a supernatural horror film for Netflix by Vincenzo Natali in 2019. The film follows two siblings named Becky and Cal DeMuth as they travel to San Diego so that Becky can live with their aunt while she awaits the birth of her unborn baby. The two begin to hear voices from a field and enter the tall grass. The location has a bizarre effect on anyone who enters and causes memory lapses, loss of time, hallucinations, and more.
The film is a whirlwind of plot twists and an array of turns that make for an unforgettable horror experience. It captures the artful ways that King can capture characters undergoing chaotic environments as well as Joe Hill’s ability to make a twist a game changing plot device. It is the first adaptation of a novella written by the father-son duo but it showcases their talents with an exuberant amount of chaos with a solid through line.
As King continues to write stories of the horrific, bizarre, and thrilling, directors will undoubtedly continue to adapt his works for all to enjoy. From 1976 to 2020, Stephen King’s presence in the history of horror is unwavering and does not look as if it will slow in the near future or at all. There are approximately ten adaptations in the works that are still awaiting a release date, which all but ensures a wealth of new King-related content for horror fans in the not too distant future.
