Shubhabrata DuttaDivulging the eerie and equally captivating world of Stephen King’s imagination is not everyone’s cup of tea. The spine-chilling adaptations of his works have both petrified and bewildered audiences across the globe, delivering unforgettable journeys through the master of horror’s iconic tales. If you are up for it, we bring you the best Stephen King movies you can stream on Hulu, Prime, and Max.
11. Maximum Overdrive (1986)
Loosely based on Stephen King’s short story ‘Trucks,’ ‘Maximum Overdrive’ is directed by King himself. The movie shows what happens when all machines, including vehicles, come to life and turn on humans after a comet passes by Earth. How a group of people tries to survive the killing spree of the machines is what we find out in this campy horror drama.
The film also has a hard rock soundtrack composed by the world-famous Australian rock band AC/DC. To think about it, the film does incorporate elements that are similar to those of the ‘Terminator’ movies (self-aware machines) and the ‘Transformers’ franchise (vehicles coming to life, in a way). You can watch the entertaining flick on Amazon.
10. A Good Marriage (2014)
Based on King’s eponymous novella, Peter Askin’s ‘A Good Marriage’ centers on a woman, Darcy (Joan Allen), who is traumatized by the news of a series of killings. This, along with the stuff she finds in her beloved husband Bob’s (Anthony LaPaglia) garage, gives rise to horrifying doubts in her mind. Has Bob been lying to her about his business trips for over 20 years? Directed by Peter Askin, ‘A Good Marriage’ keeps things moving at a steady pace and thereby succeeds in holding onto our attention, effectively using its 1 hour 40 minutes runtime. You can watch the film on Prime.
9. Big Driver (2014)
Based on the eponymous novella by King, ‘Big Driver’ is directed by Mikael Salomon. It is a revenge story about a woman named Tess Thorne (Maria Bello), a popular crime-mystery writer, who is raped by a guy (Will Harris) and left for dead. However, upon regaining consciousness, she decides to avenge herself rather than report it, as it will ultimately lead to a scandal. Assisted by a character from one of her books with whom she communicates, Tess sets off to track down the culprit and exact revenge. The film also stars Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis and BAFTA nominee Ann Dowd. You can watch ‘Big Driver’ on Prime.
8. Firestarter (1984)
Based on King’s 1980 eponymous novel, ‘Firestarter’ stars young Drew Barrymore, who plays the role of Charlene “Charlie” McGee, an eight-year-old girl who can control heat and fire. This resulted from an experiment that not she but her parents were subjected to. Currently, Charlie’s father (David Keith) must keep her safe from The Shop, AKA the Department of Scientific Intelligence, which wants to use (read “misuse”) her powers. Where is the mom in all this, you ask? She’s dead. To find out how and what fate awaits Charlie, you can watch ‘Firestarter’ on Max.
7. Creepshow 2 (1987)
A comedy horror anthology film directed by Michael Gornick, ‘Creepshow 2’ incorporates elements of three Stephen King stories: “Old Chief Wood’nhead,” “The Raft,” and “The Hitchhiker.” In the film, each of these stories is a part of the latest issue of the horror comic Creepshow that young Billy finds and starts to read. “Old Chief Wood’nhead” is about a statue of a Native American that comes to life to avenge the murder of the shop owners who had the statue, “The Raft” deals with a blob-like creature that lives in a lake, and “The Hitchhiker” follows adulterous businesswoman who is followed by a hitchhiker whom she had run over. The cast includes George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, Dan Kamin, Paul Satterfield, Lois Chiles, and Tom Wright. You can watch it on Prime.
6. Carrie (1976)
‘Carrie’ is a cult classic horror film based on King’s eponymous debut novel. It centers on the titular character, a high school teenager (Sissy Spacek) who becomes a target of bullying at the hands of her peers and trauma at the hands of her fanatic mom. She doesn’t know how to deal with it all, but one thing she cannot risk is losing her mind. Why? Because she has telekinesis. Nominated for two Academy Awards, ‘Carrie’ is a thoroughly entertaining drama and is considered one of the greatest films ever, having been inducted by the Library of Congress into the United States National Film Registry. You can watch it on Prime.
5. Children of the Corn (1984 & 2020)
This movie gives shape to a potentially possible scenario, i.e., children deciding to take control. In fact, that is what happens in this film. Led by a 12-year-old girl named Eden, who is possessed by an invisible dark entity, the children of a small Nebraska town start brutally killing all the adults to prevent them from burning the corn fields for government subsidy without thinking about the children’s future. However, only one young girl named Boleyn is against this and tries to stop Eden. But even if Boleyn can do that, how can she stop the dark entity? Starring Kate Moyer, Elena Kampouris, Callan Mulvey, Bruce Spence, Stephen Hunter, and Erika Heynatz, ‘Children of the Corn’ (2020) is directed by Kurt Wimmer. You can watch it on Hulu. The 1984 version is slightly different and has 9-year-old Isaac Chroner instead of Eden, although the motive is the same. It is directed by Fritz Kiersch. You can watch the 1984 version on Prime.
4. Salem’s Lot (2024)
Gary Dauberman’s ‘Salem’s Lot,’ based on Stephen King’s eponymous horror novel, is its third adaptation and the first feature adaptation. It revolves around Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman), an author who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot, AKA Salem’s Lot, in Maine, after 25 years. Why? To probe for inspiration for his new novel. His search, unfortunately, takes a dark turn when he finds out that his town is being tormented by an ancient force of evil that is turning his townsfolk into vampires. Leaving his search for inspiration, Mears takes on the responsibility of saving the people and finding a way to end the torment. ‘Salem’s Lot’ does a good job of grounding the supernatural plot and is an entertaining binge-watch for horror fanatics. It can be streamed on Max.
3. Doctor Sleep (2019)
Based on the novel of the same name by King, ‘Doctor Sleep’ is the sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining.’ The intriguing drama follows grown-up Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor), who is still struggling with the trauma he underwent at the Overlook Hotel (watch ‘The Shining’). He meets a young girl, Abra (Kyliegh Curran), who also seems to share his gift of the “shine.” While he helps her cope with it, they also must join forces to stop True Knot, a cult of psychic vampires led by Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson), who feed on the people with “shine” to extend their mortality. An interesting follow-up to the events of the first film, ‘Doctor Sleep’ does manage to carry the aura while giving us something new. If you liked the first one, this one works just fine and can be streamed on Prime.
2. Apt Pupil (1998)
This Bryan Singer directorial explores the deal made between a 16-year-old kid named Todd Bowden and his elderly neighbor Arthur Denker whom Todd finds out to be a former commandant named Kurt Dussander who served at a Nazi concentration camp. Todd begins to blackmail Arthur, learning details about camps and genocide that he is fascinated by. Arthur, on the other hand, uses his information to coax Arthur into doing better at his studies. But what if someone else finds out about the truth about Arthur? Will Todd be of any help? ‘Apt Pupil’ is a true-to-form psychological thriller starring Ian McKellen as Arthur Denker/Kurt Dussander and Brad Renfro as Todd Bowden. It won the Best Horror Film award at the 25th Saturn Awards. Ian McKellen, too, won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. You can watch the film on Prime.
1. It (2017)
Considered one of the best R-rated horror films ever, if not the best, ‘It’ is directed by Andy Muschietti and has been adapted from King’s eponymous horror novel. The film’s villain is an evil clown called Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) who returns to the fictional town of Derry, Maine, every 27 years to feed on fear, especially of children, since they are easy targets. This time, it targets a group of outcast kids who decide to fight the clown despite their differences and personal issues that have become Pennywise’s food. A must-watch Stephen King adaptation, ‘It’ smartly fades the line between horror and fun, giving the audience a rare and cool viewing experience. You can watch the film on Max.
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