Many authors dream of theirbooks being adaptedfor film and television. After the long and arduous process of getting it onto shelves, seeing actors and filmmakers bring their words to life even further could be rewarding. For most, this dream doesn’t happen; for a handful, it happens only once. However,Stephen Kinghas seen dozens of movies and series dedicated to his works. It makes sense that Hollywood would want to snap up the rights to adapt his stories. They are thrilling, horrific, and moody. And, of course, the hundreds of millions of books he’s sold prove there’s a market hungry for more King.
His films have become classics, with people praising how filmmakers often stayed true to the original work while adding a fresh spin. And if critics thought King was merely a blast from the past whose peak was in the ’80s, they’d be sorely mistaken. Thanks to a stellar marketing campaign, memes involving the evil clown and red balloon, and a darn good movie,Itdid not end with a simple reboot in 2017. It’s now a series that fans can’t get enough of, with aprequel series currently in development. With all this success, one might assume plenty of King’s adaptations have resulted in the high recognition of an Academy Award. Not so. While several have been nominated, only one has won that elusive Oscar.
5Carrie (1976)
Nominated for 2 Oscars, 0 Wins
Carriehas one of the most iconic prom scenes in horror movie history. The film (and book) follows a teenage girl who is ostracized andbullied at school. Home life isn’t much better, as her mom also picks on Carrie. When a popular bully is banned from prom after participating in a mean prank, she decides to humiliate Carrie. She goes far beyond tripping someone on the dance floor. Her peers expect Carrie’s tears but not the power she unleashes after that.
Carrie Still Resonates With Audiences Nearly 50 Years Later
Carrietakes adolescent bullying to an extreme level. It received significant praise upon its release and continued to grow a following over the years. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Actress for Sissy Spacek, who played Carrie, and Best Supporting Actress for Piper Laurie, who played Carrie’s mother Margaret. Spacek and Laurie were beaten out by Beatrice Straight and Faye Dunaway from the filmNetwork. However, when it comes to longevity and cultural impact,Carrietakes the trophy.
4Stand By Me (1986)
Nominated for 1 Oscar, 0 Wins
Stand by Me
Movie lovers seeking a hard-hitting yet wholesomecoming-of-agestory don’t have to look much further thanStand By Me. The film starts off showing a man named Gordie, who is flooded with memories of a transformative Labor Day weekend after reading about a death in the newspaper. Rewinding to the late ’50s, Will is 12 years old, and he, along with three of his friends, set out to find the body of a missing boy. Gordie is particularly interested in this case because his brother died, and his parents have neglected him ever since. Their quest will take them hiking through the Oregonian terrain, where they learn more about themselves and each other.
An Obvious Oversight for Stand By Me’s Performances
As with much of King’s work, this story will rip the hearts out of viewers’ chests and stomp it into the ground. The young actors in this film were phenomenal, playing off each other beautifully. Many of them went on to have successful careers, so it’s nice seeing their earlier work.Stand By Me, however, was not nominated for any Oscars for the on-screen performances. Instead, it was recognized in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, losing toA Room With a View. Plenty of fans felt it was snubbed for the entire ceremony. Although it didn’t win, it routinely finds its way onto lists of thebest ’80s films of all time.
3Misery (1990)
Nominated for 1 Oscar, 1 Win
Miseryis a psychological thriller about a successful author named Paul Sheldon. His most popular books are Victorian romances that feature a character named Misery. While he’s achieved a lot with this series, he’s ready to move on to more serious topics and believes his latest finished book can help him pivot. While driving home to New York from Colorado, he crashes his car duringa fierce snowstorm. Luckily, a nurse named Annie discovers him and brings him back to her home. Or is it luck? As it turns out, Annie is a diehard fan of the Misery novels and will keep him hostage until he rewrites the final book.
Misery Made History for King
Writers writing about writers can either come off as self-indulgent or give us insightful meta-commentary. Such was the latter in this film. It hits on all the tropes of a classic thriller while putting a fun spin on it that one must wonder if it is something King himself fears.Kathy Bates delivered an outstanding performance, playing the deranged fan Annie, and her depiction of this twisted character earned her a Best Actress nomination. Not only was she nominated, but she won, edging out Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts inPostcards From the EdgeandPretty Woman, respectively. To date, this remains the only King adaptation that came out on top at the Oscars.
2The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Nominated for 7 Oscars, 0 Wins
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemptionis a drama set at the fictional Shawshank State Prison in Portland, Maine. In 1947, Andy Dufresne arrived as the latest inmate serving a life sentence for the heinous crime of murdering his wife and her lover. Andyclaims he’s innocent, but the court already sealed his fate. His time incarcerated is nothing short of traumatic, with constant physical assaults by other prisoners. But soon, Andy discovers that if he aligns himself with a guard involved in illegal activities, the attacks on him may stop. The film follows decades of Andy’s time in the prison and his relationship with other inmates and staff.
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The Shawshank Redemption Received Multiple Nominations
Though this isn’t a typical “scary” King adaptation, the movie has downright horrifying moments.The Shawshank Redemptionpushes audiences to interrogate our justice system and the treatment of inmates. If we solely look at the number of nominations, this is King’s most well-regarded adaptation at the Oscars. It was nominated in seven categories: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Despite this, it walked away from theceremony empty-handed.
1The Green Mile (1999)
Nominated for 4 Oscars, 0 Wins
The Green Mile
The Green Mileis another King adaptation set in a prison, though this time, told primarily through the eyes of a guard. Paul Edgecomb works as a death row prison guard at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary in the 1930s. A recent addition to his block is John Coffey, a Black man who is more introverted than his large frame would suggest. His disposition is also in great contrast to the vile crime he was convicted of: the rape and murder of two young girls. And the fact that it was against two white girls only adds to the hatred others in the jail show him. Paul starts questioning John’s guilt when he witnesses the inmate’s ability to heal others. Now, Paul must decide if he can sit around and wait for an innocent man to be put to death.
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Fantasy Meets Reality in The Green Mile
If there’s one thing fans ofKing’s novels and the subsequent adaptationscan expect, it is that the author doesn’t hold back. He explores many different angles of a topic and doesn’t shy away from exposing the uncomfortable and messy parts. Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan played Paul and John, respectively, and received much praise for the depth they brought to their roles. It was nominated for four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Duncan), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Sound. As the trend predicts, it didn’t win in any category, losing the coveted Best Picture prize toAmerican Beauty. But fans still return to the film when they want a fantastical twinge to a story exploring important social justice issues.
Stephen King Adaptation
Oscar Status
2 Nominations, 0 Wins
Stand By Me
1 Nomination, 0 Wins
1 Nomination, 1 Win
7 Nominations, 0 Wins
4 Nominations, 0 Wins
