Some authors are a treat to adapt for the big screen. They are descriptive and can evoke a feeling as if the reader was watching the story unfold in front of their eyes. In the horror genre, this is especially true. The best scary stories contain well-developed characters and plots as well as the ability to inspire fear. Clive Barker, Edgar Allan Poe, andH.P. Lovecraft have been inspiring filmmakersall over the world for quite some time. However, there is one modern writer that truly stands out from the number of movies and television shows and his (mostly) superb quality:Stephen King.
Stephen King’s adaptations have some strangebox officenumbers, from massive hits to big let-downs, both of which are usually very surprising. No doubt adding the author’s name to the poster brings a lot of audiences to the movie theater. From all-time favorites such as Stanley Kubrick to newcomers that are solidifying their names as Mike Flanagan, everyone wants to direct one of King’s stories. While some of the greatest King adaptations have been for television, these are the eight theatrically released films of his stories that have grossed the most at the box office, adjusted for inflation.
8Pet Sematary (2019) ($131M)
It is not easy to make an adaptation that has already been adapted once — especially one that has a song on the soundtrack from The Ramones. However, the 2019 version ofPet Semataryironically brought the title back to life. The tale about the cemetery that can bring animals – and children – back from the dead was able to get a significant box office securing a high spot. Using more modern filmmaking techniques to do jump scares and create tension, this is a nice modern take on this story that has brought Stephen King to a new generation of audiences. The film made $113 million at the time; four years later, that’s about $131 million.
7Misery ($139M)
Miseryhas become a classic horror tale. This movie got Kathy Bates an Academy Award and a Golden Globe because of her chilling portrayal of the insane nurse and obsessive literary fan Annie Wilkens. Annie is one of King’s most beloved and feared characters, as the sheer violence she can do to get what she wants is terrifying – without any need for supernatural forces to be scary.
James Can as the author Paul Sheldon the hero/victim of this story also plays a huge part in why the movie worked so well and resonated with audiences. These great actors play perfectly off one another, creating a hypnotic (and terrifying) psychological story. The film grossed $61 million in 1990, or about $139 million today; more than that, it was arguably the most critically acclaimed any King adaptation had been at the time.
6Stand By Me ($141M)
Stand By Meis a beloved movie based on one of King’s novellas calledThe Body. This one became a statement in the late 1980s, a dark yet emotional coming-of-age movie that placed River Phoenix in the spotlight.
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The feature had a lifetime gross of $52 million; in today’s money, that’s about $141 million. It has something in common with another success story and movie by the author: it brings a sense of nostalgia for the period between childhood and adolescence without sugarcoating the darkness it can possess.
5Pet Sematary (1989) ($215M)
While the 2019 adaptation of this tale made the top eight, it was still not able to surpass the original adaptation ofPet Sematary, which made $90 million in 1989, or $215 million today. The superb cast combined with a gory and dark tale about life and death is a fan favorite to this day. Thisnarrative is also about griefand how desperate someone can be to end this feeling. King is a terrific writer on this subject, as is showcased in this particular movie. It does help that this is properly scary, and an overall treat for horror fans.
41408 ($190M)
Creepy hotels, the passage of time, and unresolved trauma boil down to some of King’s best work – and1408has all of the above. John Cusack is great in the lead as Mike Elsin, a traumatized writer that wants to stay in the most haunted rooms in the Dolphin Hotel to write about his experience, and Samuel L Jackson works at the hotel.
The movie has some truly terrifying and unsettling scenes where reality itself is questioned by the character and audience alike. It also has great moments where the actors simply talk to one another, but the subtext and aesthetic of the film make it impossible to stop watching. 1408 was a surprise hit, considering that the short story it’s based on wasn’t exactly well-known, and it earned $133 million in 2007, or $190 million in today’s money.
3The Green Mile ($511M)
The Green Mileshowcases a much more grounded side of King, as there aren’t any supernatural terrors: it’s just humans showing their violent and sadistic side. This is a much more dramatic and emotional story, one thatdeals with racismand injustice.
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The movie won two Critics Choice Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay, and also received four Academy Award nominations, which makes sense considering that it has a great cast including Tom Hanks and Ving Rhames, and was directed by Frank Darabont, the man behindThe Shawshank Redemptionadaptation.It is a truly haunting tale and one of King’s best works; perhaps it’s not too surprising, then, that film grossed $287 million in 1999, which amounts to $511 million in today’s money.
2It: Chapter Two ($549M)
The sequel to Andy Muschietti’s adaptation ofItfinds the friends (now adults) from Derry having to fight Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) once again. Because of the older age of the characters, the stakes and emotionality, not to mention the potential for violence, are even higher here. This movie is about various subjects, but the main one concerns how affected someone can be by past trauma.
IT: Chapter Twowas released in 2019, two years after the first installment. Nevertheless, it did great numbers at the box office amounting to $473 million, or just about $549 million today. Unfortunately, though, this meant that a large chunk of audiences who saw the first film didn’t return for the sequel.
1It: Chapter One ($850M)
Not only isIt: Chapter Onethe highest grossing Stephen King film, but thehighest-grossing horror movie ever made, and the third-highest-grossing R-rated film at the time.Itis one of King’s most beloved stories, and the 2017 adaptation pleased fans and casual horror movie audiences alike.
It was a difficult adaptation to produce, as the 1990 miniseries has become a classic which many people return to, especially forTim Curry’s portrayalof the terrifying clown Pennywise. Nevertheless, Andy Muschietti was extremely successful, and two of his movies make the top two of this list.It: Chapter Onemade $702 million when it came out in 2017, meaning $850 million in today’s money.
