There are almost as many scary movies based on Stephen King books as there are books he’s written. A few of them were TV miniseries instead and some have not been filmed at all yet, although some already have remakes. King may be a master horror writer, but not all directors are masters at turning them into scary movies. That includes King himself who directed one of his worst adaptations, Maximum Overdrive.
1. Pet Sematary – You Reap What You Sow
Both Pet Sematary movies are good and the 2019 remake takes a different enough twist on the story to be its own compelling exploration. But the faithful 1989 movie is peak ’80s gore on top of King’s primal tale. Behind the Pet Sematary (misspelled by kids), there’s a Micmac burial ground that can bring the dead back.
So Louis (Dale Midkiff) brings his daughter’s cat back to spare her the heartbreak. When his family suffers a tragedy, can he really stay away from the burial ground? Everything and everyone who comes back returns on a murderous rampage, but the scariest part is Louis’s relentless drive to make bad decisions. Nobody can stop him.
2. Misery – Stephen King’s Worst Nightmare
Gee, wonder what gave King this idea? Superfan Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) holds her favortie author, Paul Sheldon (James Caan), captive when he crashes his car in a blizzard. To make matters worse, she has some notes on his last two novels.
The psychological battle of wits between Paul and Annie is exhilarating but always terrifying because you never know what Annie is capable of.
