Underrated Stephen King Adaptations That Deserve More Love

If you’ve never committed yourself to the tear-fest that is Frank Darabont’s The Green Mile, grab a hankie and get on it. The three-hour epic is worth watching if only to absorb Michael Clarke Duncan’s incredible performance as gentle giant John Coffey. 

Sure, the film is melodramatic, but Darabont’s direction and Tom Hank’s subdued turn as prison guard Paul Edgecomb makes the whole thing work surprisingly well. Darabont direction creates a celluloid storybook that’s magical and haunting. Honestly, thought the movie drags at times, it really doesn’t feel like it lasts three hours. 

Stand by Me is lauded by critics and audiences alike as one of the greatest coming of age films since its 1986 release. The movie is an adaptation of King's novella The Body, and it follows the journey of four boys trying to find a missing kid their age who is presumed dead.

The boys – Gordie Lanchance (Wil Wheaton), Vern Tessio (Jerry O'Connell), Chris Chambers (River Phoenix), and Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman) – encounter trials and tribulations on their adventure, learning more about themselves and each other than they could have ever anticipated. The timeless film's ensemble cast perfectly straddles the nebulous and often arduous time between childhood and adulthood, something that doesn't seem to change no matter the decade. 

Frank Darabont (who also directed The Shawshank Redemption) does a solid job adapting The Mist, a story in which a bunch of people find themselves stuck in a small town grocery store after a strange mist rolls in. Anyone who tries to go outside is devoured by fearsome monsters. Inside, the people begin to split into factions and the whole plot breaks down into an allegory about the warring personalities at play in modern society. 

Buoyed by a really kickass cast including Thomas Jane (doing good work), Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones, and William Sadler, The Mist is tense, thought-provoking, and… sort of ruined by an inscrutable and depressing ending. If you commit yourself to enjoying the journey rather than waiting for the destination, though, The Mist will absolutely reward your time.

Christine is a story about a car that’s born evil. Oh, and she's magic. OH, and she has a gender. Christine can regenerate damage, drive herself, and she corrupts anyone who owns her. This plot lends itself easily to cheese, and in a lot of ways — like the acting — it really is quite trifling. Under the steady hand of cheese-master John Carpenter, though, Christine is a really fun ride (heh).

If you can laugh through a silly script and try to root for the car, Christine has all the endearing allure of an evil Disney movie. Some of the chase sequences are legitimately fun and there’s a lot of personality in Christine the car (more than the film’s leading ladies, at least). 

Drew Barrymore is a pyrokinetic little girl who’s on the run from some shady government types. Something of a slow burn (nailed it) of a film, Firestarter is punctuated with moments of shocking violence.

The movie is also littered with Oscar-level actors who just showed up to enjoy themselves. Martin Sheen and George C. Scott are terrific as duplicitous G-men, and Art Carney and Louise Fletcher are pitch perfect as a quiet farmer and his wife. The effects, unfortunately, are fairly lackluster and the story is bit too silly for the movie's serious tone. In the titular role, however, little Barrymore is the perfect balance of sweet and scary, which makes the film a fun ride all the way through. 

There’s just something about the 1983 adaptation of Cujo that’s consistently heart-breaking. Is it all the sad dog stuff? Yeah, probably the sad dog stuff. And, sure, the dog spends most of the movie as a rabid bastard, but the whole thing is the fault of Cujo’s owners. Who doesn’t notice fresh bite marks on their dog? Monsters, that's who. 

Cujo is the story of a St. Bernard driven mad by a rabies infection. He subsequently terrorizes (and murders) his abusive owner as well as several members of the community. Also, the family drama framing the dog’s terror is actually fairly well-handled. This is mostly thanks to a good performance from Dee Wallace. She really nails being a mother trapped in a hot car that’s being assaulted by a rabid St. Bernard. Hey, it's a specific skill but it comes in handy.