If you’re in search of some creepy, crawly horrors to watch this Halloween, you might want to check the catalog of Stephen King. Since 1982, King’s horror novels have been adapted into films, starting with 1982’s Creepshow based on his short stories Weeds and The Crate to the most recent 2022 remake of his 1980 novel Firestarter.
With memorable characters like Pennywise, Carrie, and Jack Torrance becoming horror icons, there are plenty of hit Stephen King films to choose from on streaming services or during a popular scary movie marathon this spooky season.
‘The Shining‘ (1980) – Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video
The Shining is home to one of the most iconic horror movie scenes in history thanks to the character Jack Torrance, who moves into the eerie Overlook Hotel with his wife and son Danny, and begins to unravel as he uncovers the hotel’s haunting secrets.
The 1980 film starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall is available on three popular streaming services – Netflix, HBO Max, and Prime Video.
‘It’ (2017) – Netflix
It is the 2017 remake of the 1990 miniseries based on King’s scariest book character: Pennywise. The film follows a group of misfit teens who are haunted by the paranormal clown in the small town of Derry, Maine.
The 2017 film recently became available for streaming on Netflix just in time for Halloween,with its 2019 sequel It: Chapter Twoavailable on HBO Max.
‘Carrie’ (1976) – Shudder, Prime Video, AMC FearFest
Carrie follows a teenage girl who must navigate life in high school while also maintaining her telekinetic powers until a prom night prank sends her into a frenzy, unleashing her powers for the whole school to see.
The 1976 film can be found on the horror streaming service Shudder, Prime Video and airing during AMC’s FearFest on October 1st, 9th, and 21st, 2022. Its 2013 remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz streams on Netflix.
‘Christine’ (1983) – Prime Video, AMC FearFest
Only Stephen King could turn a 1958 Plymouth Fury into a serial killer. The titular character of Christine is Arnie’s new car, which gets defaced by Arnie’s nemesis and gets its revenge by killing off each and every bully.
Christine can be watched on Prime Video, and is set to air during AMC’s FearFest on October 9th, 2022 during a programming block titled Stephen King Classics, with other airings on October 15th and 21st, 2022.
‘Firestarter’ (1984), ‘Firestarter’ (2022) – Prime Video, AMC FearFest
Firestarter starred a 10-year-old Drew Barrymore as Charlie McGee in the 1984 film adaption about a little girl who possesses the dangerous power of starting fires with her mind. In 2022, Zac Efron and Ryan Kiera Armstrong starred in a remake.
Both versions of the film can be found on Prime Video, while the original will air on October 9th, 2022 during a day of Stephen King classics on AMC.
‘Pet Sematary’ (1989) – Prime Video, AMC FearFest
Stephen King played the minister in Pet Sematary, the 1989 film adaption about deceased pets rising from the dead with corrupted personalities thanks to a haunted cemetery.
The movie will air during AMC’s FearFest on September 30th, 2022, with other airings on October 9th, 15th, 17th and 18th, 2022. Or if you don’t want to wait to watch this classic, it can be found on Prime Video.
‘Misery’ (1990) – Prime Video, AMC FearFest
Kathy Bates and James Caan starred in Misery, about a nurse who rescues her favorite author from a car crash. But after learning about his plans to kill off her favorite character in his next novel, she takes a turn for the worst and becomes controlling and violent as she forces him to write his book to suit her wishes.
Misery can be found on Prime Video and airing on October 9th, 16th and 22nd, 2022 as part of AMC’s FearFest.
‘Stand By Me‘ (1986) – Netflix, Prime Video
While Stand By Me may not be considered a horror, it’s one of Stephen King’s finest about a group of young boys who go on an adventure to find the corpse of a boy who was tragically killed near their homes.
Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Jerry O’Connell and Corey Feldman star in Stand By Me, available for streaming on Netflix and Prime Video.
‘Cujo’ (1983) – Prime Video, AMC FearFest
This may not be one you’ll want to watch with your pet. Cujo follows a dog who goes from sweet to scary after he suffers a bat bite and turns dangerous, rampaging through a small town and killing anyone who gets in his way.
The 1983 horror will air during AMC’s FearFest on October 9th and 24th, 2022, and can be found on Prime Video.
‘It’ (1990) – HBO Max, Prime Video
Long before Finn Wolfhard and Bill Skarsgård starred in the 2017 remake, It was a 1990 miniseries that aired on ABC and was a much less gory but consistently creepy take on King’s novel of the same name.
The two-part series starred notable names like John Ritter, Tim Reid and Seth Green and can be found streaming on HBO Max and Prime Video.