Stephen King fans? These are his must-sees on the platforms
The novelist is often involved in the adaptation of his books to the screen
BarcelonaAfter over half a century of a prolific career, the film and series adaptations of Stephen King's books are rapidly approaching one hundred. We have selected the most outstanding ones from each platform for those who wish, taking advantage of the proximity of Halloween, to catch up with the television (and cinematic) adaptations of this benchmark of the horror genre.
Netflix
Despite Stephen King's productive exuberance, on Netflix there is only one notable series of his, which falls more into the realm of thriller police than in that of terror. It is about Mr. Mercedes, which over the course of three seasons adapted the trilogy of novels that the author centered around his detective Bill Hodges. Haunted by the ghost of an unsolved crime involving a man who ran over 16 people while driving a Mercedes, he faces the emergence of a psychopath with whom he engages in a diabolical game of cat and mouse. Brendan Gleeson embodied the investigator in this adaptation crafted by David E. Kelley, the creator of "Ally McBeal or Big little lies.
In the film section, the platform focuses mainly on the most recent titles, from the last decade. Thus, one can find Gerald's Game (2017), 1922 (2017), In the Tall Grass (co-written with his son, Joe Hill, 2019) or Mr. Harrigan's Phone (Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, 2022).
HBO Max
One of Stephen King's most celebrated books is the monumental It, about the loss of innocence, which can be credited with having cemented the image of the killer clown. On one hand, the platform has in its catalog the two films that adapted this story between 2017 and 2019, with actors such as Jessica Chastain, Finn Wolfhard, or Bill Skarsgard in the role of the terrifying Pennywise. And, on the other, the series It: Welcome to Derry (2025), which was intended to function as a prequel set in the 60s where the origin of all the pain that pushes that clown to adopt his most diabolical and child-devouring incarnation would be explained. Skarsgard reprised his role, in addition to becoming an executive producer of an effect-heavy series, but one that did not achieve the impact of the original story. All in all, a second season is planned, which goes even further back in time to land in the midst of the American Great Depression. Despite this bet on the It universe, the service does not have the notable, more sober film adaptation, which included a memorable performance by Tim Curry as Pennywise.
Beyond this story, HBO Max has the miniseries The Outsider, also of supernatural horror, and based on the eponymous book by King. It premiered in 2020 and followed the investigation into the macabre murder of an eleven-year-old boy in the town of Cherokee City. A suspect is arrested, but the appearance of exculpatory evidence suggests that perhaps supernatural phenomena should be taken into account.
Another King classic is Salem’s Lot, of which a memorable television adaptation was made in 1979 and another more dispensable one in 2004. HBO Max has, instead, the 2024 film, starring Lewis Pullman and Makenzie Leigh. It narrates the return of a writer to his hometown, in search of inspiration, and the discovery of a vampire in that village.
Movistar+
One of King's most memorable stories is The Shining, the story of a writer who agrees to be the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel while it closes for the winter. He is accompanied by his wife and son, and soon the influence of the hotel begins to drive him mad, while the boy has horrific visions about what happened in that building. Stanley Kubrick filmed the adaptation starring Jack Nicholson which can be found in the Movistar+ catalog and which, despite being considered one of the peaks in the history of horror cinema, was repudiated by the novelist, who did not like at all that it changed key elements of the story. King promoted a more faithful television adaptation, but it crashed because it paled in comparison to Kubrick's benchmark.
King wanted to continue that story and see what had happened to Danny, the boy gifted with clairvoyant powers. The result was Doctor Sleep, turned into a film and which Movistar does include. Starring Ewan McGregor, it is a film especially recommended for lovers of the Overlook universe. Other films by the author are The Green Mile (a supernatural prison drama with Tom Hanks), Stand by Me (a memorable story about the transition from childhood to youth surrounding some boys who discover a corpse) and Christine (the 1983 classic directed by John Carpenter about a car that comes to life).
Filmin
Those who have already seen most of the screen adaptations of King's stories –no easy task– can continue to delve into this author's world through two documentaries available on Filmin. Stephen King, un mal necessari reveals curiosities and his working method, while the protagonist agrees to talk about some of his inner demons. In King on screen, from the year 2022, a review is made of the fifty-plus adaptations of his stories for the big screen, starting with Carrie, which was his first novel.
Aside from these two pieces, Filmin is a good repository of King's films. There are some classics such as Carrie, The Shining, The Green Mile, Cujo, Misery or the triptych of short stories Cat's Eye, but also films not as seen as A Good Marriage (starring Joan Allen, 2014), The Langoliers (directed by Tom Holland, the one from Child's Play) or the vampire story that Miguel Ferrer starred in 1997 titled The Night Flier.
Prime Video
The platform linked to Jeff Bezos's online store has a lot of titles available for individual purchase, as in recent times it has focused primarily on this streaming service model. Among the titles that can be watched by paying only the base fee, the three big-screen adaptations of Carrie stand out. The 1977 one directed by Brian de Palma (the most famous, with Sissy Spacek and John Travolta), the 2002 one with Angela Bettis (very forgettable), and the 2013 one with Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore (also mediocre). In this way, the platform is warming up for the eight-episode miniseries it will premiere on October 7th to retell the story of a girl who discovers her telekinetic powers and uses them to settle scores with her bullies at high school.
From this golden era of Stephen King, where some of his most relevant titles are concentrated, Prime Video also has The Dead Zone, a film to be reclaimed directed by David Cronenberg and starring the unsettling Christopher Walken about the curse that it means for the protagonist to be able to see the future of the people whose hand he shakes. There is also The Mist (adapted by Frank Darabont in 2008, but which did not achieve the success of The Shawshank Redemption or The Green Mile) and an extended version of Doctor Sleep, with 28 more minutes of footage.
And although this is a selection of those that do not need to be purchased individually, it is worth noting one that does: You can’t kill Stephen King. It is a horror-comedy film that tells the misadventures of some young people who visit a lake where the novelist has a house. There, they are pursued by a killer who mimics King's novels. All the dialogues are laced with references to his best-known books and although the film is not especially memorable, it can certainly bring a knowing smile to the writer's fans.
Apple TV+
In 2017, Stephen King said that the book of his that he would most like to see adapted was Lisey's Story. Four years later, Apple TV+ premiered this miniseries version, written by the novelist himself and produced by the all-powerful J.J. Abrams. The big names also extended to the cast (Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joan Allen) and the director, Pablo Larraín (No, Spencer). The story focuses on a woman who has lost her writer husband. While rummaging through his manuscripts and managing her grief as best she can, she comes across some papers that propose a cryptic treasure hunt he left prepared for her. But a sinister character, who believes that she is trying to prevent the writer's work from reaching the world, goes into action. Despite having been a strong bet for Apple TV+, the series has earned praise mainly for the performances, but the pace of the story has received criticism for getting bogged down in some episodes.
The platform also has The Institute, about a sinister organization that kidnaps children with powers. This month of June, the second season finished filming. And, in the film section, you can seeIt (the 1990 version) and three titles that King originally wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman because he wanted to explore other genres and, incidentally, prove to himself that he was capable of selling not only based on the fame he had acquired. These are the recent The Long Walk (2025) and The Running Man (2025), and also Thinner (1996, based on the book Thinner and with the participation of the author as a performer).
Disney+
Despite the profusion of franchises that the company has been adding to its catalog, there isn't much Stephen King on Disney+. The most notable isCastle Rock, a suspense and psychological horror series set in his literary universe and The Boogeyman, a 2023 horror film based on one of the first short stories with which the young author tried to make his way by sending them to magazines.