Many of Stephen King‘s most popular works have been adapted for the big and small screens.
Prime users can watch Stephen King movies on Amazon Prime without paying a dime.
King has published over 80 works in horror, science fiction, and mystery, making him the undisputed king of suspense.
In addition, several of his books have been adapted into movies that are accessible with an Amazon Prime subscription.
However, not every cinematic adaptation of King’s work is a success; King has publicly stated his dissatisfaction with a few of them.
The excellent and the ugly may be seen without cost on Prime, leaving it up to the fans to determine for themselves whether one is worthwhile.
Below is a list of Stephen King movies on Amazon prime.
1. Carrie (2013)
- Director: Kimberly Peirce
- Star cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, and Gabriella Wilde
- IMDB rating: 5.8
The first movie adaptation of a book by Stephen King was Brian De Palma’s “Carrie,” a stunning thriller about a lonely, tormented high school girl with telekinetic skills. That girl is Sissy Spacek, who is being raised by her religious fanatic of a mother (Piper Laurie).
Then one day, Carrie’s sympathetic classmate Sue Snell (Amy Irving) convinces Tommy (William Katt), her boyfriend, to accompany the sadly single Carrie to the prom. It’s prom night, and Carrie is going to have the time of her life.
Instead, they drop a bucket of pig blood on Carrie’s head, which sets off a chain of events that leads to Carrie going nuclear and utilizing her talents to exact deadly retribution on her abusers.
2. Children of the Corn (1984)
- Director: Fritz Kiersch
- Star cast: Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, and R.G. Armstrong
- IMDB rating: 5.6
Linda Hamilton, who starred in Terminator, also appeared in Children of the Corn, released in 1984. Nonetheless, it’s entertaining to see. The kids in the cast do a fantastic job together.
This was one of King’s first works to be published and would eventually be included in Night Shift. Burt and Vicky are driving across the United States when they come upon a deceased boy and decide to reach a neighboring town to get assistance or contact the authorities.
They find a community populated only by children who are not pleased to meet any adults. The novel has been praised for its exceptional quality, and the concept has been deemed solid, but the movie has been criticized as a work in progress. This is among the best Stephen king movies on Amazon prime.
3. Secret Window (2004)
- Director: David Koepp
- Star cast: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, and John Turturro
- IMDB rating: 6.5
Secret Window is a gripping plot; however, it leans toward thriller or mystery rather than pure horror. In this movie, Johnny Depp portrays a writer (like King) who retreats to a remote lake cottage after his divorce to be alone with his thoughts and, perhaps, get some work done.
A guy (John Turturro) suddenly comes and accuses the successful writer of plagiarism, and then everything goes to hell.
During what was likely the height of Depp’s movie career, this was released, and the chemistry between Depp and one of the very finest character performers in Turturro was electric.
Inspired by King’s “Secret Window, Secret Garden,” which appeared in his 1990 book Four Past Midnight.
4. Misery (1990)
- Director: Rob Reiner
- Star cast: James Caan, Kathy Bates, and Richard Farnsworth
- IMDB rating: 7.8
This is one of the best Stephen King movies on Amazon prime. James Caan and Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar for her performance as Annie Wilkes, feature in it.
There is no greater source of suspense than a life of misery. At this point, the plot takes an unexpected turn that causes some unease among viewers, yet no one can look away.
After a traumatic car accident caused by a snowstorm, Wilkes takes in writer Paul Sheldon. She is looking forward to helping him recover since she is a huge admirer of his.
Then, when she learns that he intends to eliminate her favorite character, she becomes furious and locks him up in her cabin.
5. Pet Sematary (1989)
- Director: Mary Lambert
- Star cast: Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, and Fred Gwynne
- IMDB rating: 6.5
“Pet Sematary,” the Stephen King novel that was marketed as the rare book that terrified King himself, became a movie in 1989.
Mary Lambert helms this terrible little movie about a family that goes to rural Maine and swiftly succumbs to all kinds of gothic horrors.
There’s a burial mound deep in the woods behind their new property, a burial ground that can revive the dead. When the family cat, Church, is killed by a vehicle, the family patriarch, Louis Creed, is urged by friendly neighbor Jud to bury the cat at that ancient burial place. Louis does, and the cat comes back to life.
Sure enough, dead people are soon being buried and coming back to life with a tremendous chip on their shoulders.
6. The Dead Zone (1983)
- Director: David Cronenberg
- Star cast: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt
- IMDB rating: 7.2
This is one of the best Stephen King movies on Amazon prime. Following a vehicle accident, Johnny Smith portrays a teacher who falls into a coma.
This is disturbing enough, but then he wakes up five years later. However, then Johnny learns he has psychic abilities, and things take a turn for the strange.
He may catch a glimpse of the future harm that will befall a person he touches. This newfound authority has the potential to be useful, but not everyone trusts that Johnny is telling the truth.
After shaking hands with a Trump supporter and seeing a vision in which that person becomes president and starts a nuclear war, Johnny’s life becomes much more complex than it ever was.
7. Creepshow 2 (1987)
- Director: Michael Gornick
- Star cast: George Kennedy, Lois Chiles, and Domenick John
- IMDB rating: 6.0
The great George A. Romero directed the first “Creepshow,” but Michael Gornick never made another movie after making “Creepshow 2.” This may explain why the latter movie is not as well-liked as the former.
The anthology “Creepshow 2” has additional Stephen King adaptations and has its perks. A murderous wooden Indian statue, a zombie hitchhiker, and a lake full of murky black slime are what you get.
There is plenty of blood and gore in “Creepshow 2,” but it isn’t quite as sophisticated as the previous movie.
8. Cujo (1983)
- Director: Lewis Teague
- Star cast: Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh Kelly, and Danny Pintauro
- IMDB rating: 6.0
Dog lovers, beware: Cujo is not a friendly puppy. In this timeless movie, a mother and her little boy are terrorized by a St. Bernard as they are confined to a scorching vehicle.
Cujo’s terrifying and hazardous behavior is the result of a rabies bite he had, which they had no idea about.
Then, when they take their vehicle in for maintenance, they encounter the savage creature whose car’s engine is dead and for whom there is no car mechanic in sight.
9. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- Director: Frank Darabont
- Star cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and Bob Gunton
- IMDB rating: 9.3
Typically, when people hear that Stephen King wrote a story, they think of something terrifying or supernatural. Although The Shawshank Redemption is none of these things.
In this exciting drama, Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman’s characters share a jail cell and end up becoming unexpected friends.
What follows is much more intriguing. Adapted from King’s novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, the movie was nominated for seven Oscars.
10. Dolores Claiborne (1995)
- Director: Taylor Hackford
- Star cast: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Christopher Plummer
- IMDB rating: 7.4
Dolores Claiborne, starring Kathy Bates, was another adaption she appeared in four years after Misery. Interesting turns occur in this thriller, which also features Jennifer Jason Leigh (Selena St. George).
Returning home to confront her family following her mother’s murder arrest, a daughter is met with memories and high tension.
St. George doubts her mother’s innocence and thinks she may have been involved in her father’s murder.
In addition, this movie should not be missed by any Stephen King fan or reader who enjoys suspenseful psychological dramas. This is one of Stephen King movies on Amazon prime.
11. Thinner (1996)
- Director: Tom Holland
- Star cast: Robert John Burke, Joe Mantegna, and Lucinda Jenney
- IMDB rating: 5.8
Robert John Burke and Criminal Minds’ Joe Mantegna feature in the 1996 movie Thinner. Many critics feel that this is the worst Stephen King movie ever made. Director Tom Holland (Child’s Play) is often underrated, but this movie isn’t even close to being one of his best.
A lawyer named Billy Halleck smashes a lady with his vehicle. Since Halleck, despite his weight, is a successful attorney, he can keep the event from the public eye.
As a result of magic done by the victim’s father, Halleck loses a lot of weight quickly. He’s afraid after six weeks and decides to track down the guy who cursed him.
He’s already at a dangerously low weight, and if he loses any more weight, he’ll be a skeleton. The performances are excellent, but the movie seems to have abandoned King’s grand concept.
12. A Good Marriage (2014)
- Director: Peter Askin
- Star cast: Joan Allen, Anthony LaPaglia, and Stephen Lang
- IMDB rating: 5.2
This movie is based on a short story from King’s book Full Dark, No Stars and is one of his less well-known movie adaptations.
The four stories in this novella all center on some kind of vengeance. As the title suggests, A Good Marriage is a dark comedy about marital problems. That theme, although pervasive, is generic and boring.
Critics also feel that the written version is more convincing. The husband leaves for work, leaving the wife alone in the house with a serial murderer on the loose.
Furthermore, a stranger has started making threats against her family. Unsettling truths about her husband that threaten more than just their marriage begin to surface.
