10 Stephen King Movies To Watch if You Love ‘The Long Walk’
Stephen King isn’t known as the “Master of Horror” for nothing. Over his long and storied career, he has displayed an uncanny ability to weave horror and dystopian tropes into novels that are entertaining, provocative, and thought-provoking. One of those novels was The Long Walk, published in 1979 and tells the story of male contestants who enter a grueling walking contest.
46 years later, The Long Walk was adapted into a big screen film, which largely follows the same premise of the book: walk or die. The movie has garnered wide praise from both audiences and critics alike, and the movie is already being cemented as one of the best King film adaptations. After you’re done with The Long Walk, you may be inclined to check out some other King adaptations, and that’s where we come in. Here are the Stephen King movies you should watch after you’ve survived that grueling walk.
1
‘Cujo’ (1983)
St. Bernards are cute dogs, but if they get bit by a rabid bat, all bets are off. That’s the premise behind Cujo, the 1983 cult classic that was an adaptation of King’s 1981 novel of the same name. Here, a mother (Dee Wallace) has to protect her son (Danny Pintauro), who is trapped inside a car from the rabid St. Bernard named Cujo.
Cujo will tap into your fears of being trapped in a confined space while terror lurks outside. Cujo is filled with terrifying and suspenseful moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Oh, and the image of the rabid Cujo will absolutely haunt your dreams. While not initially praised when first released, Cujo has since obtained cult-classic status, and rightfully so.
2
‘The Shining’ (1980)
Most of King’s novels not only touch on the dystopian nature of our world, but also lean into psychological terror. This is perfectly illustrated in the classic 1980 film The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick, which, surprisingly, wasn’t well liked by King, who thought Kubrick’s film version was a poor adaptation of his novel. While King wasn’t particularly fond of the movie, moviegoers and film critics have heaped a ton of praise on The Shining, regarding it as one of the best horror films of all time.
The Shining follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), a writer who takes a job as a caretaker of a mountain resort hotel, and stays there with his wife (Shelly Duvall) and son (Danny Lloyd). Soon, Jack begins to descend into insanity, and the rest of the movie is an insane mind trip that will question your own sanity.
3
‘It’ (2017)
“You’ll float too!” That’s the haunting slogan from It, the 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel that follows a group of kids from Derry, Maine that are terrorized by a tall, demented clown named Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård). While the 1990 miniseries is still held in high regard, the 2017 big screen debut of the terrifying Pennywise pushed the envelope and brought a scarier and darker tone that wasn’t particularly present in the miniseries.
Not only was Skarsgård tremendous as Pennywise, but you also have to give praise to the child actors, especially Jaeden Martell as William “Bill” Denbrough, the leader of the outcast kids who makes it his mission to get revenge on Pennywise. The entire film was a suspenseful and dark triumph, and did the novel equal justice.
4
‘The Running Man’ (1987)
As aforementioned, Stephen King has a gift for writing novels about dystopia, which is evident in The Long Walk. Before this latest King adaptation took the big-screen by storm, there was another, less-heralded dystopian King adaptation that is now considered a cult-classic. We’re talking, of course, about The Running Man.
Adapted from King’s 1982 novel. The Running Man was released in 1987 and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as a contestant on the state-sanctioned game show “The Running Man,” that offers incarcerated criminals the chance to earn their freedom if they survive a game against “stalkers.” If you look close enough, you’ll find the seeds of what makes The Long Walk so evocative here. Earn your freedom by not getting killed? That’s as dystopian as it gets.
5
‘Children of the Corn’ (1984)
There is a split consensus when it comes to Children of the Corn. Some love the supernatural slasher film, others not so much. However, after you’ve watched the movie, you will see the movie for what it is: a tense film that will have you rooting for the protagonists to get out of that weird and murderous town.
Our protagonists in Children of the Corn are Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton), a couple who are traveling through rural Nebraska on their way to Seattle when they go through the seemingly desolate town of Gatlin. Gatlin, however, is not deserted. It’s filled with children who follow Malachai (Courtney Gains) and kill all the grown-ups in the town. While Children of the Corn certainly hasn’t aged well, it’s still one of the most underrated of King adaptations, and filled with dread from beginning to end.
6
‘The Green Mile’ (1999)
I have an admission to make: I did cry at the end of The Green Mile, the 1999 epic fantasy drama that was adapted from King’s 1996 novel. It was such a powerful film, one filled with wonder and emotion, and it was no wonder that it was nominated for four Academy Awards.
Starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan in a breakthrough role, The Green Mile tells the story of a death row prison guard (Hanks) who sees supernatural events after a man (Clarke Duncan) is sent to his prison to be put to death. What follows is a film that will pull at your heartstrings, which is unlike any other King adaptation. The Green Mile is one of the best King adaptations ever made, without question.
7
‘1408’ (2007)
In 1999, Stephen King wrote a short story about a hotel room that happened to be haunted. Eight years later, that short story was adapted into a movie called 1408 (the same name of King’s short story), starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson is one of the finest examples of modern psychological horror.
1408 tells the story of a cynical author (Cusack) who investigates haunted places. His investigation leads him to a New York City hotel that has a haunted room, Room 1408, and the bizarre and unexplained soon occurs. While largely forgotten today, 1408 is an underrated gem that plays on the mind, leaving you wondering if what you just saw was real or not. If you’re a fan of psychological horror, 1408 should be a must-watch after The Long Walk.
8
‘Maximum Overdrive’ (1986)
The first and only film that King directed himself, Maximum Overdrive, was widely panned when it was first released in 1986. However, after you watch it, you’ll appreciate the wacky nature of the movie, which was adapted from the short story Trucks, part of a collection of stories from his novel Night Shift. In Maximum Overdrive, all machines come to life after the Earth passes through the tail of a rogue comet and goes on a murderous killing spree against humans.
Maximum Overdrive was certainly a movie. It had campy action, campy acting, all mixed together with a killer score from AC/DC. Maximum Overdrive looks really dated today, but that shouldn’t take away from the fun you’ll have with this movie. In fact, after you’re done with the seriousness of The Long Walk, Maximum Overdrive will certainly lighten the mood.
9
‘Creepshow’ (1982)
While most of King’s novels and adaptations focus on dystopian and psychological horror, some do contain a sense of campy comedy to lighten things up a bit. Maximum Overdrive (which I discussed earlier) fits this perfectly, and so does Creepshow, the 1982 film based on two of King’s short stories: Weeds and The Crate.
Crepeshow is an anthology horror comedy that not only aims to scare, but will also tickle your funny bone a bit. That’s the entire point of Creepshow, and what makes it so entertaining. It isn’t your typical King adaptation, one filled with psychological dread and terror. No, this is terror in the comedic form, which would have a lasting impact on the horror genre as a whole.
10
‘Carrie’ (1976)
You go to your senior prom, looking to have the night of your life. Instead, you see a prom queen getting doused in pigs’ blood. You laugh, but she’s not laughing. Instead, she locks the doors, changes the lights to a blood-curling red, and begins to enact murderous revenge against everyone locked in the gym, including you. Some night, eh?
This is the central plot of Carrie, the first movie to be adapted from a King novel and widely considered one of the best adaptations of all-time. It will make you feel pretty bad for Carrie (Sissy Spacek), who was picked on relentlessly and needlessly, only to find out she has telekinetic powers and uses them to get her revenge. Carrie is a chilling movie, much like The Long Walk, and you won’t pick on anyone again after the end credits roll.
Carrie
- Release Date
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November 3, 1976
- Runtime
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98 minutes
- Director
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Brian De Palma
- Writers
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Lawrence D. Cohen
