Stephen King is one of the most revered authors in the realm of horror. King’s concept that go from frightening to crazy weird and it’s what make his concepts so great. With King’s writing, the sky is the limit and he makes sure that us the readers are aware of it. His novels can bring a sense of rush and fright to the readers that no other author can achieve. Stephen King Birthday: 6 Amazing Quotes Of the Author That Are Absolute Truths About Life.

With Stephen King having so many novels under his belt, so of course Hollywood would bank roll some films based on his novels. So to celebrate his 74th birthday, we are taking a look at five of the best film adaptations based on Stephen King’s novels.

The Shawshank Redemption

A Still from The Shawshank Redemption

Weirdly, some of Stephen King’s best work lies in his exploration of humanity and has nothing to do with horror. The Shawshank Redemption is a moving tale of prisoner Andy Dufresne who is trying to claim his innocence but gets roped into more trouble. It features some great performances especially by  Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman and Clancy Brown.

Stand by Me

A Still from Stand by Me

Another great King adaptation that has nothing to do with horror, sees four boys go on hiking where they find a dead body and try confront a bully. It’s a great coming-of-age tale that features an amazing performance from the late River Phoenix.

The Shining

A Still from The Shining

Now this is where things get a bit controversial given King’s hate for Kubrick’s version of The Shining. King has gone on record to say how much he hates the film, so much so that he remade it in the ‘90s to scathing reviews. But, The Shining still remains as one of the best pieces of horror that you can get and showcases a great dive into madness.

IT

A Still from IT

Andy Muschietti's IT was a game changer for horror novel adaptations. While IT went through its fair share of production troubles, it was still an amazing piece of horror that delivered on the wackiness of the novel. A story about a killer shapeshifting clown terrorising a bunch of children can’t get better than this.

Doctor Sleep

A Still from Doctor Sleep

Many may disagree with the final entry on this list, but I think Doctor Sleep is the finest Stephen King adaptation we have ever gotten. With a lackluster novel and having to build a sequel to The Shining, Mike Flanagan did the unthinkable and pulled off the impossible. The story about Danny Torrance confronting his fears makes for a great film and an excellent sequel to The Shining. Doctor Sleep Movie Review: Ewan McGregor And Rebecca Ferguson 'Shine' In The Shining Sequel.

We continue to hope that Stephen King continues to deliver us such wacky and crazy stories, because the man’s creativity is on another level. With this we finish off our list and wish Stephen King a very happy birthday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 21, 2021 09:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).