10 Best Stephen King Movies That Have Nothing To Do With Horror

Stephen King is famous for horror, and rightfully so. He’s often called the King of Horror, and has written many terrifying stories like It, Salem’s Lot, The Stand, Misery, and The Shining. Many of his shorter, scary tales have also been adapted into films.

Stephen King is a remarkably talented writer, and his work extends far beyond the horror genre. Over his long career, he’s written a huge number of novels and short stories. Many of these have been adapted into films, spanning various genres like crime, coming-of-age stories, prison dramas, and even a science fiction tale that surprisingly foreshadowed the popularity of reality television.

A Good Marriage (2014)

Released in 2014, A Good Marriage is a Stephen King adaptation that doesn’t get enough attention. It’s particularly interesting because King himself wrote the movie’s script, which is something he doesn’t often do. The film is based on a short story of the same name, originally published in his 2010 collection, Full Dark, No Stars.

This isn’t a typical horror film; it’s more of a suspenseful thriller. Joan Allen plays Darcy Anderson, a woman who uncovers a shocking secret about her husband, Bob (played by Anthony LaPaglia), after 27 years of marriage. While he’s away on a business trip, she finds evidence suggesting he’s a serial killer.

This Stephen King movie centers on Darcy as she grapples with a shocking discovery and decides if she needs to protect herself. While it’s a suspenseful thriller, it leans more towards a crime drama than outright horror, and the story unfolds through Darcy’s choices and actions.

Dolan’s Cadillac (2009)

Stephen King’s Dolan’s Cadillac is a fast-paced crime thriller, unlike many of his horror stories. The film focuses on the consequences of a criminal’s choices. Christian Slater plays Jimmy Dolan, a gangster who targets Elizabeth after she witnesses his unlawful activities.

After Elizabeth and her husband, Tom, report the crime to the police, they’re placed in witness protection. However, Jimmy Dolan manages to find them and kills Elizabeth. Devastated, Tom decides to seek revenge and starts plotting a dangerous plan to get back at Dolan.

Okay, so I just finished watching this, and it’s easily the closest Stephen King’s ever gotten to a classic gangster flick. The whole thing revolves around a guy getting seriously wronged and then going on a really dark, twisted path to get even. Honestly, the ending is pretty messed up, but in a way that totally fits the tone of the movie.

Apt Pupil (1998)

“Apt Pupil” was a short novel featured in Different Seasons, the same collection that included the stories behind the films The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me. Similar to those well-known movies, Apt Pupil was also made into a film, but it wasn’t a horror movie.

The movie Apt Pupil is a suspenseful thriller about a teenager named Todd Bowden who discovers a former Nazi officer hiding in his neighborhood. Instead of reporting him, Todd starts to blackmail the man, fueled by a disturbing fascination with Nazis and the Holocaust.

I have to say, seeing Ian McKellen play a Nazi war criminal was a bold choice, and it really set the stage for a fascinating, if unsettling, dynamic. The film quickly becomes a twisted game of cat and mouse, where everyone’s using each other. But honestly, it’s young Todd who truly comes out on top, and he does so by systematically dismantling the lives of everyone around him. It’s a chilling victory, and a really unsettling takeaway.

Hearts In Atlantis (2001)

Hearts in Atlantis is a mysterious and dramatic film inspired by Stephen King’s novella, Low Men in Yellow Coats, which is part of his Hearts in Atlantis collection. The story centers around Bobby, who recalls his childhood and a memorable encounter with a man named Ted Brautigan at his former home.

David Morse portrays Bobby as an adult, and Anton Yelchin plays him in his youth. Bobby encounters Ted, played by Anthony Hopkins, who reveals he has the power to read minds. Ted offers to pay for the bicycle Bobby desires in exchange for Bobby reading the newspaper aloud to him daily.

This touching story centers on the unlikely friendship between a quiet older man and a young boy. It builds to a deeply sad ending, caused by a series of miscommunications. Unlike many other Stephen King adaptations, this film focuses on the intimate connection between these two characters rather than on thrills or scares.

The Running Man (2025)

As a huge cinema fan, I always find it fascinating when stories get revisited. The Running Man is a prime example – the original adaptation of Stephen King’s novel was a real misfire, a pretty weak take on a man desperately trying to earn money for his family by entering a brutal game show. But thankfully, we got another version in 2025, and Edgar Wright did a fantastic job staying true to the spirit of King’s original story. It was a much more faithful and satisfying adaptation.

This movie is adapted from the Richard Bachman novel of the same title. It’s a science fiction thriller set in a bleak future, where a man desperately tries to earn enough money in 30 days to save his family from poverty, all while dodging professional assassins. But his struggle unexpectedly turns him into a symbol of rebellion.

I recently revisited Stephen King’s The Running Man, and it’s fascinating to see the seeds of his later brilliance. Published early in his career, under his Richard Bachman pen name, it’s brimming with a raw, youthful anger. Now, let me be clear: this isn’t a horror novel. It’s a really compelling story about one man’s fight against a deeply flawed and corrupt system – a truly powerful read.

Dolores Claiborne (1995)

The movie Dolores Claiborne is based on the 1992 novel of the same name and is a suspenseful psychological thriller. It reunited Kathy Bates with the world of Stephen King after she won an Academy Award for her role in Misery. In the film, Bates stars as Dolores Claiborne, a caretaker for an elderly, partially paralyzed woman named Vera Donovan.

After Vera dies in a fall down the stairs, the police suspect Dolores of murder and begin an investigation. The film alternates between scenes of Dolores and Vera’s past relationship and current events, including the arrival of Dolores’s daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who comes to support her mother.

Although the mystery of who committed the murder is part of the story, Dolores Claiborne is primarily about the complex relationship between Dolores and Selena, and how the truth about Vera’s death will affect their lives when it comes to light.

The Life Of Chuck (2025)

Mike Flanagan, the director famous for adapting Stephen King stories into thrilling horror films, takes a different approach with The Life of Chuck. This fantasy drama isn’t scary at all—in fact, it’s a surprisingly sweet and touching take on King’s work, and possibly his most heartwarming adaptation yet.

The film stars Tom Hiddleston as Chuck Krantz, a man who discovers a passion for dance. It’s based on a short story and tells the tale in reverse order – beginning with the climax, then the middle, and finally the beginning. The story itself is about the very end of everything.

Despite the potentially sad premise, this film is actually uplifting and lovely, and it could very well be the strongest of the four Stephen King adaptations coming out in 2025.

The Green Mile (1999)

Stephen King published The Green Mile in an unusual way – not as one complete novel, but as a series of shorter installments released monthly. Before it even came out, King approached Frank Darabont, who had previously adapted King’s The Shawshank Redemption to great success, with the opportunity to bring The Green Mile to the screen.

Choosing The Green Mile was a great decision. It’s a captivating fantasy drama that follows the lives of prison guards working on death row at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Their world is turned upside down when a man, believed to be wrongly convicted, arrives and possesses incredible magical abilities, profoundly impacting everyone around him.

Tom Hanks shone in the main role as the guard, and Michael Clarke Duncan gave an incredible performance as the prisoner. The Green Mile was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Duncan.

Stand By Me (1986)

Director Rob Reiner, who died in 2025, is remembered for creating some truly classic films. He was particularly successful in the 1980s, directing both the terrifying horror film Misery and the beloved coming-of-age story Stand By Me. Many consider Stand By Me to be one of his best works.

The movie featured a young cast with rising stars like River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Wil Wheaton, and Jerry O’Connell. They played four friends who went on a spooky adventure to find a supposedly haunted body in the woods, and the experience changed their lives forever.

Despite being based on a Stephen King story – the novella The Body from his collection Different Seasons – Stand By Me wasn’t a horror film. It was a heartwarming drama about growing up and was even nominated for an Academy Award for its script. It’s still the Stephen King adaptation that many people who don’t typically enjoy horror know originated from one of his works.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Many consider The Shawshank Redemption to be the best movie ever adapted from a Stephen King story, and it’s not a competition. Directed by Frank Darabont, it’s a truly exceptional film from the 1990s. It likely would have won an Academy Award in any other year, but it was up against the incredibly strong competition of Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction.

Despite a lot of competition, The Shawshank Redemption consistently ranks as one of the highest-rated movies on IMDb, according to user reviews. The film tells the story of a man wrongly convicted of murder and his experiences serving a life sentence at Shawshank Penitentiary, along with the people he meets along the way.

Though it’s a dramatic story, the movie has a hopeful conclusion and focuses on perseverance and looking ahead. It’s definitely not a scary Stephen King adaptation! The Shawshank Redemption received seven Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture, and was added to the National Film Registry in 2015.

2026-01-10 20:47