Stephen King might be a horror icon, but it's interesting how the best movies based on his books aren't horror. Not only is he one of the most adapted authors ever, but there are few Stephen King books that haven't received movie versions. These have varied wildly in quality; The Shining is a masterpiece (though King famously hated it), while Carrie, Misery and The Mist often feature on best of lists. On the flipside, there have been many duds based on his work, including The Mangler, The Dark Tower and King's only directorial effort Maximum Overdrive. 584k3q

While Stephen King’s claim that one murder mystery is as good asAgatha Christie’s writing might seem like hyperbole, the novel really does live up to that statement. If Stephen King’s 66 books prove anything, it is that the writer knows a great story when he sees one. King has penned all manner of stories, from the horror books that made him famous, like Carrie and The Shining, to surprisingly life-affirming stories like “The Life of Chuck” and “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.”

Stephen King is easily the one author with the largest number of movie adaptations to his name, though one of his books in particular never got its just dues in of a feature film. For the most part, Stephen King's movies tend to fall into the horror genre, as the famous writer primarily works in the world of spooky stories. However, he does occasionally take a break from his routine style, resulting in movies like The Green Mile or The Shawshank Redemption.

WhileStephen Kingmight be a master of literary horror, even he had to it that he had never read anything like the blockbuster bestseller You, which went on to spawn a hit Netflix show and multiple sequels. In Stephen King’s 66 books, the iconic horror writer has told all sorts of stories. At his best, King has produced masterful horror stories like It and The Shining, but also all-time great non-horror classics like the novellas "The Body" and "Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption," which were adapted as Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption.

Sometimes, evenStephen King questions the darkness of his books, and that was certainly the case with one classic novel that he originally hesitated to publish for that reason. As the author of hundreds of short stories and almost 70 books, Stephen King never seems to run out of terrifying ideas. In Stephen King's career that has spanned six decades so far, it's inevitable that there might be one or two stories that have rattled him.

Widely hailed as the King of Horror, Stephen King has earned his title by crafting stories that push the boundaries of the human psyche, blending spine-tingling terror with profound psychological depth. However, King’s talents extend beyond horror, as he has also explored genres like fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. It's no surprise, then, that the legendary writer has thoughts on superheroes, and his remarks about one DC hero make it clear they’re his favorite.

Although Stephen King became a horror legend by pushing the boundaries of his readers, even the legendary author himself was a bit unsettled by one of his nastiest stories. Stephen King’s short story collections include some of the writer’s best work, which is an impressive achievement considering how acclaimed his novels are. Stephen King’s 66 books prove the author is nothing if not prolific, but his short stories offer the writer an opportunity to play with more experimental, oddball, and ambitious ideas in a smaller, more self-contained format.

Warning! Spoilers from The Dark Tower novels are included below!

Legendary author Stephen King isn’t shy about sharing his opinions on movies and TV shows, often spotlighting the best new entries in the horror and thriller genres. So when the master of horror takes to social media to sing the praises of a show, fans tend to pay attention. It’s not unusual to see him recommend something spooky, unsettling, or psychologically intense - but when he endorses a show that steps outside the boundaries of horror, it carries even more weight. That’s exactly what happened recently with a buzzy, emotionally raw Netflix series that garnered plenty of critical acclaim on its own.

While the master of horror has seen many of his books adapted for the screen, the highest-grossing Stephen King movies show just how popular his stories have been. After becoming one of the most prolific American authors with a number of bestsellers, such as The Dead Zone and Salem's Lot, King's books started becoming regular adaptations for Hollywood, starting with 1976's Carrie. Since then, King has seen dozens of his novels turned into films, with some standout titles becoming massive hits.