For as long as on the screen too.
King has created a handful of horror literature’s most iconic characters, and one of the jobs of a movie adaptation is to find the right actors to bring those characters to life. A great protagonist doesn’t have to be heroic; they just have to be interesting.
Arnie Cunningham (Christine)
John Carpenter’s adaptation of Christine is one of the most underrated King adaptations. Kudos to Carpenter for making an evil supernatural car scary; it could’ve easily fallen into unintentional comedy terrain.
The movie’s protagonist is Arnie Cunningham, played by Keith Gordon, a straight-A student with a good heart who is bullied by jocks and corrupted by the titular car.
David Drayton (The Mist)
Thomas Jane plays David Drayton as a straightforward protagonist throughout The Mist, desperate to keep his son safe and return home to ensure that his wife is okay while Lovecraftian creatures quickly invade his small town.
Jane’s turn as a relatable everyman is what made the movie’s ending so devastating, as this regular guy is forced to — spoiler alert — murder his son, before the shocking realization that he wouldn’t have had to if he’d just waited a few more seconds.
Richie Tozier (It)
King’s 1,000-page gargantuan It follows a handful of different protagonists, with Andy Muschietti’s two-part film adaptation focusing on an ensemble cast as opposed to an individual hero.
The most interesting member of the Losers Club is Richie Tozier, played hysterically by Finn Wolfhard as a kid and Bill Hader as an adult, who reacts to every situation with a sarcastic jab.
Paul Sheldon (Misery)
Since Stephen King is an internationally renowned author with a dedicated millions-strong fan base, Misery feels like his worst nightmare realized. James Caan plays Paul Sheldon, an author who kills off his most popular character, ending a series he’s sick of, who is rescued from a car wreck by his biggest fan, Annie Wilkes.
At first, Annie seems genuinely concerned for his health, but things take a dark turn when she burns his masterpiece and forces him to rewrite his other book. Misery is a fascinating two-hander, with a brilliant protagonist and the perfect villain for him to face, both confined to a single remote location.
Danny Torrance (The Shining/Doctor Sleep)
Danny Torrance has the titular supernatural affliction in his unprecedented triumph in the snowy maze provokes cheers from the audience.
Years later, an older Danny was played by Ewan McGregor in just like he’d done with Obi-Wan in the Star Wars prequels, he took an iconic role and made it his own.
Carrie White (Carrie)
Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s first published novel, Carrie, captured the spirit of the novel perfectly. A huge part of that was the casting of Sissy Spacek in the title role.
She’s an outcast with telekinetic abilities who is pushed to the edge by her bullies and her unhinged mother until she finally cracks and goes on a killing spree.
Gordie LaChance (Stand By Me)
Rob Reiner adapted the quintessential coming-of-age movie.
The framing narrative sees an adult Gordie LaChance, played by Richard Dreyfuss, writing a story based on his childhood experiences. But the bulk of the movie flashes back to young Gordie, played by Wil Wheaton, as he faces life-changing adversity in an ode to boyhood friendships.
John Coffey (The Green Mile)
Although Tom Hanks is technically the star of The Green Mile, playing a prison officer on death row named Paul Edgecomb, it’s the inmate who touches his heart — and that of every viewer — that steals the show.
John Coffey is King’s closest approximation to a Christ figure (he even notes in On Writing that some critics thought that his J.C. initials were too on-the-nose) and Michael Clarke Duncan played the part beautifully.
Jessie Burlingame (Gerald’s Game)
At the beginning of Gerald’s Game, Jessie Burlingame and her husband Gerald drive out to a cabin in the woods to spice up their marriage, but after handcuffing Jessie to the bed, Gerald has a heart attack and dies.
As the loneliness sets in, Jessie is plagued by visions of her husband, flashbacks to her abusive father, and a shadowy figure who may or may not be watching her from the corner of the dark room. Carla Gugino plays the role spectacularly; she’s incredibly easy to root for.
Andy Dufresne (The Shawshank Redemption)
Although it wasn’t appreciated in its time, Frank Darabont’s according to IMDb, it’s the greatest movie ever made.
Part of what makes the story so relatable is that we follow Andy Dufresne into prison. We’re not outsiders looking in; he is the outsider and he’s thrust into a terrifying unfamiliar environment where he needs to get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.
