Some of the best Stephen King movie and TV adaptations have been lost amidst the long list of books that have made to the big and small screens, but they’re well worth revisiting. Stephen King’s prolific catalog of gripping novels and short stories has seen the author accumulate over 300 screen adaptation credits. Many have become icons of the horror genre.

However, not all King adaptations and shows see the same level of recognition. In fact, some of the plots are simply too absurd to be accepted by mainstream moviegoing audiences. In other cases, King’s stories, which often rely heavily on inner monologue for characterization, fail to translate to visual mediums such as film and TV. Even so, such projects often have their bright spots regardless. It’s even possible for a King story to work perfectly as a TV show or movie but, due to timing or other factors, to go overlooked. As these instances compound, the author’s catalog becomes stacked with underrated adaptations.

10 Dreamcatcher (2003)

Dreamcatcher, based on Stephen King’s 2001 novel of the same name, represents the more far-fetched tendencies of King’s powerful imagination. It follows four friends with a psychic connection whose annual get-together in rural Maine is disrupted by an invasion from the “ass weasels,” a race of parasitic aliens who emerge from their hosts’ rear ends. It’s such ludicrous elements that constitute the joys and the shortcomings of this offbeat creature feature, which boasts a top-notch cast including Morgan Freeman, Damian Lewis, and Timothy Olyphant, as well as a screenplay by William Goldman and Lawrence Kasdan, two legendary screenwriters working hard to reign in the wild material.

9 Under The Dome - Season 1 (2013)

Under The Dome premiered in 2013 to significant popularity and acclaim. The series is based on Stephen King’s 2009 novel, and follows a small town that suddenly finds itself trapped underneath an indestructible dome with no explanation. Under The Dome set a record as the most-watched summer drama premiere on any television network since 1992, enjoying critical acclaim and high viewership throughout its first season. The series, from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, combines King’s dark sensibility with a Spielberg-like sense of curiosity and wonder. While the second and third seasons of Under The Dome struggled to sustain momentum and properly address mounting questions, the first season is still gripping television.

8 Creepshow 2 (1987)

A follow-up to the beloved 1982 film Creepshow, Creepshow 2 is another anthology film that adapts some of Stephen King’s grislier short stories. Like its predecessor, Creepshow 2 is directed by horror legend George Romero with practical effects by prosthetic makeup maestro Tom Savini, who also stars in this installment. The sequel doesn’t quite reach the heights of the original; budget cuts forced the production to make do with only three stories instead of five, and those three are slightly longer than they perhaps should have been. Nevertheless, it’s gory fun that successfully pays homage to the horror comics of the 1950s.

7 The Running Man (1987)

It's often forgotten that the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Edgar Wright is eying a new adaptation of the book.

6 The Shining (1997)

While Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is rightly considered one of the publicly voiced his dislike of Kubrick’s Shining. In 1997, King wrote and executive produced his own adaptation of The Shining, a three-part miniseries that runs much closer to its source material. While the miniseries doesn’t quite reach the heights of Kubrick’s masterpiece, it still stands out as a well-executed, chilling narrative loyal to the source material.

5 Maximum Overdrive (1986)

This manic B-movie is adapted from the Stephen King short story “Trucks”. In Maximum Overdrive, a ing comet causes all the world’s machines to become sentient and turn against humanity, forcing a group of survivors to hide out in a truck stop, terrorized by a convoy of murderous, autonomous trucks. Maximum Overdrive is King’s first and only directing credit, and it’s not hard to see why: the movie is a mess, stuffed with underdeveloped characters, absurd sequences and stiff dialogue. However, it’s an inspired mess, one executed by a unique mind whose singular vision renders the film an entertaining viewing experience and a cult classic.

4 Needful Things (1993)

Based on a 1991 Stephen King novel, Needful Things tells the story of a small town that sees its status quo unsettled by the appearance of a new store whose sinister proprietor, secretly the devil in disguise, claims to possess the deepest desire of everyone in town. It’s an extremely fun premise, one that's so enduring that it was even parodied in a Rick and Morty episode. While the film lacks some of the depth of King’s characterizations in the novel, its stellar cast - led by Max von Sydow and Ed Harris - more than makes up the difference.

3 1408 (2007)

There’s no reason that 1408, the psychological horror film based on a Stephen King short story, shouldn’t be better ed. The film was a critical and commercial success, and even features a strong central cast including John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson and Tony Shalhoub. Nonetheless, the film seems to have faded somewhat from the public consciousness. 1408 is a compelling, dark psychological horror in which a mystery writer known for debunking supernatural events is invited to spend the night in the malevolent room 1408 of a New York hotel. The dark atmosphere and mounting pace make 1408 one of Stephen King’s best movie adaptations, well-worth revisiting.

2 Apt Pupil (1998)

Adapted from the Stephen King novella of the same name, Apt Pupil is a twisted thriller that underperformed at the box office. The film follows a seemingly innocuous high school student who, upon discovering that one of his neighbors is a former high-ranking Nazi, blackmails the man into regaling him with stories and reenactments of the events at the Nazi death camps. It makes for a compelling story, and one that veers away from King’s usual supernatural horror to a more character-driven story that horrifies and disturbs all the same. Ian McKellan gives a powerful, complex performance as the aging Nazi.

1 The Night Flier (1997)

This unpolished gem is alive with King’s unique skill for character development and dark, off-kilter storytelling. The Night Flier, an HBO original movie adapted from Stephen King’s short story, sees an unscrupulous tabloid reporter on the trail of a series of brutal murders he believes to have been committed by a vampire. The tight narrative finds a compelling, unconventional protagonist in the exploitative tabloid reporter, and succeeds at drawing thoughtful parallels between tabloid reporting, horror filmmaking and vampirism. The chilling finale feels earned due to the film’s memorable creature design and grounding central performance.