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For more than 50 years, Stephen King has been the face of horror novels, and in this way, has seen endless adaptations of his own work, however, there are still plenty of terrifying stories that must be brought to the screen. Stephen King began his career in 1967 with his first short story “The Glass Floor” and continues to write bestselling novels to this day. King is best known for the horror genre and has penned some of the most iconic horror stories such as “The Shining,” “Pet Sematary,” and “Carrie.”
Because of King’s vast body of work, it would be very difficult to adapt every single story of his. Additionally, the author has already garnered fame for the current Stephen King movie franchises.However, King certainly has pieces that are underrated and intensely scary that would work well on-screen. Of the many Stephen King stories that have yet to be adapted, these are the best and most horrifying candidates.
10 The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
“The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” is a 1999 novel that follows a young girl named Trisha who gets lost on a hiking trip with her family. After several days in the woods, wandering deeper and deeper, Trisha begins having hallucinations ranging from her favorite baseball player, Tom Gordon, to supernatural elements including the evil wasp-faced God of the Lost. This story is particularly frightening because it plays with the ideas of what is real and the reality of getting lost in the forest. A film adaptation was planned in the early 2000s but fell through and has now been picked up once again in the past few years.
9 Joyland
Written in 2013, “Joyland” tells the story of Devin, a teenager who begins working at an amusement park called Joyland. Along with his friends, Devin tries to solve the murder of a local girl, and in turn, finds himself next in the line of victims. Once again, “Joyland” emphasizes a more realistic, human threat such as a serial killer, and has the particularly creepy background of an amusement park. This would certainly make for a colorful and tense Stephen King movie adaptation. “Joyland” was supposed to be adapted into a television series on Freeform, but no developments have been made past an initial treatment for the pilot.
8 Gingerbread Girl
Stephen King’s “The Gingerbread Girl” is a novella written in 2007. The story follows a grieving mother who, during a run, stumbles upon a murder and is quickly captured by the serial killer. Though shorter than a regular King novel, this story does not lack in intensity or fear. The anticipation and threat of danger to the main character make this novella an especially heart-racing story and one that would work well in a film, especially as it could expand on the protagonist’s backstory. In 2018, a film adaptation directed by Craig R. Baxley was announced with Stephen King assisting on the script.
7 Duma Key
“Duma Key” is a 2008 novel about Edgar Freemantle, a man who suffers a debilitating accident and relocates to an island off Florida’s coast. While there, Freemantle rediscovers his love for art but finds that his sketches provide intense glimpses into the past and have the ability to change the future. Led by a haunting main character, “Duma Key” is a complex yet satisfying story that focuses on many uncanny and chilling elements. The novel is full of traumatic incidents, mystery, and the creepy power behind art. Despite this novel’s many interesting aspects, a film adaptation has yet to come to fruition.
6 Revival
A 2014 novel inspired by Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein,” “Revival” is a novel about a young boy and a minister who weave in and out of each other’s lives for many years. Despite this seemingly innocuous concept, the novel delves into many dark subjects including loss of faith, the terminally ill, and the afterlife. This Lovecraftian novel includes many difficult moments and events, and hinges on the horrifying idea that there is nothing after death. Overall, this is a very dark novel with no hope of a happy ending. A film adaptation starring Russell Crowe was in development for several years until it was scrapped in 2020.
5 I Am The Doorway
Though King’s 1971 “I Am The Doorway” is science fiction, this short story certainly has plenty of horrific aspects. It follows an astronaut who comes into contact with an alien mutagen. The main character then undergoes a horrifying change as eyeballs form on his hands. Not only does this story include the skin-crawling trope of extra-terrestrial beings, but it also includes themes of voyeurism and apocalypse. The main character’s fight for his autonomy and sanity is a truly disturbing experience that would likely leave audiences uncomfortable and frightened. Though the story has been adapted into various short films, it has yet to reach a mass audience in feature film form.
4 Insomnia
“Insomnia,” published in 1994, is exactly what the title suggests except much more troubling. It tells the story of a man suffering from insomnia so severe that he begins to hallucinate, however, he wonders if this new sight may actually be a different plane of reality. Like “Duma Key,” this novel has a complicated plot, but that doesn’t keep it from having a tense atmosphere. With a mix of supernatural elements and serious doubt in reality, “Insomnia” is a wild ride that would make for an interesting on-screen adaptation, especially considering its many connections to other Stephen King horror novels. No film adaptations have ever been discussed for this novel.
3 The Long Walk
Of King’s many unadapted stories, “The Long Walk” is most surprising because of its intense young adult dystopia. This 1979 novel explores a brutal competition in which teenage boys must complete a walk along U.S. Route 1, except, if the boys walk under four miles an hour, they’ll be shot on sight. Just based on the concept, this is a high-risk and horrifying story. The boys’ support of each other also makes for a highly upsetting atmosphere. Without question, this would make for a very popular film or television series. Currently, a film adaptation is in development with director André Øvredal at the helm.
2 The Jaunt
King’s 1981 short story, “The Jaunt,” is similar to “I Am The Doorway” due to its brevity and shocking science fiction concept. In ‘The Jaunt,” time travel has been invented, however, it comes with a great many risks that end in disturbing catastrophe. As the protagonist and his family decide to time travel to Mars, the dark history of the science quickly unfolds. The ending of this story, in particular, is highly chilling, and one that audiences likely won’t soon forget after experiencing it. A television adaptation is currently under development by Dave Erickson.
1 Rage
Despite being one of King’s most disturbing novels, the concept of “Rage” makes it a controversial choice for the adaptation and, ultimately, is the reason the book has been taken off of shelves. 1977’s “Rage” tells the story of a teenage boy who takes his math class hostage with a pistol. The story is incredibly tense and definitely offers a terrifying yet sadly realistic scenario. Although this story would likely make for a relevant and horrifying adaptation, King allowed the book to be taken off shelves because of the ways it directly inspired school shootings. Therefore, this controversial King novel was never adapted and likely never will be in the future.
Although Stephen King has written endless stories that would make for great on-screen adaptations, some of them have unfortunately gone to the wayside. And while many of these stories have been picked up for adaptations or are currently in progress, they definitely have plenty of development still to go before they become blockbuster hits. Overall though, these stories are some of King’s scariest and, when and if they’re made, will likely be remembered among King’s greatest works and adaptations.
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