Stephen King is an American author widely known for his works of contemporary horror, thriller, science fiction, and fantasy. In addition to many novels, King has written approximately 200 short stories. His works have been widely adapted to film, television, and other media.
Films
Adaptations with Stephen King's involvement
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Writer
! Actor
! Role
! Notes
! Rotten Tomatoes
|-
| 1982
| Creepshow
|
|
| Jordy Verrill
| Based on the short stories "Weeds" and "The Crate"; the rest is original work for the film.
| 65%
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| Cat's Eye
|
|
|
| Based on the short stories "Quitters, Inc." and "The Ledge"; the rest is original work for the film.
| 68%
|-
| Silver Bullet
|
|
|
| Based on the novella "Cycle of the Werewolf"
| 43%
|-
| 1986
| Maximum Overdrive
|
|
| Man at Bank ATM
| Based on the short story "Trucks"<br/>Also director
| 14%
|-
| 1987
| Creepshow 2
|
|
| The Truck Driver
| Based on the short story "The Raft"; the rest is original work for the film.
| 29%
|-
| 1989
| Pet Sematary
|
|
| The Minister
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 56%
|-
| 1996
| Thinner
|
|
| The Pharmacist
| Based on the novel of the same name (published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman)
| 19%
|-
| 2014
|
|
|
|
| Based on the novella of the same name
| 32%
|-
| 2016
| Cell
|
|
|
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 11%
|-
| 2019
| It Chapter Two
|
|
| The Shopkeeper
| Based on the adult parts of the novel with the same name
| 62%
|}
Other film adaptations
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! class="unsortable" | Director
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! Rotten Tomatoes
|-
| 1976
| Carrie
| Brian De Palma
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 94%
|-
| 1980
|
| Stanley Kubrick
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 83%
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1983
| Disciples of the Crow
| John Woodward
| Based on the short story "Children of the Corn"
|
|-
| Cujo
| Lewis Teague
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 60%
|-
|
| David Cronenberg
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 89%
|-
| Christine
| John Carpenter
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 74%
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1984
| Children of the Corn
| Fritz Kiersch
| Based on the short story of the same name
| 36%
|-
| Firestarter
| Mark L. Lester
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 40%
|-
| 1986
| Stand by Me
| Rob Reiner
| Based on the novella "The Body"
| 92%
|-
| 1987
|
| Paul Michael Glaser
| Based on the novel of the same name (published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman)
| 67%
|-
| rowspan="3" |1990
| Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
| John Harrison
| Based on the short story "The Cat from Hell"; the rest is original work for the film.
| 46%
|-
| Graveyard Shift
| Ralph S. Singleton
| Based on the short story of the same name
| 0%
|-
| Misery
| Rob Reiner
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 91%
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1993
|
| George A. Romero
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 59%
|-
| Needful Things
| Fraser Clarke Heston
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 33%
|-
| 1994
|
| Frank Darabont
| Based on the novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"
| 89%
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1995
|
| Tobe Hooper
| Based on the short story of the same name
| 27%
|-
| Dolores Claiborne
| Taylor Hackford
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 86%
|-
| 1997
|
| Mark Pavia
| Based on the short story of the same name
| 33%
|-
| 1998
| Apt Pupil
| Bryan Singer
| Based on the novella of the same name
| 54%
|-
| 1999
|
| Frank Darabont
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 79%
|-
| 2001
| Hearts in Atlantis
| Scott Hicks
| Based on the novella "Low Men in Yellow Coats"
| 49%
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2003
| Dreamcatcher
| Lawrence Kasdan
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 28%
|-
| Julie Ganapathi
| Balu Mahendra
| Based on the novel "Misery"
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| Secret Window
| David Koepp
| Based on the novella "Secret Window, Secret Garden"
| 46%
|-
| Riding the Bullet
| Mick Garris
| Based on the novella of the same name
| 23%
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2007
| 1408
| Mikael Håfström
| Based on the short story of the same name
| 79%
|-
|No Smoking
|Anurag Kashyap
|Based on the short story "Quitters, Inc."
|46%
|-
|
| Frank Darabont
| Based on the novella of the same name
| 73%
|-
| 2009
| Dolan's Cadillac
| Jeff Beesley
| Based on the novella of the same name
|
|-
| 2013
| Carrie
| Kimberly Peirce
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 51%
|-
| 2014
| Mercy
| Peter Cornwell
| Based on the short story "Gramma"
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2017
|
| Nikolaj Arcel
| Based on the series of the same name
| 16%
|-
| It
| Andy Muschietti
| Based on the child portions of the novel "It"
| 85%
|-
| Gerald's Game
| Mike Flanagan
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 91%
|-
| 1922
| Zak Hilditch
| Based on the novella of the same name
| 92%
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2019
| Pet Sematary
| Kevin Kölsch<br />Dennis Widmyer
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 57%
|-
| In the Tall Grass
| Vincenzo Natali
| Based on the novella of the same name, co-authored with his son, Joe Hill
| 36%
|-
| Doctor Sleep
| Mike Flanagan
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 78%
|-
| 2020
| Children of the Corn
| Kurt Wimmer
| Based on the short story of the same name
| 11%
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2022
| Firestarter
| Keith Thomas
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 10%
|-
| Mr. Harrigan's Phone
| John Lee Hancock
| Based on the novella of the same name
| 46%
|-
| 2023
|
| Rob Savage
| Based on the short story of the same name
| 60%
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2024
|
| Mike Flanagan
| Based on the novella of the same name
| 81%
|-
|
| Gary Dauberman
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 45%
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2025
|
| Osgood Perkins
| Based on the short story of the same name
| 77%
|-
|
| Francis Lawrence
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 88%
|-
|
| Edgar Wright
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 64%
|-
! colspan="5" style="background-color:#white;" | In development
|-
| TBA
|
| TBA
| Based on the novel of the same name
|
|-
|TBA
|
|TBA
|Based on the short story of the same name
|
|-
| TBA
|
| TBA
| Based on the novella of the same name
|
|}
Television
Adaptations with Stephen King's involvement
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Writer
! Actor
! Role
! Notes
! Rotten Tomatoes
|-
| 1994
|
|
|
| Teddy Weizak
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 70%
|-
| 1995
|
|
|
| Tom Holby
| Based on the novella in Four Past Midnight
| 48%
|-
| 1997
|
|
|
| Gage Creed
| Based on the novel of the same name<br/>Also third unit director
| rowspan="6"
|-
| 2006
|
|
|
|
| Based on the novel of the same name
|-
| 2014
| "Heads Will Roll"
|
|
| The Diner Patron
| An episode of the television series Under the Dome. Based on the novel of the same name.
|-
| 2017
| "People in the Rain"
|
|
| The Diner Patron
| An episode of the television series Mr. Mercedes. Based on the novel of the same name.
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2020
| "The House of the Dead"
|
|
| Man on Hemingford Home poster
| Episode of the 2020 miniseries The Stand. Based on the novel of the same name.
|-
| "The Circle Closes"
|
|
|
|Episode of the 2020 miniseries The Stand. Based on the novel of the same name.
|-
| 2021
| Lisey's Story
|
|
|
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 53%
|-
|}
Other TV adaptations
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | Distributor
! class="unsortable" | Network
! Rotten Tomatoes
|-
| 1979
| Salem's Lot
| Based on the novel of the same name
| Warner Bros. Television
| CBS
|89%
|-
| 1984
|
| An episode of the anthology series Tales from the Darkside. Based on the short story of the same name.
| CBS Television Distribution
| Syndication
| rowspan="2"
|-
| 1986
|
| An episode of the anthology series The Twilight Zone. Based on the short story of the same name.
| CBS Television Distribution
| CBS
|-
| 1990
| It
| Based on the novel of the same name
| Warner Bros. Television
| ABC
|67%
|-
| rowspan="2" |1991
|
| An episode of the anthology series Monsters. Based on the short story of the same name.
| Tribune Entertainment
| Syndication
|
|-
| Sometimes They Come Back
| Based on the short story of the same name
| CBS Television Distribution
| CBS
| 67%
|-
| 1993
|
| Based on the novel of the same name
| Trimark Pictures
| ABC
|35%
|-
| rowspan="3" |1997
| Trucks
| Based on the short story of the same name
| Trimark Pictures
| USA Network
| rowspan="4"
|-
| Quicksilver Highway
| Based on the short story Chattery Teeth
| colspan="2" | 20th Television
|-
|
| An episode of the anthology series The Outer Limits. Based on the short story of the same name.
| MGM Television
| Showtime
|-
| 1998
| Woh
| Based on the novel It
| Zee Entertainment Enterprises
| Zee TV
|-
| 2002
| Carrie
| Based on the novel of the same name
| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
| NBC
| 20%
|-
| 2002–2007
|
| Based on the novel of the same name
| 20th Television
| USA Network
|
|-
| 2004
| Salem's Lot
| Based on the novel of the same name
| Warner Bros. Television
| TNT
| 69%
|-
| 2006
| Nightmares & Dreamscapes
| Based on short stories in collections Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Everything's Eventual, and Night Shift
| colspan="2" | TNT
| 85%
|-
| 2009
| Children of the Corn
| Based on the short story of the same name
| Anchor Bay Entertainment
| Syfy
| 0%
|-
| 2010–2015
| Haven
| Based on the novel The Colorado Kid
| Entertainment One
| Syfy
| 63%
|-
| 2011
| Bag of Bones
| Based on the novel of the same name
| A&E Networks
| A&E
|
|-
| 2013–2015
| Under the Dome
| Based on the novel of the same name
| CBS Television Distribution
| CBS
| 68%
|-
| 2014
| Big Driver
| Based on the novella of the same name
| Lifetime Movies
| Lifetime
| 50%
|-
| 2016
| 11.22.63
| Based on the novel of the same name
| Warner Bros. Television
| Hulu
| 83%
|-
| 2017
|
| Based on the novella of the same name
| Dimension Television
| Spike
| 60%
|-
| 2017–2019
| Mr. Mercedes
| Based on the novels Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch
| WarnerMedia Entertainment
| Audience
| 91%
|-
| 2019, 2020
| Creepshow
| Based on the short stories "Gray Matter" and "Survivor Type"; the rest is not based on stories by King.
| colspan="2" | Shudder
| 97%
|-
| 2020
|
| Based on the novel of the same name
| Media Rights Capital
| HBO
| 91%
|-
| 2020–2021
|
| Based on the novel of the same name
| CBS Television Distribution
| CBS All Access
| 57%
|-
| 2021
| Chapelwaite
| Based on the short story "Jerusalem's Lot"
| colspan="2" | Epix
| 60%
|-
|- style="background:#b0c4de;"
! colspan="8"| Ongoing
|-
| 2025–present
| The Institute
| Based on the novel of the same name
| colspan="2" | MGM+
| 71%
|-
! colspan="6" style="background-color:#white;" | Upcoming
|-
| 2026
| Carrie
| Based on the novel of the same name
| Amazon MGM Studios
| Amazon Prime Video
|
|-
! colspan="6" style="background-color:#white;" | In development
|-
| TBA
| Fairy Tale
| Based on the novel of the same name
| A24
| TBA
|
|}
Derivative works
In films
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | Distributor
! Rotten Tomatoes
|-
| 1987
|
| Larry Cohen
| Sequel to the Salem's Lot miniseries
| Warner Bros.
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| Pet Sematary Two
| Mary Lambert
| Sequel to 1989's Pet Semetary
| Paramount Pictures
| 21%
|-
| Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice
| David Price
| Sequel to 1984's Children of the Corn
| rowspan="2" | Dimension Films
| 30%
|-
| 1995
| Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest
| James D. R. Hickox
| Sequel to 1984's Children of the Corn
| rowspan="3"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1996
| Sometimes They Come Back... Again
| Adam Grossman
| Based on 1991's Sometimes They Come Back
| Trimark Pictures
|-
| Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering
| Greg Spence
| Sequel to 1984's Children of the Corn
| rowspan="2" | Dimension Films
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1998
| Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror
| Ethan Wiley
|Sequel to 1984's Children of the Corn
| 14%
|-
| Sometimes They Come Back... for More
| Daniel Zelik Berk
| Based on 1991's Sometimes They Come Back
| Trimark Pictures
| 0%
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1999
| The Rage: Carrie 2
| Katt Shea
| Sequel to 1976's Carrie
| United Artists
| 23%
|-
| Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return
| Kari Skogland
| Sequel to 1984's Children of the Corn
| Dimension Films
| 0%
|-
| 2001
| Children of the Corn: Revelation
| Guy Magar
| Sequel to 1984's Children of the Corn
| Dimension Films
| 0%
|-
| 2002
|
| Michael Hamilton-Wright
| Sequel to 1995's The Mangler
| Artisan Entertainment
|
|-
| 2003
|
| Craig R. Baxley
| Prequel to 2002's Rose Red, written by King for television
| ABC Studios, Lionsgate
| 17%
|-
| 2005
|
| Erik Gardner and Matt Cunningham
| Sequel to 1995's The Mangler
| Lionsgate
|
|-
| 2006
| Creepshow 3
| Ana Clavell and James Dudelson
| Sequel to 1982's Creepshow and 1987's Creepshow 2
| Taurus Entertainment Company
| 0%
|-
| 2011
| Children of the Corn: Genesis
| Joel Soisson
| Sequels to 1984's Children of the Corn
| Dimension Extreme
| rowspan="2"
|-
| 2018
| Children of the Corn: Runaway
| John Gulager
|Sequels to 1984's Children of the Corn
| Lionsgate Films
|-
| 2023
| Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
| Lindsey Anderson Beer
| Origin story based on Pet Sematary
| Paramount+
| 23%
|}
In television
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Notes
! Distributor
! Network
! Rotten Tomatoes
|-
| 2002
| Firestarter: Rekindled
| Sequel to 1984's Firestarter
| colspan="2" | Sci-Fi Channel
|
|-
| 2018–19
| Castle Rock
| Based on the eponymous fictional city and also characters created by King
| Warner Bros. Television
| Hulu
| 88%
|-
| 2019–23
| Creepshow
| Following the same anthology formula as the Creepshow films
| colspan="2" | Shudder
| 85%
|-
! colspan="6" style="background:#white"| Ongoing
|-
| 2025–present
| It: Welcome to Derry
| Prequel television series based on It
| Warner Bros. Television
| HBO
| 84%
|-
! colspan="6" style="background-color:#white;" | In development
|-
| TBA
| Overlook
| Spin-off series based on The Shining
| Warner Bros. Television
| Netflix
|
|}
In print
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Author
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | Publisher
|-
| 2001
|
| Ridley Pearson
| Prequel tie-in novel to King's 2002 television series Rose Red
| Hyperion
|-
| 2019
| Gwendy's Magic Feather
| Richard Chizmar
| Sequel to the novella co-written with King Gwendy's Button Box
| Cemetery Dance
|}
Comics
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! class="unsortable"| Notes
! class="unsortable"| Publisher
|-
| 1981
|
| Based on the short story "The Lawnmower Man"
| Marvel Comics
|-
| 1982
| Creepshow
| Based on the Creepshow film
| Plume
|-
| 2009
|
| Based on the novel The Talisman
| Del Rey
|-
| 2010
| N.
| Based on the novella N.
| Marvel Comics
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2012
| Road Rage
| Based on the novella Throttle, co-authored with his son, Joe Hill
| IDW Publishing
|-
|
| Based on the short story of the same name
| Free comic on King's official website
|-
| 2020
| Sleeping Beauties
| Based on the novel Sleeping Beauties, co-authored with his son, Owen King
| IDW Publishing
|-
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |The Dark Tower
|-
| 2007
|
| rowspan="6" | Spin-offs from the Dark Tower novels
| rowspan="19" | Marvel Comics
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2008
|
|-
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2009
|
|-
|
|-
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2010
|
| Based on the novel The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
|-
|
| Based on the short story The Little Sisters of Eluria
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011
|
| rowspan="3" | Based on the novel The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
|-
|
|-
| 2012
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2013
|
| rowspan="3" | Spin-offs from the Dark Tower novels
|-
|
|-
|
|-
| 2014
|
| rowspan="4" | Based on the novel The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
|-
| 2015
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2016
|
|-
|
|-
| 2017
|
| Based on the novel The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
|-
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | The Stand
|-
| 2008
|
| rowspan="6" | Based on the novel The Stand
| rowspan="6" | Marvel Comics
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009
|
|-
|
|-
| 2010
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011
|
|-
|
|}
Video games
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Platform(s)
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | Developer/publisher
|-
|1985
|The Mist
|PC
|Based on the novella of the same name
|Mindscape
|-
|1989
|The Running Man
|
|Based on the film adaptation of the 1982 novel
|
|-
|1992
|The Dark Half
|MS-DOS
|Based on the novel of the same name
|Capstone Software
|-
|1999
|Stephen King's F13
|
|The game includes a digital copy of the novella Everything's Eventual
|
|}
Stage
- 1988: Carrie was initially a flop on Broadway, but has since gained a cult following. The musical was revived at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York, directed by Stafford Arima from January to April 2012. On September 25, 2012, the first official cast recording was released.
- 1990: Ghost Stories was an adaptation of Stephen King's short stories "The Return of Timmy Baterman," about zombies; "Strawberry Spring," about a campus serial killer; "Gray Matter," a black comedy about a hideous mutation caused by a bottle of beer; "Uncle Otto's Truck," and "The Boogeyman," about a distraught father's encounter with a child-killing closet monster, as well as selections from Pet Sematary. Adapted and directed by Robert Pridham, the play premiered at the Arts Center Theatre at Kent Place School in Summit, New Jersey, and toured the United States in the mid-1990s.
- 1992: Misery stage play by Simon Moore based on 1987 novel. Another adaptation, written by William Goldman (who wrote the 1990 film), premiered on Broadway in 2015 with Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf. This version was also adapted to Polish language. It premiered at the Kwadrat Theatre in Warsaw in 2017. A musical version also exists, written by Jeff Hockhauser and Bob Johnson. While it has not been staged, a demo recording has circulated on the internet in recent years. There are also four Finnish-language stage adaptations of Misery under the name Piina: the first adaptation was performed in October 2019 by Tampere Theatre in Tampere, the second adaptation was performed in September of the same year by Kuopio City Theatre in Kuopio, the third adaptation was performed in November 2022 by Pori Theatre in Pori, and the fourth adaptation was performed in February 2025 by Seinäjoki City Theatre in Seinäjoki.
- 1993: Rage stage play written by Phillip Smith, produced by Shane Black, and directed by Jim Birge. It was intended to premiere in Jasper, Indiana, but scheduling and venue issues due to protests over its mature themes forced it to move to the American Legion hall in Santa Claus, Indiana, where it ran from April 23 to May 1.
- 2009: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption was dramatized by Dave Johns and Owen O'Neill for the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin. A later version, directed by Peter Sheridan, had its world premiere at the Peter Sheridan Theatre in London in September 2010. A production was mounted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe directed by Lucy Pitman-Wallace in August 2013. In April 2019, The Shawshank Redemption made its North American debut at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, directed by Bob Paisley. It garnered great reviews from critics during its run. It featured Keenan Ramos as Red, Chris Roady as Andy Defresne, S.E. Perry as Warden Stammas, Tim Ahlenius as Hadley, Chad Burris as Boggs Diamond, Dan Daly as Pinky, Kevin Fewell as Brooksie, Christopher Preyer as Rooster, Larry Goodman as Dawkins, Nick Hazel as Entwhistle, Evan Lovelace as Tommy, Andrew Paredes as Rico, and Alex Paxton as inmate/guard.
- 2012: Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, an original musical with book by Stephen King and music and lyrics by John Mellencamp. After a week of previews, it ran at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre from April 11 to May 13, 2012. A concept album was released the following year.
- 2013: Dolores Claiborne is an American opera composed by Tobias Picker. It premiered at the San Francisco Opera in Fall 2013. Before that, the novel was also made into a couple of Finnish plays, both called Doloreksen tunnustus: in 2009 presented by Tukkateatteri, and in 2012 presented by Ad Astra Teatteri.
- 2014: The Body (also known as "Stand By Me") was produced by Chellaston Players in Derby, England. Though an amateur staging (produced with Stephen King's permission), it received rave reviews.
There have also been dramatizations of many of King's short stories, including "Nona", "Quitters, Inc.", "In the Deathroom", "Strawberry Spring", "Harvey's Dream", "The Man Who Loved Flowers", "Mute", "The Ten O'Clock People" and King's poem, "Paranoid: A Chant". There have also been alleged stage productions of Rage as well as several parody stage versions of The Shining.
Music
- 1983: "The Stand", recorded and released by Welsh rock band The Alarm, was recorded and released in the United Kingdom as a single. The song's lyrics were inspired by King's novel of the same name
- 1985: "Lone Justice", recorded and released by American heavy metal band Anthrax, was based on the King novella The Gunslinger.
- 1984: "Horror-Teria: (The Beginning)" from the Twisted Sister album Stay Hungry. The album's liner notes thank King for inspiring the piece.
- 1987: "Among the Living", recorded and released by American heavy metal band Anthrax, was based on the King novel The Stand. "The Walkin' Dude" is Randall Flagg, the main villain in the novel, and the beginning verse: "Disease! Disease! Spreading the disease!/ With some help from Captain Trips/ He'll bring the world down to its knees" refers to the virus that destroys most of the population in the novel.
- 1987: "A Skeleton in the Closet", recorded and released by American heavy metal band Anthrax, was based on the King novella Apt Pupil from the collection Different Seasons.
- 1987: "Severed Survival", recorded and released by American death metal band Autopsy, was based on the King short story Survivor Type.
- 1988: "Misery Loves Company", recorded and released by American heavy metal band Anthrax, was based on the King novel Misery.
- 1988: Formation of the American punk rock band Pennywise, who took the name from the evil clown monster of the same name from King's highly successful epic horror novel It.
- 1989: "Pet Sematary", recorded and released by American punk rock band The Ramones, was a single from their eleventh studio album, Brain Drain. The song was originally written for the King movie adaptation of the novel of the same name. The single became one of the band's biggest radio hits and a staple in their concerts during the 1990s.
- 2000: The music video for the song "Spit it Out", recorded and released by American heavy metal band Slipknot, pays homage to Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of the King novel The Shining.
- 2002: Formation of the Dutch symphonic metal band Delain, who took the name from the Kingdom of Delain from the King novel The Eyes of the Dragon.
- 2006: The music video for the song The Kill, recorded and released by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, was inspired by Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of the King novel The Shining.
- 2006: The song "Carry the Blessed Home", recorded and released by German power metal band Blind Guardian on their eighth studio album, A Twist in the Myth. It is about Roland Deschain and Jake Chambers at the end of the Dark Tower series.
- 2007: "Dull Boy", recorded and released by American heavy metal band Mudvayne, was a single for both the band's fourth studio album, The New Game, and the band's compilation album By the People, for the People. The song was based on both the King novel and the Stanley Kubrick movie of The Shining.
- 2010: King provided the voice of Will 'o the Wisp for Shooter Jennings's "Black Ribbons" music video.
- 2014: The music video for the song "Animals", recorded and released by American pop rock band Maroon 5, was inspired by a blood drop scene from the 1976 film adaptation of the King novel Carrie.
- 2015: American heavy metal and metallic hardcore band Ice Nine Kills recorded and released the song "Hell in the Hallways" (which was based on King's first horror novel Carrie) on their fourth studio album, Every Trick in the Book. A number of months later, the band created, recorded and released the single "Enjoy Your Slay" (based on Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of the King novel The Shining) from their fifth studio album, The Silver Scream.
- 2016: The song "Breathing Lightning", recorded and released by American heavy metal band Anthrax, was based on the Dark Tower series.
- 2016: Boston, Massachusetts-formed and -based musical band Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys included a song, titled "Dull Boy", on their 2016 album Come Black Magic with lyrics inspired by The Shining. The song is otherwise unrelated to the Mudvayne track listed above.
- 2019: American heavy metal and metallic hardcore band Ice Nine Kills recorded and released their fifth studio album, The Silver Scream, featuring "It Is the End", based upon and inspired by the 2017 theatrical film adaptation of King's horror novel It. And later "Funeral Derangements", based on Pet Semetary, as the 4th single from their follow up album The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood.
See also
- Dollar Babies, short film adaptations of King material made by students and aspiring filmmakers