All 6 Stephen King Movies and Shows of 2025, Ranked

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Stephen King‘s stories have consistently been popular choices for movies and TV shows for many years, captivating each new generation. Hollywood keeps returning to his unique combination of suspense, relatable characters, and emotional impact, and 2025 promises to be an especially strong year for adaptations of his work. This year’s projects, ranging from big-budget films to high-quality TV series, showcase the incredible range and depth of King’s storytelling.

These new adaptations of Stephen King’s work, whether deeply emotional or terrifying, show a strong desire to stay true to his stories while making them relevant for today’s viewers. What’s especially promising about 2025 is the variety of approaches being taken – some adaptations explore complex ideas, while others focus on social issues or classic monster thrills. This year’s projects demonstrate both how much King has shaped popular culture and the inventive ways filmmakers are reimagining his famous stories.

Here’s a list of every Stephen King movie and TV show released in 2025, ranked from good to best.

6
‘The Institute’ (2025 – Present)


MGM+

This year, The Institute starts with a gripping, suspenseful story full of secrets and difficult moral questions. The horror series on MGM+ centers around Luke Ellis, a remarkably talented teenager who is abducted and held in a hidden government facility overseen by Ms. Sigsby. There, children with telekinetic and telepathic abilities are relentlessly tested under the guise of ‘research’ meant to ‘save the world.’ Ben Barnes plays Tim Jamieson, a former police officer who arrives in town and starts to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy. The series strongly emphasizes Stephen King’s classic themes of lost innocence and the abuse of power. The confined location creates a constant sense of pressure, turning even ordinary spaces like hallways and examination rooms into intensely stressful environments.

The show really comes into its own when focusing on the children. Their strength, fear, and subtle acts of defiance drive the story’s emotional core, and their bond as a chosen family – and their efforts to protect each other against all odds – give it heart. While the series starts slowly and the early dialogue feels a bit awkward, it improves as the season goes on, and the actors do a commendable job with the material they’re given. The biggest weaknesses are underdeveloped plot points, like the mysterious flash drive, and a lack of detailed backstories for the characters. Overall, The Institute doesn’t quite live up to the potential of the original story, but it’s still a promising show – and that’s likely why it’s been picked up for another season.

5
‘The Running Man’ (2025)


Paramount Pictures

2025 has seen fantastic adaptations of Stephen King’s work, and it’s tough to pick a favorite, but at the bottom of our list is The Running Man, starring Glen Powell. The movie lived up to the hype, but was ultimately surpassed by several others. This new version boldly returns to the dark, thought-provoking themes of King’s original story, offering a more accurate depiction than the popular 1987 film. While the earlier adaptation emphasized over-the-top action, this 2025 version highlights the book’s biting critique of society. The story is set in a bleak, futuristic world controlled by a powerful media company, and follows Ben Richards (Powell), a father who enters a dangerous, televised manhunt in hopes of winning a billion dollars to save his ailing daughter.

One of the film’s greatest strengths is its detailed and immersive world, which powerfully reflects issues like economic inequality, corporate corruption, and political control. It’s a compelling watch because it expertly combines fast-paced action with relatable characters and their stories. The hero’s struggle isn’t just about staying alive; it’s a fight against an unfair system designed to silence opposition. Every action scene and conflict feels meaningful, highlighting the film’s themes of exploitation and fighting back. By blending constant excitement with moments of reflection, the film creates a thrilling yet unsettlingly realistic experience.

4
‘The Life of Chuck’ (2024)


Neon

Though The Life of Chuck premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, it didn’t reach theaters until June 2025, so including it on this list is a bit of a spoiler. However, this film is unique among recent Stephen King adaptations – and that’s what makes it so compelling. Directed by Mike Flanagan, it tells the life story of Charles “Chuck” Crantz (Tom Hiddleston) in reverse, starting with his death at age 39 and ending with his childhood. This unusual format works beautifully because the film focuses on character development. Each scene reveals more about Chuck’s past, showing that even a seemingly ordinary life can be filled with both joy and sorrow.

This film is a thoughtful exploration of the beauty and delicate nature of everyday life. It finds magic in the ordinary – the small moments and simple decisions that shape who we are and the world around us. The movie seamlessly blends profound, life-altering events with relatable scenes of family, childhood, and self-discovery. With strong acting and a carefully considered atmosphere, it creates a deeply moving experience. The Life of Chuck gracefully balances lightheartedness with sadness, reminding us that each of us contains entire worlds within.

3
‘The Monkey’ (2025)


Neon

Stephen King’s shorter stories often make for truly frightening movies, and Oz Perkins’ The Monkey is a perfect example. Theo James delivers a strong performance playing twin brothers, Hal and Bill, who are forced to confront a terrifying childhood trauma when a deadly toy monkey resurfaces after 25 years. The film, like many of King’s works, expertly turns an everyday object into something truly frightening – every sound heightens the tension. With a realistic and gritty visual style, the unsettling toy feels genuinely menacing, not just a cheap scare. This adaptation successfully combines supernatural horror with dark humor, resulting in a powerful and memorable depiction of family trauma.

What truly makes this movie work isn’t just its spooky moments or cleverness, but the deep feelings connected to them. It starts with a frightening childhood recollection and develops into a thoughtful look at how trauma and guilt can be passed down through families. Surprisingly, the film also offers a refreshingly positive – or rather, accepting and funny – take on death and grief. It doesn’t show death as something purely terrifying, but as a natural, unpredictable part of life that we eventually have to come to terms with.

2
‘It: Welcome to Derry’ (2025 – Present)


HBO

The story unfolds in 1962, during the peak of the Cold War, in the town of Derry. A nearby military base is working on secret weapons designed to defeat the Soviets. Captain Leroy Hanlon, fresh back from Korea, joins the project and meets Dick Hallorann – a character familiar to fans of Stephen King’s The Shining as the future chef at the Overlook Hotel. At the same time, a young boy named Matty has been missing for three months, and only his friend, Lily, seems concerned. Lily, still grieving her father’s death and ostracized by other children, rallies a group of kids to investigate. As they search for Matty, disturbing events and violent deaths begin to occur.

Welcome to Derry builds on the story of It, giving fans the deeper look into the town’s dark past and Pennywise’s terrifying influence they’ve been hoping for. The series portrays Derry as a character itself – a troubled, broken place defined by a repeating pattern of violence that everyone ignores. Rather than just focusing on jump scares from Pennywise, the show builds tension by showing how fear slowly takes over the town’s normal life, adding to the story without simply repeating moments from the movies. The show’s setting in the past is a great addition, combining a nostalgic feel with a growing sense of dread, and importantly, highlighting the racial inequalities and prejudices of the pre-Civil Rights era.

1
‘The Long Walk’ (2025)


Lionsgate

Topping the list is The Long Walk, a powerfully bleak and emotionally devastating portrayal of a dystopian future. The story centers on fifty teenage boys, each representing a different state, who are randomly selected for a televised walking competition. The rules are brutally simple: they must keep walking at three miles per hour, and anyone who stops, even briefly, faces execution. The competition continues until only one boy is left standing. What makes the film so effective is its stripped-down style—it relies on the chilling reality of an oppressive government and the limits of human endurance, rather than special effects or jump scares. The film’s constant forward momentum perfectly reflects the grueling walk, steadily increasing the tension with every step.

This adaptation of Stephen King’s work stands out because of its deep dive into the characters. As they form bonds and grapple with their inner demons, the story becomes a moving exploration of youth, the fragility and resilience of the human spirit, and the terrifying consequences of government-sponsored violence. A closer examination reveals a sharp critique of capitalism, highlighting its tendency to exploit people and the false promise of social advancement. The actors deliver intensely personal and realistic performances, immersing the audience in the characters’ emotional and physical journeys. With its blend of social commentary, powerful emotions, and uncompromising honesty, The Long Walk isn’t just the best Stephen King adaptation of 2025 – it’s one of the most impactful ever made.

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2025-12-01 02:07