Stephen King’s Top 10 Films of All Time Might Surprise You
Stephen King has built his empire on fear. From It, to Carrie, to The Shining, few authors have shaped modern horror the way he has. But, when the bestselling writer recently took to X to reveal his ten favorite movies of all time, the results were far from a bloodbath.
Around the release date of The Long Walk in 2025, Lionsgate’s adaptation of his 1979 novel, King shared his personal list “in no particular order.”
And, while you’d expect a few creepy classics to make the cut, Stephen King’s favorite movies in 2025 reveal something deeper about what kind of stories really stick with him.
Sorcerer
At the top of King’s post sits Sorcerer, William Friedkin’s tense 1977 thriller about four fugitives transporting unstable explosives across a South American jungle. The film was a box office flop in its day, but its sweaty, nerve-shredding tension has since earned cult status.
King’s admiration for it isn’t surprising once you think about it. The movie is pure dread and grit, powered by moral ambiguity and impossible odds, exactly the kind of atmosphere King builds so well in his own work.
The Godfather Part II
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 masterpiece is a study in family, betrayal, and the corrosive nature of power. For many, it’s one of the rare sequels that outshines the original.
King’s inclusion of The Godfather Part II reflects his love for long, morally complex storytelling. Like his novels, it’s layered with generational wounds and impossible choices, a saga that finds horror not in monsters, but in human ambition.
The Getaway
Directed by Sam Peckinpah in 1972, The Getaway stars Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw as lovers on the run after a heist gone wrong. It’s hard-boiled, violent, and endlessly stylish.
King has long admired crime novelist Jim Thompson, who wrote the book the film is based on. His pick here shows his appreciation for pulp storytelling and morally gray characters, both staples of his own fiction.
Groundhog Day
You wouldn’t expect a time-loop comedy to show up in Stephen King’s top ten, but Groundhog Day makes perfect sense. Harold Ramis’ 1993 classic is funny, melancholy, and existential all at once.
Fans first saw this pick when Stephen King on X shared his thoughts about how Groundhog Day captures the repetition and quiet dread of everyday life.
King’s work often explores cycles of violence, trauma, andfate, and this film captures that in a lighthearted but deeply human way. It’s also proof that King’s cinematic taste extends well beyond terror.
Casablanca
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman’s 1942 love story remains one of the greatest films ever made, balancing wartime drama with moral tension and romance.
King’s inclusion of Casablanca might seem traditional, but it highlights his appreciation for stories that endure. Like many of his own novels, it’s about impossible love, hard choices, and finding a sliver of grace when the world falls apart.
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
John Huston’s 1948 adventure film follows desperate men chasing gold in Mexico and watching greed destroy them. It’s equal parts moral fable and descent into madness.
King has often said that true horror comes from the human heart, not monsters, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre captures that perfectly. It’s a film about paranoia, desperation, and how easily good men can crumble.
Jaws
It’s no surprise that Jaws ranks among the Stephen King top 10 films, a choice that highlights his respect for carefully built tension and the power of suggestion.
In fact, no list of suspense classics would be complete without it. Spielberg’s 1975 shark thriller changed filmmaking forever and taught audiences that fear often comes from what you don’t see.
Jaws was probably an easy pick for King because, in the past, he’s called Jaws one of the best examples of “slow-burn terror.” Like his own novels, it builds dread moment by moment until you’re too deep to look away.
Mean Streets
Martin Scorsese’s 1973 breakthrough film paints a vivid picture of New York’s Little Italy, where loyalty, sin, and survival collide. It’s raw, restless, and brimming with energy.
For King, it’s likely the grit and realism that resonate most. Mean Streets captures a sense of place and moral unease that feels familiar to anyone who’s read his small-town thrillers.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Steven Spielberg appears again on King’s list with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the 1977 sci-fi classic about alien contact and human obsession.
It’s a story of wonder rather than fear, a theme that runs quietly through much of King’s work. Beneath his reputation for horror, there’s always been a fascination with mystery, awe, and the unknown.
Double Indemnity
Billy Wilder’s 1944 noir is a sharp, shadowy story of murder and greed, where a scheming woman and a desperate man set off a chain of doomed events.
You can probably see why King would love it. Few films capture moral rot and slow-burn tension quite so well. Like most of his stories, it begins with temptation and ends in inevitable ruin.
The Ones He Left Out
King made a point of excluding any movies based on his own work, though he acknowledged he loves several of them. That list includes:
Misery (1990)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Green Mile (1999)
Stand by Me (1986)
Each of those films has long been praised as one of the best literary adaptations of all time. But, in an act of humility, he left them off the list to make room for others.
Stephen King’s movie list isn’t about spectacle or special effects. It’s about tension, character, and moral weight.
Whether it’s Sorcerer’s jungle road or Casablanca’s foggy runway, these are stories that ask what people do when pushed to their limits. And, for a writer who’s spent decades exploring fear and humanity, that feels like the perfect list.
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