Legendary horror author Stephen King is known for his enthusiastic film and TV recommendations, but his eclectic taste leads to some surprising choices. Stephen King rose to prominence in the ’70s and ’80s with darkly imaginative horror novels such as Carrie, Cujo and The Shining. The author’s legendary work ethic has since seen him publish 65 novels, not counting non-fiction works and short story collections. Within this vast library, King has explored a rich variety of genres, from grounded dramas, such as Stand By Me, to action-packed high fantasy, like his Dark Tower series. This variety is reflected in the generic range of the author’s film and TV recommendations.
The prolific writer has taken to numerous outlets over the years to espouse his love of certain movies and TV shows. Stephen King spent 7 years writing a recurring column for Entertainment Weekly, where he laid down several articles on the subject. Some of his views have been taken from interviews, while many others have been taken from King’s Twitter account, on which the author posts numerous times a day. Many of King’s recommendations jar with his perceived dark sensibility, others surprise due to an infamous dislike of a famous cinematic work and others still prove unexpectedly obscure. However, most of King’s endorsements make sense upon closer inspection.
1 Doctor Sleep (2019)
When Stanley Kubrick made The Shining, Stephen King infamously condemned the film and the many changes it makes from his original novel. When King wrote the novel Doctor Sleep as a follow-up to his version of The Shining, following an adult Danny Torrance using his psychic powers to take on a dark cult, director Mike Flanagan boldly pitched King on a film adaptation that acts as a sequel to the plot of Kubrick’s original film. King trusted Flanagan’s vision and approved the choice. King would go on to praise the final product, stating (via Far Out) “it actually warms my feelings up towards the Kubrick film.”
2 The Flash (2023)
The Flash follows the titular superhero’s attempts to rectify the timeline after his own time travel antics accidentally create a world without superheroes. The film has seen disappointing box office returns and mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with some critics lambasting the film as cynical, suffering from incomplete special effects and an over-reliance on nostalgia. However, Stephen King’s Twitter review of the film tells a different story. For King, who admits to not generally caring for superhero movies, the film is the very inverse of these criticisms: “heartfelt, funny, and eye-popping”. An unexpected endorsement that received an enthusiastic agreement from James Gunn in the replies.
A tweet from Stephen King declaring his feelings towards The Flash movie
3 Da 5 Bloods (2020)
In 2020, Stephen King took to Twitter to praise Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. King is not alone in his approval of the film, which sits at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s plot, about 4 Black veterans who return to Vietnam to recover a fortune in gold, doesn’t necessarily read as King’s wheelhouse. However, Da 5 Bloods houses some deceptively dark, visceral moments within its treasure-hunting premise. On close inspection, the film features some aspects that recall King’s body of work, including a sinister tone and a tight-knit group who reunite after being bonded by a dark experience.
A tweet that emphasizes how much Stephen King loved Da 5 Bloods.
4 Final Destination (2000)
Stephen King’s association with some of the most respected, critically acclaimed horror films of all time breeds the assumption that the author must possess discerning, highbrow tastes in horror. However, King is an admitted fan of the schlocky, absurd horror franchise Final Destination, in which groups of young people meet their ends in elaborate, violent ways after initially cheating death. King praises the series’ “elaborate Rube Goldberg setups – it’s like watching R-rated splatter versions of those old Road Runner cartoons” (via Bloody Disgusting); however, he maintains that only first film in the series is “genuinely scary”.
5 Money Heist (2017-21)
Stephen King is an enthusiastic fan of the Spanish crime series Money Heist. The hit Netflix series follows an ambitious, elaborately planned heist on the Spanish Royal Mint by a gang of bold criminals. The series was a record-breaking global phenomenon upon hitting Netflix (via Business Insider), captivating many viewers, including the master of the macabre himself. King has tweeted about the show seven times, even capturing the attention of the series’ Twitter account, who replied to King’s tweets about the series return and even sent the author merch for his vocal support of the show.
A tweet from Stephen King showing his love for the Spanish TV series, Money Heist
6 Plane (2023)
Stephen King brought up his love for the Gerard Butler thriller Plane in an unexpected context over Twitter. In March 2023, a user took to the site to ask where they can watch the newest Children of The Corn film. The franchise, based on a short story, has seen 11 films of consistently poor quality, with the most recent adaptation of Stephen King’s work being decimated by critics. King, no fan of the series, responded to the fan’s query with a recommendation that they watch Plane instead. It’s hard to make any connection between the two films; Plane was likely just a recent film that King enjoyed.
7 Billy Elliot (2000)
In a 2007 column for Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King wrote up an indictment of Kill Bill: Volume 1, calling the movie a dull and empty display of violence. It’s a worthwhile reminder that King, while known for his macabre sensibilities, places great stock on emotional resonance and strong characterization, which he generally treats as an essential foundation on which he can build horror elements. In the column, King names numerous films that, in his opinion, far exceed Kill Bill. Perhaps the most unexpected title is Billy Elliot, the drama about a working-class boy who discovers a love for ballet.
8 Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)
Stephen King is often asked about his dislike for Kubrick’s The Shining, given its widespread acclaim as one of the greatest horror movies of all time. King is quick to acknowledge the film’s beauty and even heaps praise on the director. The author (via Deadline) calls Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick’s comedy about nuclear annihilation, “a movie that mean[s] a lot to me”. It follows that King would be able to enjoy one work and not the other, since King’s criticisms of Kubrick’s Shining (via Paris Review) center around the lack of “emotional investment” in the characters, whereas Dr. Strangelove is a satire in which emotional investment is not required.
9 The Hurt Locker (2008)
Stephen King would return to Entertainment Weekly to write an article about his favorite films of the year for 2009. While the horror author’s number two choice was the appropriately grisly Last House on The Left remake, King picked the Best Picture Oscar winner, The Hurt Locker, for his number one. Given the film’s popularity at the time and knowing the writer’s penchant for character-driven drama, the choice is understandable; still, the Hurt Locker’s military setting and grounded action seems a far cry from something the author himself would write.
10 Dementia 13 (1963)
In Stephen King’s Entertainment Weekly repudiation of Kill Bill, the author names numerous works that he calls “movies that matter”. The most obscure title he references is Dementia 13, the first legitimate film from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola convinced iconic B movie producer Roger Corman to let him make the film after working as a sound technician on one of Corman’s films. According to King, “for mood, atmosphere, and plain old gut-churning horror, ”13” makes ”Psycho” and ”Night of the Living Dead” look tame. ”Dementia 13” is a movie that matters”.
Sources: Far Out, Rotten Tomatoes, Bloody Disgusting, Entertainment Weekly, Deadline, Paris Review, Entertainment Weekly, @stephenking/Twitter