Building The Ultimate Stephen King Collection: Every Book, Movie And TV Series A True King Fan Should Own
One could make a strong argument that no single creator has made a greater contribution to pop culture in the last 50 years than Stephen King. It all began with Carrie, the book in 1974 and the movie in 1976, and the author since then has not only established himself as one of the most prolific professional writers alive, but a cross-medium legend. He puts out at least one new book (be it a novel, a collection of short stories, or non-fiction) annually, and it’s actually rare for a year to go by in the 21st century without seeing at least one adaptation premiere on either the big screen or on television.
Between Stephen King movies, books, and TV, his body of work also happens to be a wonderful playground for fans who see themselves as “collectors” – and if you’re one of those people, we’ve built this feature for you. I’ve personally spent years building my own perfect Stephen King collection, and knowing there is a wide world of Constant Readers out there I figured I’d lend a hand helping others do the same. From Carrie, to IT, to Holly, let’s dig in!
Stephen King Books
It all starts with the books, so we’ll begin the collecting journey here. More advanced collectors (and those with the available disposable income) may be inclined to go the route of buying First Edition copies of each of the titles (most of which are hardcovers), but this is more of a starter guide that points towards the best commonly available editions of each one (which generally means that they are purchasable at a reasonable price).
Must-Own Stephen King Books
If you’re building a core Stephen King collection, it’s a must to start with the classics (Carrie, Firestarter, The Dead Zone), the series (The Dark Tower, The Bill Hodges Trilogy), and the epics (The Stand, IT). The novella collections are special, as are most of his short story omnibi.
Carrie (1974) – Hardcover
Salem's Lot (1975) – Hardcover
The Shining (1977) – Hardcover
Rage (1977)/The Long Walk (1979)/Roadwork (1981)/The Running Man (1982) – Hardcover (Out Of Print)
Night Shift (1978) – Hardcover
The Stand (1978) – Hardcover
The Dead Zone (1979) – Hardcover
Firestarter (1980) – Hardcover
Danse Macabre (1981) – Hardcover
Cujo (1981) – Hardcover
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982) – Hardcover
Different Seasons (1982) – Hardcover
Christine (1983) – Hardcover
Pet Sematary (1983) – Hardcover
The Talisman (1984) – Hardcover
Skeleton Crew (1985) – Hardcover
IT (1986) – Hardcover
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing Of The Three (1987) – Hardcover
Misery (1987) – Hardcover
The Dark Half (1989) – Hardcover
Four Past Midnight (1990) – Hardcover
Needful Things (1991) – Hardcover
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991) – Hardcover
Gerald's Game (1992) – Hardcover
Dolores Claiborne (1992) – Hardcover
Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993) – Hardcover
The Green Mile (1996) – Hardcover
Desperation (1996) – Hardcover
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997) – Hardcover
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999) – Hardcover
On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (2000) – Hardcover
Black House (2001) – Hardcover
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003) – Hardcover
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004) – Hardcover
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004) – Hardcover
Lisey's Story (2006) – Hardcover
Under The Dome (2009) – Hardcover
Full Dark, No Stars (2010) – Hardcover
11.22.63 (2011) – Hardcover
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through The Keyhole (2012) – Hardcover
Doctor Sleep (2013) – Hardcover
Mr. Mercedes (2014) – Hardcover
Revival (2014) – Hardcover
Finders Keepers (2015) – Hardcover
End Of Watch (2016) – Hardcover
Gwendy's Button Box (2017) – Hardcover
The Outsider (2018) – Hardcover
If It Bleeds (2020) – Hardcover
Later (2021) – Paperback
Billy Summers (2021) – Hardcover
Gwendy’s Final Task (2022) – Hardcover
Fairy Tale (2022) – Hardcover
Holly (2023) - Hardcover
You Like It Darker (2024) - Hardcover
Worth Checking Out
Once you have the essentials, you can expand from there. A number of these are great books – they just don’t have quite the same legacy as the best known titles in the Stephen King library. Some of them are also… bad (we’re being honest today).
Cycle Of The Werewolf (1983) – Paperback
Thinner (1984) – Hardcover
The Eyes Of The Dragon (1984) – Hardcover
The Tommyknockers (1987) – Hardcover
Insomnia (1994) – Hardcover
Rose Madder (1995) – Hardcover
The Regulators (1996) – Hardcover
Bag Of Bones (1998) – Hardcover
Hearts In Atlantis (1999) – Hardcover
Dreamcatcher (2001) – Hardcover
Everything's Eventual (2002) – Hardcover
From A Buick 8 (2002) – Hardcover
The Colorado Kid (2005) – Paperback
Cell (2006) – Hardcover
Blaze (2007) – Hardcover
Duma Key (2008) – Hardcover
Just After Sunset (2008) – Hardcover
Joyland (2013) – Hardcover
The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams (2015) – Hardcover
Sleeping Beauties (2017) – Hardcover
Elevation (2018) – Hardcover
The Institute (2019) – Hardcover
Optional
You may not feel that you need a coffee table book with Stephen King discussing the creepiness and legacy of gargoyles, but if you’re a completist, you’ll want to have these titles in your collection.They do make for nice additions to any Stephen King library.
Nightmares In The Sky (1988) – Hardcover
I Shudder At Your Touch (1991) – Hardcover (Note: Features the story “The Revelations Of Becka Paulson, which isn’t published in any other hardcover)
Storm Of The Century (1999) – Hardcover
Secret Windows: Essays And Fiction On The Craft Of Writing (2000) – Hardcover
Faithful (2004) – Hardcover
Blockade Billy (2010) – Hardcover
Hearts In Suspension (2016) – Hardcover
Flight Or Fright (2018) – Hardcover
Stephen King Movie Adaptations
Stephen King’s relationship with Hollywood is just about as long as his history as a published novelist, with Brian Da Palma’s Carrie having been released just two years after the novel it’s based on was first published. The author has an awesome big screen legacy, and thus there are a large number of titles to populate a collection.
Must-Own Stephen King Movies
Not only have some great movies been made based on Stephen King books, but there are some downright iconic ones too – and it’s primarily those titles we are calling essential for any collection. Some titles are considered among the best horror movies of all time… and considered among the best movies of all time period:
Carrie (1976) – Collector’s Edition 4K UHD
The Shining (1980) – 4K UHD
Creepshow (1982) – Collector’s Edition 4K UHD
Cujo (1983) – 4K UHD
The Dead Zone (1983) – Collector's Edition 4K UHD
Christine (1983) – 4K UHD
Children Of The Corn (1984) – Special Edition 4K UHD
Firestarter (1984) – Collector’s Edition Blu-ray
Silver Bullet (1985) – Collector’s Edition 4K UHD
Stand By Me (1986) – 4K UHD
Maximum Overdrive (1986) – Blu-ray
Pet Sematary (1989) – 4K UHD
Misery (1990) – 4K UHD
Tales From The Darkside: The Movie (1990) – Collector’s Edition 4K UHD
Needful Things (1993) – 4K UHD
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – 4K UHD
Dolores Claiborne (1995) – Blu-ray
The Green Mile (1999) – 4K UHD
The Mist (2007) – Collector's Edition 4K UHD
IT (2017) – 4K UHD
IT Chapter Two (2019) – 4K UHD
Doctor Sleep (2019) – 4K UHD
The Boogeyman (2023) – Blu-ray
Worth Checking Out
These Stephen King movies aren’t quite up to the high standard set by the brilliant adaptations above, and in some cases more liberties are taken with the source material, but there’s still plenty of good stuff, including a few solid anthology films.
Cat's Eye (1985) – 4K UHD
Creepshow 2 (1987) – Special Edition Blu-ray
The Running Man (1987) – 4K UHD
Sleepwalkers (1992) – Collector’s Edition Blu-ray
The Dark Half (1993) – Blu-ray (Out Of Print)
The Mangler (1995) – Blu-ray
The Night Flier (1998) – DVD
Apt Pupil (1998) – DVD
Hearts In Atlantis (2001) – DVD
1408 (2007) – Blu-ray
A Good Marriage (2014) – Blu-ray
Pet Sematary (2019) – 4K UHD
Firestarter (2022) – Blu-ray
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines – 4K UHD
Optional
It’s tricky to recommend these Stephen King movies because they ride so low on the quality scale, but they exist for you to get if you’re a completist.
Graveyard Shift (1990) – Blu-ray
Thinner (1996) – Collector's Edition Blu-ray
Carrie (2013) – Collector's Edition 4K UHD
Dreamcatcher (2003) – Blu-ray
Secret Window (2004) – Blu-ray
Dolan's Cadillac (2009) – Blu-ray
Riding The Bullet (2004) – DVD
Mercy (2014) – DVD
Cell (2016) – Blu-ray
The Dark Tower (2017) – 4K UHD
Stephen King TV Adaptations
A huge part of what makes Stephen King’s books so great is their attention to detail – and while this typically means that the tomes wind up getting pretty damn heavy, it’s also an element of his style that has led to there being a great relationship between King and the TV world. These adaptations provide the runtime real estate that regularly let adaptations be remarkably faithful to their respective source material.
Must-Own Stephen King TV Adaptations
If you’re looking for the cream of the crop material when it comes to Stephen King’s history on the small screen, you’ll find it below. Admittedly the legacy isn’t quite as iconic as the theatrical material, but we’ve still seen some fantastic adaptations for the small screen.
Salem's Lot (1979) – Blu-ray
It (1990) – Blu-ray
The Stand (1994) – Blu-ray
The Langoliers (1995) – DVD
The Shining (1997) – Blu-ray
Storm Of The Century (1999) – DVD (Based on original script by Stephen King)
The Dead Zone (2002) – DVD (Complete Series)
Kingdom Hospital (2004) – DVD
Salem's Lot (2004) – DVD (Best version in Triple Terror Collection)
Nightmares & Dreamscapes (2006) – DVD
Haven (2010) – DVD (Complete Series) (Note: Each season was released on Blu-rays, but copies of Season 4, Season 5, and Season 5.1 can be difficult to find)
Under The Dome (2013) – Blu-ray (Season 1) & Blu-ray (Season 2) & Blu-ray (Season 3)
11.22.63 (2016) – Blu-ray
Mr. Mercedes (2017) – Blu-ray (Note: Region-Free Complete Series)
The Outsider (2020) – Blu-ray (Season 1)
The Stand (2020) – Blu-ray (Complete Limited Series)
Chapelwaite (2021) Blu-ray (Note: This a Region Free release from Australia)
Worth Checking Out
Quality-wise, these TV adaptations range between “middle of the road” and “downright awful. Some of them definitely have their redeeming qualities, and will certainly be of interest to any Stephen King collector who is also a completist.
Sometimes They Come Back (1991) – Blu-ray
Golden Years (1991) – DVD (Based on original script by Stephen King)
The Tommyknockers (1993) – DVD
Quicksilver Highway (1997) – DVD
Trucks (1997) – DVD
Rose Red (2002) – DVD (Based on original script by Stephen King)
Carrie (2002) – Blu-ray (Out Of Print)
Desperation (2006) – DVD
Children Of The Corn (2009) – Blu-ray
Bag Of Bones (2011) – DVD
Big Driver (2014) – DVD
Optional
If you’re looking to get absolutely every Stephen King adaptation, including the anthology shows that turned the author’s works into single episodes, this section is for you:
The Twilight Zone (1985) – DVD (Season 1) (Note: Episode “Gramma” based on the Stephen King story of the same name)
Tales From The Darkside (1984) – DVD (Season 1) (Note: Episode “Word Processor Of The Gods” based on the Stephen King story of the same name) & DVD (Season 4) (Note: Stephen King wrote the episode “Sorry, Right Number”)
Monsters (1988) - DVD (Complete Series) (Note: Out Of Print, Season 3 Episode “The Moving Finger” based on the Stephen King story of the same name)
The Outer Limits (1997) – DVD (Season 3) (Note: Out Of Print; Episode “The Revelations Of ‘Becka Paulson” based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name)
The X-Files (1998) – Blu-ray (Season 5) (Note: Stephen King wrote the episode “Chinga”)
Creepshow (2019) – Blu-ray (Season 1 - Episode “Gray Matter” based on the Stephen King story of the same name) & Blu-ray (Season 2 - which includes the "Creepshow Animated Special," based on the Stephen King story “Survivor Type”)
As noted up top, there are always more Stephen King books being written and adaptations being made, so any collection of the author’s works is a fluid collection – but we’ll keep this list updated with all of the latest releases as they become available. For the latest news about new developments in the world of King physical media, check out my weekly column The King Beat, which goes live here on CinemaBlend every Thursday.
Note: This feature purposefully does not include sequels that are not based on pre-existing Stephen King works or written by King himself (i.e. the Children of the Corn sequels, Pet Sematary 2, The Rage: Carrie 2, etc.).
Additionally, Gerald's Game, In The Tall Grass, 1922, and Mr. Harrigan's Phone are notably absent from this list because they are not currently available on home video, and can only be watched on Netflix. The same is true for the series Lisey’s Story, which is an Apple TV+ exclusive.
