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Stephen King, the legendary horror novelist, is known for his candid opinions about adaptations of his works, often critiquing them regardless of their critical reception. A notable example of his dissatisfaction is with Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed film “The Shining,” which King has openly expressed disdain for. Despite this, the late filmmaker Rob Reiner successfully tackled not just one, but two of King’s stories, creating the films “Stand by Me” and “Misery.” Surprisingly, King was impressed by Reiner’s adaptations, showing his rare approval.
Columbia Pictures
Released in 1986, “Stand by Me” is based on King’s novella “The Body.” The film tells the story of four young boys—played by Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell—who embark on a quest to find a rumored dead body, resulting in a profound journey. Following this success, Reiner adapted “Misery” in 1990, a thriller about a romance novelist, portrayed by James Caan, who is held captive by an obsessive fan, played by Kathy Bates. Despite the starkly different narratives and tones, King found himself captivated by Reiner’s interpretation of both stories.
In a 1986 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Reiner recounted King’s reaction after watching “Stand by Me” for the first time. King praised it as “the best film ever made out of anything I’ve written.” Decades later, in a 2016 discussion with Deadline, King echoed this sentiment, placing “Stand by Me” at the pinnacle of adaptations of his work, alongside “The Shawshank Redemption,” which had since become a favorite as well. Our own rankings of Stephen King film adaptations similarly hold these films in high regard.
Regarding “Misery,” King’s admiration extended even further, as he acknowledged that the film surpassed his own novel in certain aspects. In a 2025 interview with The New York Times, King remarked on how the movie added a humor that was absent from the book, crediting the dynamic performances of Caan and Bates. The article highlights that King even considered “Misery” to be superior as a film compared to the book, a rare and significant compliment from the author, who is typically sparing with his praise for film adaptations.
Stephen King has heaped praise on Rob Reiner
Columbia Pictures
According to a Chicago Tribune interview with Rob Reiner from 1986, King told him personally after the premiere of “Stand By Me” that it was “the best film ever made out of anything I’ve written.” Thirty years later, after having a lot of time to reflect on “Stand by Me” — and having a lot more adaptations of his works to compare it to — King reaffirmed in a 2016 interview with Deadline that it was still one of his favorite adaptations, though he said “The Shawshank Redemption” now sat right next to it at the top of his list. We also put both films near the top of our own ranking of the best Stephen King movies.
As for “Misery,” King took things a step further in complimenting Reiner’s film version. The author said the movie actually did some things better than his book did, particularly in making it a little bit funnier. “The combination of James Caan and Kathy Bates was magic, and it had a touch of humor that was missing from my book,” he told The New York Times in 2025. The piece itself goes on to state that “King even believes ‘Misery’ is a better movie than it was a book,” suggesting that the acclaimed author said more on the subject than was directly quoted. That’s high praise indeed from someone who doesn’t give it easily when it comes to adaptations.
