Stephen King has a massive portfolio of work. He is known to write at an exceptional speed and still deliver quality work. To date, he has published 65 novels/novellas, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five nonfiction books. But it doesn’t stop there – the master scribe has also written over 200 short stories.
In 1976, Brian De Palma became the first filmmaker to adapt one of Stephen King’s stories with Carrie, a film that has gone on to be regarded as a cult horror classic. This started the ball rolling for dozens more adaptations, with classics like Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile landing huge with both audiences and critics. 2025 serves up the latest adaptation with The Long Walk, and there are many more in the pipeline. However, there are some that have been missed. So, here are 5 Stephen King books that haven’t been adapted yet, but definitely should be.
5. Insomnia (1994)
Stephen King’s novel Insomnia takes place in the fictional town of Derry, the same town from IT. This book was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel shortly after its release. Praised for its epic story, it’s easy to why it became another bestseller for King. The story focuses on Ralph Roberts, a man who begins to suffer from severe insomnia. As the twisting story shifts forward, Ralph starts experiencing a plethora of supernatural events. However, he soon realizes that he is not alone.
This 800 page blend of sci-fi and horror is well-layered, eerily paced, and one of King’s more fantastical works. It’s likely the novel’s massive scale that has stopped it from getting the silver screen treatment. However, in today’s dominating streaming age, this would make for a hooking TV series that treads across multiple grounds.
4. The Regulators (1996)
Stephen King‘s The Regulators was published as a ‘mirror’ novel alongside Desperation, taking place in a parallel universe with overlapping characters. Desperation charts the journey of civilians held captive by an unhinged sheriff in an abandoned mining town, but The Regulators takes the terror onto the streets of American suburbia. This book utilizes a slasher-style narrative where the same characters are hunted by a supernatural presence, but somewhere a little too close to comfort, making it much more disturbing.
Interestingly, Desperation landed a TV adaptation in 2006 starring Ron Perlman and Tom Skerritt, yet The Regulators remains unmade despite King tweeting in 2014 that adaptation talks were underway. A decade has passed since then, and the streaming landscape has transformed dramatically. The modern era of prestige television has begun leaning more towards the horror genre with series like True Detective: Night Country, the King adapted The Outsider, and the mega-hit anthology series American Horror Story. So, with the mediums blatant appetite for horror and willingness to embrace King’s more visceral, experimental work, now feels like the perfect time to resurrect those talks around The Regulators‘ unique dual-narrative structure and suburban horror aesthetic.
3. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999)
In 1999, The Blair With Project kickstarted a wave of found footage horror movies. That same year, Stephen King released his own creepy forest story with his novel, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. While professional baseball player Tom Gordon plays an indirect role in the story, the title’s unusual phrasing might initially puzzle readers. The book focuses on 9-year-old Trish, a baseball obsessed young girl who takes a hiking trip with her family only to get separated and lost in the woods. Now, all she has with her is her walkman she brought to listen to the baseball game. As she gets deeper into the forest, strange noises begin overshadowing the baseball game, leading her to believe she is not alone.
Beyond an acclaimed audiobook narration by Anne Heche, the novel has struggled to reach the silver screen. There has been two failed adaptation efforts despite significant studio interest. As of now, it is rumored that JT Mollner will write and direct a movie for Lionsgate. Mollner is no stranger to King’s material, recently penning the screenplay for The Long Walk. So, let’s hope this comes to light.
2. Duma Key (2008)
Stephen King’s Duma Key transplants horror from Maine to Florida, following Edgar Freemantle, an artist who retreats to the quiet retirement island after a devastating work accident leaves him unable to labor. As Edgar immerses himself in painting, he discovers his artwork possesses an unsettling psychic connection – his drawings depict not only past events but future ones as well. In typical Stephen King fashion, the paintings become increasingly twisted and disturbing, with a particularly haunting image of a ghost ship drawing ever closer to shore. The mystery deepens as supernatural events spiral around Edgar and his creations, blurring the line between art and reality.
Despite multiple rumors and names attached to direct over the years, including Taylor Hackford, Duma Key has remained in production limbo with no tangible progress. This is a shame, because the novel’s central premise is inherently cinematic and could easily be intensified for the screen. Filmmakers would have a rare chance to combine psychological horror with exquisite visual storytelling thanks to Edgar’s paintings, which are a visual spectacle that are each more macabre and revealing than the last. The psychic art concept allows directors to create imaginative, eerie imagery, while the island setting offers a remote, dramatic backdrop. This unique story demands a director who has the guts to realize Edgar’s bizarre notions, and hopefully it will find one soon.
1. Elevation (2018)
Although Stephen King may be most known for his horror stories, he can also churn out a good mystery from time-to-time. He doesn’t simply deal in terror, he’s a savant when it comes to exploring the complexities of the human mind and condition. Elevation is a perfect example of this. While it is considered to be one of his more upbeat books, his penchant for dread and suspense are still there, subtly be surely overspilling the bizarre mystery.
Elevation centers on Scott, a man mysteriously afflicted by a bizarre and fast-acting weight-loss condition that defies medical explanation. As Scott grapples with his inexplicable illness, he finds himself embroiled in conflict with his lesbian neighbors next door. What unfolds is a mystery that extends far beyond Scott’s physical ailment – it becomes an exploration of prejudice, community division, and the destructive power of intolerance. Unlike King’s typical supernatural horror fare, the real terror in Elevation stems from human nature itself: the way communities can turn against their own and how fear ultimately breeds conflict. This is undoubtedly material for a powerful movie or TV series, appealing to our love for terror and mystery, but also tackling issues and conversations around societal norms and the need for validation, community, and respect.
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