Everybody knows the big King books that have been famously adapted for the big screen like CARRIE, THE SHINING, THE DEAD ZONE, CHRISTINE, etc., but what about all his short stories that were expanded to feature length for the silver screen? There's quite the arsenal there, pick wisely! NOTE: Only film adaptations are included, no TV. Also, non-horror like THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and STAND BY ME are not included.
Went with THE MIST which I found to be quite effective, I am fond of APT PUPIL as well (I know many don't care for either,though).
The Crate, for me. Somehow manages to capture that short-story-King tone perfectly. And it's really creepy, too. Close second: The Mist, and no. 3 would be The Raft.
I'd say The Mist is probably the best movie there. I am a little biased though since I really liked that story and I even had the audio cd with all the sound effects that was pretty cool. But the one I've watched the most on that list is The Lawnmower Man.
Are we talking the adaptation that best represents the source material? King's short fiction is of highly varying quality (from mediocre to execrable), so often the best way to make a good movie is to stray as far away from the source as possible. Or, at the very least, to recognize the inherent ridiculousness of the premise of most of King's short fiction and just have fun with it. I've had major wood for Creepshow 2 lately. It's hilariously awful and inept and also ceaselessly entertaining for those very reasons. I'll choose The Raft because it typifies the quality of King's short fiction to a T, and is the only option from Creepshow 2.
Lawnmower Man is not a Stephen King story. Please remove it from the list or I will go on a hunger strike.
I only included "The Raft" from CREEPSHOW 2 because the other two were written specifically for the movie and have not been published to my knowledge. By best I just mean of the highest merit, or most enjoyable, whatever works.
It's not on the list, but I'd go with STAND BY ME. Since you're excluding non-horror, I don't know. 1408 was a lot better than I thought it would be.
The Mist gets the nod, although The Raft comes up a close second. It's the one reason to watch Creepshow 2.
As much as I love The Mist, it has to be The Night Flier for me. Miguel Ferrer as the ultimate anti-hero in a wholly original take on the tried and true vampire formula? Yeah, I love this film. One of my top three King adaptations. Seriously.
The Mist Black & White version for me, although I also really like The Raft and Secret Window. I don't count the stories from Creepshow just because the book was based off the movie, not the other way around.
I'm going with The Crate. Defininitely had an effect on me when I first saw it at an early age. Yeah, um the Lawnmower Man movie is a little different (worse that is) than the short story