Somehow, in between writing his 65 novels and novellas and over 200 short stories, legendary author, Stephen King, manages to find the time to watch movies.
The masterful storyteller, who has earned the nickname the “King of Horror” has had quite a few of his own stories turned into films, so it’s safe to say that he’s well versed when it comes to cinema. And now, King, 77, has taken to X to share his top ten all-time favorite movies, and while some of them are classics, others might surprise you.
On Monday, King posted on X the titles of his ten favorite films, in no particular order. His list included: Sorcerer, Godfather Part II, The Getaway, Groundhog Day, Casablanca, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Jaws, Mean Streets, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, and Double Indemnity.
There’s no denying that most of these films are must-watch masterpieces, but not all of them. The inclusion of Sorcerer on his list might be unexpected, given that it is certainly not the most obvious choice, but for King, it was a no-brainer.
“My favorite film of all time – this may surprise you—is Sorcerer, William Friedkin’s remake of the great Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Wages of Fear,” said King in a 2017 interview. “Some may argue that the Clouzot film is better; I beg to disagree.”
King made a point to keep adaptations of his own novels off of the list, but Misery, Stand By Me, The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption made up his short list of honorable mentions. Surprisingly, Carrie wasn’t on his list, nor was The Shining, both of which are largely considered iconic films.
However, The Shining’s omission from the list came as less of a shock for fans who’ve followed King closely over the years.
“I think The Shining is a beautiful film and it looks terrific, and as I’ve said before, it’s like a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it,” King once said in an interview with Deadline. “In that sense, when it opened, a lot of the reviews weren’t very favorable and I was one of those reviewers. I kept my mouth shut at the time, but I didn’t care for it much.”
A plot twist from the author who’s become synonymous with the horror genre, horror films— aside from his own adaptations— didn’t make the cut. Perhaps King’s prolific body of work and overwhelmingly successful career can be attributed to his love of all types of stories across every genre.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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