Stephen King is a pop culture institution unto himself in Hollywood. One of my favorite statistics I like to regularly cite is the fact that since the release of Brian DePalma’s Carrie in 1976, there have only been nine individual calendar years without at least one new King movie or television adaptation premiering or a new season of an on-going King series. The past year, however, has been special. In 2025, a remarkable total of six new King film and TV projects were given an official release – some ranking among the best Stephen King movies of all time and the best Stephen King TV projects of all time – and they collectively reflect the special range that the legendary author has as a storyteller.
With the opportunity to reflect on the entirety of everything, it can unequivocally be said that 2025 stands right alongside 1983 (the year of Cujo, The Dead Zone and Christine) as one of the best years ever for Stephen King movies and TV, but how do the individual projects size up when compared to one another? Now that IT: Welcome To Derry has completed its first season, I’m ready to declare my rankings – and so, I’m doing so for this week’s edition of The King Beat. If you haven’t seen everything yet, be wary of spoilers, but with that said, let’s dig in!
