Stephen King Screenplays Every Fan Should Read

When most people think of Stephen King, they think of his epic novels or short stories that have haunted us for decades. But did you know King has also written original screenplays? These aren’t just adaptations of his books—they’re fully realized works created for the screen, brimming with his signature tension, eerie atmosphere, and sharp human insight.

I love diving into King’s screenplays because they feel like an inside look into how his mind works cinematically. Instead of seeing the story on the page first and then watching it adapted, you get the raw, visual-first storytelling he intended. Here are two Stephen King screenplays that are absolutely worth exploring.

List of Stephen King Screenplays

Sorry, Right Number (1993)

Originally written for Tales from the Darkside, Sorry, Right Number is one of King’s most hauntingly personal screenplays. It follows Katie, a woman who receives a mysterious, urgent phone call from a distressed voice. The call seems to come from someone close to her, but she can’t quite place who it is. Over the years, the memory of that phone call lingers, until the heartbreaking truth finally comes full circle.

What makes this story unforgettable is the way it blends supernatural mystery with devastating human grief. Katie’s journey is not about fighting a monster—it’s about confronting loss, fate, and the fragile threads of love that bind us. This screenplay is one of King’s simplest yet most emotionally powerful works. If you love eerie ghost stories, tales of grief, or scripts that leave you thinking long after the last page, this is for you. Personally, it gave me chills and left me misty-eyed—proof that horror isn’t always about what’s lurking outside, but what lives inside us.

You can get a copy on Amazon.

Storm of the Century (1999)

Storm of the Century is one of King’s most ambitious original screenplays, written as a three-part miniseries for television. Set on Little Tall Island (a location King fans might recognize), the story begins when a violent blizzard traps the townspeople with no way to escape. But the real terror comes not from the storm, but from the arrival of Andre Linoge, a mysterious stranger who seems to know everyone’s darkest secrets. His demand is simple yet horrifying: “Give me what I want, and I’ll go away.”

The screenplay is a deep exploration of morality, fear, and the collective choices a community makes when cornered. Watching the townspeople struggle with Linoge’s ultimatum is as much a psychological horror as it is a supernatural one. This feels like King at his most cinematic—sprawling, atmospheric, and layered with moral complexity. This is for readers who love small-town horror, ensemble casts, and stories that test human nature under pressure. For me, it was both gripping and unsettling, and it left me questioning what I might do in their place.

You can get a copy on Amazon.

Final Thoughts on Stephen King’s Screenplays

Stephen King screenplays like Sorry, Right Number and Storm of the Century show that his storytelling genius isn’t confined to novels and short stories. These works highlight his ability to create tension and emotion directly for the screen, where every line of dialogue and every stage direction carries weight.

If you’re already a fan of King’s fiction, exploring his screenplays will give you a whole new appreciation of his craft. They’re haunting, thought-provoking, and deeply human—reminders that the scariest stories are often the ones closest to home.

Have you read or watched any of Stephen King’s original screenplays? Which one gave you chills?