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There have been a lot of highs (and a few lows) in recent years, but The Long Walk might just be the highest of them all. The movie has been praised by critics ahead of its theatrical release, with a 96% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. That’s an impressive total on its own right, but more so in that context of King movies, because it’s the best ever. Prior to the new movie, it was the very first Stephen King film, 1976’s Carrie, that held the record, with a score of 94%. Check out the top-rated movies based on King’s books below:
| Rank | Movie | Critics Score | Audience Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Long Walk | 96% | N/A |
| 2 | Carrie | 94% | 77% |
| 3 | Stand By Me | 92% | 94% |
| 4 | 1922 | 92% | 58% |
| 5 | Gerald’s Game | 91% | 70% |
| 6 | Misery | 91% | 90% |
The Long Walk‘s rating may drop after its debut, but for now, it can technically boast about being the best King movie ever made. The movie has 71 reviews logged so far. Carrie has 80 reviews that’ve been added since the platform launched, but the previous King movie, The Life of Chuck, has 266. Assuming The Long Walk gets closer to that number, then it’ll be harder to hold on to its record, but it’s nonetheless an impressive feat. In his review for ComicBook, Kofi Outlaw gave the movie 3.5/5, praising the cast, Francis Lawrence’s direction, and writing that it “feels timely, relevant, and that much more terrifying for it.”
2025 Has Been One Of The Best Years Ever For Stephen King Movies
In terms of best years for Stephen King movies, it’s easy to immediately go to the best Stephen King movies: the likes of 1986’s Stand By Me and 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption are absolute classics, but the former is paired with King’s disappointing directorial debut, Maximum Overdrive, and the latter was the sole release. 1983 might hold the best claim, with the solid Cujo, the very underrated Christine, and the brilliant The Dead Zone all being released. 2017 was also very strong, thanks to It, Gerald’s Game, and 1922, but it was let down by The Dark Tower.
