Stephen King has spent decades terrifying readers with his novels, whether that's with The Shining's psychological dread, the supernatural horror of It, or the unpredictable villain in Misery. It's clear the legendary author is a passionate fan of the horror genre, and King has often shared his recommendations for the best unsettling viewing experiences. Some of his favorite horror movies rely on shocking imagery, while others prove that a creeping sense of dread can be just as effective as a monster jumping out of the darkness.
Plenty of great horror movies have earned Stephen King's attention, and any endorsement from the author can be taken as a rock-solid recommendation. From found footage nightmares to subtle paranormal activity, these are six of the best horror movies that Stephen King has recommended.
When The Exorcist was released in 1973, audience members suffered severe reactions to the on-screen horror, and it has been terrifying viewers ever since. William Friedkin's movie follows Chris MacNeil, who is desperate for help when her young daughter Regan begins exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior. Chris and two priests are then brought into a terrifying confrontation with a seemingly supernatural force, while The Exorcist builds horror through the contrast of an ordinary family and an extraordinary crisis.
The Exorcist is scary from the start, when — in the prologue — the clock suddenly stops. It's very claustrophobic for a studio movie, and every time we go back to that bedroom with Regan, we dread even more what we're going to see. But for me it’s the grisly grace notes that make the film. Who can forget, "Couldja help an old altar boy, fadder?"
The Exorcist is one of the most influential horror movies ever made, having been the first in the genre to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and becoming a huge point of discussion in pop culture discourse. In a feature for the Academy's A.frame, King described The Exorcist as "scary from the start," pointing to the film's claustrophobia, the stopped clock in the prologue, and the building dread that comes whenever the story returns to Regan's bedroom. Between King's recommendation and The Exorcist's enduring legacy, it's an absolute must-watch for horror fans.
Like many, Stephen King was particularly affected by The Blair Witch Project's realism. The found-footage horror movie follows three student filmmakers who travel into the Appalachian Mountains in Burkittsville, Maryland, to investigate the titular local legend. When they get lost, they witness strange occurrences and hear terrifying noises that convince them something is following them. Between Blair Witch's handheld footage, improvised performances, and unseen threat, it's far too easy for viewers to get the disturbing feeling they're watching something that was never meant to be found.
Blair Witch scared the living daylights out of me, I think, because it was so unpolished. And nothing tops the final shot.
King has praised The Blair Witch Project several times over the years. In the Dense Macabre foreword, King described it as "genius" and wrote, "One thing about Blair Witch: the damn thing looks real. Another thing about Blair Witch: the damn thing feels real." He also expressed how much the movie's unpolished look scared him in his feature for the Academy's A.frame. Most interestingly, though, when he was recovering in the hospital after a car accident in 1999, King had to stop the movie because he was so scared, marking the only time he ever had to quit watching a horror out of sheer terror. It's a testament to The Blair Witch Project, which is a groundbreaking classic.
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