Stephen King Universe watch order

Stephen King movies in order, release and chronological. Updated October 20, 2026.

Most Stephen King adaptations stand alone, so watch them in any order. The ones that connect: It (2017) then It Chapter Two (2019), with It: Welcome to Derry (2025) as the prequel; The Shining (1980) before Doctor Sleep (2019); and the Castle Rock series (2018) after the Castle Rock films, Cujo, The Dead Zone, Stand by Me and Needful Things.

How to watch the Stephen King movies in order: the full guide

All 42 films and series in the Stephen King Universe franchise, in release order and in chronological (story) order. The first in release order is Carrie (1976); the first in chronological order is Carrie (set in Chamberlain, Maine).

Release order

Carrie (Movie, 1976): A bullied telekinetic girl takes revenge on her school at the prom.
Salem's Lot (Series, 1979): A writer returns to his Maine hometown as a vampire turns its people; the two-part CBS version.
The Shining (Movie, 1980): A writer wintering at the empty Overlook Hotel turns on his wife and psychic son.
Creepshow (Movie, 1982): Five comic-book horror tales written by King and directed by George A. Romero.
Christine (Movie, 1983): A lonely teenager falls under the spell of a murderous 1958 Plymouth Fury.
The Dead Zone (Movie, 1983): A man wakes from a coma able to see the future and foresees a politician's nuclear war.
Cujo (Movie, 1983): A mother and son are trapped in their car by a rabid St. Bernard outside Castle Rock.
Children of the Corn (Movie, 1984): A couple stumble into a Nebraska town where the children killed every adult for a corn god.
Firestarter (Movie, 1984): A girl who starts fires with her mind flees a secret agency with her father.
Stand by Me (Movie, 1986): Four boys from Castle Rock hike the railway tracks in 1959 to see a dead body.
The Running Man (Movie, 1987): Schwarzenegger fights costumed stalkers on a deadly TV game show; loosely based on the novel.
Pet Sematary (Movie, 1989): A doctor buries his dead son in a burial ground that brings the dead back wrong.
Misery (Movie, 1990): A novelist is held captive by his number one fan after a car crash.
It (Series, 1990): The two-part miniseries: seven friends fight Pennywise in 1960 and again as adults.
Needful Things (Movie, 1993): A shopkeeper in Castle Rock sells people their dreams in exchange for pranks that tear the town apart.
The Shawshank Redemption (Movie, 1994): A banker serving life for murder in Shawshank prison befriends a fellow inmate over two decades.
The Stand (Series, 1994): The ABC miniseries: plague survivors split between Mother Abagail and Randall Flagg.
Dolores Claiborne (Movie, 1995): A housekeeper suspected of two deaths faces her estranged daughter and her past.
The Green Mile (Movie, 1999): Death row guards in 1935 meet a condemned man with the power to heal.
Dreamcatcher (Movie, 2003): Four telepathic friends from Derry are caught up in an alien invasion on a hunting trip.
1408 (Movie, 2007): A skeptical writer spends a night in a hotel room that has killed everyone who stayed.
The Mist (Movie, 2007): Shoppers trapped in a supermarket by a monster-filled mist turn on each other.
11.22.63 (Series, 2016): A teacher goes back to 1960 through a time portal to stop the Kennedy assassination.
The Dark Tower (Movie, 2017): A New York boy joins the last Gunslinger against the Man in Black in Mid-World.
Gerald's Game (Movie, 2017): A woman is left handcuffed to a bed when her husband dies during a sex game.
Mr. Mercedes (Series, 2017): A retired detective hunts the killer who drove a Mercedes into a crowd of job seekers.
It (Movie, 2017): The Losers Club fight Pennywise as kids in 1989; the first half of the remake.
Castle Rock (Series, 2018): An anthology series set in King's Maine town, linking Shawshank, Annie Wilkes and more.
It Chapter Two (Movie, 2019): The Losers return to Derry as adults in 2016 to finish Pennywise for good.
Doctor Sleep (Movie, 2019): Grown-up Danny Torrance protects a psychic girl from a cult that feeds on the shine.
Pet Sematary (Movie, 2019): The remake: the daughter, not the son, dies and comes back from the burial ground.
The Outsider (Series, 2020): A detective and Holly Gibney hunt a shape-shifter that frames innocent men for child murder.
The Stand (Series, 2020): The remake: told out of order from Boulder, with a new coda written by King.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (Movie, 2023): Prequel set in 1969: a young Jud Crandall learns the burial ground's secret.
Salem's Lot (Movie, 2024): The remake: a tighter feature film version, set in 1975 with a drive-in climax.
The Monkey (Movie, 2025): Twin brothers are haunted by a toy monkey that kills someone each time it drums.
The Life of Chuck (Movie, 2025): An ordinary man's life told backwards, starting with the end of the world.
The Institute (Series, 2025): A teenage prodigy is abducted to a secret facility that experiments on psychic children.
The Long Walk (Movie, 2025): Fifty teenage boys walk until all but one are shot in a dystopian contest.
The Running Man (Movie, 2025): The remake: closer to the novel, with Glen Powell hunted across the real country.
It: Welcome to Derry (Series, 2025): HBO prequel to the It films set in 1962, as a family arrives in Derry and a boy vanishes.
Carrie (Series, 2026): The remake: a modern series where social media bullying and a cult shape Carrie's powers.

Chronological order

Carrie (set in Chamberlain, Maine): A bullied telekinetic girl takes revenge on her school at the prom.
Salem's Lot (set in Jerusalem's Lot, Maine): A writer returns to his Maine hometown as a vampire turns its people; the two-part CBS version.
Creepshow (set in Five tales): Five comic-book horror tales written by King and directed by George A. Romero.
Christine (set in A 1958 Plymouth Fury): A lonely teenager falls under the spell of a murderous 1958 Plymouth Fury.
Children of the Corn (set in Gatlin, Nebraska): A couple stumble into a Nebraska town where the children killed every adult for a corn god.
Firestarter (set in Charlie on the run): A girl who starts fires with her mind flees a secret agency with her father.
The Running Man (set in 2017, a game show): Schwarzenegger fights costumed stalkers on a deadly TV game show; loosely based on the novel.
Misery (set in Annie Wilkes's farmhouse): A novelist is held captive by his number one fan after a car crash.
The Shawshank Redemption (set in Shawshank State Prison): A banker serving life for murder in Shawshank prison befriends a fellow inmate over two decades.
Dolores Claiborne (set in Little Tall Island): A housekeeper suspected of two deaths faces her estranged daughter and her past.
The Green Mile (set in Cold Mountain Penitentiary, 1935): Death row guards in 1935 meet a condemned man with the power to heal.
1408 (set in The Dolphin Hotel): A skeptical writer spends a night in a hotel room that has killed everyone who stayed.
The Mist (set in A supermarket in Bridgton): Shoppers trapped in a supermarket by a monster-filled mist turn on each other.
11.22.63 (set in Back to 1960): A teacher goes back to 1960 through a time portal to stop the Kennedy assassination.
The Dark Tower (set in Mid-World): A New York boy joins the last Gunslinger against the Man in Black in Mid-World.
Gerald's Game (set in A lake house): A woman is left handcuffed to a bed when her husband dies during a sex game.
Mr. Mercedes (set in Bridgton, Ohio): A retired detective hunts the killer who drove a Mercedes into a crowd of job seekers.
The Outsider (set in Cherokee City, Georgia): A detective and Holly Gibney hunt a shape-shifter that frames innocent men for child murder.
Salem's Lot (set in Jerusalem's Lot, 1975): The remake: a tighter feature film version, set in 1975 with a drive-in climax.
The Monkey (set in A wind-up toy): Twin brothers are haunted by a toy monkey that kills someone each time it drums.
The Life of Chuck (set in A life told backwards): An ordinary man's life told backwards, starting with the end of the world.
The Institute (set in A facility in the Maine woods): A teenage prodigy is abducted to a secret facility that experiments on psychic children.
The Long Walk (set in A walking contest): Fifty teenage boys walk until all but one are shot in a dystopian contest.
The Running Man (set in A game show): The remake: closer to the novel, with Glen Powell hunted across the real country.
Carrie (set in A modern Chamberlain): The remake: a modern series where social media bullying and a cult shape Carrie's powers.
It: Welcome to Derry (set in 1962): HBO prequel to the It films set in 1962, as a family arrives in Derry and a boy vanishes.
It (set in 1960 and 1990, the miniseries): The two-part miniseries: seven friends fight Pennywise in 1960 and again as adults.
It (set in 1989): The Losers Club fight Pennywise as kids in 1989; the first half of the remake.
It Chapter Two (set in 2016): The Losers return to Derry as adults in 2016 to finish Pennywise for good.
Dreamcatcher (set in Old friends from Derry): Four telepathic friends from Derry are caught up in an alien invasion on a hunting trip.
The Dead Zone (set in Castle Rock's strangler): A man wakes from a coma able to see the future and foresees a politician's nuclear war.
Cujo (set in A rabid St. Bernard): A mother and son are trapped in their car by a rabid St. Bernard outside Castle Rock.
Stand by Me (set in 1959): Four boys from Castle Rock hike the railway tracks in 1959 to see a dead body.
Needful Things (set in A new shop in town): A shopkeeper in Castle Rock sells people their dreams in exchange for pranks that tear the town apart.
Castle Rock (set in The town and Shawshank): An anthology series set in King's Maine town, linking Shawshank, Annie Wilkes and more.
The Shining (set in The Overlook Hotel): A writer wintering at the empty Overlook Hotel turns on his wife and psychic son.
Doctor Sleep (set in Danny Torrance, grown up): Grown-up Danny Torrance protects a psychic girl from a cult that feeds on the shine.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (set in Ludlow, 1969): Prequel set in 1969: a young Jud Crandall learns the burial ground's secret.
Pet Sematary (set in The Creeds move to Ludlow): A doctor buries his dead son in a burial ground that brings the dead back wrong.
Pet Sematary (set in The Creeds, retold): The remake: the daughter, not the son, dies and comes back from the burial ground.
The Stand (set in After Captain Trips): The ABC miniseries: plague survivors split between Mother Abagail and Randall Flagg.
The Stand (set in After Captain Trips, retold): The remake: told out of order from Boulder, with a new coda written by King.

Coming next

The Institute: Season 2 (2026-11-08)

Common questions

What order should I watch the Stephen King movies in?

How many Stephen King movies and shows are there?

There are 42 titles in the Stephen King Universe franchise: 31 films and 11 series, released from 1976 to 2026. 1 more is announced: The Institute: Season 2.

How long does it take to watch all the Stephen King movies?

About 171 hours for all 42 titles, counting every episode.

What is the first Stephen King title in chronological order?

Carrie, set in Chamberlain, Maine. In release order the first is Carrie (1976).

What is the next Stephen King release?

The Institute: Season 2, out November 8, 2026.