Stephen King fans are preparing to flock to Prime Video next month for the launch of his new series, Carrie, but they also can’t stop watching one of his most popular movies from the last few years. 2026 was a roller-coaster year for fans of Stephen King adaptations, but the one that was met with the most polarizing reception was The Running Man. Starring Glen Powell and Josh Brolin, the film is a remake of the classic 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger film of the same name, though most fans would agree that the original holds up much better than the remake. King also turned to his long-time collaborator Mike Flanagan for an adaptation of The Life of Chuck, though the film struggled to gain traction at the box office despite strong reviews. There was another Stephen King adaptation sandwiched between The Life of Chuck and The Running Man, though.
We’re talking, of course, about The Long Walk, the harrowing dystopian thriller starring David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman. Jonsson has been cast as the next Black Panther in the MCU, taking over the role of the late Chadwick Boseman and, later, Letitia Wright. Hoffman was rumored to be in the running to play Cyclops in Marvel’s X-Men reboot film, but the role ultimately went to Kit Connor (Heartstopper, Warfare). The Long Walk came into theaters carrying a modest $20 million budget, and the film smashed past its break-even point at the box office, finishing its global run with $63 million. Now one full year removed from its theatrical debut, The Long Walk is still one of the most popular movies in the world on streaming — it’s available to watch on Starz in America.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes What Is Your Biggest Horror Nightmare? Elm Street · Chucky · Scream · The Conjuring
Four horror franchises. Four completely different ways of scaring you. One waits until you fall asleep. One makes sure nobody believes you. One is already in your group of friends. And one is in the house with your family. Answer eight quick questions about how you actually watch horror, and find out which nightmare was built for you.
😴Elm Street(Freddy Krueger)
🧸Chucky(Child’s Play)
📞Scream(Ghostface)
🕯️The Conjuring(The Warren Files)
01
Which horror scene makes you cover your eyes? Four classic images. One of them is worse than the others for you.
02
You are home alone and you hear a noise. First thought? Everybody has one. It arrives before you have decided anything.
03
Which horror movie rule would you break first? Everybody thinks they would survive. Almost nobody actually does.
04
Something genuinely frightening happens. What do you do? Not in a film. In your actual living room, tonight.
05
How do you actually watch a horror film? Be honest about this one. Nobody is checking.
06
Somebody offers you serious money. Which do you still refuse? The amount does not matter. There is one on this list you are not doing.
07
Which feeling stays with you a week after the film? Good horror does not stop when the credits do.
08
Something wakes you at 3am. What is the worst possibility? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your nightmare.
The Lights Just Went Out Your Nightmare Is…
Four franchises, four completely different ways of getting underneath
your skin. This is the one built out of your particular fear, why it works so well on you, and what
it would leave behind.
A Nightmare on Elm Street · Since 1984
Elm Street
Your nightmare does not wait outside the door. It waits for you
to close your eyes, which you are going to have to do eventually, because nobody has ever
won that particular argument.
Freddy is horror’s cruellest idea: a threat that lives in the one place you cannot
guard, cannot lock, and cannot avoid forever.
You are the one who is fine during the film and wide awake at two in the morning. Your
own head is where this does its damage.
These films understood exhaustion as a horror engine. The kids on Elm Street do not lose
because they are weak. They lose because they are tired.
You can lock every door in the house. You still have to sleep.
Child’s Play · Chucky · Since 1988
Chucky
Your nightmare is not really the doll. It is the face of the
person you tell, and the way they decide, very kindly, that you have imagined all of it.
Chucky works precisely because he is absurd. That is the trap: the more accurately you
describe him, the less anybody is going to believe you.
You are the one shouting at the screen because the characters are not listening. You
know that feeling from real life too.
The franchise is at its best when the adults in the room are the real obstacle, and you
have met those adults.
By the time somebody finally believes you, you will have handled most of it on your own.
Scream · Ghostface · Since 1996
Scream
Your nightmare has your number, knows your name, and has almost
certainly been inside your house before. The worst part is that you already know them.
Scream is the only one of these where the killer takes the mask off and turns out to be
somebody who was at the party.
You are the person who calls the twist out loud before it lands. You watch people the
same way you watch films.
The franchise made the rules of horror part of the plot, which means the survivors are
the ones paying attention. You would be paying attention.
Everybody is a suspect, including the person who just offered to walk you home.
The Conjuring · The Warren Files · Since 2013
The Conjuring
Your nightmare is not really about you. It is about the people
asleep down the hall, and the feeling that whatever is here is not interested in leaving.
The Conjuring films are domestic horror. The house, the family, the perfectly ordinary
room that quietly stops feeling ordinary.
Your instinct is to get everybody into one room. Your fear is protective rather than
personal, which is rarer than it sounds.
This is the one franchise where belief is the weapon. The people who come through it are
the ones who are not alone and refuse to be.
Whatever is here did not come for you. It came for the household, and you are the one
standing in the hallway.
What Is ‘The Long Walk’ About?
The official synopsis for The Long Walk, which earned solid marks of 88% from critics and 85% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, reads as follows: “From the highly anticipated adaptation of master storyteller Stephen King’s first-written novel comes The Long Walk, an intense, chilling, and emotional thriller that challenges audiences to confront a haunting question: how far could you go?” The Long Walk was directed by Francis Lawrence, who is famous for his work directing The Hunger Games movies, including 2026’s Sunrise on the Reaping. Mark Hamill, best known for playing Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, also has a key role in The Long Walk.
Check out The Long Walk on Starz in America and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Stephen King’s future projects.
Release Date
September 12, 2025
Runtime
108 Minutes
Director
Francis Lawrence
Producers
Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Francis Lawrence, Cameron MacConomy
