By September 2025, three adaptations of Richard Bachman's works—'Thinner' (1996), 'The Running Man' (1987), and 'The Long Walk' (2025)—have been released, each varying in faithfulness to the source material.

There is a renewed interest in Richard Bachman's writings in 2025, likely fueled by Hollywood's ongoing exploration of Stephen King's bibliography and the profitability of his adaptations.

The 2025 adaptation of 'The Long Walk' has been widely praised for its realism, emotional depth, and faithful representation of the novel's dark themes, making it the most successful Bachman adaptation to date.

Released in 2025, 'The Long Walk' is celebrated for its intense and distressing portrayal of a brutal survival contest, aligning closely with the 1978 novel and standing out as a highly effective adaptation.

In contrast, 'Thinner' is viewed as a mediocre horror film that closely follows the novel's premise of a man cursed to lose weight, but it lacks scares and memorability, with Stephen King later writing a similar story in 'Elevation'.

'The Running Man,' though loosely based on the 1982 novel, has been transformed into an action-packed dystopian game show starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and is considered decent entertainment.

The article highlights the adaptations of Richard Bachman's books, a pseudonym Stephen King used for his darker, less horror-oriented stories.

By September 2025, three of seven Bachman books—'Rage,' 'Roadwork,' and 'The Regulators'—have been adapted into films, with another adaptation expected later in the year.