Hello dungeon crawlers, Slick Dungeon here! Well, it’s Friday the 13th once again and you know what that means! Yep, it means I will complain yet again that there are only 12 Friday the 13th movies. Give us one more! Not a reboot or a remake. How about a battle royale between Jason and all the final girls and boys? Alas, that’s probably not going to happen. But if you’re itching for even more Friday the 13th content there is the television series. It has… almost nothing to do with the movies. I reviewed the first season here. Friday the 13th the Series Season 2 continues the story of the first season while still allowing an anthology format. There are worse things you could watch. And better.
This not a show I highly recommend. It’s fun if you experienced it when it was out and if you are old enough to remember that, it’s a nice blast of nostalgia. But if you’ve never seen it, I recommend watching other, better horror shows first. One I can recommend is Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiousities. That one is a true anthology and there are some brilliant episodes in that one.
However, there are still some great practical effects here, a decent dose of gore (for a television show from the 1980s), and enough of a plot to keep the viewer interested. It can feel a bit repetitive as each episode is our team of Jack, Ryan and Micki hunting down a cursed artifact from the cursed store they inherited. It does allow us to meet new characters each episode and the premise changes. Some are more creative than others.
In this season there is a Phantom of the Opera knockoff episode, a pocket watch that can stop time, and a cursed key chain that will allow a racer to win races but at a cost. There’s even a strange radio that grants wishes… as long as you are willing to allow someone to die. And of course, in the background Uncle Lewis is still trying to come back to life and spread his evil throughout the world. The on again off again flirtation of Ryan and Micki also continues. Ryan seems to date a new girl every other episode but he gets super mad any time Micki has an interest in someone else. Plus they are cousins, by marriage they will have you know, so it gets complicated. And the heart of the show remains Jack who is sort of a Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer figure. He gets into the action a bit more than Giles tended to though.
If you have run out of other Friday the 13th material to watch on this Friday the 13th, well my first recommendation is to re-watch any of the movies. But if that has you bored, watch the fantastic documentary Crystal Lake Memories. If you have seen that and are still bored, then yeah go ahead and watch Friday the 13th the Series. It’s mildly enjoyable and it’s got some fun moments. Just don’t expect anything too amazing.
Watch out for black cats crossing your path today!
Tim Curry stars in Stephen King’s It, a precursor to It and It Chapter 2
Happy Halloween folks! If you’re like me, you watch something scary on Halloween. When it comes to Stephen King, he’s got one story that will forever endure. There is a series from 1990 starring Tim Curry as a killer clown. There are also two more recent films telling the same story. All of them deliver excellent scares in different ways but it can be hard to know which one to watch. In this review, I’ll be going over Stephen King’s It, It, and It Chapter 2. I’ll let you know which one I recommend most at the end. There will be mild spoilers for all three projects. If that bothers you, grab your yellow rain coat and paper boat, float it down the rain gutter, walk away when it falls in the sewer, ignore any clowns you see, watch the movies and come on back here to read the review.
Stephen King’s It
One thing to note for this review is the basic plot of the miniseries and the films from 2017 and 2019 share the same plot and premise. But there is a big difference between how the series unfolds compared to the movies. I think all three are worth watching but you should know what you are getting into.
As a brief summary, a group of children in Derry, Maine are terrorized in their youth by a supernatural killer clown who steals and kills children. As adults, this group, known as “The Losers Club” reunite to kill this supernatural power for good. Obviously there is a lot more going on but that’s the gist of it.
The main reason the TV series works can be summarized in two words – Tim Curry. His take on Pennywise the clown is nearly manic. He is frightening and his costume resembles the costume of a real life clown named Bozo. If you grew up in the 1970s this makes Tim Curry even more frightening in this show.
Not everything works in the series. The acting is a little shaky at times and some of the production feels like it cut corners. But there are still moments that terrify, surprises you won’t see coming, and an overall feeling of complete dread and fear. But do keep in mind the series is 3 hours long so it’s a bit of a time commitment.
Bill Skarsgård stars as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in It
It
The more modern take on It released in 2017. This one stars Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. The opening still recreates one of the most famous scenes in any Stephen King book. Little Georgie Denbrough sails a paper boat down a sidewalk gutter in the rain. His boat slips into the sewer before Georgie can grab it. And waiting to give it back? A clown staring out of the sewer.
The timeline of this film is moved up. The kids in the book face their horrors in 1958 and return in 1985. But in this updated version, the kids are confronted with the killer clown in 1989. This film focuses on the first half of the story, establishing how the town of Derry has a malevolent evil plaguing it. The kids in town all know it is there but the adults don’t seem to perceive it at all.
There are clear changes from the book but the spirit and tone of the story here is about as close to emulating the King story as you can get. And in a word? It is terrifying. There is just about every kind of scare you can imagine in this film. And it packs a hell of a punch.
The Loser’s club reunites in It Chapter 2 to take on Pennywise the clown
It Chapter 2
It Chapter 2 takes place in 2016, 27 years after the events of the original. But it also has flash back sequences to contextualize and fill in gaps with incidents we did not see in the first film. The focus of the story here is on the Loser’s club reuniting but with only vague memories of what happened in their youth.
As these people navigate their memories, terrors new and old face them. Honestly, when this was announced, I was a bit skeptical splitting the It story in two would work at all. But upon my recent viewing, I had forgotten just how strong of an opening this film has. I won’t say they end is amazing. But, you can say that about the book too. In fact, in the film there is a bit of a meta joke about the ending, delivered by none other than Stephen King himself.
Ending aside, there is enough in this film to keep you scared for the entire run time. And the performances here by both adults and children are fantastic. No notes. They all embody their characters perfectly.
In Conclusion
If I had to choose what version of It to recommend, well, I’d recommend the book first. But if I had to choose between watching Stephen King’s It or It and It Chapter 2 I have to go with the modern versions. While not set in the time period of the book, the themes of friendship, growing up, loyalty and overcoming fear are well represented here. The character development is good and the large cast pulls it off well, with the second film echoing themes set up in the first film.
However, the run time for both of these movies added up is over 5 hours so again, quite the commitment. If you only have time for one Stephen King movie, go with It unless you have already watched that one.
No matter what version of the story you consume there will be something that will scare you. There is a good reason this is one the most popular Stephen King projects of all time. It’s about as close to a horror masterpiece as you can get. If you have Max, you can watch all three of these movies as of this post.
Clownishly yours,
Slick Dungeon
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It’s the day before Halloween folks! And has your old pal, Slick Dungeon got a terrifying movie recommendation for you? Oh yes, he does! In this post I’ll be reviewing the original adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. It’s a story that will convince you, sometimes, dead is better. It’s one of the films from my childhood that still gives me nightmares. There will be spoilers in this review so if you don’t enjoy that sort of thing, bury your dead cat at the cemetery, not the sematary, watch the film, and come on back here to read the review!
Pet Sematary background
In the 1980’s there was a glut of Stephen King adaptations. It got to the point where studios were losing interest in making films from his stories. Originally, George A. Romero, the legendary horror director of Night of the Living Dead purchased the rights to film Pet Sematary but he was tied up with other productions and couldn’t make the film.
In 1988 there was a WGA strike and studios were left scrambling to find finished scripts to produce. One script that had been completed was Pet Sematary and Paramount decided to give it the green light.
The movie was made for $11.5 million and made $57.5 million at the box office, proving the world was not still tired of Stephen King adaptations. But why did this film do so well? Because it is terrifying. Let’s get into the review.
The Creed family moves in
Louis, Rachel, their children Ellie and Gage Creed move from Chicago to Ludlow, Maine. It’s a big change from a bustling city to a quiet pace of life. But the road near Louis’ house is a deadly one. Pets are frequently run over by trucks speeding along. Louis is a physician and one of the first things he sees at his new job is a jogger who was killed by a truck on the road. Louis does everything he can to save the man but it’s no use.
This man, just before he dies, warns Louis not to go to the pet cemetery. And that night, the man shows up as a ghost to warn Louis once more.
Goodbye Church
The Creed’s have a cat named Church. Louis has to stay home during Thanksgiving while the rest of the family visit the relatives. While they are gone, Church runs into the road and is run over by a truck. The dead cat is a huge problem for Ellie who has recently been questioning what happens after someone dies.
Louis has a neighbor named Jud who takes Louis out to the Pet Sematary but they go further. Jud explains there is a place where the Miꞌkmaq locals used to bury their dead. Jud has Louis bury the cat but asks Louis to swear he will never speak of what they have done.
The cat came back
Sure enough, the next day, Church returns, alive but changed. He’s more aggressive and really has it out for Louis. But, Ellie doesn’t have to know what happened.
It’s the first real warning Louis gets that sometimes dead is better. I guess this dude never read The Monkey’s Paw in school. But things are about to get much, much worse for the Creed family.
Pet Sematary has The most heartbreaking scene in any King story
Tragically, the youngest member of the Creed family, Gage, runs off while the family is distracted. And he is hit by a truck. The little boy is only two years old so everyone is devastated. And the scene in the film is just heartbreaking when you see the little shoe slowly flying in the air. Gage is utterly and purely innocent. It’s not a monster that kills him, it’s just something that tragically happens every single day. And it could happen to anyone.
Any father would be grief stricken by this event. Jud knows exactly where Louis’ mind is going. Jud tells his neighbor a horrifying story about the last time a human was buried out at the pet cemetery. He tells Louis, “Sometimes, dead is better.” And he means it.
You can guess the rest
What happens next is predictable but it’s no less terrifying. I won’t go into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil it for those who have not seen it but from the point Gage dies, this movie pulls zero punches. And it is still as scary as ever. It’s a wild ride and there’s a bit of a twist at the end. Nothing ground breaking but it is still frightening.
Pet Sematary in conclusion
Not only is the main story here frightening, there is a side story about Rachel Creed’s sister that will give you nightmares for years. I really don’t want to spoil that part because it comes out of nowhere.
Other than the problematic trope of an “ancient burial ground” being cursed, this movie is scary as hell. And this version stars Fred Gwynne as Jud. Gwynne played Herman Munster so it’s a really fun horror connection. And Gwynne does a great job here.
The effects almost all hold up because the majority of them are practical effects. This one might be a little more frightening to me than it would be to some others. But that’s because I definitely have a fear of the dead returning, despite the fact that I love zombie movies and shows. They just tend to give me nightmares.
If you want a great Halloween movie pick, guaranteed to scare you, give Pet Sematary a shot. I promise you will remember it.
Gravely yours,
Slick Dungeon
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Panic sets in as The Storm of the Century brings an ancient evil to a small island
Hello Halloween week friends! Slick Dungeon here and I am back to review yet another terrifying Stephen King story. This one is a mini-series which is a rare instance of King’s work appearing on screen before it did in print. King himself wrote the script for Storm of the Century which tells the tale of a powerful storm on a small island that brings in something much more sinister than bad weather. There will be spoilers in this review so if that bothers you, lock your doors, gather your supplies, and batten down the hatches, watch the movie, and watch out for anyone carrying a cane, then come on back here to read the review!
Storm of the Century background
In 1996, Stephen King had a story he knew he wanted to tell. But he wasn’t sure if it should be a book or a screenplay. It involved a blizzard overtaking a fictional island off the coast of Maine called Little Tall Island. This is a small island community where everyone knows one another but just as the storm hits, a violent murder happens and a new person comes to the island.
Deciding to compromise, King wrote what he called, “a novel for television.” And it made for a pretty good novel too, published by Pocket Books just before the show aired.
Director Mike Flanagan has said this show was a major influence on a show he directed called Midnight Mass. The two stories do share much in common, with themes of philosophy, religion, and morally gray choices appearing in both projects.
Why is this one so enduring? Let’s find out.
The Storm of the Century arrives
The community of Little Tall Island, Maine is preparing for a blizzard. It’s the kind of storm that hits the island occasionally but the island tends to have good preparations, make sure everyone is safe, and sit through the worst of it.
But this storm brings in something different. An elderly woman named Martha Clarendon is at home, watching T.V. when a stranger enters her home. He has a cane with a wolf’s head on it and he bludgeons the woman to death.
When Town Manager, Robbie Beals goes to check on the woman, he finds the stranger sitting in Martha’s chair. He tells Robbie things only Robbie could know. Dark things. Secret things that Robbie would never want known. And Robbie is terrified.
The town prepares
Elsewhere on the island, Mike Anderson is helping the customers at the grocery store he owns. He’s reassuring everyone they don’t need to panic buy, and that the island will make it through this storm just like they have every other one. But then he gets word about what happened to Martha Clarendon. Mike is also the constable, so it’s his job to arrest the murderer.
Mike finds a man named André Linoge in Martha’s chair. The constable has to take this man through his store to put him in the local jail cell. As he walks through, Linoge exposes secrets of many of the customers in the store. The kinds of secrets no one wants shared. And it’s clear this man is telling the truth every time he utters one of these secrets.
Linoge won’t answer any questions about himself but he does say, “Give me what I want and I’ll go away.”
No one is safe on this island
One by one people in Little Tall Island commit suicide and in one instance, murder. At the scene of each of these deaths are the words “Give me what I want and I’ll go away.”
To make matters worse, Linoge turns into a wizened old man and walks right out of the jail cell. And again he says, “Give me what I want and I’ll go away.” He then disappears into the storm that no human could survive.
The townsfolk decide to bunk up together in the town hall. That night they all have the same dream. It’s about the Roanoke colony that simply disappeared one day, leaving only the word Croatoan behind.
More people die
As bad as Linoge is, there is also a deadly blizzard hitting hard. It hits so hard, it tears down the lighthouse at the docs. The townsfolk head out to see what is happening when three of them are pulled backwards and disappear entirely. This isn’t from the storm because the wind is decidedly blowing in the opposite direction.
Two of the three people are never found again. But one of them, Angie Carver, returns but has aged by years in less than a day. And she says Linoge wants everyone to meet him.
The kids aren’t alright
All of the kids in town fall into a coma like sleep. Linoge shows up and finally reveals what his demands are. Linoge is some kind of ancient, and malevolent creature. But he is not immortal. And what he wants is a child. One of the children from Little Tall Island. Linoge gives the town a choice. Let him take one of their children to raise as his own, or he will kill all of the children on the island.
The townsfolk debate the question. Mike Anderson is the only holdout on the vote. He considers being taken by Linoge a fate worse than death. It’s damnation. Even Mike’s wife is against him.
I won’t reveal here what happens next, in case anyone has not seen it, but it’s not a choice where anyone can win, other than Linoge. And it’s genuinely terrifying.
Storm of the Century in conclusion
This show is a bit of a commitment as it’s three hour long episodes. But if you watch it, this one is gripping. From the ultimate mystery of not only who but what Linoge is, to the shocking violence, and the intimate secrets revealed, this show will keep you on the edge of your seat.
There are no good choices for the people of Little Tall Island and the storm is genuinely the least of their concerns.
The acting in this one is phenomenal for a television series from 1999. And it still works to this day. The story is mesmerizing, terrifying, and shockingly good. If you haven’t watched this one, carve out some time and enjoy the ride.
Stormily yours,
Slick Dungeon
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Happy Halloween week horror pals! It’s the time of the season to ratchet up the fear to 11. I’ve been taking a look at some of the best (and a few of the worst) Stephen King adaptations this month. And in this review, I’ll be going over Stephen King’s take on cosmic horror in The Mist directed by none other than Frank Darabont. There will be some spoilers but I will try to keep them minimal in this review. If you know too much about it going in, the movie is not nearly as strong. Still, if you hate spoilers of the minimal kind, run out to the grocery store before the mist sets in, grab your supplies, run on home and watch the movie while all the chaos happens, then come on back here to read the review!
The Mist background
Frank Darabont, a notable film director who has adapted his share of Stephen King projects, and was integral to the launch of The Walking Dead read The Mist in 1980 and wanted to make it into a film. But he wisely chose to direct The Shawshank Redemption first. After the hugely successful reception of that film, Darabont decided to go with The Green Mile. But eventually, in 2007 we finally got to see Darabont’s take on a true horror story of King’s when The Mist debuted.
While this film was not the critical darling of Darabont’s first two projects, it was still generally well received and did gross over $57 million at the box office.
In recent years, people have gained more appreciation for this project and the basic premise of the film still resonates to this day. Not all of the effects hold up well, but the story is still stunningly impactful, and the ending is outright devastating.
An intense storm and a run to the store
In the beginning of the film, a tree crashes through the home of David Drayton (played by Thomas Jane), and the car of Brent Norton. These two men have a history of litigation against one another but the situation is such that they need to get into town for supplies. David takes his son, Billy and Brent into the local grocery store. What they don’t know is a menacing mist is right behind them.
Things are normal enough inside the store, with a few people arguing or joking but most of them just doing their shopping like any other day. But then, Dan Miller, a local resident bursts through the doors, blood dripping down his face. He starts screaming about there being something in the mist.
Threats from outside and in
A theme you will see in both this film and The Walking Dead is a varied group of people forced to survive together. As a result, sometimes the threats from people are just as bad as those from any monster. If not worse.
Soon, David has first hand experience that the threats in the mist are incredibly real. From this point on, it’s survive or die. Factions are made. People turn to religion while others remain pragmatic. The threats from outside become more apparent. The way out of the situation is anything but clear.
The whole time David is making what he sees as the best choice. But as the film progresses, what is the right choice becomes murkier until he is faced with a horrendous decision.
The Mist has one of the most memorable endings of any Stephen King story
I said I would keep spoilers light so I am not going to give away the ending here. If you’ve seen the film, there is no doubt in my mind you remember it. Whether it is a good ending or a bad one is entirely subjective. I will say, it is an ending that fits in perfectly well with cosmic horror. Let’s just say, no matter what David did right before the end, he was in an intense moral quandary.
And out of all of the main characters in all of the Stephen King stories, David may have actually had to make the toughest decision. And that’s saying something.
The Mist in Conclusion
I hadn’t seen this one in a while. The effects feel pretty outdated in some of the scenes. The gore is still generally as good as it was but some of the CGI is a little rough by today’s standards. But the story is as strong as ever. It’s one of those films where upon re-watch, the themes still resonate more than a decade later. In some ways, it makes for better viewing now than it did then.
And this film stars a bunch of people who ended up cast in The Walking Dead which I find interesting.
If you want some great scares this is a good film to watch during Halloween week. Just be prepared for an ending that will punch you in the gut like a wrecking ball.
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Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood star in Gerald’s Game
Hello out there all you horror enthusiasts! It’s Slick Dungeon back once again to review a Stephen King adaptation. This one is directed by Mike Flanagan and stars Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood. Gerald’s Game is a tense psychological thriller with a good touch of horror. But just a word of warning on this one, the plot of the film does involve some pretty heavy stuff. If you have any sensitivity around depictions of sexual abuse, domestic abuse or incest, it’s best not to watch this one, or even read this review. If this does not apply to you, and you can handle a pretty strong film full of really intense situations, I highly recommend it. And as with most Mike Flanagan horror projects, he knocks this one out of the park.
Gerald’s Game background
There was a time when the novel Gerald’s Game, written by Stephen King was thought to be unfilmable. Not only does the story center around some very heavy topics but also the majority of the action is about a woman handcuffed to a bed for nearly two days. While the novel provides a strong narrative about what is happening in the woman’s head, translating this to film was no easy task.
Thankfully this ended up in Mike Flanagan’s capable hands and not only did he make this watchable, Carla Gugino puts on an incredibly impressive performance. This subject matter could have been treated in a much less respectful way but, Flanagan, like King, knew how to walk a tightrope to make a truly memorable story. And Bruce Greenwood and Henry Thomas both provide strong supporting characters. There’s a reason this trio of actors is featured in more than one Flanagan project. They are all incredible when on screen and in this movie, they all shine. But Gugino shines the most as the main character.
So how did an unfilmable novel become an unforgettable Netflix smash? Let’s take a look at the story and find out.
Gerald’s Game
Once again, just a content warning, soon after the film starts, majorly dark themes are featured. If you need to step away from this movie or this review, please prioritize your own mental health first. Now, onto the review.
Jessie and Gerald Burlingame have been married for quite some time. They take a vacation to an isolated house in Fairhope, Alabama. The vacation starts off innocently enough. Jessie finds a stray dog. She wants to shelter it but Gerald is against the idea. Once the couple arrive at the house, Gerald takes Viagra. Jessie, cuts up some prime Kobe steak and tries to entice the stray dog. Gerald is angry about this but lets her leave out the treat.
The couple go back in the house, leaving the door open. Jessie changes into a slip and Gerald decides to spice things up in their relationship by handcuffing Jessie to the bed. While Jessie sort of plays along here, it’s obvious she’s not entirely comfortable. And, the handcuffs Gerald uses are not some cheap plastic toy. These are real, metal handcuffs, that require a key to open. This is Gerald’s game.
The whole time, up to this point, it’s been apparent there are some problems in this marriage. But after Jessie is handcuffed, the extent of these issues becomes shockingly clear. Jessie argues with Gerald and demands he uncuff her. But, in the heat of the argument, Gerald has a cardiac arrest and dies. His body falls right on top of Jessie who is now not only handcuffed but pinned down.
The struggle begins
From here on out, this is a movie of survival. Jessie is in a horrible situation. She’s physically restrained, her husband is dead, and she has no way to call anyone for help. One side note here is that if Jessie had something voice activated like Alexa, for example, she could have gotten help. But she doesn’t have anything like that here.
Jessie does manage to get Gerald off of her and his body hits the floor. A few hours pass with Jessie calling out for help and looking around the room for any way to get out of the restraints. And then the stray dog shows up. The dog bites right into Gerald’s body.
Gerald stands up. Jessie looks on the floor to see Gerald’s body is still there. Jessie is hallucinating. Gerald taunts Jessie, says things to insult her, and make her feel guilty about their marriage. He also tells her she’s suffering from dehydration and fatigue.
While this version of Gerald isn’t nice to Jessie, most of what he says is true. Especially when he’s talking about the situation Jessie is currently in.
You can only rely on one person
To combat this version of Gerald, Jessie hallucinates a more confident version of herself. At this point in the movie Carla Gugino is acting against Bruce Greenwood, a stray dog, and herself. It sounds complicated but Gugino does such a good job it’s always believable.
This new version of herself and the hallucination of Gerald remind Jessie there is a glass of water on the headboard. Jessie uses the tag from her brand new slip to fashion a straw to reach the water.
Jessie falls asleep but she’s woken when the dog gets startled. She sees a dark figure, deformed but human, holding a bag of bones and trinkets. She doesn’t believe the figure is real but something definitely startled the dog so something happened.
Mouse
The hallucination of Gerald starts to refer to Jessie as Mouse. She remembers this was a childhood nickname her father used to call her. Then she remembers an eclipse she watched with her father. I won’t go into graphic detail but he does things with her no father ever should. And then, like a lot of abusers, he convinces to feel guilty about it, and keep it secret.
It’s a horrendously disturbing role but played masterfully by Henry Thomas.
The hallucination of Gerald brings up the fact that Jessie never shared this memory with him. And both Gerald and Jessie’s other self tell her she married a man just like her father. This revelation is almost as disturbing as the precarious position Jessie is in.
More danger
Jessie falls asleep again and wakes to the dog licking her foot. At first she thought it was the man in the moonlight who she saw earlier. But Gerald points out two things to Jessie. First, the dog is going to get tired of eating his corpse and move on to eating her. Second, there is a bloody footprint on the floor. Someone was indeed there.
Another childhood memory unlocks for Jessie and she thinks of the dinner after the eclipse when she was 12. In the incident, she cuts her hand on a glass and blood drips everywhere. Her father helps her clean it up but Jessie remembers that blood, before it clots is a fantastic lubricant. The scene is visceral and painful to watch.
In present day, Jessie manages to break the glass and use it to cut her wrist and free herself from the handcuffs. She does her best to bandage it up and goes to leave the apartment. But the man made of moonlight is there. Jessie takes off her wedding ring and gives it to him for his bag of trinkets.
Escape and recovery
Jessie makes it to the car outside. But she’s so delirious she hits a tree nearby. She hallucinates the deformed man once again and he whispers, “Mouse” in her ear. Jessie does live.
She starts a foundation for survivors of sexual abuse with the money from Gerald’s life insurance. But at night she still dreams of the man made of moonlight. No one ever found her wedding ring at the lake house either.
It turns out the man made of moonlight was real. He was serial killer with a rare condition that caused his deformity. This man only mutilated men, although he did kill several women. But for some reason, he did not kill Jessie.
She goes to the arraignment of this man to look him in the eye. She sees him as he is, she sees him as Gerald, and she sees him as her father. And when she gets close enough for this man to hear her, she says, “You’re so much smaller than I remember.”
Why Gerald’s Game is so enduring
This film is, on the surface, about survival. Jessie is in a physically precarious position with the real possibility of death looming over her. But unlike other survival films, such as 127 Hours, Cast Away, or The Revenant, this film dives deep into the psychology of the character.
And the whole story functions as a metaphor for more than just horror but for surviving sexual trauma and other types of abuse. At the end, when Jessie says, “You’re so much smaller than I remember.” she is talking not just to the terrifying man who threatened her life, not just to the man who married her and wanted to control her, not just to her father who abused and humiliated her. She’s talking to all of them but she is also empowering herself.
One does not get the sense in this film that Jessie’s trauma is permanently over, no one could truly get over what she endured, but she’s found a new side of herself. One that can look in a monster’s face and call him small.
There were so many ways this film could have gone wrong. Carla Gugino even thought it might kill her career. But this subject matter was handled so perfectly there is no denying how impactful it is. There are certainly some slow moments and I’m not sure the makeup holds up for the man made of moonlight but that’s never the point of this film.
The point is finding the strength to survive, to overcome past trauma, and to endure. And this film does that brilliantly.
Survivingly yours,
Slick Dungeon
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Hello Halloween month buddies! It’s Slick Dungeon and I’m back to review another Stephen King adaptation. What’s the most haunted hotel room in the world of Stephen King fiction? Is it room 237 from The Overlook Hotel in The Shining? Not even close. Nope, it’s the room 1408 at The Dolphin Hotel in New York. MIke Enslin tries to spend a single night there and boy does it go poorly. I’ll be reviewing the film which was an adaptation of the Stephen King story. There will be spoilers in this review so if you don’t enjoy that, turn up your thermostat, grab a drink from your mini-fridge, order up the movie in your hotel room, make your escape after said room tries to kill you, and come on back here to read the review!
1408 background
In 1999, Stephen King wrote one of his most frightening short stories. 1408 told the story of a cynic and skeptic who believes in nothing, named Mike Enslin. Ironically, he made his living by “exposing” haunted locations and saying how scary they were, even though he never saw anything supernatural at all. But when he walks into a certain hotel room, everything changes.
This story was adapted into a film in 2007 and starred John Cusack in the role of Mike. It’s a horrifying film with tons of scares. And it was hugely successful.
The film was made for $25 million and made $20 million in just the opening weekend. It went on to gross a staggering $132 million, proving once again, horror is not just good entertainment, it’s good business. Now, on to the review!
Mike Enslin doesn’t believe in anything
Mike Enslin is known for writing books like, 10 Haunted Graveyards, 10 Haunted Houses and similar titles. His latest book is 10 Haunted Hotels. Mike goes to a supposedly haunted hotel where the owners are more than eager to share with him all of the creepy stories they have heard. Mike spends a quiet night there, observes nothing at all unusual, and promptly awards them a rating of 5 skulls in his tape recorder. Clearly, Mike is just going along with these stories so he, and the hotels, can profit.
At a book signing Mike is mechanically signing his books. But a woman asks him to sign his first novel. This book is a literary story about a father and son which clearly has a lot of meaning for Mike but did poorly in sales.
It’s safe to say Mike’s days have become routine. And it’s clear he’s estranged from his wife. But when he receives a postcard, it has a strange message on it that will change his life. The postcard shows The Dolphin Hotel and says, “Don’t enter 1408”
The morbid history of room 1408
Mike does some research and discovers a long history of death in this room. Also, he figures out that if you add up the numbers 1408 it equals 13. And, since hotels often don’t label their 13th floor, this is the 13th room on the 13th floor of The Dolphin Hotel.
Mike can’t resit wanting to stay here. But the manager, Gerald Olin, played by Samuel L. Jackson, does everything he can to dissuade Mike. Olin tells Mike that in the past 95 years, no one has lasted more than an hour in the room. He goes so far as to offer to let Mike stay in a different room for free, write his story, and go on his way. Just as long as he doesn’t go into 1408. But Mike is stubborn and determined.
Mike enters the room
Threatening legal action if Olin doesn’t let Mike into the room, the hotel manager relents. When Mike enters, it’s a normal room. There is typical furniture and paintings. There’s a little min-fridge where you can pay exorbitant amounts for a tiny bottle of alcohol. The standard hotel setup.
Mike thinks this is going to be yet another routine, boring visit, where nothing happens but he can write a spooky story about it.
But then, the radio starts playing, “We’ve Only Just Begun” by The Carpenters. And the clock in the room starts counting down from 60. This kicks off an escalating cascade of horrors for Mike to endure.
Terror in 1408
Just in case you haven’t seen this movie, I’m not going to go into detail about the horrors Mike experiences in 1408. But watching John Cusack act in these situations is an absolute delight. And there are some genuinely terrifying moments here. It rapidly becomes apparent why no one lasts more than an hour.
The remainder of the film is seeing whether or not Mike will survive this. Is he going insane? Possibly. Even if he does get out, this could drive him to madness. Did Olin set him up so he could profit from the story? Unlikely, but possible. Is this an evil room trying to kill its occupant? This seems like the most likely option.
I’m also not going to tell you if Mike survives here. But I will say, the horror here is real. And it goes to some very deep emotional places. And not only that, even when it seems like there is a breather here, the doom is simply waiting in the wings to return in the worst way. It’s a masterful horror film and if you don’t get scared at least once during this, well, you’re braver than me.
1408 in conclusion
This is one of my all time favorite Stephen King adaptations. And for good reason. The cast is great, even though the majority of acting is done by Cusack himself. As always, Samuel L. Jackson is a joy to watch. And just when you think you’ve figured out what will happen, the movie throws you for a complete loop and brings the horror right back. It’s relentless. While there are certainly jump scares, there are also other types of horror here. There is gore for sure. But also psychological terror, impending doom, survival horror, and just about everything else you might want out of a horror film.
If you want a good horror film about a hotel, watch The Shining. If you want a movie about a hotel that will scare your pants off, watch 1408.
Hospitably yours,
Slick Dungeon
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Ewan McGregor shines as Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep
Hello horror pals, Slick Dungeon here. I’m back to review yet another Stephen King adaptation. This time I’ll be talking about the criminally underrated sequel to The Shining known as Doctor Sleep. There will be spoilers in this review so if that bothers you, head over to a massive abandoned and isolated hotel, enter room 237, ignore anything undead in the room, watch the movie, and then come on back here to read the review!
Doctor Sleep background
In 2013 Stephen King published a book no one was expecting. It was titled Doctor Sleep and was a sequel to one of his most famous novels, The Shining. Soon after, Akiva Goldsman wrote a script adapting the novel. The script languished without a budget until It became a box office hit in 2017. Enter Mike Flanagan.
Flanagan had already proven his chops with Gerald’s Game so if anyone could adapt a Stephen King novel of this force, it would be him.
The film was released on Halloween 2019 internationally but didn’t premiere in the United States until November 8th of that year. The film grossed $72.4 million and was well received by critics and audiences. Yet this was considered a disappointment as it did not earn as well as other King adaptations that year, including It Chapter Two and Pet Sematary.
This makes the film a perfect choice this Halloween as there are plenty of people who have not seen it and it delivers on the scares and on the performances.
Surviving trauma
Dan Torrance endured a horrific ordeal at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado in 1980. There, a malevolent evil awakened, tormenting Dan and his mother. And his father, Jack tried to kill the two of them in the incident. Jack Torrance died as a result.
But the ghosts are not done with Danny. They keep coming to him, trying to invade his mind and take his “shine” from him. Dick Hallorann, the ghost of the man who helped Dan survive teaches him how to lock away these ghosts in his mind. But not all goes well for Dan Torrance.
Driven to drink
in 2011 Dan is a full blown alcoholic and addict. He gets into bar fights and goes home with strange women. In one incident he takes money from a single mother who he sleeps with. He’s haunted by his own actions but the alcohol is clearly a coping mechanism to deal not only with his trauma but with his psychic abilities.
Dan goes to a small town in New Hampshire where he makes a friend named Billy Freeman. Freeman gives Dan a job and sponsors him in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Dan tells a doctor at one of his AA meetings where he left his watch. The doctor offers Dan a job as an orderly at a hospice care facility. While there, Dan is especially good at reassuring dying patience, letting them know we continue after death. This is how he earns the nickname Doctor Sleep.
Also, Dan makes a psychic connection with a young girl named Abra Stone. Dan’s life is in recovery but the horrors are still waiting for him.
True Knot
Meanwhile, a group of psychic vampires led by Rose “the Hat” preys upon psychic children. They need the “shine” or what they call “steam” these kids have in order to live. To get it, they have to torture and murder children. It’s the reverse of how Dan helps people.
With only a few people in the world capable of psychic ability things are tough for this group. They are near starving.
In 2019 the group kills a young boy and Abra Stone sees it happen with her psychic powers. She reaches out to Dan Torrance to tell him what happened. With Abra’s level of psychic ability, it is only a matter of time before True Knot comes for her.
Doctor Sleep to the rescue
Dan can’t sit on the sidelines any longer. He tells his friend Billy what is going on, risking his friendship and recovery. They take a trip to where Abra says the little boy True Knot murdered is buried. The friends find the body and confirm True Knot is doing what Abra says they are.
Dan decides to set a trap for the group. They fool the majority of True Knot into thinking they have captured Abra. But Dan and Billy are waiting with shotguns and kill most of the cultists.
Still remaining are Crow Daddy, a top lieutenant in the group, and Rose the Hat. Crow Daddy captures Abra and drives away with her. But Danny helps Abra by using his psychic powers to make Crow Daddy crash his van and die.
The final showdown at the Overlook
Rose the Hat is furious with Abra for killing all her friends. She’s out for blood and needs Abra in order to keep living. But Dan Torrance knows the perfect place to stage a psychic fight.
The Overlook Hotel has been abandoned for years. But as soon as Dan arrives, it comes to life. The ghosts are still there. In a brutal and vicious showdown Rose the Hat fights with Dan psychically. But he unleashes all those horrific ghosts he’s locked up through the years. Rose the Hat dies. However, the ghosts have Dan and they want Abra.
Dan comes at Abra with an ax but he’s able to stop the ghosts long enough for her to escape. Prior to confronting Rose the Hat, Dan rigged the boiler room to blow. He sets the whole place on fire, himself included. He dies so Abra can live. And it should be noted, it’s the exact opposite choice his own father made.
Doctor Sleep in conclusion
This film doesn’t work if you haven’t seen The Shining. But if you have, this is full of great scares and references from the first film. Mike Flanagan was smart enough not to use de-aged actors for the parts played by Shelley Duvall or Jack Nicholson. But the set design is eerily familiar in those scenes.
There is more nuance here than in The Shining. This film is more than a simple descent into madness. This is about what people should do when they make mistakes. It’s also got a fantastic cast who deliver top notch performances. Much of Mike Flanagan’s work has been lauded in recent years but for some reason this film is consistently overlooked. For a great Halloween double feature, throw on The Shining followed by Doctor Sleep. Just stay out of room 237.
Sleepily yours,
Slick Dungeon
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Hello horror fans, Slick Dungeon here! It’s getting close to Halloween and that means it’s time to add some scary movies to your watch list. Well, what can be better than a Stephen King movie directed by George A. Romero that dives into deep body horror and psychological terror? This time I am reviewing The Dark Half. There will be spoilers in this review so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, throw it on, take out your Berol Black Beauty pencil, takes some notes, get in touch with your dark side, and come on back here to read the review.
The Dark Half background
The Dark Half is a 1993 film adapting a Stephen King novel of the same name. George A. Romero, director of The Night of the Living Dead, both wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Timothy Hutton pulls double duty here playing both Thad Beaumont and George Stark, a much darker version of Thad. Amy Madigan plays Thad’s wife Liz. And an actor who would later star in another zombie project, The Walking Dead, Michael Rooker, plays sheriff Alan Pangborn in the film.
The film was completed but stuck in distribution limbo for almost two years as Orion pictures was in financial straights at the time. When it did release in 1993, it earned $10 million domestically.
This is one King adaptation that is often overlooked. It’s not perfect but there are some body horror moments that only Romero could create. And it’s a fascinating look at the duality of a person.
Time for a change
Thad Beaumont is a successful author who rakes in money. But he does so under his pen name George Stark. Thad writes high brow, intellectual literary fiction. Stark writes about down and dirty crime.
Most people wouldn’t care one way or the other about Thad having made his money through popular fiction rather than literary works. But, a man named Fred Clawson is convinced Thad’s publishers would care. Clawson attempts to blackmail Thad. He knows Stark and Beaumont are one in the same and he’s planning to expose the writer. Unless Beaumont pays him.
Deciding to get ahead of the blackmailer, Beaumont holds a publicity stunt where he buries George Stark in a symbolic, and literal grave. Stark is not a real person so there’s nothing to bury, but the stunt does the trick and Beaumont has avoided the blackmail.
The DArk Half comes out to play
Soon after this stunt, strange things start happening. Someone digs out of the grave, although there was never anyone in it. People around Beaumont are killed. First Homer Gamache who took the photos of the publicity stunt. Then people like Thad’s agent, editor, and Fred Clawson.
The whole time this is happening, Thad is getting glimpses of what is happening as if he is psychically connected to these events.
At one point in the movie we see a horribly graphic scene of a surgery performed on Thad when he was a boy. He had a brain tumor which turned out to be the remains of a twin. Thad survived the surgery but after, tons of sparrows showed up outside of the hospital. It’s not wholly clear if this is George Stark or not, but it’s still a shockingly gory scene.
No one can be in two places at once
With death coming closer and closer to Thad, it was only a matter of time before the police would start to suspect him. Sheriff Alan Pangborn suspects Thad of some involvement. And Thad’s fingerprints match those at the scene of at least one murder. The problem? At the time the murder happened, Thad was giving a public talk in front of a crowd of people in another state.
At first Thad thinks the killer is Clawson but when Pangborn finds Clawson’s body, he’s ruled out. And even stranger, written in Clawson’s blood are the words, “The sparrows are flying again.”
Soon, Thad gets threatening messages from George Stark. This should obviously be impossible since Thad is George Stark. But somehow it’s happening. Stark describes in vivid detail how he is going to kill Thad’s family.
Thad realizes Stark is somehow his parasitic twin brother. And this man is out for blood.
Talking to yourself
Thad does figure out that somehow Stark is real. And he can be controlled through Thad’s writing. However, Stark will do anything to kill Thad. If he succeeds, Thad will die and Stark will live. When writing books as George Stark, Thad always used the same kind of pencils. A Berol Black Beauty pencil. When Stark finally confronts Thad he makes Thad sit down to write a story that will bring Stark into reality for good.
As Thad writes, Stark gets healthier while Thad begins to fade. But Thad gets the upper hand by stabbing Stark in the throat. Thad’s wife and kids who had been prisoners are free. And Pangborn shows up just in time to see tons of sparrows landing.
The Dark Half in conclusion
There are some problems in this film. It’s not ever entirely clear if Stark is this dead twin come back to life, or someone who walked off the pages of an author’s imagination. But the scares, the body horror, and the intense psychological drama here all make up for that. It’s a disturbing film that will remain with you after watching. And Timothy Hutton pulls off a great performance acting against himself in two roles. Do yourself a favor and give this one a watch if you haven’t seen it (or haven’t seen it in a while). It holds up for the most part and it’s one of the more disturbing King adaptations out there.
Darkly yours,
Slick Dungeon
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Hello horror fans, it’s Slick Dungeon! I’m back to review another Stephen King adaptation. This one is the disappointing, and frankly, strange and offensive, film, Thinner. There will be spoilers for this but since I don’t recommend watching it, maybe that’s irrelevant here. If you do care about that, you have been warned.
Thinner background
Thinner is a 1996 body horror film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Originally the book was published under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman. One member of the literary guild said the book read like a work by Stephen King if Stephen King could write. Eventually it came out to the public that Bachman and King were one and the same person.
The movie was made for $8 million dollars and generated a healthy $15.3 million. But it was far from a critical success and upon re-watching this does not hold up. The main character is wholly unlikeable, although that is probably intentional. But more problematic is the way Romani people are depicted in uninspired stereotypes.
The end does offer some fateful justice but there are so many problems along the way, this is one I recommend skipping.
Not a nice lawyer
Billy Halleck is a lawyer willing to defend a mafia boss named Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli. Everyone in America is entitled to a vigorous defense but Billy must know on some level that Richie is guilty. Halleck succeeds in an acquittal of the trial. Billy Halleck is also, severely overweight. In fact, he’s somewhat obsessed with food.
His wife, Heidi loves him. And she wants him to do better with his nutrition. While driving home, Billy keeps talking about food. Heidi tries to distract him by, let’s just say doing things to him that are better done while not driving. As a result, Billy is distracted and runs over a Romani woman named Suzanne Lempke. The woman dies.
There are no consequences for Billy Halleck in court. He has a friendly judge acquit him of manslaughter after getting the police chief to commit perjury and clear Billy’s name.
Thinner
Suzanne’s father, Tadzu Lempke is justifiably angry. Outside of the court he sees Billy and touches Billy’s cheek. He says one word, “Thinner.” From now on, even when Billy is eating everything in sight, he gets thinner. No matter what he does, he loses weight. At first this is seen as good thing. But the rapid weight loss is concerning to Heidi. She thinks it might be cancer.
Both the judge and the police chief face their own consequences. The judge has turned into a lizard-like creature and the police chief has ulcers all over his face and hands. Both of these men have been cursed and both of them commit suicide.
Looking for solutions
Billy knows he is in trouble. He goes to the Romani camp to make a deal with Tadzu Lempke. Although Billy is a good lawyer, he can’t make a deal here. Tadzu banishes Billy from camp and his granddaughter shoots a ball bearing from a slingshot that tears right through Billy’s hand.
Billy angrily vows revenge and decides he is going to do everything he can to destroy these people.And he has the mafia connection with Richie Ginelli to do it.
Through a series of attempts, Ginelli does his best to terrify everyone at the Romani camp. One of these tactics results in the death of Tadzu’s granddaughter’s husband.
Tadzu agrees to meet with Billy to lift the curse. He gives Billy a pie, mixes in some of Billy’s blood and tells him what will happen. If someone else eats the pie they will die quickly and Billy’s curse will be lifted. Tadzu encourages him to eat the pie himself and die with dignity.
Billy Halleck is just the worst
Billy suspects Heidi is having an affair so he gives her the pie. When he wakes up, he wakes up next to Heidi’s corpse. But to his horror, he discovers his daughter also ate some of the pie. Billy is going to eat the rest of the pie when he is interrupted by the man Heidi is having an affair with. Billy invites him in for some pie with a smirk on his face.
The book actually ends with Billy eating the pie himself after discovering his daughter is cursed but the movie makes it a little more ambiguous.
Either way, I take Billy eating the pie as yet another time this guy escapes accountability as he won’t have to answer for any of his crimes if he’s dead. But that’s just my take.
Thinner in conclusion
This film might have worked in the 1990’s. There is some decent body horror but the practical effects used to make Billy look overweight don’t work well now. The ones that make him look thinner work better and leave a few creepy impressions on the viewer. But more problematic is the whole plot of a “gypsy curse” which feels outdated, irrelevant and essentially offensive at this point. Add to the fact that none of the nuance from the book is here and this makes for poor viewing. While Billy gets some consequences, he never seems to learn from his actions and does not become more likeable. I’m not against an unlikeable protagonist but Billy is really hard to sympathize with at any level here.
Not all Stephen King adaptations can be good ones. But as we get further into October, I’ll be reviewing some of scariest of his films so buckle up because from here on out, they are all likely to give you nightmares.
Thinly yours,
Slick Dungeon
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