Hey horror fans, Slick Dungeon here to guide you through yet another Stephen King adaptation. This time, I’m taking a look at Cat’s Eye, a three part anthology film of King’s short stories. Unlike Creepshow, this film never quite hits the mark so I don’t recommend it. But if you insist on watching it and don’t want spoilers, grab your cat, fight off the troll in your wall, watch the movie and come on back here to read the review!
Cat’s Eye Background
Two out of the three stories in the film were adaptations of prior short stories of Stephen King’s. The third story is original to the film. All three feature a cat, and Drew Barrymore with the third story emphasizing the two. While the film may have done well and been well received at release, it does not hold up well and there are far more entertaining King films out there.
The movie did make $13 million and was generally liked, although some critics didn’t enjoy it. It still has a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but for my money, this one really isn’t worth the watch anymore. But let’s take a look at the three stories depicted and see what they are all about.
Quitter’s Inc.
Want to quit smoking? Willing to go to extremes that are definitely illegal? Try Quitter’s Inc. James Woods stars in this one as Dick Morrison. Dick is trying to quit smoking so he goes to Quitters Inc. At his first meeting there, Dr. Vinnie Donatti tells Dick they have a 100% success rate because of their unusual practices. Anytime Dick tries to smoke, some new and increasing horror is going to befall Dick’s wife and daughter.
To show he means business, Donatti shows Dick a cat in a box and turns on some jolts of electricity, torturing the poor cat. He tells Dick in no uncertain terms, this will be his wife if he smokes. And that he has people everywhere watching Dick’s every move.
Well, smokers are gonna smoke and sure enough, Donatti has his people do shady things like follow Dick’s daughter to school, threaten to rape his wife, and eventually does put Dick’s wife in the cage. After seeing her tortured, Dick tells his wife everything.
We fast forward in time and Donatti is proud of Dick for quitting smoking but wants him to lose weight so he prescribes diet pills. Dick asks what happens if he gains weight and Donatti says his wife will lose a finger. At dinner that night, Dick and his wife toast Quitter’s Inc. to their friends and Dick notices his friend’s wife is missing a finger.
This one is pretty silly and campy but it is kind of entertaining. And James Woods does put in a decent performance
The Ledge
The second story in the anthology is The Ledge. This one is about a gambler named Cressner. A former tennis pro named Johnny Norris has been seeing Cressner’s wife. Also, the cat from the first story escaped Quitter’s Inc. and Cressner bets on whether it can cross the street without getting run over by a car.
This is probably the most forgettable of the stories. Cressner bets Johnny he can’t make it around the ledge of his building on his penthouse floor. If he does, Cressner will grant his wife a divorce and reunite her with Johnny. While Johnny scrambles across the precarious ledge, Cressner does everything he can to make it more difficult.
Johnny makes it and Cressner does, sort of, honor the bet. He reunites Johnny with his wife’s severed head. Johnny attacks Cressner and with a little help from the cat, he gets Cressner’s gun and the tables turn. Cressner is not as good as Johnny and he falls to his death.
This premise could have been intriguing but it feels a bit dull. And it’s not even close to horrific, with the exception of the moment the severed head is revealed.
General
The third story is about the cat who Drew Barrymore’s character, Amanda, says is named General. Amanda believes there is a monster in her wall. Amanda’s mother doesn’t want General to stay in Amanda’s room because she has the superstitious belief that cats steal children’s breath.
As you might guess, Amanda is right about the monster. It’s a little troll who lives in her walls and it’s the one trying to steal her breath. General, the hero cat, saves Amanda and the cat gets to stay.
This one doesn’t work well in my opinion but maybe it did at the time. If you’re wondering what the monster looked like, you can see it below.
The monster in the third story of Cat’s Eye is a little troll who lives in a wall.
Ultimately, I just can’t get behind this one. It’s too far out there but if you’re looking for something pretty silly, this one can work.
Cat’s Eye in Conclusion
Stephen King has more than 80 adaptations on film and television. Not all of them can be great. In my opinion this one is one to skip. You’re better off watching either of his Creepshow films if you want an anthology of horror. And while the performances are fine, not all of the effects hold up with the passing of time. There are some funny moments so looking at it as a comedy/horror makes a little more sense. Sadly, this is not the worst of King films but it is far, far from the best.
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Hello horror fans! Ready for another review from your old pal Slick? Well, good news! This time I’m reviewing the Stephen King classic starring Drew Barrymore about a little girl who can set way more than your heart on fire. I’m talking about Firestarter. There will be some spoilers here so if you haven’t watch the movie, burn yourself some popcorn, lock yourself away in a room owned by a mysterious government agency, watch the movie, then escape your way out and come on back here to read the review!
Firestarter Background
Firestarter, based on a Stephen King book of the same name, was set to be directed by John Carpenter. Unfortunately, Carpenter’s brilliant film The Thing was not a box office success. Carpenter was replaced with Mark L. Lester.
The film stars Drew Barrymore, David Keith, Martin Sheen, George C. Scott, and Heather Locklear.
Despite some star power here, this was anything but a critical success and Stephen King himself disliked this adaptation. There has been a remake but that film also is far from the greatness of the novel.
Why does such an interesting premise from a book make for a poor film? Let’s dig into it and find out.
College Experiments
Two college students, Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson need some money so they volunteer for medical experiments. The experiments are run by a shadowy government agency called The Shop. As Andy and Vicky get to know one another while waiting for the drugs to kick in, horrors happen around them. All the other volunteers for the experiment die. Andy and Vicky not only end up with psychic powers, they fall in love.
It’s sort of a sweet scene with a horrific background but in the book, both the emotions of the main characters, and the extremes the experiment goes to are better explored.
A FAmily Matter
Fast forward in time and Vicky and Andy are married with an 8 year old daughter named Charlene. Everyone calls her Charlie and like her parents she has an ability, although hers is far more dangerous. Her mother can read minds, her father can psychically influence others but Charlie? Charlie can set things on fire with her mind.
One day, Andy comes home to find Vicky murdered and Charlie kidnapped. Andy does what any dad with his powers would, he rescues his little girl by blinding the government agents and the two are on the run.
Present Day
Everything I just talked about is conveyed in flashbacks through the film but we start with Andy and Charlie on the run at the airport. Andy gets money by manipulating pay phones to get quarters and Charlie sees a man she doesn’t like and sets his feet on fire. It’s accidental but not lethal.
Ultimately, the father and daughter get away from the agents from The Shop and find a farm. The couple that own the farm take the pair in. Andy admits to the farmer what is going on when a bunch of government agents show up.
To get away, Andy tells Charlie to let her powers out and boy does she. She burns the hell out of all those agents. And if there are any highlights to the film, it’s when Charlie lets loose with her powers.
Isolation and Capture
Andy and Charlie get away and find a small isolated cabin owned by Charlie’s grandmother. Sure enough, government agents come but they are sneaky enough Andy doesn’t notice them. The agents tranquilize and capture both Charlie and Andy.
The Shop wants to understand Charlie’s powers and one agent who disguises himself as a friendly janitor named John wants to kill her.
Charlie Becomes the Firestarter
At the government facility, they drug Andy to keep his power under control. They tell Charlie she can see her father if she uses her powers in their experiments. Andy manages to hide the drugs and regain some of his powers and he plans an escape.
Charlie, after using her powers in these experiments gets much stronger with them. She makes water boil, she sets cinder blocks on fire and she is capable of immense destruction.
Escape and Death
Andy implements his escape plan but Charlie wants John to go with them, thinking he is her friend. Andy knows John is the one who captured the two of them and a major fight and chase ensues. In the scuffle, Andy dies.
Charlie is majorly distraught but now she has an immense power set at her disposal. She makes quick work of any remaining agents and it’s the one part of the film that looks the best.
After all the destruction, Charlie hitchhikes her way back to the farm couple that took them in. The movie ends with the farmer taking Charlie to Washington, D.C. to tell her story.
Firestarter in Conclusion
This is a film with all style and no substance. The scenes with the fire look fantastic. And it’s entertaining to watch. But the performances are not particularly nuanced and so much of the narrative from the book is missing this feels like an incomplete story. However, it has had an influence. There are so many stories now about kids having experiments done on them and gaining powers. Think Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy, and The Dankest Minds.
I would love for there to be a TV series that could show us all the nuance, background, and manipulation we see in the novel. And actors who could really nail the parts. Until we have that, my recommendation is to read the book and skip the movie.
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John Franklin stars as a young cult leader in Children of the Corn
Hello Halloween month friends, it’s Slick Dungeon! I’m here to review the worst corn maze in history as we take a look at the adaptation of the Stephen King story Children of the Corn. Some people think it’s an overrated bad film with a dumb ending but others are convinced this is a cult film that will carry on to the future. Either way, there’s a whole franchise of these films now but I’m just going to be reviewing the first one. There will be spoilers in this review so if that offends thee, doff thy hat, take a seat, watch the movie and make your way past He Who Walks Behind the Rows, and read the review.
Children of the Corn Background
The film Children of the Corn is based off of a short story written by Stephen King. He also had first try at the screenplay but his version was rejected for one that would place more emphasis on violence than the character development of the protagonists.
The movie was directed by Fritz Kiersh and starred Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, John Franklin and Courtney Gaines.
The book and movie take place in a fictional town called Gatlin, Nebraska where the corn grows tall, the harvest is golden and the children are anything but sweet. How did an eerie story about some mysterious entity in a corn field gain notoriety and become a cult classic with eight sequels, two reboots and a short film? Let’s take a look at this one and find out!
Prayers for a Good Harvest
Gatlin, Nebraska has had a rough year. Despite its massive cornfields, the crops failed. Townsfolk turn to church and prayer to help out. But there is a child among them who has different ideas. While the whole small community is at church one day, nine year old Isaac Croner takes all but two of the children in the town out to the cornfield to have a talk with them. There are only two children who don’t make it to Isaac’s sermon. These kids are Job and Sarah. Job is not allowed to go because his father doesn’t trust Isaac and Sarah has a fever so she’s too ill to attend.
Isaac’s sermon must have been some convincing stuff because what happens next changes the town of Gatlin forever.
No one Was Expecting This
After Job and his father come out of church they go to the local diner. While there a boy named Malachi shows up and so do a few other kids. One of them closes and locks the door. Isaac is watching from outside and gives a nod to Malachi. And the children, except for Job and Sarah, kill almost all of the adults in town.
It’s a violent and bloody scene and it’s still disturbing to watch. It sets up for an interesting premise where a Lord of the Flies style event is happening because the children decided it should happen.
Time Passes and the Harvest Continues
Three years go by with these children running the town of Gatlin. I do think this is a far stretch of the imagination to think no one has noticed this situation outside of the town. Granted it is a small town but surely the people who died had some relatives outside of the area. It does seem the children tend to kill outsiders who try to interfere but I can’t fully believe no police intervention would have happened by this point. But let’s leave that aside as the story continues.
A married couple, Vicky and Burt are on their way to Seattle where Burt is going to his new job as a physician. Along the way they have to go through the town of Gatlin. In Gatlin a boy named Joseph is escaping and he says he’ll come back to help Job and Sarah. Job and Sarah are part of the community because they are children but they are scared of Isaac and Malachi. They don’t fully buy in to all of what the two cult leaders say.
Joseph is caught by Malachi on the way out. Malachi slits Joseph’s throat with a scythe and Joseph stumbles onto the road. This happens so fast that Burt doesn’t see Joseph in time and runs the boy over. Once Burt gets out of the car he can tell there is more to the story because the boy’s throat is slit in a way that couldn’t have happened from the car accident. From this point, things are about to get much worse for Vicky and Burt.
The Search for Help
Burt realizes they need to find a town where they can get some help. He loads Joseph’s body into his car but he also goes searching in the corn to see if he can see where the boy came from. He finds a bloody suitcase and grabs it. As he’s walking in the corn there are strange sounds. And Vicky is being watched by someone as she waits in the car. Presumably this is Malachi but it’s never quite revealed. And Burt makes it back to the car before anything worse happens. Vicky and Burt head out of there but they stop at a mechanic’s shop. The elderly man, Diehl, tells the couple they should go on to a bigger town than Gatlin to get help. He also gives them directions.
After the couple leave, Malachi shows up to question the old man. It turns out he made a bargain with these kids. Diehl gives them fuel in exchange for his own life. He says he didn’t help the couple in any way but Malachi kills him.
Children of the Corn
Despite getting directions, Vicky and Burt get lost because the kids have switched around all of the road signs. Ultimately they end up stuck in Gatlin and decide to take a look around the town. There is still evidence of the violence that occurred three years ago. As they are looking around some of the empty houses, they find Sarah and she explains the situation a bit. Burt goes off to explore some more while Vicky stays with Sarah.
Burt comes across the church and finds an odd ritual happening. A boy who is about to turn nineteen is carving a pentagram into himself with a knife and the other children drink his blood. Burt interrupts the scene but the kids are angry with him. Job finds Burt and helps him to escape.
Meanwhile, Malachi and his friends find Vicky and they take her to the cornfield and place her on a cross to be sacrificed.
He Who Walks Behind The Rows
Things get pretty bad here. Isaac gets angry with Malachi for killing Diehl. Malachi has a little in cult coup and decides in addition to Vicky and the boy from the church being sacrificed, Isaac will die as well.
How are all these people supposed to die? There’s some mysterious entity in the corn called “He Who Walks Behind the Rows.” Whatever this thing is, it’s malevolent and the children worship it.
Burt comes to rescue Vicky with some help from Job. Before he gets there, the boy from the church and Isaac are both forced to walk into the cornfield and the entity kills the two of them. The effects in this section really do not hold up well.
Isaac comes back from the dead, possessed by the entity and kills Malachi. But Burt does rescue Vicky. Together they and Job and Sarah figure out the way to stop this entity is to burn the cornfield. It takes a bit of trying and fighting against a huge storm but Burt soaks the corn field with gas and tosses a Molotov cocktail into the field which kills the entity.
The film ends with Burt and Vicky promising to look after Job and Sarah for at least a little while.
Children of the Corn in Conclusion
This movie, and even the story, takes a lot of suspension of disbelief. While the premise is truly interesting, the third act feels like a let down. The idea of a bunch of creepy kids in a cult who kill adults is certainly terrifying. But the execution of it, with this weird supernatural phenomena makes if feel a bit less intense than it could have.
I do enjoy the movie and I can see why it’s a cult classic. But, I just can’t fully get behind it. I’d love to see a story like this without the supernatural element and a bit more realism about how the town could stay so isolated for so long.
Somehow this film sparked a ton of sequels. None of them, except for the remake/reboot, have much to do with the original story. If you want a night of silly horror films that get progressively stranger, you can have quite a lot of fun watching these movies.
Out of all of them, I really only recommend this one for the casual viewer but I don’t consider it nearly one of the best of Stephen King films. There are worse ones though, and we’ll get to some of those in future reviews.
So, until next time may your corn grow high and your kids stay out of the cornfield!
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Christine is haunted car out for destruction in the 1983 film
Happy Halloween month horror fans! Looking to rev your fear engines up a bit? Well, your old pal Slick Dungeon is here to help you out with a review of the film Christine. It’s the tale of a haunted car which becomes an obsession of one of the main characters. The car is a special order Autumn-red Plymouth fury and it stars in a film directed by horror legend John Carpenter. There will be spoilers in this review so buckle your seat belts, head to the drive-in movies with your girlfriend, be careful what you say about the car, watch the movie and then come back here to read the review!
Christine Background
Before I get into the background of how the film came to be, I’m just going to lay it out there. Christine is always going to be one of my absolute favorite Stephen King stories. Why? It’s the first one I read and I’ve been hooked on his writing ever since. Not everyone loves the book or movie as much as I do and that’s totally fine. But for my money, I will always want to read this book and watch this movie when I come across it.
This project was produced by Richard Korbitz who also produced the original TV adaptation of Salem’s Lot. John Carpenter directed and he would go on to also direct an adaptation of King’s Firestarter.
For casting, we almost had Scott Baio and Brooke Shields but the filmmakers wanted to go with younger actors who had less of a public profile at the time. We also nearly had Kevin Bacon star here but he was busy with a little film called Footloose.
The main cast stars Keith Gordon as Arnie, John Stockwell as Dennis, and Alexandra Paul as Leigh.
But the real star is without doubt, the car, Christine. And boy did it take a lot of work to cast Christine. The filmmakers bought 24 cars in total so they could have 17 versions of Christine in various states of repair and disrepair. Even with all of these models, special effects still needed to be incorporated to show the car rebuild itself. And the result is still impressive to this day.
Audiences did not instantly take to the film but it still made a respectable $21 million at the box office and has gone on to become a bit of a cult classic.
A vicious Beginning
Christine starts her life in a manufacturing plant and she’s already out for blood. She shuts her lid on one worker and another who dropped cigarette ash on her seats is found dead inside the car. This car is already taking victims and no one has even driven it yet.
High School Life
Arnie Cunningham is a teenage loser. He’s a bullied nerd who only has one friend named Dennis. A group of bullies takes Arnie’s lunch and Dennis intervenes. But the leader of the trio of bullies, Buddy Repperton, pulls a switchblade knife on him. For this behavior Buddy and his pals are expelled from school.
Arnie’s life is a rough one but he’s a normal kid and has a good friend at his side. He’s planning on going to college and wants to get away from his parents who are overprotective.
Obsession at First Sight of Christine
Driving home from school in Dennis’ car, Arnie sees a red 1958 Plymouth Fury in dilapidated condition on the side of the road. A man named George LeBay owns the car but he’s willing to sell it for a low price.
Arnie wants the car so much he offers $200 for it even though Dennis has LeBay down to $50 at one point. LeBay says he’s not selling it for the money. Dennis obviously thinks there is something wrong with the situation but Arnie is over the moon.
LeBay does tell the boys two things. One, the car is named Christine. Two, it belonged to his brother who recently died.
Arnie’s Going Through Changes
Soon after Arnie buys the car he gets into a huge fight with his parents as to where to keep it. They won’t let him keep it at home so he decides to leave it at a local garage owned by a man named Will Darnell. Darnell isn’t pleased with Arnie for bringing in such a clunker, spewing exhaust fumes everywhere. But he does let Arnie leave it there. The audience can tell Darnell is a gruff guy but has a soft heart.
Time goes by and Arnie starts to act strangely. He spends all of his free time repairing Christine. He does a good enough job with it that Darnell lets Arnie take scraps for parts in exchange for a bit of work around the garage.
But Arnie becomes angry and aggressive. Both his parents, and Dennis notice his personality change for the worse.
Christine’s Checkered Past
Dennis realizes Arnie has not been the same since he bought the car so he goes to LeBay to ask about the history of the car. LeBay tells a horrifying story about Christine. His five year old niece choked to death in the car. And his brother and sister-in-law both died in the car through suicide. None of this was disclosed to Arnie.
Dennis wants to get a look at Christine without Arnie around so he sneaks into Darnell’s garage. But when he tries to open the car door, Christine’s radio turns on and starts playing, Keep A-Knocking by Little Richard. Dennis is smart enough to high tail it out of there.
Young Love
At school, a new student named Leigh arrives. She’s the talk of all the boys and she turns them all down, except for Arnie. Dennis is playing football when he sees Arnie and Leigh kissing in front of a fully repaired Christine. This distracts Dennis enough that he sustains a major injury after a hard tackle.
No more football for Dennis but at least things are going well for his best pal right?
Jealousy
Arnie takes Leigh to the drive-ins in Christine. Leigh doesn’t like Christine. She’s mad that Arnie spends all of his free time with the car rather than her. Arnie gets upset and leaves the car. Leigh nearly chokes to death on a sandwich and Christine locks her doors preventing Arnie from saving her. Fortunately a stranger sees the incident and pulls Leigh out of the car and delivers the Heimlich maneuver. After this experience, Leigh vows never to get in Christine again.
That night, after Christine is tucked away at Darnell’s, Buddy and his fellow thugs sneak in and trash Christine. She’s totaled, smashed to bits, done for, and beyond repair.
Arnie finds Christine in this condition and is furious. He breaks up with Leigh and gets in a fist fight with his father.
Everyone here is basically jealous. Leigh is jealous of Christine, Dennis is jealous of Arnie for dating Leigh, and Buddy and his friends are jealous of Arnie for not getting expelled. And you better believe Christine is jealous of Leigh.
That’s Some Repair Work
The next day Arnie goes to check on Christine. The car puts itself back together in perfect condition. Arnie leaves the garage and the haunted car begins its most current killing spree. One by one, each of the boys who trashed Christine is killed by the car chasing them down. Even Darnell, the garage owner is killed.
When local law enforcement talk to Arnie about paint they found on the bodies, Christine is in pristine condition. Not a scratch and no filler. Arnie bluffs his way through the interview with the cops but it’s clear he’s under suspicion. But he has a clear alibi as he was nowhere near his own car the nights of the murders.
Goodbye Arnie
Leigh and Dennis spend some time together and realize how far off the rails Arnie has gone. They both blame Christine and decide she needs to be destroyed. They want to lure her into Darnell’s garage and take her down with a bulldozer. But when they get there, Christine comes from behind a pile of scrap, driven by Arnie. At one point, Christine smashes into Darnell’s office and Arnie is impaled on a shard of grass. he dies, touching Christine’s grill while her radio plays the song, Pledging My Love.
Leigh and Dennis are both still in danger but also sad their friend had to die like this.
Goodbye Christine?
Dennis does smash Christine up with the bulldozer until the car is no longer moving. And they take it to a junkyard the next day and watch Christine get smashed into a compact square of useless metal. The sound of a radio plays. But it’s just some guy walking with a boombox.
Leigh and Dennis lament the fact they didn’t save their friend. But no one notices as a tiny but of Christine’s grill seems to move. We fade out with the assumption Christine isn’t done for forever.
Christine in Conclusion
I’ll admit there are plenty of holes in this story. There are a few effects in the film that don’t quite hold up. But the repairs Christine does to herself all still look convincing to this day. And I just love the idea of a haunted car out for blood. It’s fun and scary and entertaining.
This is not by any stretch of the imagination the best film directed by John Carpenter. It’s not the scariest of King stories and it’s not the best of King adaptations out there. But, personally, I love this movie. If you can set aside overly high expectations and watch it for the pure entertainment, this one is definitely worth a watch.
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Christopher Walken puts in a fantastic performance in Stephen King’s The Dead Zone
Hello film fanatics, Slick Dungeon here. I’m back to review yet another Stephen King film. This one is not so much a horror film as a psychological thriller involving psychic powers. The film is directed by David Cronenberg and stars both Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen. I’m talking about the 1983 film The Dead Zone. There will be spoilers for the movie in this review so if you don’t like that, take your date to an amusement park and then go straight to the movies afterwards, drive very carefully and come on back here to read the review.
The Dead zone Background
The Dead Zone is an adaptation of the 1979 Stephen King book of the same name. Unlike many of King’s books, this one isn’t an outright horror story. It’s the tragic tale of a man who misses out on life due to unforeseen circumstances but makes a heroic decision only he understands.
David Cronenberg directs the film. He is known for body horror films. Christopher Walken plays the main character, Johnny Smith and Martin Sheen plays the antagonist, Greg Stillson.
The film was positively received by both audiences and critics but it went a bit under the radar at the box office. It did earn a solid $20.8 million but it wasn’t the mega-hit some of King’s other films have been.
It’s got excellent directing, stellar acting, a nearly flawless script and builds the tension without using too many gimmicks. And it’s a really sad story.
Tragedy Strikes
The film starts out in a hopeful manner. Johnny Smith is a school teacher and all around nice guy in Castle Rock, Maine. He’s got a nice girlfriend named, Sarah Bracknell, played by Brooke Adams. The two go on a little date at an amusement park and things are looking good for the future, despite the fact, Johnny has a sudden headache come on after the ride. Sarah asks Johnny to spend the night with her but Johnny decides not to because of work and the weather getting bad.
Driving home the weather gets worse and Johnny ends up in a terrible crash. He’s rushed to the hospital but is unconscious. When he wakes up he finds out he’s been in a coma for five years. And Sarah has moved on with her life and gotten married and has a young child. Johnny is of course upset by this but is understanding about the situation. Because Johnny is a kind and caring person. He’s just in a tough situation.
Recovery and Ability
When he wakes up Johnny’s doctor tells him he’s going to have a long and difficult physical recovery. Johnny touches a nurse at one point and sees her daughter trapped in a fire. When Johnny shakes the doctor’s hand, he sees into the past and sees the doctor’s mother alive. She had long been assumed to have died in World War II.
Sarah comes to see Johnny and it’s clear she still has some feelings for him but she loves her family. It’s a complicated situation to say the least. But Sarah knows she’s not going to leave her family for Johnny in the long run.
Through all of this emotional and physical trauma, Johnny gains fame for his psychic ability.
Johnny’s Fame Spreads
As his fame spreads, Sheriff George Bannerman from Castle Rock hears about Johnny’s ability. He asks Johnny to help solve a case involving several murders. Johnny discovers the Deputy, Frank Dodd is the one responsible for the crimes. In the chaos of the situation, Dodd kills himself and Dodd’s mother ends up shooting Johnny.
As if recovering from a coma and losing the love of your life from no fault of your own wasn’t enough, Johnny has now been shot, and is nationally famous. That’s a lot for anyone to deal with.
Just a side note here but while the whole psychic finding a killer thing works great in fiction, in real life, these people who claim to be psychics and solve crimes are nothing but swindlers who cause real harm. But since The Dead Zone is fiction, we’ll leave that alone for now.
Isolation and the Discovery of The Dead Zone
Johnny has about had it with fame and who could blame him? He decides to move to a different part of town and keep to himself. Roger Stuart is a wealthy man who wants Johnny to tutor his son, Chris. Chris is a bright boy and it seems he needs adult understanding more than a tutor but nevertheless the tutoring pays Johnny’s bills and he doesn’t have to be in the public eye. At one point, Johnny meets a politician named Greg Stillson through Roger. Roger tells Johnny Stillson is dangerous but he’s giving the guy money to basically hedge his bets in case he gets elected.
After a tutoring lesson one day, Johnny touches Chris and has a vision of Chris drowning during his hockey practice. Johnny tells Roger about it and Roger fires Johnny but says he won’t take Chris to practice. At home, Roger still expects Chris to go but Chris refuses. Two other boys do drown under the ice though.
It seems Johnny can alter the future. He describes an area in his visions where he can’t see what is happening as the dead zone and realizes he can actually change the future.
The Dead Zone
One day, Sarah shows up passing out voter information for Stillson. Wanting to get a glimpse of Sarah once again, Johnny goes to a rally the politician is having. There he shakes the man’s hand and Johnny has a vision of Stillson maniacally hitting the nuclear button. Johnny has just come into contact with the man who will literally end the world.
The doctor finds Johnny to check on him and deliver some bad news. Johnny’s ability will weaken his body until he dies. Johnny asks the doctor a hypothetical question. He wants to know if the doctor could go back in time and kill Hitler before he did any damage if he would do it. The doctor says, considering his profession is to save lives, he would have no choice but to do it.
Johnny goes to Stillson’s next campaign event held in a local church. And this time he has a shotgun. Sarah and her husband and son are in attendance as well. Johnny fires a shot at Stillson but misses. Stillson, being the coward he is, grabs Sarah’s baby and holds it up to shield himself. Johnny is shot by the police but he’s not dead. Stillson rushes over to Johnny who is injured and on the floor. Johnny grabs Stillson’s hand and instead of seeing Stillson hitting the nuclear bomb, he sees the picture of Stillson holding Sarah’s baby on the cover of a magazine, ending the man’s political career. And then he sees Stillson takes his own life.
Johnny has saved the world and only he knows it. Sarah says goodbye to Johnny and the film ends.
the Dead Zone In conclusion
Considering the current political climate, I just want to mention political violence is not a good thing in reality whatsoever. But, of course, this is a fictional film. It’s a sort of what if you could kill Hitler exercise.
Ultimately this is a really tragic story. Everything works against Johnny but he has to end up where he does to save the world. In that way it’s hopeful but as far as a personal journey it’s nothing but sad. What might have been with Sarah can’t be known. Johnny goes through a ton of pain both physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
I think it’s this tragic arc that makes the story so enduring. It’s unfortunate it didn’t do better at the box office on initial release but I’m glad more people have come to find this one.
And while there are clear differences between the book and the film, I don’t think any of the changes are so major that it doesn’t work. There are other adaptations of this story but I still like this one quite a bit. If you haven’t seen this one, do yourself a favor and check it out.
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Cujo is the most tragic of Stephen King’s monster stories
Hello fright fans! Slick Dungeon here, back to review another Stephen King film. This time we’re talking about the famous story about a rabid dog named Cujo. There will be spoilers for this film so if you haven’t seen it, get your car fixed, pet your dog, and go watch the film, and then come on back here to read the review.
Cujo Background
Cujo is an adaptation of the King novel of the same name. While both have the same premise, one is far more tragic and terrifying than the other. This is the second story to take place in Stephen King’s fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine.
The box office for the movie was only so so and it opened to mixed reviews. However, the film is a bit of a cult classic and certainly has its fans. Not to bury the lead here, I think if you’re interested in the story, the best version of it is the book, but the movie is entertaining and will leave you less depressed than the book.
A Good Boy
If you know anything about Cujo you know it’s story about a killer dog. But I’m here to tell you, Cujo is an innocent victim of circumstance, just like everyone else in the film. To put it bluntly, Cujo was a good boy, he just had a bad thing happen to him and lots of people suffered because of it.
The story starts with the enormous St. Bernard dog chasing a rabbit, as any dog does. Cujo gets his muzzle into the rabbit’s hole but unfortunately for everyone, he is bit by a rabid swarm of bats.
Cujo’s owner is mechanic Joe Cambers. Cambers is not a nice fellow. He’s got a wife and kid but he’s not real nice to them. His wife and kid are about to go on vacation and Joe decides he’s going to head out of town to have some fun without telling his wife.
Vic, Donna and Tad Trenton are a family unit of their own. They have a car in need of repair so they take it to the Cambers’ for repair. While there, Tad, the little Trenton boy, is afraid of Cujo who is just sitting there minding his own business. Everyone in the Cambers place tells Tad not to worry because Cujo might look scary, but he’s sweet and wouldn’t hurt anyone. Tad pets the dog and everything seems fine.
Marriage Troubles
Vic and Donna Trenton are in a rocky place in their marriage. Vic is an overworked ad executive and Donna is a stay at home mom. But, she’s also having an affair. She breaks things off with Steve Kemp, her ex-boyfriend. Vic finds out about this and is understandably upset and confused. But he’s got to go out of town for work.
In the middle of all the marital chaos, the car is still not working right. Vic takes the other family car and asks Donna to take the broken down Pinto back to Joe Cambers. This proves to be a fateful decision.
No One NOtices the Signs
The Cambers family doesn’t notice Cujo acting strangely. He’s super sensitive to loud noise, he’s barking randomly and just seems overall agitated. But the family doesn’t think too much of it. The wife and son leave, although there is a moment where it seems like Cujo might attack the son.
Once the wife and son are gone, Cujo does end up mauling to death both Joe Cambers and his alcoholic neighbor Gary. This means, the only person who will greet Donna and Tad Trenton is not a person at all but Cujo.
It’s all Out survival
Donna makes it out to the Cambers but the car is barely running and when she gets there a blood soaked St. Bernard lunges at her. She has no choice but to hide from the dog in the car with Tad.
From here on out the story is one of survival. Donna tries repeatedly to get out of the car but the dog is there every time. Tad is suffering from the intense heat and Donna’s barely better than he is. They can’t roll the windows down, and the dog does major damage to the car.
Vic, meanwhile has been calling his family home with no answer. It’s long enough he gets worried and comes back. He finds his place just trashed by Steve Kemp. Vic asks the police to question him. Kemp admits he trashed the house but has no idea where Donna and Tad are. They figure out she must be at the Cambers and send a Sheriff out to investigate.
The Sheriff is mauled to death by Cujo.
The Final Showdown
Donna realizes Tad is about to die from heatstroke. She manages to get out of the car and get a baseball bat. Cujo lunges at her but she hits him with the bat. He manages to get on top of her but the bat breaks and the dog impales himself on her. Donna finds the Sheriff’s gun and is about to shoot the dog but decides she needs to help Tad first. Cujo gives us his last jump and Donna kills him just before Vic arrives.
Cujo the Book vs. Cujo the Movie
I don’t want to give away the end of the novel but lets just say the movie ending is not the film ending. I think the book ending is far more impactful but in both versions, Cujo was just being a dog before he turned into what people call a monster.
In a lot of Stephen King books there is this malevolent evil to be found. Well, if it’s in this story, it’s just in the form of bad luck. If anything even slightly changes here, Donna and Tad would be safe. Or, If all of the Cambers stayed she would be safe. If Vic hadn’t been so upset over the affair, Cujo wouldn’t have attacked them because Vic would have gotten the car fixed. And if Cujo hadn’t chased that rabbit, none of this would have happened.
Cujo in Conclusion
All in all, I feel like this story is nothing but a tragedy. Everyone is a victim of things out of their control. And while not everyone here is a nice person, none of them deserve being mauled to death by a rabid Saint Bernard. Cujo doesn’t deserve to be dead either.
And this, in effect, is what makes this story truly horrific. This is actually something that could happen to anyone. You don’t have to be in a haunted hotel, no one needs to have psychic powers, there’s no vampires or other creatures of the night here. No, this is just a big dog out of control attacking people who don’t expect it and largely don’t have a way to defend themselves.
This is such a memorable story. I do enjoy the movie but the book, in my opinion, is a better story and totally worth reading. But, if you want a good movie about a monster dog, Cujo should be at the very top of your list.
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Creepshow is not only written by Stephen King, he starts in it too
Hello out there horror fans! Sick Dungeon here back to review one of the most fun Stephen King projects, the 1982 film Creepshow. This is an anthology film of horror stories inspired by classic EC comics from the 1950s full of gore, horror, and morality tales. Titles like Tales From the Crypt, and The Vault of Horror were scaring kids and adults until the Comics Code Authority came around to censor these magazines. But Stephen King, with a little help from fellow horror legends George A. Romero and Tom Savini helped revitalize interest in these types of stories. There will be spoilers in this review so if you don’t like that, check on the meteor out back, poke it with your finger, go back to your home, flip on the television, realize you are a lunkhead and watch the film, then come back here to read the review.
Creepshow Background
Creepshow is a bit of an oddball on my list of Stephen King films I am reviewing. This is not exactly an adaptation of one of his works. Instead, he wrote the screenplay. And while two of these short stories did originally appear in a collection of King’s, three of them are original to the film.
If you’ve never read an EC comic from back in the day and you’re a horror fan, do yourself a favor and pick one up. They told some amazing stories, usually with a heavy dose of gore and more often than not a bit of a morality lesson. Let’s just say if you are a bad person in an EC comic, there’s a good chance you’ll get yours eventually.
The film tries to emulate this tone and does so with aplomb. It doesn’t hurt that Romero, Savini, and King all grew up in the age when these comics were readily available either.
The film proved popular, earning a healthy $21 million domestically. It contains five different stories, laid out in a comic book style sequence. Let’s talk about each one.
Prologue
As a comic fan, this one hurts. Billy, a young boy, is minding his own business reading a horror comic. His father catches him doing it and snatches the book away and tosses it in the trash. Billy goes to his room wishing his father would rot in Hell. I suppose that’s an extreme reaction but it sucks when people take your stuff when you’re a kid. Anyway, Billy hears a sound coming from his window. Turns out the sound is coming from a character called The Creeper who takes Billy out to the trash and opens the lid for him so he can get his comic back.
This sets up the narrative framing of the film, us the viewers, experiencing each story as something Billy is reading.
It’s a bit hokey but if you like old horror comics, you know that some of the best ones did have hosts for each story. One of the most famous is The Crypt Keeper from Tales From the Crypt. And the addition of The Creeper just increases the feeling of being in a horror comic.
Father’s Day
This is a tale about greed, abuse, and violence. A wealthy man has greedy adult children who are waiting for him to die so they can have their inheritance. The man is none too pleasant and most of his family essentially hates him. He’s made his money through bootlegging, fraud, and murder just to name a few. He’s horribly abusive to his daughter, Bedelia. One father’s day, the man demands his cake. This is enough for Bedelia so she kills the guy.
This is basically an open family secret. And all the other relatives are essentially grateful to Bedelia for having killed the dude. Well, it’s father’s day again and Bedelia visits the grave of her dead father. It doesn’t go so well. This dude rises from the grave, rotting and putrid demanding his cake, and just wipes out his family. But not before showing up with a severed head covered with frosting and candles.
Yep, this dude got what was coming to him, he got his cake, and all the greedy immoral elites ended up dead.
This one isn’t the best one in the film but it’s a good start and there’s gore a plenty here.
The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verill
This is an adaptation of the Stephen King story Weeds. And it stars King himself as Jordy.
Safety tip from your old pal Slick, if you find a meteor in your back yard, don’t touch it.
This is exactly what Jordy does when he finds one in his backyard. He goes out to get it, thinking he can sell it to the local college for as much as $200. Jordy dumps water on it to cool it off and the thing splits in half. He now thinks he’ll only get $50 but he figures it’s still worth a shot. Some blue liquid comes out of the meteor and gets on Jordy’s hands.
Soon, weeds start to grow out of his fingertips. Jordy thinks of himself as lunkhead for even messing around with this stuff. He considers calling a doctor but thinks they’ll cut off his fingers.
The rest of the story we see everything Jordy touches grow. And the weeds grow on him until Jordy is nothing but a plant.
The story is so ridiculous and silly and just outright fun. And King actually pulls off playing a lunkhead pretty well. The effects for this one are genuinely creepy and still hold up to this day thanks to Tom Savini.
Something to Tide You Over
Out of all the stories in Creepshow, I find this one the most frightening. This one stars some incredible actors. Leslie Nielson who you know from the Naked Gun films and Airplane is the villain in this. Our hero, if there is one, is everyone’s favorite bartender Ted Danson. The romantic interest is played by Gaylen Ross who starred in Dawn of the Dead. And even the man on TV is the famous Richard Gere. It’s a crazy all star cast for such a little story in an oddball movie and I am so here for it.
Richard finds out Harry Wentworth (Danson) is having an affair with his wife Becky (Ross). Richard is ruthless. He pulls a gun on Harry, drives him out to a beach, buries Harry neck deep in the sand and plants a television in front of him. Harry wants to know what has happened to Becky. On the television, Richard shows Harry an image of Becky also buried up to her neck in sand.
Richard is so pissed about the affair he’s set it up so Harry and Becky will be forced to watch each other drown, unable to help each other. And since Richard owns the beach and there’s nothing else for miles around, no other help is coming.
Sure enough, when Richard comes back to check on Harry, his body is gone.
I think you can guess what happens here but as a kid, watching this on sleepovers with friends would freak me out. Harry and Becky come back to Richard’s home, drowned and covered with kelp and kill Richard. The visual effects here are still decent, although not as frightening as I remembered.
The Crate
Creepshow’s fourth story is also a Stephen King adaptation of the same title. In my opinion it’s the weakest story (not counting the prologue/epilogue) in the film as far as scares but it does have some interesting nuance to it.
A janitor at a college discovers an ancient crate. He shows a professor the thing and together they open it. A creature inside devours the janitor.
The star of the story is another professor played by Hal Holbrook. This is professor Henry Northrup who is endlessly henpecked by his nagging and emotionally abusive wife. This dude fantasizes about killing her all the time but never does anything about it because he is too timid.
Northrup eventually finds out about the thing in the crate, lures his wife to it, lets it eat her, tells his buddy about what he did, and tosses the creature from the crate into a nearby quarry and watched it sink.
The end of the story shows the creature breaking the crate.
While the acting here is fantastic, the story moves kind of slow, and it feels a bit predictable. The short story is much better in my opinion. And while we don’t see everyone who deserves some punishment, it’s implied ol’ professor Northrup is about to get his at some point.
They’re Creeping Up On You!
A paranoid and wealthy business mogul is afraid of bugs. He’s horrific to those he employs and ruthlessly takes over other companies. In fact, one owner of a company this guy took over was so distraught he killed himself. But, when Upson Pratt finds out about it, he does not care and tells the widow her husband was weak.
Upson is a Howard Hughes type, a complete germophobe. I doubt I need to tell you how this story goes. Yeah, Upson keeps being a jerk and he ends up getting eaten alive by bugs for it. It’s actually a pretty satisfying tale to watch, just to see a corporate fat cat get what’s coming to him. It’s not the strongest story in the film but it’s entertaining as hell.
Creepshow Epilogue
Speaking of hell. Remember the trashcan from the prologue? Two garbage men are emptying it when one of them finds an issue of Creepshow. They flip through looking at the stuff they could order away for. One of the pages for a Voodoo doll is clipped. Young Billy has one in his possession. And he uses it to kill his dad.
This image becomes the image on the over of the next issue of Creepshow. I imagine at some point, Billy is going to find out killing people is a bad idea.
Creepshow Sequels
There are a couple of Creepshow sequels. One I will review this month and it involves King, Romero and Savini once again. The third has none of them and is nowhere near as good. Still, the three films together make a fun movie marathon full of little vignettes of horror.
If you can’t get your hands on an EC comic, these movies are a great substitute.
In Conclusion
Most of the King films I’m reviewing this month are horrific and terrifying. Sometimes they can be a bit much to take as they delve deep into trauma and deep themes of abuse, violence, and other intense subjects. But Creepshow is just pure fun. It’s always an enjoyable watch and it’s a project involving three masters of horror, so what’s not to like? If you haven’t watched this one, get out there and see it.
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Jack Nicholson stars alongside Shelley Duvall in The Shining (1980)
Hello horror fans! Slick Dungeon here back to review another Stephen King adaptation. Out of all of the King films, The Shining (1980) might be the most famous. It is without doubt the most scrutinized. It’s a horror film classic made by a master film maker. One critic of the film is Stephen King himself as he hated this adaptation. Yet, it stands as film classic on its own and has an enduring legacy to this day. There will be spoilers in this review so if you have not watched it and that bothers you, check into a massive isolated hotel, ask for the key to room 237, ignore anything undead in the room, watch the movie, and then come on back here to read the review!
The Shining (1980) Background
While the movie is based on the novel, the screenplay was co-written by Stanley Kubrick and novelist Diane Johnson. Stephen King was not a fan of the tone this created. The film stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance, and Danny Lloyd as Danny “Doc” Torrance. Most of the film was shot at EMI Elstree Studios, not on location. This allowed Kubrick to do tons of takes, basically to the point of exhausting the cast and crew. Shelley Duvall in particular had a legendarily horrible time on this film set.
This is considered an all time film classic now but even at the time, not everyone liked it. In fact, the first Razzies in 1981 nominated Kubrick for Worst Director and Duvall for Worst Actress. The latter has been taken back after the treatment of Duvall by Kubrick was made public.
Despite the mixed reviews at the time, this film has done nothing but endure. It’s studied in film schools, there are entire documentaries about a single room in the film, one of the most recognizable images in film is Jack Nicholson’s face peeking through the hole he’s just made in a door with his ax, and even now, this film is flat out scary as hell.
So how did a film with such mixed reactions, and outright hatred by the originator of the story endure for so long? Let’s take a look and find out.
Jack Gets a Job
Stephen King visited a huge hotel and became fascinated with the idea of it being closed and isolated in the winter. And he hit on a pretty damn good idea for a horror story. A haunted hotel. King set out to make a story about falling into a cycle of abuse, addiction, and madness, and pulling your way out of it. Kubrick was more interested in the idea of a psychopath let loose and encouraged by the haunted hotel. For Kubrick’s version, Jack Nicholson is perfectly cast.
The film starts with Jack Torrance interviewing for the position of caretaker at the Overlook hotel during the winter months. For the winter, Jack and his family would have free run of the enormous place. Jack would be expected to fix anything that needed fixing and to keep the hotel in good shape. Jack is excited by the prospect because this will give him a chance to write a novel he’s been working on. For him, so he believes, the isolation is good.
The only problem? One of the previous caretakers killed his wife and twin daughters with an ax. In other words, this job can make some people go mad. Jack isn’t bothered with these ghost stories and he’s accepted for the job.
There’s More to Danny
Back home in Boulder, Colorado, young Danny Torrance has a vision. His “invisible friend” Tony who Danny describes as a little boy who lives in the back of his mouth, doesn’t want to go to the hotel. Tony also knows already that Jack has accepted the job. Danny has a seizure and ends up with the doctor. The audience knows Danny is psychic at this point but Danny doesn’t exactly understand it and Wendy is pretty far from believing it. Jack has no idea about Danny’s abilities and wouldn’t believe it if he saw it right in front of him.
Danny’s mother Wendy tells the doctor a story about Jack being drunk and yanking Danny’s arm hard enough to dislocate it. This is the first hint we get that Jack might hurt his own kid.
Wendy defends Jack, telling the doctor it was ultimately a good thing since Jack hasn’t touched a drop of booze since. The whole seizure incident is chalked up to a bit of a strange episode that could happen to any kid and nothing to be too worried about.
Danny’s Not the only One
The family gets a tour of the hotel on the closing day. There’s a bustle of activity as they are shown around. More than enough food is provided for the winter, there is a fun hedge maze for Danny to play in, and Jack has plenty of room to spread out and write his novel. Wendy is expected to cook all the meals and take care of Danny during these months.
On this tour, the family meets Dick Hallorann, the head chef at the hotel. Hallorann is played by the late, great Scatman Crothers who knocks this role right out of the park. Dick is showing the family around when his voice is heard inside of Danny’s head. Turns out Hallorann has the same talent as Danny. And it’s from Hallorann we get the name of the film and book. He calls this psychic ability The Shining and says some people have it and others don’t. Not only that, some places have it and others don’t. Hallorann basically warns Danny to be careful in this place. And specifically warns him about avoiding room 237.
Things Get Bad
Time passes and strange things start happening. Danny sees twin girls in the hallway. Jack isolates himself to write but mostly seems to be annoyed he isn’t drinking. He gets angry and snaps at Wendy. He starts dreaming about killing his wife and son.
Throughout this time Kubrik lets the tension build. It feels slow at times and I’m not sure any other film maker could have pulled off the pacing we see here. Ultimately, the long, slow shots, of huge empty corridors and endless patterned rugs, create an atmosphere of menace about to strike.
Room 237
In this story, there is no doubt Room 237 is the bad room. It’s likely where Grady, the caretaker who snapped, killed his wife and girls. Twin girls, just like Danny saw. Danny ends up in room 237, just as the hotel wants. He is attacked and comes away with some angry bruises on his neck.
At first, Wendy confronts Jack because that’s the logical conclusion. Jack flies off the handle and really does nothing to dissuade anyone. But he does agree to check out room 237 after Wendy decides it was a crazy woman in the hotel who attacked Danny.
In the room, Jack sees a beautiful woman in the bathtub. And he starts kissing her. For a moment, let’s forget how bad of a husband that makes him. What happens next is horrifying. The beautiful woman turns old and decayed and Jack gets a glimpse of what she really looks like in the mirror.
Jack gets out of the room but when Wendy asks what he found, Jack says he didn’t find anything. And then, this dude has the nerve to say his own kid caused the bruise marks on himself. If you liked Jack at all before this, here is the point where you should realize he is an out and out sociopath.
A Hair of the Dog That Bit me
Jack is an alcoholic. There’s no question about this in either the book or movie. But, he’s even more tempted when he walks into the hotel bar and is served drinks by a man named Lloyd. Maybe Jack thinks this all is a hallucination but I suspect he doesn’t care. He’s got his alcohol and that’s what he wants. He’s only slightly disturbed when a man named Grady talks to him. Jack knows this is the caretaker who killed his family. Yet, with a drink in his hand, Jack is nothing but friendly to these guys.
More and more we see Jack slip into a kind of madness. He’s either obsessively typing, having drinks with ghosts, or yelling at his wife to leave him alone. At one point he does reassure Danny he would never hurt Danny. But it is anything but believable when he says it. I don’t think even Jack truly believes it, he’s just making excuses for his past behavior.
Finally, Jack complains to Lloyd about his wife and kid. And he says he never meant to hurt Danny in Boulder, it was just an accident because of, “physics.” He says Wendy will never let him forget the incident for the rest of his life. Grady tells Jack that Danny has been speaking with Hallorann. Jack doesn’t know this is because Danny thought of the man when he was in room 237. And this sent out a sort of signal to the fellow psychic. Grady tells Jack that Hallorann is on his way to check in on the snowed in family. Grady also tells Jack his wife and child must be, “corrected.” And by corrected, he means cut into pieces with an ax. Yep, two amazing fathers here.
All Work and No Play
Wendy ends up in Jack’s writing room. She takes a peek at the manuscript but all that is there are pages and pages and pages and pages, like seriously a ton of pages that say, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” For those of you who are not writers or not old enough to have learned to type anything on a typewriter, this is a warm up sentence used to help you learn to type and one that writers use until an idea comes to mind. But it is especially eerie here because the man writing the words is in fact named Jack and his head space is really not good.
This and a confrontation with Jack makes Wendy paranoid enough to grab a bat. Jack basically threatens to kill Wendy so she knocks him unconscious and locks him in the kitchen pantry.
Now is the chance for Wendy and Danny to make their escape.
RedRum
Wendy goes to grab Danny but Jack has sabotaged the two-way radio they use to communicate with the outside world. The only vehicle that can get the two of them out of there is the snowcat but Jack has sabotaged that as well. In the hotel room, Danny goes into his “Tony” voice and repeats the word redrum over and over. Danny writes the word on the bathroom door in red lipstick. Wendy is confused by this until she sees it in the bathroom mirror. It’s the word murder spelled backwards. And it’s one of the most memorable moments in both the book and film.
We’re Running for Our Lives
Essentially, from here on out the film becomes a chase sequence. Grady unlocks Jack from the pantry. Jack grabs an ax. He chases Wendy and Danny all around the hotel. At one point Dick Hallorann does show up and he’s able to distract Jack momentarily but Jack kills Dick.
Danny escapes his father because he can make it through the hedge maze in the snow. As Wendy runs through the hotel looking for Danny she encounters all of the ghostly phenomena Danny did. Including an elevator that opens to buckets of blood filling the hall.
In the hedge maze, Danny covers some of his footprints in the snow and misleads Jack. Wendy finds Danny and they make it to Hallorann’s snowcat. This time they are in luck and make it out.
As the camera pans out, it’s clear Jack has frozen to death in the maze.
The final shot of the film is Jack in a photograph of the hotel hallway from July 4th, 1921. Jack has joined the Overlook hotel staff. Permanently.
In Conclusion
If you are the right age, and watched this film as a kid, like I did, it made an impression. As a kid I could imagine myself zooming down the hallways of a huge, empty hotel, only to be confronted with malicious visions. It was terrifying.
As far as films go today, the movie still holds up. It has a unique look and feel to it. The directing is amazing, although Kubrick pretty much bordered on abuse to get this made. And Shelley Duvall actually has a great performance here, despite what critics said at the time. The soundtrack is fantastic and the cinematography is unforgettable.
But, whenever he is on screen, the only thing you can look at is Jack Nicholson. There is a reason this is one of his most iconic roles. It’s an intense performance in an already intense film.
While I will always prefer the book to the film, this is one I would re-watch any time.
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Hello out there internet! Slick Dungeon here, back to review another Stephen King adaptation. This one is the under the radar television miniseries adaptation of the bookSalem’s Lot. It’s a vampire story set in a small town. Since this one isn’t well known, I’m going to keep spoilers to a minimum. But, if any spoilers irk you, grab some holy water, find your monster movie makeup, watch the series and come on back here to read the review!
Background
Salem’sLot is a novel by Stephen King about a small town which has to deal with a creeping threat. Originally, Warner Bros. acquired the rights and wanted to make a movie. But, the book is rather long and it was decided the project would be better as a TV miniseries. The series is directed by Tobe Hooper who you know from a little film titled, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
The series was made on a budget of $4 million. While it’s hard to gauge what kind of revenue this would have generated through television at the time, it has since turned into something of a cult classic and has certainly had some influence on the vampire genre.
It stars Lance Kerwin as Mark Petrie, David Soul as Ben Mears, Bonnie Bedelia as Susan Norton, and James Mason as Richard Straker
What is Salem’s Lot?
When a writer named Mark Petrie returns to his small town home, he finds he is obsessed with the supposed haunted mansion there. He has been somewhat successful in his writing career, having two books published already. But he’s not a breakout star in the way, let’s say… Stephen King was. This is one of many stories King does write about writers though.
Mark has been thinking through some of his past and believes the Marsten house is evil in the same way some humans can be evil. And what’s more, he believes there is an evil influence the house has on the town. The house has a new owner in the form of Richard Straker who plans to open an antique store there. It should be noted King also has more than one story involving antique stores.
A young boy named Ben Mears is also obsessed with monster movies and the Marsten house. Strange things happen around town and some of the people end up missing or dead. Ben and Mark meet each other and both realize something is wrong in this town.
Meanwhile, Mark develops a romantic interest in one of the residents named Susan Norton. As time goes by, things take darker and darker turns until it is undeniable there is a major threat.
Is it Worth Watching?
The series undeniably has its fans. At the same time, the adaptation changes several significant elements from the book. If you are looking for a perfect adaptation of the book, this is not the show for you. That doesn’t mean it is not enjoyable.
One thing to note is the series is incredibly slow paced compared to today’s standards. It is a full three hours long and there is a lot of dead space as characters get to know each other or are set up for later horror. The show looks and feels like something out of the 1970s because it is. Makeup is adequate but not striking in the show.
Overall, I much prefer the book to the series on this one. But it’s interesting to see how the adaptation deals with some of the themes in the novel. It wrestles with the possibility of inherent evil in humanity, the attitude of a small town to strangers, small town life, and creeping horror.
In Conclusion
If you haven’t watched the series I recommend it with a few warnings ahead of time. First, it’s three hours long so you have to be willing to commit. Second, the pacing is slow and the dialogue feels outdated. Finally, while there are some good scares here, there are much more terrifying adaptations of King’s work. You may find it preferable to watch one of those instead.
I will say, if you have not read the book, it’s an incredibly good vampire story and one of the least read of King’s early work. It’s a long book but it is worth every penny. And King can get away with horror in a book in a way no television show from the 1970s could possibly dream of.
Like Stephen King books and movies? Let me know which one is your favorite in the comments below!
Happy October internet people! Slick Dungeon here and it’s my favorite time of year because this gives me an excuse to watch and talk about horror movies. This year I thought I would do a deep dive into some of the most iconic adaptations from the master of horror himself, Stephen King. And if you’re going to review Stephen King adaptations, there’s really only one place to start. Carrie (1976). If you’re reading this there is a good chance you’ve seen the film. But for those of you who have not, there will be major spoilers in this review. If you haven’t watched it and don’t want spoilers, take the time to get away from the high school bullies, caring but misguided teachers, and your overbearing mother to go out and see the film. Then come on back here to read the blood drenched review!
Background for Carrie (1976)
It can’t be overstated how close horror fans were to never seeing this story in print or on film. Stephen King intended to write a short story about a female character. He wrote three pages and tossed them in the garbage. Luckily, his wife Tabitha found the pages in the trash, read them, and convinced Stephen to keep writing the story. This turned into the novel Carrie. If you’re a creator of any kind, I hope you have a Tabitha in your life because losing something like Carrie to the trash bin would be a shame.
With the pages rescued, the novel was a smash hit. Brian De Palma read the book and convinced the movie studio to let him direct the film. Sissy Spacek stars as the titular character. We owe that performance to her husband convincing her she should audition.
While the novel was well received, the film was an absolute juggernaut. The movie had a budget of $1.8 million but earned a whopping $33.8 million. It also garnered an Oscar nomination for Spacek and one for Piper Laurie who plays Carrie’s mother, Margaret.
There are some issues with the film but this is the best adaptation of the book. And it’s a horror classic. The movie makes any top 100 horror film list. I’d say it’s one of the top 10 films you have to watch if you want to understand modern horror cinema.
There are break out performances, utterly iconic scenes, and an antagonist who is impossible to forget. People still consistently cosplay as Carrie at conventions and on Halloween for good reason. So, let’s take a closer look and see why this is such an enduring classic.
What is Carrie (1976) About?
At its core, Carrie is about the struggle to fit in. It’s about growing up while leading a sheltered life. It also touches on themes of bullying, child abuse, religious zealotry, and violence. There are different ways the film can be interpreted but the basic plot is a sheltered girl with telekinetic powers is driven too far by those who are cruel to her.
This leads to major consequences for not only Carrie but everyone around her. By the end it’s an out and out horror story but just who the monster is can be a little less obvious if you’ve only seen the film posters.
A Cruel Start
From the first scene we know Carrie struggles to fit in. She’s a high school girl in gym class playing volleyball. The opposing team decides to direct the ball at Carrie, figuring she won’t hit it back. Carrie’s own teammates warn her not to blow it.
Anyone who is not athletic and has struggled in gym class can relate to what happens next. Carrie cowers from the ball and her team loses the game. The girls head to the showers.
The shower scene is where there are some issue with the film. Girls are getting showered and dressed to head back to their other classes and let’s just say there is more gratuitous nudity than necessary, especially considering these are supposed to be high school aged girls.
However, the scene is key to the film. As Carrie showers, she starts menstruating. For her, this is the first time this has happened. Due to her extremely fundamentalist mother, Carrie does not know what is happening and thinks she’s having a medical emergency.
Carrie begs for help but the girls in the locker room shout at her and throw tampons at her as they shout, “Plug it up!” It’s high school bullying at its most vindictive. Eventually a teach comes in and settles the situation down. But even as she is trying to get control of the situation, the teacher slaps Carrie. Soon a light in the shower bursts. This is the first sign we see of Carrie’s telekinesis.
The Cruelty Continues
After going to the principal, Carrie is allowed to head home for the day after the trauma she just endured. But even in this scene, the principal keeps calling her Cassie Wright instead of Carrie White. And the gym teacher even confides to the principal she was annoyed with Carrie.
It’s obvious school is no picnic for Carrie but her home life is so much worse. On the way home a little kid shouts “Creepy Carrie” at her. Carrie looks in the direction of the kid’s bike and he topples over. This is just a hint of where Carrie might go if pushed far enough.
The first glimpse of Carrie’s mother is when she tries to pass on Christian religious materials to her neighbor. Margaret doesn’t take a gentle hint, or a polite no. She’s offered a donation and takes it. But she doesn’t leave without an aggressive, “I pray you find Jesus.” in her neighbor’s face.
It turns out the daughter of this neighbor is Sue Snell who is the closest thing Carrie has to a friend.
Anything But Mother of the Year
At home, Margaret gets a call from the school. You can see on her face that Carrie is terrified. Carrie asks her mother why she didn’t tell her about what happened to her in school. Margaret, being the worst parent imaginable, slaps her kid and forces her to recite passages from her religious tract condemning intercourse. Carrie continues to protest that she should have been told. But Margaret is convinced Carrie has sinned. She locks Carrie in a tiny closet. Margaret’s treatment of her child is vicious.
All Carrie has to keep her company is a carved statue of a crucified Jesus. The positioning of the statue foreshadows a later scene. But suffice to say the carving is bloody and disturbing. If this is just a glimpse into her home life, we know Carrie is living through hell.
After going to bed, Carrie looks in her mirror and it shatters. This isn’t something Carrie can control. And it gets worse when she’s emotional.
Not Everyone in This Town is Horrible
The next day, Carrie is in English class. The teacher reads a poem written by one of the students, Tommy. The teacher asks for criticisms to which Carrie states, “It’s beautiful.” Then the teacher makes fun of Carrie in front of the whole class. While Tommy may not like Carrie any more than anyone else does, he hates the teacher’s attitude. Under his breath he says, “You suck.” But he covers it up enough to not get in trouble.
The gym teacher gathers the girls who made fun of Carrie and rips right into them. She tells these girls she wants to suspend them and take away their prom tickets. But, the office thinks one week’s detention with the gym teacher is enough. We also learn Sue Snell is going to prom with Tommy Ross, the boy from English class. And side note, Tommy is played by William Katt so he was heroic before becoming The Greatest American Hero.
The girls are warned if they don’t make it to detention, the three day suspension and loss of prom is the consequence. The gym teacher has it out for Chris Hargenson who is the main ringleader in bullying Carrie. The teacher even slaps Chris when she refuses to continue exercising.
This teacher thinks slapping is the answer to deescalating conflict. This is not going to work out well for her. And again, these are high school girls so this teacher should be fired, no question. At least she knows what those girls did to Carrie was inexcusable.
Chris tries to get all the girls to walk out but Sue tells her to shut up. Chris, however, is out of the prom. This will set things in motion for the most iconic scene in the film.
A Kind Act followed by a Cruel One
Sue asks Tommy to take Carrie White to the prom. Sue knows how rough Carrie has it and realizes if Tommy takes Carrie to prom, people at school will ease up. It’s the one truly selfless thing that happens in this film. While Sue was involved in the shower scene, she regrets it. And she sees an opportunity to make up for it. She gives up what most girls her age want to do just to make someone’s life a little better.
The next scene is Chris with her boyfriend Billy Nolan who is played by John Travolta. Billy is drinking and driving and barely eludes a run in with the cops. Billy slaps Chris and they argue. By the end of the scene they’ve made up and Chris tells Billy how much she hates Carrie.
In the school library the next day, Tommy does ask Carrie to the prom. At first, she says no. But then the gym teacher sees Carrie is off in a corner by herself. She asks Carrie what is wrong and she tells the teacher she thinks Tommy is trying to trick her. The teacher gives Carrie a bit of a pep talk and some beauty tips.
The teacher doesn’t miss a beat though as she corners Sue and Tommy to find out if they really are trying to trick Carrie. Tommy goes to Carrie’s house to ask again. She agrees once Tommy says he wants to take her because she liked his poem.
Meanwhile, Chris, Billy and their buddies find a pig and kill it.
MOTHER DEAREST And Terrible STudents
Carrie is at dinner with her mother when she tells her about the prom invitation. Her mother’s response? She tosses coffee on her face and tells Carrie to go to her closet and pray. She shouts in Carrie’s face until Carrie uses her telekinesis to shut the windows and says she is going. Her mother calls her a witch and tells her this power is from Satan.
Meanwhile, Billy, Chris and her friends are rigging some kind of trap at the prom. All we know for sure is that they have killed a pig and there is a bucket involved.
Sue has to justify letting Tommy go to the prom with Carrie to some her friends while Chris is determined to be at the prom, whether she is allowed to or not.
We also get a bit of a scene of everyone getting ready for prom. Carrie even buys a pink dress and lipstick. Tommy gives her a carnation to match.
Carrie’s mother continues to be just the worst as she tells Carrie, “Everyone can see your dirty pillows.” Carrie shoots back they are called breasts and everyone has them. Her mother then tries to convince Carrie that Tommy isn’t coming and says everyone will laugh at Carrie. Carrie uses her telekinesis to force her mother to sit down.
As she is leaving her mother says, “Though shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Seriously, this woman is contemplating murdering her own daughter. Tough to be a worse mother than that.
The Prom
Hoo boy. This is a prom for the ages. it starts normal enough. Kids are dancing, the band is playing, and others are hanging out with friends. Ms. Collins, the gym teacher says hello to Carrie. Tommy asks Carrie to dance but she declines. Eventually, Tommy invites Carrie to a little get together after prom and she does agree to go.
Tommy takes Carrie onto the dance floor and teaches her to slow dance. Up to this point, it is as sweet as can be and it seems like Carrie’s fate is finally about to change. She’s on the edge of acceptance at her high school and inches away from coming out of her shell and joining society. Tommy kisses her on the dance floor in what is undoubtedly her first kiss.
Carrie asks Tommy why she is at the prom with him. Tommy says it’s because she liked his poem, but he also admits he didn’t write it. He tells Carrie he likes being there with her.
I can’t stress enough, Sue and Tommy are being kind to Carrie. That is there motivation here and what happens next is not their fault.
King and Queen
Against all odds, Carrie and Tommy are up for Prom King and Queen. Tommy convinces Carrie they should vote for themselves.
At home, Carries mom is getting even more worked up and chops carrots in what can only be described as a violent manner.
At the prom, Chris tells Billy she’s basically rigged the vote to ensure Carrie and Tommy win. And what happens when someone wins? They are called onstage to be crowned. Right under a bucket full of pig blood.
In a dreamlike sequence Carrie walks up there with Tommy as the crowd cheers her. There is no doubt this would be the best and most memorable moment of her young life. If the film stopped here, this story is nothing but hopeful and uplifting.
But we’re not stopping here. This is a horror flick. As Carrie is standing in her perfect dress with her perfect date on her perfect night, Chris lets go of the rope holding the bucket of blood. Ms. Collins watches as Carrie has her picture taken. Sue sees what is about to happen and tries to rush beneath the stage to save Carrie but she’s just too late to get there in time. Ms. Collins assumes Sue is about to do something bad and rushes at Sue and pulls her back. The blood falls. The dream is over and the nightmare begins.
A literal Bloodbath
As teenagers do, they laugh at Carrie. All her fears are realized. Tommy can be seen mouthing, “What the hell?” in anger. Then the bucket falls on his head and knocks him out.
All of the traumatizing events rush through Carrie’s head as she stands there covered in pig blood and full of anguish. She uses her telekinesis to lock all the doors, turns on the sprinklers and the room turns as red as the blood on Carrie’s dress. With the water everywhere, the electricity to the mic stand electrocutes the band. Carrie sets fire to everything and walks out of the building. It’s not clear how many people at this prom will die but there is no doubt it is a lot.
Walking home, Carrie sees Chris and Billy driving home in their truck. They had managed to escape just in time. But Carrie uses her mind to flip over and explode the car and Chris and Billy are no more.
Goodbye Mother
Drenched in blood, Carrie walks through the door of her own home. There are prayer candles everywhere. And I mean, everywhere in this house. This is anything but normal behavior. Carrie takes a bath to wash the blood off and cry. Her mother is in her nightgown and has Carrie sit down. Carrie asks for her mother to hold her. Instead of being a normal person, this woman says to Carrie, “I shoulda killed myself when he put it in me.” And we here a whole monologue about how sin never dies. And she tells Carrie, “I shoulda given you to God when you were born.” She tells Carrie they are going to pray, “For the last time.”
She stabs Carrie in the back with a knife while they pray. Look, there are a lot of memorable movie villains and many of them have a claim to be the worst. But Carrie’s mother takes the cake in this movie. She is literally the worst. The same is true in the book.
But Carrie defends herself with her telekinesis. Her mother ends up stabbed with multiple knives in the same position as the crucified Jesus from the closet she locks Carrie in.
The House Comes Tumblin’ Down
Carrie is overwhelmed with guilt and brings the whole house down on herself and her dead mother. Thus ends the tragic tale of Carrie White who was unjustly abused and bullied, had the briefest of moments to shine, and had reality crash in on her once again.
Out of everyone at the prom the only one we know who lived is Sue Snell. And she has constant nightmares.
The most iconic image from the film is Carrie covered entirely in blood. But, the second most iconic image is what happens in Sue’s dream. Sue is at Carrie’s grave laying flowers. The dream sequence has the same soundtrack and soft lighting as Carrie’s beautiful moment before the blood falls on her.
At the grave, we see the crucifix is a For Sale sign. Written over it are the words Carrie White Burns in Hell. From the soft soil, out of nowhere, Carrie’s blood covered hand reaches out and grabs Sue. She wakes up screaming and the film ends.
In Conclusion Carrie (1976) endures
There are multiple remakes of this film but Carrie (1976) stands head and shoulders above those. Why? First, the book Carrie, feels like something set in the 1970s because that is when it was written. Since this film was made in the same decade, it will feel the most at home in the time period. Second, while Brian De Palma makes a few mistakes, the directing is just about as perfect as you can get. Lastly, themes of bullying, social acceptance and isolation are all still as relevant today as they were when the film came out.
The movie introduced much of the world to Stephen King. Several themes you see over the years in his books are displayed here. There is the religious fundamentalism, the telekinesis, and a horror story set in an unexpected location. While there were plenty of horror stories before Carrie, it was rare to find one set in modern day in a setting as mundane as a high school. Also, despite Carrie doing some horrific things, she’s not the monster. She’s more complex than that and thus more relatable.
Some say the whole story is a metaphor for adolescence, for trauma, or for breaking away from parents. Others will tell you this is nothing but a horror story plain and simple. I’m not going to make an argument in favor of one or the other, except to say, if this was just a horror story, I do not think it would truly resonate with audiences for as long as it has.
More King to Come!
While this was an instant classic (and now an actual classic) it’s just a hint of what we will see from Stephen King in the future. The man has been terrifying and entertaining us for over five decades. I’m going to review a good amount of his movies this month but there is no way I will get through all of them.
Like Stephen King books and movies? Let me know which one is your favorite in the comments below!
