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.
Want More?
Like Stephen King books and movies? Let me know which one is your favorite in the comments below!
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!
Friday the 13th: The Series
John D. LeMay, Louise Robey and Chris Wiggins (from left)
Hello internet folks and happy Friday the 13th! Slick Dungeon here and if you’ve read my blog before you probably know I enjoy a good Friday the 13th movie. The trouble? I’ve reviewed them all. Don’t believe me? Just check them out here. But there’s more out there. Did you know there was a Friday the 13th TV series? It’s true. I’ve watched the first season and I’m here to tell you all about it. I’d tell you about all three seasons but I gotta have something to write about next time! There will be some spoilers for the show so be forewarned. This one can be tough to find though so I’m linking a YouTube playlist below where you can find it. Not sure how long it will be there so watch when you can.
the series playlist
This playlist has all 3 seasons and as far as I can tell, all of the episodes.
What is Friday the 13th the Series?
The TV series is totally separate from the films other than the name. There is no Camp Crystal Lake, hockey masks, or any of the other iconic stuff you’re used to. The show is its own endeavor. Its about three characters who track down cursed objects and lock them away in the vault of an antique store.
Micki, played by Louise Robey is the cousin of Ryan Delaney, played by John D. Lemay. For reasons that are not fully clear, their uncle gifted the two of them an antiques shop called Curious Goods. The third in the party is Jack Marshak played by Chris Wiggins. Jack knows about this estranged uncle who made a deal with the devil for immortality in exchange for letting loose horrible evil on the world through cursed objects.
That didn’t work out because ol’ uncle Lewis died and was sent to hell. Jack clues in the cousins on the situation and they all realize cursed objects shouldn’t be hanging out in the world. But, Jack didn’t show up until after the cursed items were sold. The mission is to get them back. Each episode features one cursed object.
It’s almost an anthology show but it does have consistent plot lines going.
Is it Any Good?
If you are old enough to have watched this series when it was on, it’s not as good as you remember. But, if you’ve never seen it, the show holds up better than you’d expect. It does share some DNA with shows like The Twilight Zone or Amazing Stories. In fact, the first episode is a complete rip off of the Talky Tina episode titled The Living Doll from The Twilight Zone.
Other episodes deal with items like Dracula’s cape, a cradle from the Titanic, a surgical scalpel used by Jack the Ripper etc.
Most of the episodes are self contained so you can watch them in any order. But, if you do you’ll miss a bit of the overall plot. There’s a love story between Ryan and Micki. It is made clear over and over the two are cousins. However, at one point, far too late in the series they declare the two of them are only cousins by marriage. So I guess dating is okay? Anyway, it seems like the writers couldn’t decide which way to go on that.
Considering this is a show from the 80’s, don’t expect to see amazing effects. Most of them hold up and the practical ones involving blood and violence tend to work. Just don’t expect much when it comes to things like lightning effects.
The acting is competent but not groundbreaking. The directing is the same. As far as the soundtrack goes, well, if you’ve ever wanted to hear an 80’s synth pop version of I’m a Little Teapot with tons of keyboard and saxophone, this is the only show for you. Overall, the soundtrack is decent and will drop you right into the 80’s.
Notable Episodes
Some of the better episodes deal with items which are a bit morally gray. One of the best is the one dealing with the cradle in the Titanic. The way it works is you have to kill a certain number of people to keep a newborn baby alive. By the time Jack, Ryan and Micki have figured it out, they have to decide if they take away the item, knowing the baby will die or allow the mother to kill enough people to keep the kid alive. It ends with a less than perfect solution but it’s an interesting problem.
The first episode establishes the world but as I said it’s a Twilight Zone rip off. Not bad but stick through to future episodes so you can see some of the better ones.
The worst episode in the first season is the last one. It’s a clip show with the barest of plots. The episodes are hit and miss but if you like horror, there is something here for you.
In some ways it feels like a very early version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Supernatural. Young people guided by an older person who knows all about this hidden world. The overall plot is a little messy but it’s enjoyable.
Should You Watch Friday the 13th the series?
This Friday the 13th, if you haven’t watched all of the movies in the series, put those on first. Not because they have anything to do with the show but because they are better.
If you’re just looking for a great anthology show, I recommend The Twilight Zone, Amaxing Stories and even Freddy’s Nightmares before watching this one. But, if you have seen all of that other media and you still just need one more hit of that good ol’ Friday the 13th franchise, this show will do.
William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion: A Historical Call of Cthulhu RPG Adventure by David Waldron and Shannon Nicholls
Hello Investigators! I’ve got a cool review for you today with an ENNIE nominated one shot for Call of Cthulhu! This one is a bit unusual as it’s based on historical events and real locations. If you love Call of Cthulhu and you are looking for a new one shot scenario for your table, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion is perfect for you!
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
What is William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion?
William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion is a one shot scenario for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition. Before I go any further, I should make it clear that while I was given a complimentary copy of the scenario by the creator David Waldron. However, this is post is in no way sponsored by the creators of the scenario.
In the scenario you will find a scenario based on historical events in the 1890s in Ballarat, Australia. You will find several historical figures in the scenario, including William Bailey, Emily Bailey, Thomas Learmonth, and the Stephenite cult.
One of the coolest parts of the scenario is that all of the Investigators are also historical figures. This makes it fun to play around in the time period.
The scenario also contains 7 NPC stats, 8 player handouts, 4 pre-generated character sheets, and 4 maps.
What’s it About?
Players should skip this section. If you want to play the scenario, make sure to let your Keeper know and have them read ahead.
Spoilers Follow!
I will try to keep the spoilers light here but there are going to be some in order for me to talk about the scenario.
In the 1890’s there was a man named William Bailey. He was a successful business man who made his money in the gold trade. But the way he came about his success was far less than ethical. Bailey made many enemies, not the least of which was the Learmonth family. Bailey fooled them into thinking a gold mine was worthless, bought an anonymous stake in said mine, then kept the mine for himself, thus making himself a wealthy man. With his ill gotten gains, Bailey purchased a mansion. Recently, Bailey has seen strange things happening at his mansion. He assumes this is revenge on the part of the Learmonth family but there is a more supernatural explanation here.
Meanwhile, Bailey’s wife Emily has been in contact with the Stephenite cult. This was a real cult at the time. They have convinced Emily to allow a seance to cleanse her home.
Emily keeps this fact a secret from her husband. William, wanting to get to the bottom of things, has hired the Investigators to figure out what is going on.
I won’t go further into the details of the scenario here because what happens next is going to depend on your players.
How long does it take to Run?
The story is a one shot so it should only take about 2-3 hours to run. For some great context and an example of how the scenario was first created, you can check out this YouTube video. They have some great costuming ideas too if you want to make it even more fun at your table!
William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion Live Play
What are the Cons?
No scenario is perfect and any Keeper is always going to have to do some work to make things perfect for their table. There are some points, especially in the setup, that can feel kind of railroaded here. In a short scenario, I don’t see that as a bad thing. But there are some Keepers who can’t stand that at all so do be forewarned.
As far as the maps go, they are a little tough to read but this is because they are actual public domain sketches of the real place. My table used them just fine. But there were some areas where I had to take a pretty close look to make sure I was looking at the right place.
Overall, the pros far outweigh the cons here and it’s an enjoyable scenario, no doubt.
How can I get a copy of William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion?
If you’re still not sure if you should get this scenario let me remind you of a few things. First, this is nominated for an ENNIE. If you don’t know what that means, it’s like the Emmys but for tabletop role playing games. It’s not easy to even be nominated for one, so this scenario stands out.
Second, this is quite reasonably priced. You can get a PDF, a color soft cover, or both. The price ranges from $3 – $10 depending on the option you choose.
If you’re just itching to get your hands on it, you can purchase it right here!
In Conclusion
My table had a good time with this one and I think yours will too. You might even learn a bit of history while you are at it.
It’s a great way to spend a couple of hours and there is a nice, creepy payoff if your Investigators make it through.
So, if you are looking for your next Call of Cthulhu 7th edition scenario, I think you’ll like William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion.
P.S.
If you’ve already played this one and are looking for another historical Call of Cthulhu scenario, I humbly suggest trying my scenario Trouble on the Rock set on Alcatraz Island in 1934. It’s on sale right now for only $3.99!
And if you are new to Call of Cthulhu, check out my how to play series starting here!
Hello horror fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’m back to review the third film in the X horror series by Ti West. Once again this stars the living legend scream queen Mia Goth. This is her third turn in the series. While you don’t have to watch both of the other films to enjoy this one, it helps if you have at least seen X. If you want to get caught up quickly, check out my posts for X and Pearl. Do be warned there will be spoilers for all three films in this review. If that’s not your thing, pack up your bags, head out to Hollywood, make it as a star, screen the film in your huge living room, and then come on back here to read the review.
MaXXXine – The Chronology
Things are a little confusing with this series because of how they released. X is the first in the series to be released, but chronologically it comes second. Pearl is a prequel to X but it came out after X and before MaXXXine. While you don’t need to watch these in order, it does help to have seen the other two prior to watching MaXXXine.
In X we watched an aspiring actress named Maxine who wanted to be a sex symbol to the world. Unfortunately for her, there was a mass murder and huge debacle when she and her friends went to make their first adult film. This mass murder was committed by an elderly woman named Pearl and her elderly husband.
Pearl takes us back in time to see the origins of this deadly woman. MaXXXine catches us up to 1985 and focuses once again on Maxine.
Hooray for Hollywood
The film follows the story of Maxine Minx as she attempts to transition from adult film star to legitimate movie star. For her to do this, she has to land a part in a horror film. The film in the film is called The Puritan II and sure enough, Maxine is cast for the movie.
But her past is not far behind. There’s a private investigator, played by Kevin Bacon, named John Labat who knows what happened in Texas and has tracked Maxine down.
While this is happening, the Night Stalker killer is roaming free and has been murdering women in Los Angeles. Maxine and all her friends are in danger. Thankfully, Maxine knows how to take care of herself.
And speaking of Hollywood, this film is jam packed with references to other films, has loads of stars, and absolutely perfects the look of a film made in 1985.
We get shots of Maxine looking at and hiding in the Psycho house while on the the movie set. This echoes the call backs to Psycho we saw in X.
Kevin Bacon looks just like Jack Nicholson in Chinatown, bandaged nose and all. And there are even split screen shots recalling the work of Brian De Palma.
If you love film and film history, you’ll spot a call back in this movie for sure.
Satanic Panic
In the background of the movie we see signs of the so called Satanic Panic. This is when parents, the media, and religious groups all had a collective freak out, finding signs of satanism in everything from movies to music to Dungeons & Dragons.
Add to that the real fear people had of being killed by someone like the Night Stalker, things are boiling over in Hollywood at the time.
The actual news footage played in the film adds not only to the look and feel of MaXXXine but it effectively ratchets the tension up to an intense degree.
And, of course, Maxine is in a horror film which is already being accused of being satanic. She’s getting hatred from Hollywood itself, the people outside of it, and keeps turning up connected to dead bodies.
While all of this does get tied together in the end, I found myself having to guess more than once, which thread here was actually coming for Maxine. It’s a film that keeps you guessing, although, in the end the reveal is nothing earth shattering.
MaXXXine the Survivor
In X, Maxine went through some major trauma. She’s no lost and clueless actress here. She’s a full on badass who has learned to detach herself when necessary. And she’s willing to fight anyone who tries to mess with her.
It’s refreshing to see a character in a horror movie who takes no nonsense from anyone. And it’s a little disturbing to see how far Maxine is willing to go to protect herself, damn the consequences.
Maxine is in a tough world be she’s more than up to the challenge.
You’re a F*cking MOvie Star
I can’t finish out this review without mentioning Mia Goth and her unbelievably good performance. In X she plays a somewhat naive woman who’s looking for fame the best way she knows how. In Pearl she played a woman who was willing to fight the world, even though it was against her at every turn. But in MaXXXine, she plays a woman who will not back down, ever, for anyone. And she’s going to get what she wants.
Mia Goth is surrounded by huge stars. Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Cannavale play detectives in the film. Halsey plays Maxine’s friend and fellow adult film star. Giancarlo Esposito plays Maxine’s agent. And as mentioned above, 80’s icon and legendary actor Kevin Bacon plays the private investigator looking for Maxine.
While Kevin Bacon has some of his best acting in this film in years, no matter who is on screen with her, it’s Mia Goth who draws the eye. She puts in an incredible performance here and shows enormous range with these three films.
In Conclusion
If you’re a horror fan, you need to see this film. I know there are other, bigger budget films out to watch this weekend but as far as horror goes, this one knocks it out of the park.
MaXXXine is a fascinating portrayal, an excellent follow up, and the rare third part of a trilogy that may be the best one.
If you don’t like gore, do be cautioned there is a bit of that here but there are absolutely gorier films out there.
While this one has a different feel and quality from the previous two in the series, this strikes just the right tone and is a nearly perfect follow up.
Hello film fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’ve got a great movie to recommend to all of you horror fans. This will be very light on spoilers because it’s the kind of film that is way more effective if you don’t know the premise going in.
Blood Red Sky is a 2021 British-German action horror film. It starts off with a tense plane landing in a heavily armed Scottish air base. The movie then goes back in time to explain what happened on the flight. Giving much more away will spoil too much here. I don’t even recommend reading the description on Netflix if you want to fully enjoy the film.
From start to finish the movie is intense and the pressure just keeps building. What seems like a simple hijacking evolves into something full of intense horror as things take a surprising turn.
If you are the type of viewer who is averse to blood and gore, this one is probably not for you. However, it’s not nearly the bloodiest thing I’ve seen on film.
There are a few key characters we come to care about on the flight and the film is well acted. The cinematography may not be anything special but it gets the job done. There are definitely some scares in here but overall the film finds its best moments of fear by ratcheting up the intensity over and over again.
Knowing the basic premise will lower the effect of what happens here so I’m not going to go into much more. But I can say, if you are a horror film fan, and you like fast paced intense thrillers, and don’t mind a fair amount of gore, this one is worth watching.
