Posts Tagged ‘Stephen King’

Movie Review – The Shining (1980)

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading The Shining, Stephen King‘s classic tale involving the supernatural and an isolated hotel in the Rocky Mountains.

The book was great, and I’ve been having a desire to see the 1980 movie based on the book.  I’ve only see parts of the movie here and there, and that was many years ago.  I’ve never seen the whole movie from start to finish.  After finishing (and thoroughly enjoying the book), it was a matter of taking the time to watch the movie.

The Shining (1980) – movie poster

Directed by film legend Stanley Kubrick, The Shining stars Jack Nicholson in the lead role of Jack Torrance, a writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts the job of a winter caretaker at a prestigious mountain resort.  Supporting him are Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance, Jack’s wife, and Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance, Jack and Wendy’s young son who happens to have a special skill with his mind.

The film also features Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann, Philip Stone as Delbert Grady, and Joe Turkel as Lloyd, a friendly bartender who gladly serves Jack his drinks.

The Shining (1980) – (c) Warner Bros.

The Shining begins with Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) arriving at the Overlook Hotel in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and interviewing for the position of the winter caretaker.  Stuart Ullman (Barry Nelson) likes Jack and hires him for the position even though Jack does not have any experience.  Jack informs him that he’s looking for change, and working at the hotel will allow him to continue working as a writer.

During the interview, Ullman tells Jack that Charles Grady, the previous winter caretaker, fell victim to cabin fever, and he murdered his wife and their two daughters.  This doesn’t seem to be a concern for Jack. Read more…

Book Review – Stephen King’s “The Shining”

Last week I finished reading Stephen King‘s The Shining, a classic tale of horror involving isolation and madness at a haunted hotel during the winter.

It’s a great story to read on these coldest of winter nights, especially when it’s snowing outside.

First published in 1977, The Shining tells a tale of Jack Torrance and how he and his wife and young son take over the caretaker duties for the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies.  The catch is that the hotel is isolated, and when the heavy snow arrives, the small family will have to fend for themselves for quite some time.  That wouldn’t be a problem if the hotel wasn’t haunted with evil spirits.

Stephen King — The Shining

The Shining begins with Jack Torrance interviewing and being accepted for the position of winter caretaker for the Overlook Hotel.  The Overlook is a prestigious hotel nestled in the Colorado Rockies.  It’s primarily a summertime destination as winter storms can (and will) block the mountain roads and render them impassible.  The Overlook’s previous winter caretaker succumbed to cabin fever, literally went crazy, and killed his family and himself.

Jack himself is a recovering alcoholic and a person with some problems in his past.  He’s an accomplished author and has been off and on writing a play.  Jack was also fired from his previous position as a college English instructor after he lashed out and attacked one of his students.  Jack’s temper and sometimes uncontrollable violence have caused him to also hit and injure his young son, Danny.  All of those events continually haunt Jack as he tries to get his life back on track. Read more…

Book Review – Stephen King’s “‘Salem’s Lot”

Today I finished reading ‘Salem’s Lot, one of Stephen King‘s earlier novels.

Set in the fictitious town of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, the story involves an ancient vampire attacking the residents and slowly building an army of the undead.  It’s up to a small team of people to defy the odds and put an end to the attacks before the whole town is eventually killed.

Stephen King — ‘Salem’s Lot

‘Salem’s Lot begins with Ben Mears, a writer who grew up in the town of Jerusalem’s Lot (often shortened to just ‘Salem’s Lot), a small town in Maine.  He’s returning to town to continue working on his next book, a story involving the Marsten House, a house with a very negative reputation (for both the locals as well as Ben Mears).

After arriving in town, Ben quickly begins a relationship with Susan Norton, a young lady who is a fan of his writings.  Ben also befriends Matt Burke, an older high school teacher who knows anything and everything about the town.

Ben’s arrival in ‘Salem’s Lot coincides with a mysterious Austrian named Kurt Barlow purchasing and moving into the abandoned Marsten House.  One of the odd things is that nobody in town ever sees Kurt Barlow, they only see his associate and business partner, Richard Straker.  It’s Richard Straker who handles the affairs of the house as well as sets up and runs Barlow and Straker — Fine Furnishings, a high-end furniture store planned for the tourists.

It’s not long until a young boy named Ralphie Glick suddenly disappears.  He was walking through the woods with his older brother, Danny, when Danny was attacked by an unknown entity and fell unconscious.  When he later woke and returned home, Ralphie was still missing.  Later we learn that Ralphie Glick was sacrificed in a ritualistic manner to appease a higher being.  Not only after that Danny Glick falls ill and dies while in the hospital.  Danny becomes the first person in ‘Salem’s Lot to become a vampire. Read more…

Movie Review – Misery (1990)

Today we’re taking a look at Misery, a horror film based on Stephen King‘s hit novel of the same name.

Released in 1990, Misery is a horror film that tells the tale of author Paul Sheldon as he nearly dies in a car crash and he’s cared for by Annie Wilkes.  It turns out that Annie is Paul’s number-one fan when it comes to his famous set of books starring Misery Chastain.  Annie is a bit of a crazy woman though and she tortures Paul and makes him write her a brand new Misery book, just for herself.  Her methods drive Paul to the breaking point and set up a climatic conclusion in her isolated mountain home.

Directed by Rob Reiner, Misery stars James Caan as Paul Sheldon and Kathy Bates in the role of Annie Wilkes.  Supporting them are Richard Farnsworth as Buster, the local sheriff, Frances Sternhagen as his wife and deputy, Virginia, and Lauren Bacall as Marcia Sindell, Paul’s publicist.

Misery begins in the mountain town of Silver Creek, Colorado as novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is finishing his latest work.  He’s set the same pattern for a number of years now where he always goes to the same hotel in the small town to finish writing his latest manuscript.  This procedure is no different for the conclusion of his latest novel.  Paul has a celebratory smoke of his cigarette, a glass of champagne.  The next day he climbs into his Ford Mustang and begins the long drive back home to New York City.

Misery (1990) – (c) Columbia Pictures

A snowstorm quickly develops as Paul drives through the mountains.  He misses a curve in the road and his car slides over the edge and rolls to a stop.  He’s badly injured and unconscious.  Without any help soon he’ll surely die out there in the wilderness. Read more…

Movie Review – The Mist (2007)

Something is in the mist.

Something horrible, something terrifying, and something that is not from this dimension.

The Mist (based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name) takes place up in Maine.  The morning after a terrific storm, the Drayton family awakes and surveys the damage to their home and property.  David Drayton (Thomas Jane) takes his son, Billy (Nathan Gamble), and neighbor, Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), into town to grab some needed supplies.

It’s the town’s grocery store where most of the movie takes place.  The town’s emergency siren blares, and shoppers watch as every emergency vehicle in town goes flying up the road.  They also watch as a thick mist approaches them, cutting back the visibility and nearly blocking out the sun.

Moments later, a local man comes running into the store, bleeding and absolutely horrified.  His warning is simple:  something is in the mist, and it ain’t friendly.

The Mist (2007) – (c) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The approaching mist quickly sweeps through the parking lot and envelops the store.  A massive tremor shakes the building, terrifying the shoppers.  As power is still out from last night’s storm, the shoppers quickly lock the doors, sealing themselves indoors.  It’s after the store’s stock boy ventures outside and is killed do the shoppers barricade themselves, setting the stage for the siege against the unknown.

The big questions remain, what is inside the mist, and can anybody help them? Read more…

Book Review – Stephen King’s “Misery”

Have you ever felt like you were a slave to your boss?

How about working for a sadistic boss in the cruellest of conditions?

While many of us have had poor working conditions and an unfair boss at one time or another, it’s going to be hard to top what happens to fiction writer Paul Sheldon when he’s “cared” for by Annie Wilkes, his number-one fan.

Stephen King‘s horror novel Misery begins with Paul Sheldon waking from a coma in Annie Wilkes‘ secluded home in the mountains of Colorado.  Paul Sheldon is the author of a best-selling series of Victorian-era romance novels starring Misery Chastain.  He awakes from his coma in the home of Annie Wilkes, a woman who claims to be Paul’s number-one fan.

It turns out that Paul Sheldon had recently finished writing his latest book, a standalone novel called Fast Cars, when he was in a dangerous car accident in Colorado.  Misery Chastain was killed in the last of the Misery series of novels, and Paul decided to take his writing skills in a different direction.  That is, until he took his only copy of Fast Cars with him when he was driving through Colorado and got into a car accident that changed his life.

When Paul finally gains consciousness a week after the wreck, he discovers that both of his legs are mangled and held in place by a rude set of braces.  Fortunately for him, Annie Wilkes happens to be a highly experienced nurse, and she knows just how to take care of her favorite author.  After all, she’s his number-one fan.  The only odd thing is that instead of calling him an ambulance or driving him to a hospital or at least a clinic, Annie brought the injured Paul to her home, a place some distance away from the nearest town.

What Annie does is get Paul hooked on painkillers, for without him the injuries to his legs cause him excruciating pain after a couple of hours.  When Paul initially displeases Annie, she punishes him by taking away his painkillers for hours at a time.  Annie quickly establishes herself as Paul’s lifeline as not only has she fed and tended to his injuries, but she also contains the pills that ease the pain from his injuries.

Annie has noticed the copy of Fast Cars in Paul’s possession, and she asks his permission to read it as she’s his number-one fan.  He grants her permission as she is the administrator of his painkillers.  Unfortunately for Paul, Annie greatly despises Fast Cars.  She’s appalled by its violence and profanity.  When she argues this to Paul, she becomes enraged and spills his soup.  The bowl is flung towards the wall and creates a big mess.  Annie claims that the mess is Paul’s fault.  She punishes him by withholding his painkillers for several hours.  When she finally delivers them (after taking her time to clean the mess), she has them wash down the pills by drinking the dirty water from the wash bucket.

Later, Annie forces Paul to burn his only copy of Fast Cars in a symbolic gesture of erasing that terrible story from existence. Read more…

Movie Review – Carrie (1976)

“If they only knew she had the power.”

Have you ever been bullied at school?

Have you ever felt wanted to let the rage flow freely, allowing that inner demon to wreck havoc?

If so, then you may have something in common with Carrie White.  She’s a seventeen-year-old high school student who has no friends and she feels the wrath of bullies.  Little do they know that Carrie holds a dark secret, and if they push her too far, then they’re all going to pay for it.

That’s the general premise behind Carrie, a 1976 horror film directed by Brian De Palma.  Based on Stephen King‘s 1974 book of the same name, Carrie stars Sissy Spacek in the lead role of teenager Carrie White.  Piper Laurie plays the role of Margaret White, Carrie’s abusive and unstable Christian fundamentalist mother.

Supporting them are Amy Irving as Sue Snell, William Katt as Tommy Ross, Nancy Allen as Chris Hargensen, Betty Buckley as Carrie’s sympathetic gym teacher Miss Collins, and John Travolta as Billy Nolan in one of his first movie roles.

Carrie takes place at Thomas Ewen Consolidated High School in the normally quiet town of Chamberlain.  For most students this is an exciting time of life with their high school prom just around the corner.  For Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), each day is a nightmare.  From the girls tormenting her in class to her abusive and Christian fundamentalist mother at home, there is no escape.

Carrie (1976) – (c) United Artists

One day after gym class, Carrie is alone in the school’s shower when she discovers that she’s bleeding.  Not knowing that it’s a normal process for women, Carrie panics and tries to get the other girls to help her.  Instead of helping, the other girls taunt and ridicule Carrie.  They laugh her back into the shower and throw sanitary products at her.

Teenagers Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen) and Sue Snell (Amy Irving) lead the gang of girls.  The class’s gym teacher, Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), hears the commotion and rushes to Carrie’s aid.  While she’s consoling her, an old light bulb on the ceiling breaks.  It catches Miss Collins by surprise, but she believes that the bulb’s failure was from its age. Read more…