Salem's Lot (2024) #493

A movie stuck in the mire of the film industry, "Salem's Lot" has finally arrived after being shelved and forgotten by the powers that be, and now that it's here its receiving a lukewarm reception, from "it was ok" to "it's pure trash". Diehard fans of the book or the original made for tv film from 1979 have vocalized the most vitriol for this version, and while I adore the book, this movie would be fine if it didn't share the same title. It suffers from the well-intended missteps that "IT pt2" made by rewriting the ending for a modern audience. I still enjoyed the movie recommend at least giving "Salem's Lot" a chance so you can make your own conclusion.

The movie begins with the clever use of visual exposition explaining the arrival of Barlow and Straker, their purchase of the Marsten House and the opening of their antique shop, and the rumored history of the Marsten House, all displayed by various newspaper headlines and articles. This saves the movie a great deal of screen time and keeps the audience engaged during a normally tedious process. The movie's first scene opens within the antique shop with Straker giving instructions on the arrival and handling of the mysteriously heavy box that is to be delivered. Next we see two men making the delivering, being spooked the entire time.

The next day, we are introduced to Ben Mears, played by Lewis Pullman, staring up at the Marsten House, the source of inspiration for his next book. Ben is a successful writer who lived in Salem's Lot when he was younger. In the book the history of the house plays a larger role but here it is simply made out to be the creepy house on the hill. Ben goes into town to try and rent the house and learns that someone had just bought it and moved in over the last week. At the agency, Ben meets Susan, the relators assistant? Ben and Susan run into each other later at the local library, where Susan loudly announces that she will be going to the drive-in, alone. 

Mark Petrie, the new kid in school, is introduced in the classic showdown with the class bully, swiftly neutralizing the bully, showcasing his high intelligence for an 11-year-old. The fight is broken up by Matt Burke, the only teacher in school that seems to care. That night, Mark has two new friends visit his house, Ralphie and Danny. The two brothers walk home but are attacked by Staker, who kidnaps Ralphie as a sacrifice for his master, the vampire Barlow. At the Marsten House, we see Ralphie offered to Barlow, a Nosferatu looking vampire. A search is made by the town to find Ralphie, and it's indicated that Danny has no memory of the attack. Danny falls ill, and while dies while in the hospital, a victim of pernicious anemia. The night of Danny's funeral, the gravedigger Mike is bitten by Danny, beginning the slow but steady spread of vampirism throughout Salem's Lot.

It soon becomes apparent to Ben, Susan, Matt, Mark, and Dr. Cody that something is wrong in "the Lot" and seek help from Father Callahan. Bodies go missing, vampires are flying up to windows asking to be let in, and crosses glow brightly when in the presence of a vampire. The novel becomes purely inspiration for the second half of the film as characters are switched in certain events and the order of events are mixed around. Once again, if you haven't read the book, this is still an entertaining movie even if plays it a little loose on how active a vampire can be during the day. The big showdown takes place at the local drive-in, where Ben and Susan had their first date. It's an interesting idea that is full of action and close calls.

Salem's Lot was Stephen King's second published book, inspired by the horror comics of his youth. The book is full of secondary characters, fully fleshed out, who help showcase the steady spread of Barlow's curse and influence in the small town. Their presence is not necessary but does add greatly to the overall appeal and love of the book. This film already feels rushed and the inclusion of these characters was just not possible. Had they been included and the run time increased or presented as a mini-series rather than a movie, the end product may have been more in line with the book, looking past the obvious new ending of course. 

 

Doctor Sleep: Director's Cut (2019) #475

 "Doctor Sleep" is the sequel that we never knew we wanted. It is not a cheap cash-in like so many sequels are; case in point, the movie came out twenty-nine years after the "The Shining". This film builds upon the reality that the Stanley Kubrick film first establishes, complete with near perfect, young look alike actors filling in for Shelly Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and even Jack Nicholson. "Doctor Sleep" is rich in nostalgia in a good way as we revisit Danny, Wendy, Jack, Dick and our favorite haunted hotel and find out how they've grown over the past forty years. 

I've read both "The Shining" and "Doctor Sleep" and I have seen "The Shining" more times than any other Stephen King adaptation. The film follows the first half of the novel almost faithfully before taking a decidedly different turn...for the better. Director/Screenwriter Mike Flanagan, known for "Hush", "Oculus" and "Gerald's Game", adapted the Stephen King's story to follow the events from "The Shining" film and not from "The Shining" novel. This means that the Overlook Hotel is still standing and was not blown apart from the boiler exploding. Just like the actors, the Overlook Hotel looks nearly exactly the same, just forty years older. This is where the showdown between good and evil takes place in the very epic finale. 

A major theme in both books and both film is dealing with alcoholism. Mr. King has been very open about his struggles with substance abuse in his past and it feels like "Doctor Sleep" is a way for him to share what it could feel like. Just like his father, Dan Torrance is a full blown alcoholic, and when we first see him as an adult, he is hitting rock bottom. Luckily for him, he is able to find a fresh start when he hops on a bus and ends up in Frazier, New Hampshire. He befriends a man named Billy Freeman who helps him find an apartment and a local support group. Dan becomes sober but does battle some temptations throughout the story. The most intense temptation takes place in the Overlook, as Dan shares a deeply personal conversation with the ghost Lloyd the bartender. This scene is easily one of my favorites in the film.

Besides alcoholism, the other villain in "Doctor Sleep" is the Trueknot, a vagabond group of psychic vampires. They track down those with the shine to feast upon their power, which comes forth like a mist from the victim's mouth. Pain and fear cleanse the shine, makes me more delicious. But sometimes they recruit and turn those with a gift that the Knot could use to their gain. The newest member of the Trueknot is Snakebite Andi, a young teen who can hypnotize someone with a single word or phrase. They are led by Rose the Hat, a truly evil and sly antagonist. The concept could have come across as campy but that is not the case here; they are truly terrifying.  

Mr. King has written several different characters in various books who have a touch of the shine. In this story we are introduced to perhaps the brightest shine of them all, Abra. Growing up, she uses her powers not knowing that she is special, scaring her parents when she psychically plays the piano when she should be sleeping or imitating a magic trick that she saw a party magician perform. She even reaches out to Dan and leaves friendly messages on his large black board wall in his apartment. What I love about how this character is that she knows that she is powerful; she is never the damsel in distress. Ignoring the warnings from Dan to hide herself, Abra uses her powers to search for a young boy whom the Knot had feasted upon. When Rose the Hat learns of Abra, the two have more than one psychic tug-of-war with Abra winning each time. But when Rose the Hat becomes involved directly and the Trueknot comes to claim Abra, the young girl knows that she will need Dan's help

Again, my favorite scene is when Dan battles the temptation to drink and to face his past with his and his father's weakness.

Pet Sematary (2019) #465

 

"Pet Sematary" is a classic Stephen King kind of story and it only makes sense that there would be a new version of movie for horror fans. In my opinion, the 2019 version is an improvement over the original 1989 film. It has an impressive cast that includes Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz ("The Sacrament"), and John Lithgow. It has received mixed reviews from critics and viewers alike, but I still recommend this to any who enjoy a good horror movie; a film to watch alone in the dark and get lost in.

The first thing you notice is how beautiful this film is. The colors pop and the scenes are crystal clear. Then there are the haunting children in the processional to the pet sematary, a purely haunting scene that draws the viewer in. All of the special effects and make up are such an improvement over the original, as well as some of the narrative choices that have been made. They very from the novel but not in a distracting fashion. In fact, the changes that were made make the story overall more effective and gives the narrative a fresh new feeling. 

The story in "Pet Sematary" is it largest struggle because the narrative is to busy going in different directions to keep everything focused. The story itself in this case doesn't need to be fancy, it should be kept simple and straight forward. The three main adult characters all see their own personal ghost. Louis sees a patient who had couldn't save, Rachel sees her sister, and Jud sees his wife. I can understand why they are there but I feel it adds just too much to the overall story. 

Louis Creed has moved his family from Boston to Ludlow, Maine, a sleepy little town when compared to the bustling metropolis. While exploring the large plot of land that they now own, his wife Rachel and daughter Ellie witness a procession of children on their way to the pet sematary. Louis learns more about the secrets about the cemetery from his neighbor Jud when he takes Louis to bury Ellie's cat Church after he was killed by a truck on Halloween. Church comes back but he is different, more feral and viscous. After attacking his young son Gage, Louis takes Church out to the woods after he fails to euthanize him. Later, Ellie is killed by a truck when she runs out to the street after seeing her cat after a few weeks. Overcome with grief, Louis decides to bury his daughter in the pet sematary but soon comes to regret that decision.... 

Sleepwalkers (1992) #463

 

"Sleepwalkers" is an often overlooked and forgotten horror film from the early 1990's, directed by Mick Garris and a written by Stephen King. This was in fact the first time Mr. King wrote an original script for a full length film that wasn't adapted from one of his of his own stories. The story revolves around the last two survivors of a vampiric species of shape shifters that can only survive on the blood of virgins. The movie itself has it's strengths and weaknesses but is still a pretty fair movie for the time.

Alice Krige ("Gretel & Hansel") and Brian Krause star as Mary Brady and her son Charles, two shape shifters that feed on the psychic essence of human female virgins. Their powers include strength and the ability to turn themselves as well as their car invisible. They can change the appearance of the car as well. They differ from standard vampires in most aspects; the sun doesn't hurt them being the first and foremost. The odd thing about these two, and perhaps one the more problematic aspects of this film is their incestral relationship between mother and son. This is how the two are able to pass the psychic energy that Charles consumes from his victims. It's awkward and unsettling to say the least. 

The Brady's intended victim is Tanya Robertson, played by Madchen Amick, who was best known at the time for her work on "Twin Peaks". She is a delight to watch and is one of the bright spots in the film, coming across as a genuine teenager (although she wasn't anymore). Her emotions as a girl with a new crush to being the final girl come across sincerely. 

My favorite, as well as many others I bet, thing about this movie is how it is packed with cameos of several masters of horror that include Stephen King, Clive Barker, Tobe Hooper, John Landis, and Joe Dante. I'm pretty sure this was how Mick Garris was able to forge the foundations for his series Masters of Horror, which would showcase work from three of the four artists. Mark Hamill and Ron Perlman as have small roles as well, both in law enforcement. 

Besides the cameos, I love the shape shifters unique weakness which is a mortal fear of cats. It seems that cats are their natural enemies and gather in large numbers wherever the Brady's live. When they get close enough, the cats would pounce and attack Charles and Mary. I love when cats are used in movies and are more than just a jump scare....which they are really good at. 

The Dead Zone (1983) #445

“The Dead Zone” was released in movie theaters back in October of 1983. At this point, Stephen King was a well established writer with nine published novels, with four of those adapted in to films; his work was well known but he was still being discovered by a legion of new fans. Those first few films were directed by highly respected directors such as Brian De Palma, Stanley Kubrick, and George A. Romero, so it was only appropriate that an equal master of horror helmed this adaptation. David Cronenberg was brought on as director, having made his an impressive repertoire of films in the horror sub-genre of body horror.

I have read the novel and was pleased that the script was basically a streamlined version of the original source. Several scripts were presented to be considered, including a version from Mr. King, but Cronenberg found it to be “too brutal”. “The Dead Zone” was one of the more restrained stories that Mr. King had written at this point so it only made sense to carry over that restraint to the film version. Overall, the main beats of the original story help move the narrative forward from beginning to end. 

A major focal point of both the novel and film is the moral question if you would kill someone if you knew that it would save countless other lives. The example of going back in time to kill Hitler before he rose to power is asked and examined in both mediums. The novel does spend more time debating this moral dilemma while the film has Johnny ask the question before deciding what course of action to take.

Christopher Walker is perfect as Johnny Smith, a young teacher in love who is nearly killed in a tragic car accident. Mr. Walker’s physical mannerisms and his unique speech style are well suited for this particular role. Brooke Adams plays Johhny’s love interest Sarah, Herbert Lom is Dr. Sam Weizak, Johnny’s doctor who helps to identify Johnny’s psychic ability. Tom Skerritt is the perfect Sheriff Bannerman, the main law man in Castle Rock who is at his wits end to solve a series of grisly murders. The cast is rounded out with Martin Sheen as Greg Stillson, a popular but dangerous politician who keeps Johnny awake at nights.

Thinner (2006) #421

In his typical fashion, Stephen King takes an obvious and yet grossly over looked premise and writes a simple story that can carry an entire movie. In this case the premise is about a man who is suffering from the ill effects of a gypsy's curse in the film "Thinner". More camp than scary horror, "Thinner" is a fun movie even if you can't take it seriously. 

The star of this particular film isn't one of the actors but rather the special effects. Defense attorney Billy Halleck, played by Robert John Burke, begins the film as a very heavy set man before slowly but steadily losing weight and becoming deathly thin and frail. The fat suit isn't too obvious in the beginning but becomes so when he is reduced to the actor's actual weight. The special effects for when he continues to lose weight are pretty solid for the time, way back in the year 1996!

For me, the movie really shines in the absurdity of mob boss Ritchie Ginelli, played with cheesy zest by Joe Mantegna. His loyalty to his lawyer is commendable, and the way that he attempts to deal with the gypsies is simply hilarious. It's different, maybe not appropriate for a horror movie, but fun.

Mercy (2014) #402

"Mercy" is another film that has been adapted from a short story by Stephen King originally titled "Gramma" ; these little gems will be coming to light for many more years to come. It has his feel about it, from the names of the characters to their familiar relationships. The movie stars Chandler Riggs (Carl from "The Walking Dead") as George, a young boy who is close with his grandmother Mercy. Chandler delivers a fine performance and carries the movie well while supported by Dylan McDermott and Frances O'Connor. What I liked most about this film is that it embraced the fact that it was dealing with supernatural elements unlike other movies in recent years that seem to through supernatural aspects into the plot for a surprise twist or for an easy ending.

George is the only relative that seems to love and get a long with his grandmother Mercy. George enjoys spending time with her and listening to her stories and advice, and then teasing his older brother with the stories that haunt their family history. After Mercy has a stroke and is forced out of the nursing home, George's mother brings George and his brother with her back to her childhood home to take care of Mercy. Strange events begin to take place that directly affect George's mother and her two siblings, as well as George's brother and even an old flame of his mom's. George discovers that witchcraft, spirits, and even a spell book are all apart of Mercy's past. But what will this mean for him and his family?

1408 (2007) #384

"1408" has instantly become one of my favorite Stephen King adaptions, so much so that I want to find the short story that inspired the film and read it. This film has a solid beginning, middle, and surprisingly, a very satisfying ending. It's a ghost story that works and that feels fresh and unique, with a clever twist that I haven't seen before. John Cusack is brilliant as Mike Enslin, a talented novelist who begins visiting "haunted" locations and writing books about his experiences. Mr. Cusack carries the weight of the film as he is in every scene and is supported by only a handful of other actors for brief moments; a prolonged scene with John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson is truly delightful.

Mike Enslin is a novelist who writes about supernatural places and events, although he is a skeptic and doesn't believe in what he writes about. He receives an anonymous postcard from the Dolphin Hotel with a message "Don't enter 1408" written on it. Mike learns that dozens of people had died in that room in various gruesome ways.  He goes to the hotel to stay the night, finding legal loopholes to force the hotel management to allow him into the room. Gelarld Olin, the hotel manager, tries his best to dissuede Mike from going into the room by giving him a file full of pictures and police reports of some of the victims. Mike takes the file, a fancy bottle of scotch, and his wits with him into the innocent looking room, ignoring everyone's warnings. It's not long after his investigation begins that he realizes that there might be something to about the room after all....

Cujo (1983)

"Cujo" is the 1983 adaption of Stephen King's novel of the same name. This was during the time when stories by King were still a new, hot commodity and were being developed adapted at a startling rate. "Cujo", while having it's moments of pure intensity also has more than it's fair share of slow, dull, dragging moments that typically don't fare well with a horror hungry audience. The reason for this is because the story treats the main character, the large St. Bernard name Cujo as realistically as possible. There isn't anything uncanny in the story to add extra scares other than the frightening possibility of a small child dying from dehydration. This story also has one of the more predicable but satisfying endings that King has ever written.


Donna and her young son Tad take their faulty car out to a mechanic who lives on a secluded farm. Unfortunately the mechanics pet St. Bernard has been infected by rabies and starts killing anything that moves, including the mechanic and his neighbor. When Donna is attacked by the large dog, she discovers that her car has completely failed and that she and her son are trapped. Her husband comes home early from a business trip when she doesn't answer the house phone, fearing that she left with a family friend that she had been having an affair with. He finds that his house has been trashed, by the former lover, but the suspect has no idea where Donna or Tad are. Meanwhile, Cujo attacks the car repeatedly until the door handles are broken and the windows are smashed. As Tad passes out and doesn't respond to Donna's pleas, Donna makes a last ditch effort to get to the house and call for help, willing to do anything to save her son.

Creepshow (1982)

“Creepshow” may be one of the better horror anthologies around. It might not be the best but it’s pretty damn good! It was directed by George A Romero and written by Stephen King, this collection of short horror stories offers interesting story arcs, screenshots that resemble old time horror comic book panels, and acting that is purposely over the top so that it feels like a comic book. The cast is packed full of famous actors of the time and they all give great performances. This one of the earliest horror movies that I saw from beginning to end and it remains one of films that I have the fondest memories of, that is why I thrilled to have this movie featured as my 200^th review!

The first story, “Father’s Day”, is about a rich patriarch who acquired his wealth through unsavory deeds, who is then killed by his aged daughter who was left to take care of him on Father’s Day. On the anniversary of the murder, the surviving relatives gather to “pay respects’ but are killed off one by one by his reanimated, revenge filled corpse.

“The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” stars Stephen King as Jordy, a down on his luck farmer who has a meteorite crash into his barren corn field. Jordy touches the meteorite cracks and is immediately burned by it and is now infected by a fast growing plant “virus”. His dreams of wealth and fame are dashed when the meteorite cracks. He goes into his house and laments his loss as the infection slowly overtakes him. He only makes matters worse when he takes a bath, dooming the transformation.

The third story, “Something to Tide You Over”, is about a wealthy man named Richard who finds out that his wife Becky is cheating on him with a man named Harry. Richard coerces Harry into joining him on a drive to the beach where Richard forces Harry to dig a hole in the sand and bury himself. Richard leaves a TV set on the beach that shows that Becky is also buried up to her head on the beach and is about to be drowned by the incoming tide. Both Harry and Becky die, only to come back and have their revenge on their happy-go-lucky killer.

The fourth story, “The Crate”, is the most in depth piece of the anthology, focusing on both a mysterious crate found in the basement of a university and the vicious beast that’s trapped inside…for over 148 years, and the dysfunctional relationship with a meek professor and his overbearing wife.

The fifth story, “They’re Creeping Up on You” is the most memorable piece, about a wealthy, ruthless business man with a fear of germs who lives in a secluded New York penthouse. He watches as the city is suffering from a massive black out, as well as receiving threatening phone calls from those who he has wrong. Over the course of the story, cockroaches, one by one, begin invading his sealed environment. When the power goes out in his building, the bugs begin to take over until they drive the miser to his death.

The overlapping storyline is about a boy who loves reading horror comics but is yelled and at slapped by his disapproving father. The boy gets his revenge by ordering a voodoo doll and sticking it with a pin over and over again….

Father's Day Cake!

Poor Jordy

Sea-Zombie Becky and Harry

The Yeti from the Crate!!

 Voodoo doll

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

“Tales From the Darkside: The Movie” is a fun anthology that has three great acts that are connected together with a cute “Hansel and Gretel” style story about a boy who is biding his time from the evil witch that wants to cook him as the main course for a dinner party. What’s noticeable about this film is that the cast consisted of some established actors as well as a few who were just cutting their teeth and have risen to stardom since then such as Steve Buscemi and Julianne Moore. The make-up and special effects are fine considering when this film was made although the gargoyles in the third act look too much like puppets to be effectively scary.

The first story arc is an adaption of Author Conan Doyle’s story “Lot 249” about a graduate student (Steve Buscemi) who uses a mummy to exact revenge against those who have wronged him.

The second story arc is an adaption of Stephen King’s short story “The Cat from Hell” about a hit man who is hired by an eccentric owner of a pharmaceutical company who is being terrorized by a black cat.

The third story arc is an adaption of an old Japanese ghost legend Yuki-Onna, about a painter who witnesses a gargoyle murdering a human. The gargoyle is about to kill the painter but spares his life, making him promise to never tell anyone about this moment; if he ever breaks the promise, the gargoyle will find him and kill him. The painter promises but how long can he keep this secret?

The witch and her dinner

The Gargoyle and the painter

Cat's Eye (1985)

“Cat’s Eye” is a collection of three stories that were written by Stephen King and includes a cat that’s eventually named General in the third act. General only makes brief appearances in the first two stories but when he is seen, there is usually a subtle reference to a previous Stephen King film; in one scene General is being chased by a St. Bernard and in another one he’s almost ran over by a car that is similar to Christine.

The first act is known as “Quitter’s Inc”, a company that resorts to unusual but effective methods of ensuring that their clients quit smoking. Starring James Woods as Dick, he becomes a client of the unique company. It’s only after he joins that he learns that his wife and daughter will be subjected to horrific punishments for his relapses.

The second act is known as “The Ledge”, Robert Hays plays Johnny, a professional tennis player who is sleeping with the wife of a mob boss. The boss finds out but instead of killing Johnny outright, he makes a bet with him. If Johnny can walk around the outside of the apartment, clinging to a narrow ledge, the crime boss will divorce his wife so the two can live happily together. If Johnny declines the bet, then the boss will have Johnny arrested and framed for possession of drugs, ruining his career. Leaving Johnny with very little choice, he begins to walk around the ledge….

The third and final act is called “General”, which about the cat who is taken in by Drew Barrymore who gives him his name. Her parents don’t like the cat but she convinces them to let her keep him. At night, a tiny troll sneaks into her room and tries to steal her breath. General stops him but is seen as the aggressor by her parents and thrown out. Without her protector, the troll tries again to kill the young girl. But General didn’t cross half the country to give up now…

 Smoking in not allowed!

The troll and his bloody knife!

Grrrr

Johnny and the mob boss

General attacking the troll