Night Shift: "Chainsploitation" and more

So, Christmas has now sadly past, and I am trying to get back into my regular routine, but also develop some new good habits at the same time. For instance, I am eager to get back into reading and posting, but I also want to start being more physically active. Santa brought me Wii Fit Plus for Christmas, and I am determined to make "Santa" feel like he has not wasted his money on buying it for me. Also, I just got a huge promotion at work, and will have to spend more time with that. So just in case you wonder why I am not posting as often, those are the reasons.

Oh, and one other update, Santa carried through on his promise, and brought me an Amazon Kindle device, and I must say, it is the coolest thing I have seen in a long while. It really does feel just like you are reading a book, not like a machine at all. As previously mentioned, I plan on reading The Stand with the Kindle, and I can't wait to start that.

Anyway, the real topic of this update is to talk about the SK stuff that I have watched/read since last I posted. Well, the first thing I wanted to mention was that I watched the movie version of "The Mangler". I can sum up the movie in one word...Chainsploitation. You've heard of "Blacksploitation", "Sexploitation", and myriad kinds of exploitation movies, but this one takes the cake. The movie is shot after shot of gratuitous machinery chains churning, and grinding, and hissing, and steaming......oops, it really is starting to sound like a sexploitation movie instead. But that being said, the cinematography and the set design were quite impressive, and definitely the best part of the movie. The acting was atrocious, and the expanded story was more than ridiculous. But that was to be expected. If I was to compare it to the film adaptation of "Graveyard Shift", I would say that it was sooooooooo much better.

Moving on...I have read the next five stories in Night Shift, and would like to make some brief comments on those:

"Strawberry Spring": I hate to say it, but I feel like it was so long ago that I read this story, that I already don't really remember it much. I guess that isn't really saying much about the story, is it? It was an ok story about a serial killer who kills some people during an odd weather anomaly in the spring. It was reminiscent of Jack the Ripper coming out of the London fog. Nothing really more to mention. Enjoyable, but easily forgettable.

"The Ledge": Now this story on the other hand, I find quite memorable. It is the story of a rich man who has his wife's lover walk the ledge outside of his apartment building in order to get away with his life. It is a very suspenseful story, and really keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is one of the stories that was turned into a movie, as part of the anthology, Cat's Eye. I have that movie here from Netflix today, and can't wait to watch it as well.

"The Lawnmower Man": I think that when SK wrote this story, he must have been high on something. That being said, it isn't a really bad story. It's just extremely strange. It's a very short story about a man who hires a service to come mow his lawn. The guy that arrives is a fat guy who has a very strange way of mowing the lawn: His mower runs by itself, while the fat guy gets naked, crawls behind the mower, and eats all the grass clippings. The guy turns out to be a worshipper of Pan, and ends up sacrificing the homeowner to his god. The thing to really mention about this story though has more to do with the movie version. The movie version has nothing to do with the story at all. SK sued to have his name removed from the movie, because it was a remake in name only. I hate it when people make movies like that. Why trick us into going to see a movie by putting SK's name on it? Was the movie that bad that you had to pull that bullshit? Well, I've seen the movie, and while it's not the best movie, it still is quite entertaining. So who knows?

"Quitters, Inc.": OK, this story totally rocks. I don't know if it is because I am an ex-smoker who can totally appreciate the lengths it takes to quit smoking, or if it is just a really good story. Basically it is about a man who is a chain smoker, with a wife and kid. He meets an old friend one day who gives him a card for Quitters, Inc. who helped him quit smoking and "changed his life". So he goes to this place, and finds out that if he will be under constant surveillance, and if he smokes, then bad things will end up happening to his wife and kid. He slips only once, and his wife is forced to spend a certain amount of time in a box that gives electrical shocks to her feet. It is really crazy to think that sometimes it actually takes something that big to make you break a habit. It definitely makes you think. This story is also in Cat's Eye.

"I Know What You Need": A very well paced, and well written story about a college girl who meets a guy who has a knack for always knowing what she needs. He comforts her when her boyfriend dies, and they start seeing each other. Then her roommate does some investigating, and finds out that he is not all that he seems. One evening, she sneaks into his apartment and finds some voodoo figures of herself, and her dead boyfriend. He confronts her, but has no more power over her, and she leaves him. The story itself wouldn't have been that interesting, if the writing wasn't done so well. The story unfolds at a perfect pace, and has me entertained all the way through.

Well folks, that's all for now. Have a safe New Years Eve!

Night Shift: "Now there's 90 minutes I'm never getting back."

Hi, all. Sorry that it has been so long. I have been totally out of reading mode for the past week for so. I took some vacation time last week, and ended up getting totally sucked in to playing "Legend of Zelda" games on my Wii. Another one of my guilty pleasures, I must say. Another reason that I am taking it slow, is because I think that Santa might be bringing me a Kindle for Christmas, and I don't want to start the next novel, The Stand, until I have that. So, I've been reading slower, and in the meantime I have started to rent some of the movies in this collection.

Let's dish about the first movie. A complete atrocity: Graveyard Shift.

Wow. Now there's 90 minutes that I'm never getting back. This movie took everything that was totally creepy about the story, and screwed it up. I mean seriously, that was the most well lit basement that I have ever seen. I don't even think they were using flashlights half the time. And in these kinds of movies, why oh why does there always have to be some "king monster". I liked it so much more when it was just a whole bunch of crazy rats attacking people, and not one big ugly monster. And of course there had to be some stupid, inconsequential love story in the middle of it all. Ick.

All in all, a completely forgettable interpretation, but then again, I really wasn't expecting much more.

Night Shift: Fun, Fun, and More Fun

These next five stories were so much fun. Some of them I had read before, but some I hadn't. I think that all but one of these five stories have been turned into either movies, shorts, or TV show episodes.

"The Boogeyman": I remember being a teenager, and thinking that it would be a good idea to read this story aloud to my 5 or 6 year old twin sisters as they went to bed. Boy, am I a stinker or what? This story still remains one of the creepier ones, even after having read it so many times. To me, there is just something really disturbing about infants being slaughtered by "the monster in the closet". I also like the fact that this story is really a morality tale about parenthood. The main character is a father whose negligence, stubbornness, and pride all seem to cause his children to be murdered. This all comes out in flashbacks as he unloads his conscious onto a psychiatrist. There is also a trick ending that is kind of hokey, but still makes me smile.

"Gray Matter": This story is another one that makes my skin crawl. It is all about a man who gets infested by some bacteria in his beer, that starts to take over his body. This story reminds me a lot of the story in the SK film, Creepshow, "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill". While the segment in the movie is about a man (played by SK himself) who gets infested by a bacteria from a meteor, and is really played more for laughs than anything else, this story is much darker and creepier.

"Battleground": This story is lots of fun, and is such an obvious homage to certain Richard Matheson stories. It is all about a hit man who receives a package in the mail that turns out to be an army of toy soldiers that wage war against the man in his apartment. It reminds me a lot of Matheson's segment in the 1975 movie, Trilogy of Terror, where a Zuni doll wages war against a woman in her apartment. It was recently made into an episode of the TV show Nightmares and Dreamscapes, which was a compilation of SK short stories made into TV episodes.

"Trucks": A very action packed story about a group of people who are held hostage in a truck stop when the world's trucks all of a sudden come alive and start to attack the human race. I found this story very scary, as it had a very bleak outlook. We create all of these mechanical devices to do things for us, and we hit them when they don't work, and run them until they die. It is interesting to see SK's vision of what would happen if one day they decided to hit back. SK wrote and directed (in his only directorial effort) the movie version, Maximum Overdrive in the 80's. I have not yet seen this movie, and I am curious to see what SK is like as a director. From what I hear, after watching the movie, I will understand why he has never been asked to direct another movie. I'll let you know what I think when I get there.

"Sometimes They Come Back": Ominous story about an English teacher who's dead childhood tormentors come back from the dead to cause him more trouble. This short story was one of the longer ones in this book, and I really liked the fact that it was. The story really had time to develop, and grow to it's climax. It also displays some interesting symbolic themes about how "demons" from your past can reappear. Or as SK puts it, "Sometimes they come back." There is also a TV movie version of this made in the 90's, and from what I understand, it is a decent one. I look forward to seeing that interpretation.

I'll check back in after the next five...

Night Shift: Ah...The Stephen King short story

First let me start by saying how much I love to read the SK short stories (well, most of them). I will say that there are a few that leave me with that kind of head scratching, "what the hell was he on when he wrote this" kind of feeling. Sometimes this can be a good thing, sometimes not so much. I feel like SK short stories are like good movie trailers, sometimes you get really pumped up by them, and sometimes they just leave you wanting more. I was trying to figure out how to space out my posts so that I can say a little about each story in Night Shift (even the ones that I don't really have much to say about) without getting too far behind, and without slowing my reading process. I figured that I would post after reading every 5 stories, and I think that that will work nicely. I am also planning on watching all the respective movie versions as well, and that will take some time, and I do not plan on slowing my reading for those, as it seems that there are like 8 or 9 movies that came from this collection (again, some of them complete crap, but still worth the watch just for the sake of it). Anyway, without further ado:

"Jerusalem's Lot": The first of the "SK Connections" (which I will start to compile separately). "Jerusalem's Lot" is set in and around the town of the same name in 1850, and was previously the locale for 'Salem's Lot. It is an interesting short story told through letters written to the main character's friend. It is all about the evil that lies in the deserted town of Jerusalem's Lot, and also in the "haunted" house that the main character lives in. I liked the story, but was kind of frustrated because of the continuity issues between this and 'Salem's Lot. Don't get me wrong, I understand that this story was probably written a lot earlier that 'Salem's Lot, and hence the issues, but it still nagged at me. I kept asking myself, "Is his house the Marsten house?" which it seems to be, but then the end of the story has someone else in the house in 1971, which does not make sense. And also, the town is described as being an ocean town, and in the book it is not. Stuff like that. But I really liked the style of writing, as it reminded me a lot of Edgar Allen Poe. Very Gothic.

"Graveyard Shift": Ok, I love love love this story. It creeps me right out of my skin! The story is simple enough. It is basically about a bunch of mill workers who have to clean out the basement of the mill, and get attacked by huge nasty rodents. Need I say more. My skin is crawling just thinking about it. The story does have a deeper quality at times when it comes to the conflict between the main character and his asshole boss, and how the rats play into that situation. This is a perfect example of one of those SK short stories that does exactly what it is supposed to do, and ends just when it should end. There is a movie version, with the same name, that I have not seen yet, and I will let you know what I think about it after I watch it.

"Night Surf": This one is a "SK Connection" to be. It is a very short short story about a bunch of survivors of a flu virus that has decimated the world, on the beach, really just surviving. Really just a precursor to The Stand with little variation. Not much happens worth mentioning. One of those stories that ends just as it begins. Eh...take it or leave it.

"I Am the Doorway": Another awesomely creepy story. This one is about an astronaut who has been up to Venus, and has come back infested with an alien intelligence that manifests itself in the form of eyeballs on his hand. Pretty soon the alien starts to make him murder people, and things just get worse from there. This is another story that gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I was just thinking that SK really does not dabble to much into space. I'm thinking about all the books of his that I know, and I really don't think that he has gone that far into what is considered "sci-fi". Even this story, while about an astronaut, is not really sci-fi at all. It might be interesting to see what kind of sci-fi story he would write, though.

"The Mangler": Another fun story, but one that ends way too early. It is the story of a possessed industrial folding press machine at a laundry facility that has a taste for blood. I know that even just saying that sounds really hokey, and it kind of is, but not so much while you're reading it as it is after you have finished. You kind of put the book down afterwards and say to yourself, "Really? A laundry folding machine that eats people?", but SK makes it work. But like I said, I feel like the story ends to soon. It's just at the point when the machine breaks loose and is coming down the street, and then bam...story over. But that's just me. Now, I have seen the movie, and will watch it again, but if it is anything like I remember then the movie goes to shit after the first 5 minutes. I will keep an open mind though.

Anyway, that's all for now. Stay tuned...

Rage: Getting It On "Bachman Style"

Well, from what I have read, around the time of 1977, SK decided to publish under a pseudonym, Richard Bachman, for a couple of different reasons. One, his publishers thought he would be over-publishing if he released too many novels at once, and also didn't want him to release anything but horror novels. And two, he wanted to really see if he could be successful under another name. So SK pulled out of the trunk a short novel that he has began during his senior year of high school, Getting It On. He finished it up and published it as Rage.

Let me just say, this book completely knocked my socks off.

The story is simple enough, it is about a troubled high school student, who comes into school with a gun, and holds a classroom hostage in order to "teach" them harsh lessons about themselves. The book is only 170 pages, and it packs a wallop on each page. As I was reading, I was remembering back to when I was in sixth grade when I wanted to read this for a book report. I now know why my teacher was so vehemently against me reading it. I started doing some research about this book, and was amazed at what I found. Apparently, SK has allowed this book, and any version of The Bachman Books that contains this novel, to go out of print. It is now a rarely found novel that can seemingly only be found in some libraries (or in some personal collections, so it seems). How lucky am I too have purchased in sixth grade, and not have lost it since then? But in 2007 SK has been said when referencing Rage, "Now out of print, and a good thing". So, I dug a little deeper, and I found that there has been several school shootings (mostly in Kentucky, go figure) where a student has killed some teachers, and held a classroom hostage. In 3 out of the 4 cases I read, they later found a copy of Rage among the student's things. While I am one who does not in any way think that the TV, movies, books, etc. are responsible for people doing the crazy things that they do, I can see where SK might feel like if he had not written this book, then these shootings might never have happened. That's the way guilt works. I strongly believe that if someone is capable of something horrible, then they are going to do it regardless of the inspiration.

In spite of these happenings, and maybe because of them, Rage has intrigued and also inspired me. While reading the short book, I was taken with the idea of adapting it as a play. Technically, it would be easy enough. There is really only one major scene, and most of the story is centered around the interaction between the students. I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Considering the way that SK feels about the story I doubt he would allow it to be adapted, but who knows. I think that inside the "school shooting" plot, there is a wonderful story about a group of teenagers who "discover" themselves, that can't be overlooked.

I'll keep you updated if anything comes of that. Anyway, moving on to SK first short story anthology, Night Shift.

Stay tuned...

The Shining: Wrapping It Up

Ok, I have now finished both movie versions of The Shining, and have some comments to make on both, but first I just wanted to make a few comments about my current state of mind. Hopefully what comes out here today will not be incoherent or random, but I am on some pretty strong pain medication right now, so who knows. This past weekend I got quite a scare, and not just from the works of SK. I started to get a pretty annoying pain in my abdomen on Saturday, that escalated to a stabbing constant pain by Sunday night. I thought it best to go to the ER just to make sure that one of my organs had not exploded. After a CAT scan, they saw quite clearly that it was something called diverticulitis, which quite simply is an inflammation of the colon due to "junk" getting caught in there. Anyway, what it boils down to is 3-4 days of bed rest, heavy antibiotics, and all the pain meds I want. Needless to say, any trip to the ER can be scary, and this was no exception. I was glad to find out that it was easily fixable, but lying in the hospital for 6 or seven hours waiting for tests to come back really gives you time to contemplate your worst fears, and confront your own mortality. It seems a bit melodramatic thinking about it after the fact, but most of us know that during is a whole different story. At any rate, all is well, and life ticks on.

But not for some of the people at The Overlook hotel...

My mother has told me that the first movie I ever went to see in the theatre was The Shining. This is sort of a half truth, as I was just a newborn baby, and my Mom really was the one watching the movie, while I slept most of the time in a baby chair. But in some fun way, I like to think of it as my first real exposure to the work of SK, and possibly the beginning of something great. Realistically, I hope I was a quiet baby, because I just hate those people who bring their screaming kids into movies that they shouldn't be brought into in the first place. So, I'll give my mother the benefit of the doubt, and say that she knew that I'd be wrapped in attention, and on my best behavior (snicker snicker). Ramon and I always joke about the movies that came out in "our year", meaning our respective years of birth. "Well, it came out on MY year, so it must be a good movie." is usually the phrase that is used. Well, this one is no exception. I think that most of us know how creepy, and stylistically genius this movie is. It is on the AFI's top ten for scariest movies, and I will agree. It still can scare the shit out of me, even though I know exactly what is going to happen at every turn. Now, I know that true SK fans have some major problems with this movie adaptation, and I can understand that. This movie is really more the child of Stanley Kubrick, and less of SK. The bare storyline is still present, but most of the nuances of the book have been either changed or eliminated entirely. Most of the characterization has been dramatically altered as well. At the time that this movie came out, SK was quite vocal about his dislike for what Kubrick did to his story. SK actually wrote a screenplay for Kubrick to use, but Kubrick decided not to take it because he did not think that SK was really that great of a screenplay writer (and with little exception, I kind of agree with him). SK's greatness is in his ability to create a world, weave a story, and bring it to life in his writing. Dialogue...well, sometimes his people sound a bit retarded. It works so much better in the confines of a book, but hearing some of his dialogue out loud can be kind of laughable, and not in a good way. Which leads me into talking about the 1997 TV miniseries version...

In 1997 SK wrote the teleplay for "his version" of The Shining. I remember watching it when it came out, and really liked seeing some of the things that I had always wanted to see from the book (i.e. the topiary, the wasps nest, the boiler room explosion, the Presidential "Sweet"...etc.). It also was nice to see some of the characterization followed more closely to the book. Most notably is Rebecca De Mornay's performance as Wendy. It was nice to see Wendy as I pictured her: a self reliant, but sometimes emotionally abusive woman who loves her family. No offense to Shelley Duvall, but her shitty acting (while providing moments of fun for us to laugh at) will always go down in history as one of the worst performances ever, and as an actor myself, that's not really the legacy I would want to leave behind. But I digress, all this being said about this remake, the dialogue is absolutely horrible. If I have to hear Steven Weber scream, "Take your medicine, you damn PUP!" one more time, I might kill myself. I mean seriously, who talks like that? On paper you can forgive it, but to hear it over and over again in a movie, it makes you seriously cringe.

Anyway, my head is starting to swim from the meds, so I need to lie down. I actually am almost done with reading Rage (the first of the Bachman books), and boy do I have some things to say. So, chances are, you will be hearing from me sooner than later.

More to come...

The Shining: Boozers, Users, and Two Time Losers

First of all, sorry if the title of my last post was misleading. I originally titled it, "The Shining: Isolation and Abuse", but then I got so far into the subject of isolation, that I completely disregarded the second key theme that I wanted to discuss: Abuse. As I read more of the book, it becomes increasingly clear that the subject of abuse is definitely not one to disregard, as it is another element that encircles the three characters in this book, just as oppressively as the snow.

There are so many different ways that someone can fall into abusive patterns, and most of them are present in The Shining. The most obvious form of abuse is Jack Torrence's alcoholism. I was very lucky not to really be exposed to alcoholism in my family, but have had many friends who have had parents/relatives who have. When Jack begins to get possessed by The Overlook Hotel, it is quite similar to how he gets when he is drinking. All of his drinking habits begin to surface. His addiction to the hotel takes the place of his substance addiction. Since there is no alcohol at the hotel, the demons of The Overlook intoxicate him instead. From what I have read, I understand that SK was struggling with his own substance abuse issues through most of the 70s and 80s, and carried the theme of addiction into much of his work.

The second type of abuse that is present in this story is physical abuse. There is a pattern of abuse that has passed down through the Torrence family. Jack's father would beat his wife (Jack's mother) with a cane, and the whole family seemed to cover it up. When Jack starts to become "drunk" with the hotel, he starts to scream the same things at his wife and child that his father used to scream ("Time to take your medicine!" "Come here, you whelp!"). I definitely think that there are some abusive patterns that can pass down through the generations. I find it interesting that SK shows how those patterns, just like ghosts, sometimes are only just below the surface.

Lastly, the third and sometimes the most devastating type of abuse is emotional. It seems that both Jack and Wendy have a tendency to emotionally abuse each other. Wendy is always holding her husband's failures over his head, even without knowing what she is doing. She is jealous of her son's bond with Jack. She knows that it is wrong to feel this, but can't control it. Many times in the book she finds herself almost wishing that Jack would do something that would allow her to leave him. Again, this seems to be a pattern in her family, passed down from her domineering mother. Jack ends up resenting this, and ends up hurting her right back, typically catching Danny right in the middle. It doesn't help Danny any that he can read emotions with his "shine". The poor kid doesn't know which way to turn, and always seems to be wrapped in the fear that his parents with get a divorce.

Ah, the poor dysfunctional characters of SK. More to come...

The Shining: Isolation

Ok, here I am, writing my first (and long overdue) posting for The Shining. Like I've said previously, this was one of the first SK books that I have ever read. I liked it so much back when I was a kid, and am enjoying it just as much right now. It has never failed to scare the hell out of me.

What I would like to talk about today, is one of the dominant themes in the book: Isolation. This can be quite scary all on its own, and this theme does carry the story forward even without the supernatural aspects. Honestly, most of the story in the first half unfolds without much supernatural happening at all.

About isolation...the isolation of this story is both literal and emotional. The three characters in the story are all quite alone, even though they are physically together as a family. Danny is isolated because of his gift. He can see things that no one else can relate to or understand. He has been forced to move away from the few friends he had, because of his father's mistakes. The only "person" that he has much interaction with is Tony, his "imaginary friend" who has the tendency to just scare the shit out of him most of the time. Even when Danny's mother, Wendy, tries to relate to him, she doesn't seem able to connect to him in a real way. She loves him, as a mother should, but stops just short of being to really bond with him.

Wendy's isolation comes from her fear. She spends most of the time trying to love her family, but is always wrapped in fear about what is going to happen to them. Her husband, Jack, has been abusive to their son, has lost his job for beating a student, and is trying not to be a fall down drunk. Yet when thinking about leaving him, the thing that stops her is her fear of having to live with her mother. She also is afraid for (and of) her son, with his blackouts, and his seizures, and his odd ability to "know" things. And what keeps her isolated from both is also a strange jealousy that she has for her son's unflinching adoration of Jack, even with all his faults.

And lastly, Jack's isolation comes from his own failures. Jack is an alcoholic who has come quite close to ruining his life with his problem. He has a horribly bad temper, even when not drunk. His alcoholism really is not the root of his problems. His mental state is really the underlying problem, and his alcoholism only adds to that. And even when he tries to be a better man, he's got his wife there just waiting for him to screw up. So by the time they get to the Overlook Hotel, they are isolated state is only added to.

I have had many moments in my life where I have felt quite isolated. Sometimes even with plenty of people around me, I have felt completely alone. I think that we all go through moments like that. Luckily, I have a great set of friends, and a wonderful partner who all help me to not feel so isolated, but we all have our moments, right? As for physical isolation, it is one of my greatest fears. I have always been a "city boy". I don't like being too far off the beaten path, because I feel so cut off from the world when I do. Whenever I visit places that are in the middle of nowhere, I start thinking things like, "Who is their right mind lives out here?" Or I start hearing the dueling banjo theme in my head. But the ironic part is that sometimes when I am going about my regular life, I start to crave that isolation. While reading this book, I start to think about how nice it would be to be up in The Rockies with nothing but time on my hands, and the beautiful mountain air. But I know that if I was there, I would go insane.

Don't I just love being my own biggest contradiction.

Anyway, stay tuned. More to come shortly...

The Shining: Coming Soon

Sorry for the delay in posting this week. I am helping out with a musical that my fabulous friends wrote, and it is opening night tonight. Unfortunately, that means that I have not had much reading time this week. I have read the first quarter of the book though, and I do have plenty to say, but it probably won't be until this weekend (at least) before I can collect my thoughts well enough to display them here.

Stay tuned....

'Salem's Lot: Birth of the SK Miniseries

Let me just start by saying that I don't really like TV movies much at all. I don't like the way that they tend to have that "watered down" feeling, or that they can only seem to cast really bad, has been actors. Of course there are exceptions to this, but in my opinion, that is a rarity.

That being said, for some reason, I love TV miniseries. Especially the SK miniseries. Now don't get me wrong, some of them are bad...I mean BAD. But still, for some reason, I can always seem to appreciate them. I will also say (and this goes for regular TV movies as well) that TV miniseries are no longer made like they used to. Back in the 70's and 80's you could find miniseries that were just as good (if not better) than some theatrical releases. If you don't believe me, watch "V" or "Roots".

In 1979, Tobe Hooper directed the first (and possible the most acclaimed) of the many miniseries incarnations of SK stories/novels: Salem's Lot. I remember watching this movie as a kid, and it scared the ever living shit out of me. I had nightmares for many years because of this miniseries. I just now watched it for the first time in over 10 years, and it still has some quite disturbing moments. I think that anyone who has seen it will agree that they will always be creeped out by the vampire children scratching at the window, or the main vampire, Barlow, with his overgrown fangs, and nasty face. There are also some really great performances. Most notably is James Mason as Straker, who is eerie and menacing to the end. Granted, many true fans of the SK novel will be quite disappointed with some of the ways that the story is twisted. I myself, was kind of hoping for a more faithful interpretation. My biggest disappointment was that Barlow did not seem like he was the mastermind to anything. He seemed like he was an animal that was being controlled by Straker. That in no way is what SK had in mind when he created the character. But that being said, it still maintains the overall feel of the book.

Just today, I watched the 2004 'Salem's Lot miniseries starring Rob Lowe. In this version, I saw that a lot of things were kept more faithful to the book. I love Donald Sutherland as Straker, and Rutger Hauer as Barlow. They both did a great job in embodying their roles. My biggest problem with this version is that it has lost that creepy "haunted" feeling that the book and original movie portray so well. It seemed a little too modernized to be haunting. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it is the only way I can describe it. I wish that there was a combination of the two movies, one movie that keeps faithful to the book, and also maintains the creep factor. Oh, well.

Anyway, moving on to the next book, which is also about a very haunted place...

That In Between Place

So, now I am done with 'Salem's Lot, but don't really have anything more to say about it. It was fabulous, and I loved it, but I think I've said all that I need to. This weekend, I should have time to watch both movies, and then I will make one last post on the subject. At the same time, I have not started reading The Shining yet, simply for the reason that I don't own it, and I should be borrowing it from my friend tonight. So.....I am in "that in between place". But I guess that's appropriate, since most of SK's work lies in "that in between place" as well.

It's funny, I know I'm only just starting on the 3rd book, but already I'm going into withdrawal, not having a book to sink into this week. Instead, I've been passing the time by catching up on another one of SK's favorite things, the Saw movie series. I was just reading somewhere about how much he loves these movies, and I am right there with him. I have loved them ever since they started coming out six years ago, and still love them just as much. This weekend, I will be all refreshed on Parts 1-5, and will be ready to go see Part 6 in the theater.

Lastly, I just found out that SK is going to be in town on Nov. 13th for a book signing of his newest novel, Under the Dome. I was so ready to go meet him, but alas, I will be on stage performing that night.

Sorry, Mr. King, I will have to catch you the next time around.

'Salem's Lot: What Lies Beneath

Hello. First of all, I just wanted to share this picture with you. It's of me dressed as a vampire at a costume party I went to this past weekend. It was an amazingly good time, and I was happy that I could bring some of 'Salem's Lot into the real world for one night.

Anyway, I was reading the book yesterday, and enjoying it very much, but was having a little blockage trying to come up with something to talk about here. I realize that this novel has a lot less emotional resonance with me than Carrie did, and it is more "surface value" entertainment. But then I read this one part that immediately hit me. It was a chapter when SK is describing all of the horrible things that go on behind the closed doors of the townspeople, and how people don't see (or choose not to see) too far below the surface of the "people next door". Knowing what I do about a great many SK stories, this is also a very common theme of his. And whenever he starts to write about these things, I always get so fascinated by them in a very voyeuristic way.

I find that at my job I sometimes get to learn a little too much about the customer's I serve. I work at a bank, and let me tell you, when you work with people's finances you get a chance to see a little too far into their private lives. Sometimes it can be fascinating, but most of the time it can be a bit creepy. I see people who are compulsively gambling or buying porn online, to the point of financial ruin. I can tell who drinks too much. I see who is visiting the local sex clubs on a regular basis. I see husbands or wives hiding money from their spouses. Honestly, it all kind of gives you that "not so clean" feeling. But it really does make you stop to wonder what is going on behind the doors of the most normal looking people. Granted, I'm sure we all have things that might be looked upon as "deviant behavior" if someone was watching in through the window (I won't deny it for a minute, but then again, I have no shame.)

At any rate, just some food for thought. Hopefully, I can find the time to finish the book this week, and then watch both miniseries.

'Salem's Lot: Devilish Delights

One of the things that I like the most about 'Salem's Lot is that the story mixes a "vampire story" with a "haunted house story". I love haunted houses, because of how they can really make your imagination run wild. Growing up in New England, we had haunted houses coming out of our ears. We had the famous ones like the "Amityville Horror" house, but more commonly we had a lot of old Victorian houses that were either run down, or just had some scary old people living in them. These were the houses that us kids never really went near, except at Halloween, when all houses were fair game for "trick or treating". And nothing beats the adrenaline rush you get when you think that some scary old monster is going to jump out at you while you are approaching one of those haunted houses. Knowing what I know about several SK books, my guess is that he knew at least one house like this as a child as well.

As for vampires, I have always loved the vampire mythology. It is one of those things that can take on so many varying forms, and always stay exciting and mysterious. From an early age, I was always into anything vampire related. From Dracula to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it all kept me well entertained. As a child, I used to run around my backyard, forcing my brother and sister to play vampire hunter games with me. Ok, admittedly that is quite cheesy, but who hasn't done something like that as a kid? But as I got older, I started to get more entranced by the sensual side of the vampire folklore. I mean, come on, how hot is it to watch Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt (from Interview with a Vampire, and Bill Compton (from "True Blood") seducing their prey? (and for my straight guys, I don't mean to alienate you, the vampire chicks are just as sexy, I will admit). It's kind of creepy, but if a vampire showed up at my door, I might be in trouble because who knows if I would turn them away. Also, the whole lure of eternal life, youth, and beauty doesn't really help in the resistance department. Granted, the vamps in 'Salem's Lot are not really the sexiest, but you get the idea.

Can you guess what I'm being for Halloween this year?

Anyway, that's all for now.

'Salem's Lot: Home Is Where The "Haunt" Is

I think that it is so completely appropriate that I have come to 'Salem's Lot right around the month of October, when the air has chilled, and Halloween is right around the corner. I have read this book only once before, many years ago when I was a teenager. I don't remember all that much, but I do remember that I really enjoyed it.

As I have now read through the first 80 pages or so, I see that SK has developed what is to be his more common book format (Chapters, within chapters, within 3-4 "Parts"(or "Books"), within the novel). Also, unlike Carrie, the action of the story really does not get going for a good way into the book. SK spends a lot of time setting the scene, and developing characters, which I appreciate completely. I do like this format a lot, and I feel that he develops his stories well with this layout.

Now about my first personal 'Salem's Lot reflection...the first part of this book is mostly about how the main character, Ben Mears, comes back to the town of Jerusalem's Lot ('salem's Lot for the "Ho's at home") after being away for 25 years. The feeling of the story, in my opinion, is much like a ghost story. And it is quite fitting, because visiting a place that you knew as a child is quite haunting. I grew up in Connecticut, and lived there until I was 21 years old, when I picked up and moved to Atlanta, GA (8 years ago, for those of you keeping score). I have been back several times to visit family, attend funerals, and other such things that pull you home. Each and every time I go back, I get a haunted sort of feeling. There are always ghosts of places I used to play as a child, or of hangouts that I spent nights as a teenager. Whenever I'm there, there is always a part of me that never wants to leave, but simultaneously can't get away quick enough. It's an odd sort of feeling, that I don't know how to express except by saying that it is a "haunting" of sorts. Even now, thinking about it, I get lost in thought. I remember more and more things, and people, and places that will forever be trapped in some mental bubble. When I was younger, I swore that once I got out of CT, I would never NEVER move back there. But as I get older, it calls to me in a strange way. I don't know if I ever will move back there, but I certainly will always be haunted.

Well, I'll leave you with that thought for the day...

Carrie: The Films and Conclusion

Today I spent a few hours watching both the 1976 theatrical and 2002 TV movie versions of Carrie. I only really have a few comments to make on both version:

As for the original movie, I have always loved this film adaptation. Even though I may be slammed for saying this, I am a big fan of Brian De Palma's films. I recognize that he spends most of his time ripping off other directors (primarily Hitchcock), but I can honestly say that in all his "hackishness" he has developed his own easily recognizable style (i.e never ending tracking shots, extreme deep focus shots, and the always fun split screen images). In his adaptation of Carrie, there are a lot of scenes and images that will always be remembered, and have already made their way into film history. The performances of Piper Laurie and Sissy Spacek were deliciously disturbing, and well deserving of the Oscar nominations that they both received. I also feel that Amy Irving gave a heartfelt performance as Sue Snell. My biggest criticism of the film is that the destruction that Carrie White causes stays too small. She burns down the prom, and then just goes home to take care of her mother. No one else in the town is effected. Even in the final scene, Mrs. Snell is on the phone while Sue is sleeping, and she says to someone, "We're all a bit shaken up..." In the novel, no one could claim that they were only "a bit shaken". But that's a quite minor complaint. I have always loved the movie, and still think that it leaves a lasting impression.

When it comes to the 2002 TV movie, there are things that I enjoy, and some things that I could do without. First of all, I understand that that the confines of a TV movie are much more restrictive than a theatrical release. There is obviously not as much that you can get away with due to censorship. That being said, this version still does an excellent job keeping the feel of the story alive. I also appreciate how this movie attempts to keep a bit truer to the novel, including scenes such as the rocks falling on the White's house, and the destruction that Carrie causes in the town of Chamberlain. The prom scene is equally well executed, and disturbing. The biggest downfall in my opinion is the ending of the movie. (SPOILER ALERT) Carrie lives?!? Really? I think it diminishes the power of the story by having Carrie survive, only to run away from town (with the help of Sue Snell) to live another day. I did find out that this TV movie was going to be the pilot for a TV series (which never got made), and that is why she gets to live. I guess that makes it a little more palatable, but not by much.

Well, that's all for Carrie. Moving right along to 'Salem's Lot...

Carrie: "Innocent schoolgirl or vengeful demon..."

"Innocent schoolgirl or vengeful demon...Carrie will make you shudder." This quote was taken off the back cover of my copy of Carrie (which I just finished). It makes me wonder.

How much of what Carrie did to the town of Chamberlain, ME was she personally responsible for? If you wanted to argue the "innocent schoolgirl" theory, Carrie was a teenage girl just going through puberty, and suffering a traumatic school and home life. A typical child in those circumstances would undoubtedly lash out at those around her. We see that in various forms and degrees of severity every day. Carrie just happened to posses certain powers that other typical children do not. How often do we see child abusers, murderers and rapist's lives examined, and the moment it is uncovered that they were abused as children, or picked on in school we all say, "Ah...that explains it." Does it really? It is easy to look at a person's misfortunes and turn them into a reason...but is that really an excuse? Don't we all have free will that stops us from doing such horrific things in the heat of anger? So..."innocent schoolgirl"? I can't agree to that. In my previous post, I said that when I was picked on in school, that I would have done exactly what Carrie did had I the power. I don't know if I can amend that now honestly, and that thought alone gives me pause. I would like to think that I would have had the power to stop myself, before I committed murder, but rage, in a tormented teenager can be a dangerous and destructive thing. And just how "innocent" is anybody really?

As for the possibility of Carrie as a "vengeful demon"...this is a thought that I had never really considered until just today when I was exchanging comments on my last post with Jerry. I referred to Carrie as "becoming a god" when she rained down death and destruction upon the town. In the book, she even starts to think of herself as "...the Angel with the Sword. The Fiery Sword." Maybe that's not too far off the mark. Perhaps, a god trapped in human form, is more like it. As Carrie's power grows, she starts to effect people. She doesn't just move things with her mind, she gets into people's heads. This makes me think that maybe she is not an entity of her own. She is a part of everything and everyone around her, like nature. This is indeed what some would consider "God". Once she gets going, she brings the whole town down to its knees. Why the whole town? Why not just those who harmed her? I think that it is because it was not just the kids or her mother who drove Carrie to this point of breakage, and it's not just Carrie White who is being avenged. As the book constantly reminds us, there are plenty more "Carrie Whites" out there. She is a literary representative for all of the angry, abused, tormented, and troubled children in the world. She brings the whole town down, because it IS everyone's fault. And so all of society must be punished. I think that is why Chamberlain does not get rebuilt in the end. The damage is beyond repair, and the survivors are forever scarred. No one will forget Carrie White. And there is no feeling of closure in the end of the story, because the story is not really ever over.

So "innocent schoolgirl or vengeful demon"? Take your pick...but I think that like most things in life, it falls somewhere in the grey area between the two.

I will check in again after a viewing of both movie versions...and then on to 'Salem's Lot.

Carrie: Crazy Religious Folk

First of all, if I haven't said it before, let me just say it again...This book rocks. Every single time I read it, it gives me the same goosebumps, and the same sick feeling in my stomach as it steamrolls towards its climax. I forced myself to stop reading just a few minutes ago, right before the moment when the pig's blood comes showering down. From that point in the book, I always like to read straight on until the end without stopping, because of the momentum of the suspense. And unfortunately, I won't have time to do that until tomorrow.

But for the moment, I would like to reflect on something else.

I have never been the kind of person to put much stock in organized religion. Mostly, because they always kind of scared me (don't get me wrong, I have some beliefs, but they don't really fall into any particular religion). It's the whole "mob mentality" of it all. When it comes to growing up with religion, my mother is Jewish and my father is Presbyterian. When they divorced they decided that they were going to expose us kids to both religions, but not force either one on us. After awhile I just kind of shied away from both, because I didn't really relate with either one. As I continued to grow up, I came into contact with people of all kinds of different beliefs and religions. Some were beautiful...and some not so much. Unfortunately, the people who seemed to use their religion for uplifting, good purposes were the minority. And the majority of the people who were the most vocal about their religious beliefs, also seem to be the ones who treat people the worst, have the most prejudice, or use their beliefs as excuses to hate.

I think that this is why the character of Margaret White (Carrie's mother) is such a terrifying and unforgettable one. She may seem way over the top, and unreal after a first glance, but if you really think about it, chances are that you can probably name at least one person you have enountered that's not far off.

Now, let me stop to say that I do not feel that all religious people are like this, by any means. I know plenty of devout people who are wonderful and accepting human beings, who would not hurt a fly. I only wish there were more people like that who crossed my path.

Well, anyway, that's my two cents for now. I'll write again when I finish the book, hopefully tomorrow. (And then we can watch the two movie versions...yay!)

Carrie: Childhood Hell

Well, I suppose it's fitting that Carrie is the first book I get to read and discuss, because it not only is the SK book that I have read the most amount of times, but it is also the one that brutally reminds me of my own school experiences. Growing up, I was always the kid who was so desperate to fit in with others, but never could. I only ever had girls for friends, because the boys all thought I was too much of a "sissy", and I was never into things like sports. I remember one time in the 3rd grade, when my teacher, Mrs. Nigri, called my mother in for a conference to discuss my "social development" (or lack thereof). My mother was quite defensive when my teacher suggested that I start to try to participate in sports activities to "toughen me up". My mother told Mrs. Nigri that I was doing just fine, and would not be forced into participating in activities that I was not interested in. I don't really know the exact conversation that transpired, but in the end I think it pretty much amounted to my mother telling my teacher to "piss off". If it was one thing you could always count on my mother for, it was for defending her children. And I did appreciate how she stood up to Mrs. Nigri, even at that time.

But none the less, I still got picked on incessantly. Through elementary school, I remember getting "pantsed" while playing on the jungle gym. Everyone either referred to me as a "girly girl", or as I got older, a "fag". It reached its pinnacle in the dreaded "Middle School Years". I dreaded even going to school at all during the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Some of the worst times were just spent on the bus going to and from school. There was this one guy, whose name totally escapes me now, who would sit in the seat behind me, and continously "gleek" into my hair (for those who don't know, "gleeking" is when you shoot spit through your teeth in quick spraying spurts). I would just sit there ignoring it, with my face buried in a book (I think I was reading It during most of that time). One time, in the 8th grade, someone even went so far as to put a sewing needle into the handle of my locker, so that it stabbed me when I went to open the door.

Kids can be real motherfuckers, can't they.

I was quite lucky, though. Two things happened during the later part of the 8th grade, that helped me find my self confidence. Some of my girl friends convinced me to come to an audition for a local youth production of "Godspell". I had done some choir, but never any acting before. I auditioned, and somehow got cast in the lead role. All of a sudden, I was the popular one. I had friends, and people started to see me as their social equal. I even had some high school guys come backstage after the show, to make sure that I would be audtioning for the high school shows next year. It was a feeling that I had never had before. The second thing that happened to boost my confidence was the realization that I was gay. While for a lot of kids, this could have been a harsh realization, for me it was empowering. I realized that I did "belong", just not with the crowd that I had always wanted to belong to.

I started my freshman year of high school as a new person. Not many people picked on me anymore. The ones that did, I just laughed off. Somehow I escaped being the class scapegoat. But never have I forgotton those early childhood days. Never have I forgotton the feeling of "being" Carrie White. There is a passage from Carrie that always almost makes me cry. It's on page 8 and 9 during the "Plug it up!" scene, when SK is describing all the things that the kids have done to her over the years again and again and again. "Gut wrenching" is really the term for how it makes me feel when I remember those days.

Would I have brought down bloody murderous destruction on the kids who teased and taunted me if I had had Carrie's powers? Like Carrie, I don't really think I would have had much choice in the matter.

It bears repeating, kids can be real motherfuckers.

Well, here we go...

Thank you for coming to check out my blog. I still don't quite know what I plan to accomplish here, or if I plan to accomplish anything at all. Either way, I plan to take the ultimate journey through the intricate world of Stephen King, book by book, story by story, and I hope you will join me as I go. Before I begin, I just wanted to say a little bit about myself, and my connection to the works of Stephen King (from here on referred to as "SK"). I think it will be important, since most of what I plan to write in here is about how each of SK's works impacts me personally.

SK has always had a hold on me in one way or another, as early as 8 or 9 years old. I grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut. My parents divorced when I was very young. I had two siblings at the time, Maggie and John. The custody arrangement was that we stayed with my father every other weekend, and had dinner with him on Wednesday nights. At that time, I did not have the best relationship with my father (our relationship has improved significantly since then).Most weekends that I would have to stay with him, he would let me go to the library all day long, and just read and wander. Being so young, the library was a big, mysterious, and wonderful place. I would get lost just wandering through the aisles, looking for anything of interest. The children's section never really appealed to me. It was too safe, too boring. It reminded me of my school library. I spent most of my time wandering through the adult sections. My favorites were always the sections about movies, and the horror novels.

That, of course, is where I discovered SK.

I was a very advanced reader for my age, but still not quite advanced enough to be able to tackle a SK novel. But I was mesmerized by the cover art of his hardcover novels. I would pull them all off of the shelves, and sit on the carpeted floor of the library with all of them in front of me. Most vividly, I remember the cover of It, with the picture of the paper boat headed towards the sewer drain, with the monster's hand coming out of it. I remember the cover of Carrie, with her face peeking around the corner so you could only see half of it. The list goes on. I would read the cover jacket flap, and get so intrigued into what kind of stories were housed in these books. But I never could have borrowed these books without my parents throwing a fit. After all, I was only like 9 years old at the time, and they were still watching what I was reading. So I just visited the books at the library on weekends.

It wasn't until I was in the sixth grade (around 11 or 12 years old) when my parents didn't really care what I was reading anymore. I had purchased of a copy of The Bachman Books from the bookstore, and was determined to read the whole thing for a book report for school. Well my teacher shot that idea right down, when I told her what I planned on reading. She said that it was far above my head, and she would not allow it. Damn, I was pissed off. In hindsight, she may have been right, but the way she went about shooting me down got me so steamed, and it just made me even more determined to prove her wrong. I didn't really get a chance though, because we moved out of town, and I started a new middle school that year. And in that new school library, I was delighted to find that they had paperback copies of a number of SK books. So, I ended up shelving The Bachman Books for the moment, and picked up Pet Sematary, and it became the first complete SK book that I had ever read. Needless to say, it was amazing. In quick succession after that, I read It and The Shining.

I was recently reading The Tommyknockers (one of my favorites) and one thing that I couldn't help thinking was that SK has this crazy power of being able to completely hypnotize his readers, much like the ship does to the people of Haven in the book. As I made my way through the book, I also was thinking about how he has created a whole alternate universe that weaves and links into itself repeatedly. I have read most of his books and stories, but not all of them, and definitely not in order. So that is when I came up with the idea for "The Ultimate Stephen King Experience". I will start at the beginning, and read every one of his books and stories in chronological order to get the full scope of the SK universe. Then I plan on keeping an online blog into my progress, and I plan to not only blog about things in the actual writing that interest me, but also how it effects me personally, and what impact it seems to have on my life. Not the most original thing in the world, I'm sure. And I'm positive that plenty of people have done it before...but oh well. This is not meant for me to be the most original or most clever blogger in the world. It's just for me to hopefully discover a piece of myself, through the eyes of my favorite author.

Well, that's quite enough of an introduction for this thing to get rolling. If you have your own desire for an Ultimate SK Experience, please feel free to read and blog with me. I would love to see other's insight into the SK Universe.

Without further ado....Carrie is calling.