10,000 Magazines, #9994 People Magazine, October 7, 2013
I picked up a copy of People Magazine today to read a story about Rick Warren's ministry since the loss of his son. It's a touching interview. As I thumbed through the magazine, I spotted a familiar face and book -- King and Doctor Sleep. The magazine devoted an entire page to highlight the sequel to The Shining.
Under "People Pick," Josh Emmons gives the book four and a half out of five stars. He says, "Doctor Sleep isn't as unsettling as its predecessor -- it's too rambling and jokey to jolt you. But it's richly imagined and gripping enough to make you glad King carried on the legacy."
Shawn Lealos is hard at work making the Dollar Baby film. But it won't happen without some serious support. This is a documentary I am pretty excited about. It seems a lot of attention is given to the Hollywood films we've all seen, but what about the work that hasn't really been examined yet? Lealos is ready to tell some unheard stories.
Shawn made it clear to me that it's an "all or nothing" deal. He can't operate on a partial budget, but has to raise all the money to make the film happen.
Lealos explains:
The documentary will follow three specific dollar baby filmmakers who have used Stephen King's dollar baby filmmaker deal to achieve success.
We will fly out to Los Angeles and spend a week there with a focus on covering Hollywood director Peter Sullivan (Night Surf) as he actually works on his current project. While there, we will also do individual interviews with the filmmakers in Los Angeles including Jeff Schiro, Jim Gonis, James Cox, Mikhail Tank and more.
We will go to Ohio to interview author James Renner and feature him as well. Renner held the first ever dollar baby film festival in America and helped get a number of those filmmakers together. If not for James Renner, I probably wouldn't have met all the dollar baby filmmakers I did. He now works as a novelist.
We will go to Louisville to interview Warren Ray, a dollar baby filmmaker who adapted The Man Who Loves Flowers and is presently acting in another director's dollar baby film, The Death Room.
These three men's stories will be showcased with interviews from many other dollar baby filmmakers creating the inspiring stories that resulted thanks to Stephen King's generosity.
Lealos lists interviews he hopes to complete:
Jeff Schiro, The Boogeyman
James Cox, Grey Matter
James Renner, All That You Love Will be Carried Away
Jay Holben, Paranoid
Jim Gonis, The Lawnmower Man
Peter Sullivan, Night Surf
Rodney Altman, Umney’s Last Case
Warren Ray, Maxwell Edision (based on The Man Who Loved Flowers)
Mikhail Tank, Willa, My Pretty Pony (with a third on the way)
Complaining last night that my teenager swiped my ipod -- AGAIN -- so I can't listen to Doctor Sleep. Of course, I can go get the ipod, but I choose sulking over parenting at that moment. Judge me at your own peril.
My wife said, "You could just listen to it on Kindle."
I patiently explained that: 1. Stephen King books usually disable the audio feature on Kindle. 2. The Kindle text-speech feature sounds like a robot. She said, "No, it's called audio immersion." So I don't know how this happened -- if it is because we had already ordred an audible version, or if Kindle just comes with this, but the real audio version began pouring from the Kindle. It was Craig Wasson, reading away with Doctor Sleep! So, in Californian, "Totally awesome, dude. Rock on."
Dreams:
King moves us to the books real starting point by marching a parade of presidents by us. I kinda like it. No need to be date specific, we get the era that each of these guys oversaw. There's the Peanut Farmer president, followed by the Actor president (that can't be trusted, in King's words). The Actor is followed by the Elvis president. Humm, not George Bush. Anyway, the Elvis president (speaking of trust!) is followed by the Cowboy president.
What we discover when the book finally finds a resting place is a broken Dan who uses the same coping mechanisms his father did to limp through life. However, unlike his father, Dan has different reasons to need to cope. For one, his father tried to kill him in the Overlook. That'll mess you up. Worse, his ability to Shine has some pretty bad consequences (think, "I see dead people") and it seems drinking numbs his senses. Dan bops from job to job, always focused on getting to the next place and never seeming to realize what's really going on is he is running from the bad stuff in his past.
The past Dan is running from is not only made by his father, but one he has actively worked at as well. A particular theft haunts him, and an abused child he elected not to help. Dan uses alcohol to do what his lock box won't. "Maybe you can put the things from the Overlook away in lockboxes, but not memories. Never those. They’re the real ghosts."
King once again takes us into the depths of addiction, but with new, deeper, insights than ever before. The feelings of self loathing, struggle and small victories mixed with big defeats are all very real to the reader.
I found this line haunting:
As the moon rose over Wilmington, North Carolina, Dan Torrance lapsed into unconsciousness. There were dreams of the Overlook, but he would not remember them upon waking.
It seems the Overlook has a long reach, even from the grave.
A note on Journals: The journal entries are not reviews. They are simply my notes as I read the book. If you want a review of Doctor Sleep, I recommend the New York Times and Lilja's Library. Since I'm talking as I read, I'm sure there are "spoilers" -- an absolutely ridiculous idea in my opinion. If you don't want to know about a book, don't read about it! But you've been warned and I now feel free to write.
One of the great things about a Stephen King novel is his ability to effectively time warp the reader to time gone by. In 11/22/63 he took us right back to the 1960's. I wasn't even alive in the 60's and I felt like I was going back to a place I knew. Joyland was a trip back to the 1970's.
Often a King book is time warp because I'm reading stuff he wrote years ago. His books have a flavor of the era they were written in. The Stand feels like the 1970's. Even when King updated it, the 70's were still lingering nearby. King has said he is more an author of the present. What he does so effectively in opening chapters of Doctor Sleep is time warp us back to the late 70's and then the early 80's.
I love the passing references to the peanut farmer and the actor -- even if I do disagree with his assessment of the actor. Little references to Three's Company bring back a flood of memories that make me smile. That was such a dumb show! You remember Three's Company, right? It's the one about the big misunderstanding. . . every single episode!
The trip into a movie theater is great, as King puts Raiders of The Lost Ark right onto the screen. It's cool to have a story take place in front of a backdrop that's so personally engaging. King uses things most of us remember to transport us into his scenes.
The story moves almost seamlessly from The Shining to this new novel. Danny is still Danny, Wendy still herself (what little I've seen of her thus far) and Dick is just as charming as ever. I love scenes were Danny and Dick can sit and have a private conversation just in their heads.
After some spooky-doo scenes that are well worth the price of admission, King does something he didn't do much of at all in the original novel; He turns to other characters. In The Shining, almost every scene involved one of the three family members. It was a tight, introspective novel that was great, if not a little slow at points. But with deep character development already completed, King is now able to keep the action flowing and introduce new characters. The story no widens as we learn about new people with special gifts.
The scenes thus far are short, crisp and well written. King's narrative voice is a little more sassy than it was in The Shining; a sign of growing confidence I suspect. Can we trust that actor, Mr. King? Of course we can!
Check out Margret Atwood's review of Doctor Sleep, "SHINE ON, Stephen King’s ‘Shining’ Sequel, ‘Doctor Sleep'" at www.nytimes.com
Atwood gives a fairly thorough walk through of Doctor Sleep's primary themes. Yes, Dan still Shines. He's not alone. In fact, a child named Abra shines even better. That's an amazing thought, if you remember how Danny almost knocked poor Dick right off his feet when he shined. Atwood also tells us that the bad guys in Doctor Sleep re "rackety" group of entertainers clled True Knot. They want to "drink her spiritual mist" or "steam." If you remember the book, the Overlook didn't come out so well in The Shining. Atwood tells us that the True Knotters have made the destroyed hotel their "min encampment."
Atwood energetically says:
Wild ectoplasmic partly decayed vampire horses would not tear from me the story of what happens next, but let me assure you King is a pro: by the end of this book your fingers will be mere stubs of their former selves, and you will be looking askance at the people in the supermarket line, because if they turn around they might have metallic eyes. King’s inventiveness and skill show no signs of slacking: “Doctor Sleep” has all the virtues of his best work.
She goes on to list those virtues. Read the article HERE.
While running recently I read several chapters of Joe Hill's new book, NOS4a2. I liked it a lot!
I listen to audio books when I run at night. In fact, an ipod is just about my favorite bit of exercise equipment. Listening to horror novels as I run through our small, dark town is great! (A coyote and I stared each other down tonight.)
I've put off reading Joe Hill because I'm usually pretty busying reading King fore scares. When I want to read someone other than King, the pool seems too big to just hover near one section. I've been reading Swan Song off and on and also enjoy Bradbury, Richard Laymon and Dean Koontz.
It's hard to just ignore a writer who is getting as much positive attention as Joe Hill. So, I decided Joe could go running with me for a few nights.
I started out with a little speech to myself as I did a warm up walk. "Now self," (this is the best way to address yourself) "try to forget that this is Stephen King's son. Don't expect anything too super-duper. Writing is an art, everyone should get a fair shot and no one wants to be compared to their famous father. Just read it for fun."
So I tried hard to forget that it was Stephen King's son. Try not to think about an elephant. But the story drew me in. From a killer who suddenly jolts awake and knows about the nurses son to a flashback about a girl whose bike seems to do an interesting magic trick -- I was engrossed. Breathing hard (because I was running) I began to wonder exactly how Stephen King had thought of a particular bad guy. As King always does, he took me right inside the guys head. It's a frightening thing to find yourself identifying and understanding the mind of the deranged. And then I realized something really startling -- "HEY SELF!" I hollered in my head, "YOU'RE NOT READING STEPHEN KING!"
The writing really is so similar that it could pass for Stephen King on a good day. We're not talking Thinner good -- we're talking IT good. yeah, having taken a few long runs with Joe Hill, I'm pretty sure he could have written IT. Or, in turn, I'm pretty sure Stephen King could have written NoS4A2.
There is a charming little girl, a bike and even a bit of magic involved. And then there are some scary -- I mean really scary -- folk in this thing! We're talking guys messed up enough to wander through a Thomas Harris book.
No spoilers or heavy review from me -- just a short note on how much I've enjoyed this book.
Check out several great pictures from the premier of Dolores Claiborne at the San Francisco Opera.
Picture caption: Actresses Elizabeth Futral, left, performs in the role of Vera Donovan and Patricia Racette, right, performs as Dolores Claiborne, during the San Francisco Opera's world premiere of "Dolores Claiborne" at the War Memorial Opera House on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Is Doctor Sleep going to rock the house -- or might it somehow drain our love and admiration for the classic Stephen King work, The Shining? I'm not sure sequels can' ruin predecessors, but it can color things for new generations who read the sequel first. Mr. King should be very pleased, as early reviews for Doctor Sleep seem to be quite positive.
Bob Minzesheimer at USA Today headlines his review, "After 36 years, King gives 'Shining' a new luster in sequel."
With Doctor Sleep, Stephen King tells us he chose not to accept the Kubrick movie background but instead stay faithful to his own version of the Torrance family history. Minzesheimer says King called Doctor Sleep "sharper" in its characterization and a little more positive.
Quoting Bev Vincent, The USA Today article notes:
Bev Vincent, author of The Stephen King Illustrated Companion, says it's risky for King to write a sequel to The Shining, "which is one of the books that will be read for generations. Can he recapture the magic?"
Vincent's verdict: "King created a different kind of magic" in Doctor Sleep. It's "Danny's history from the perspective of a much more experienced and skilled writer." Early reviews are good. The New York Times praises it as "a very quick and nimble story." Publishers Weekly calls it "a gripping, taut read."
Check out the article, it also has some short notes on King's current work, Mister Mercedes, which is about a deranged terrorist. (Deranged is their word. I can't think of non-deranged terrorist.) A
WAIT A MINUTE -- Me Thinks King Is Toying With us!
In wrapping things up, Minzesheimer has a few words about Under The Done, noting King will write the first episode of season 2. Then he tells us that King will not say if it will "diverge from the novel." I think King was testing to see if Mr. Minzesheimer had even read the book, as Under The Dome is already so far from the novel it would require Big Jim to wake and realize everything since episode 3 was just a big dream.
Pennywise might have been chased off from Derry Maine, but he's not dead! The evil clown has been making appearances throughout the United Kingdom borough of Northampton.
Shea Bennett of Media Bistro says, "Residents are, as you’d imagine, spooked, and you can understand why – imagine seeing this guy standing outside your window?"
Indeed, the clown has become so popular that a Facebook Page erected on Friday has already picked up more than 25,000 Likes, with the clown using Facebook to update fans, as well as fend off a few slightly sensationalised reports.
As for why he’s doing all of this, that still remains unclear. But, as we can see from the photos, he has balloons. So, I guess the only question that really matters, is…
Now. . . a question -- If you saw Pennywise, would you pause to take a picture? Well, I probably would. But I don't think I'd have the courage to go up and say howdy. Just for fear of hearing him say, "They float!"
And -- another question -- does anyone think the British Pennywise is perhaps a bit more, eh, scary than the American versions? I don't know why, but I find that clown just flat out creepy. And that's not to put down Curry's performance in the mini-series. In fact, it's probably good Curry didn't look that scary, or I would have died watching it.
Ron Howard gives an update on "The Dark Tower" (hint: keep holding your breath)
by Bryant Burnette
Ron Howard appeared on this week's episode of The Empire Film Podcast to promote his new film, Rush (which is getting brilliant reviews and seems destined to figure into the Oscar race next spring).
Ron Howard filming Rush
Among other topics, Howard spoke a bit about the status of The Dark Tower. I put my transcription skills to use, and here you have the results:
Empire: We said at the beginning that you might not have been here had this been a Gran Prix Sunday, but also, equally you might not have been here if The Dark Tower happened for you. What's the latest with that?
Howard: The Dark Tower is something that we're still working on, and we've all sort of taken an agreed vow of silence about the progress, the headway, what we think our timetable is. I don't think I realized how much media interest there was in the title and how much excitement there was. It's a fascinating, powerful possibility, and even Stephen King acknowledges it's a tricky adaptation.
To be honest, from a financing side, it's not a straightforward, four-quadrant, sunny superhero story: it's dark; it's horror. That edge is what appeals to me, and the complexity of those characters is what appeals to all of us. I think Stephen King really respects that Akiva Goldsman and myself...that that's what we love about it, and that's what we want to try and get to the screen. So the answer is, it got delayed in our minds; it's never gone away. We're working on it, and he's very patient with us.
Akiva's just gone off and directed a movie, and I'm continuing to work, but the Dark Tower dreams -- the fever dreams -- are still with us. But we're not going to give it a timetable, because it was always a little bit over-reported in terms of when we thought the start date was, and then it was hugely disappointing when we didn't meet that date, and so forth. I don't think it's a project that really benefits from being scrutinized in that way.
Empire: I'm sure your vow of silence will cover it, but...Stephen King himself appears in The Dark Tower. Have you thought about how you might tackle that?
Howard: Yes! And I will admit that Stephen said, "I don't have to be in this." But that's not to say that he won't be!
The Empire Film Podcast is a weekly show that is well worth a weekly listen. You can find this week's episode here, and if you'd like to listen to the full Ron Howard interview, it begins at about the 46:00 mark and runs for about fifteen minutes. In addition to Rush and The Dark Tower, Howard has some great things to say about his role on the recent season of Arrested Development.
I'm a Ron Howard fan in general, and every time I hear something from him about The Dark Tower, he further convinces me that he's got what it takes to do a great job. As for Rush, it sounds like it's pretty great; I look forward to seeing it in a couple of weeks, and if The Dark Tower had to get delayed, I'm glad the delay seems to have resulted in at least one excellent movie from Howard in the interim.
"SING FOR ME!" The Phantom exhorted poor Christine in Phantom of the Opera. With so much music coming from the work of Mr. King, I can almost hear the musicians crying, "Sing for me, Stevie, Sing!"
Kristin Tillotson at at Star Tribune has an article headlined, "Stephen King's 'The Shining' heads to Minnesota Opera."
Right now it seems to be just the right time, as Stephen King is hot stuff with the popular Under The Dome on CBS and a sequel to The Shining coming out very soon.
Tilloston writes:
With King’s blessing, an opera version of “The Shining,” the 1977 work widely considered one of the top horror novels of all time, will premiere at Ordway Center in May 2016. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell are collaborating on the project. Campbell also wrote the books for the opera’s 2011 premiere of “Silent Night” and its upcoming “The Manchurian Candidate.”
As opera companies around the world seek contemporary works that bring with them added relevance to modern audiences, the commission of such a popular story by one of the world’s bestselling authors is a coup for Minnesota Opera.
Eric Simonson, who will direct, first floated the idea of adapting “The Shining” to artistic director Dale Johnson during a brainstorming session four years ago.
This reminds me of a wonderful exchange between Andy Williamson and myself about The Shining as a Musical. Andy is the author of Brooding (which I am presently reading -- and enjoying very much.)
This is from April 1, 2012 -- but just as fun as ever!
With the Carrie musical about to drop out of sight, again, Andy Williamson, author of Brooding, spent some time wondering what a musical version of The Shining might look like.
Check it out at Williamson's sight, The Wordslinger (that there be a mighty fine web name, Mr. Williamson!
His idea was birthed from a discussion we had at a talkstephenking blog post titled, "Musical Confusion," which you can read HERE.
Williamson offers us some of these gems:
SHINING! – a musical in 3 acts
based on the novel by Stephen King
written and directed by Andy Williamson (HA!)
That's great, Andy. You direct it, and I will be first in line to watch. Williamson assures us he is only kidding. . . or is he? HUH! IS HE? He writes, "given the over the top, operatic themes of this story, this might could actually work." YIKES! I'm intrigued.
He offers some production ideas, such as (my favorites),
O Danny Boy
Come and play with us, Danny. (HOLY SMOKE, BATMAN! I be freaked out by this one.)
You Gotta Watch Her, She Creeps (Boiler Song)
Gimme the Bat, Wendy (The Bash Your Brains In Song)
Of course, Andy has these all in the correct order. I can just hear it! Unfortunately, all these songs run through my head with the tune of "What's the buzz, what's everyone talkin' about?" from Jesus Christ Superstar. Well, except O Danny Boy.
The full article is HERE. There is even a nifty graphic that I am resisting the urge to steal!
Happy Friday the 13th! In honor of the holiday, we're celebrating the 13 creepiest moments from Under The Dome. Check out our list and be prepared to be creeped out!
1. Barbie hides Peter Shumway. 2. The cow gets split in half. 3. Big Jim finds Angie.
4. Joe's seizure contains a hidden message.
5. Junior thwarts Angie's escape attempt.
6. Big Jim kills the reverend.
7. Dodee is shocked and thrown by the Mini-Dome.
8. A coffin reveals a drug lab.
9. Junior's mom's painting predicts the pink stars.
10. The pink stars appear.
11. Big Jim leaves Max's mom to drown.
12. The Dome shows a bleeding Big Jim and leaves them with knives.
13. Exclusive preview of the creepiest moment from the season finale: the gallows. Which moment was the creepiest to you? --The preview looks pretty good to me.
Amazon is also posting editorial reviews. Here's one listed by Daniel Kraus at Bookist:
King, not one given to sequels, throws fans a big, bloody bone with this long-drooled-for follow-up to The Shining (1977). The events of the Overlook Hotel had resounding effects upon Danny Torrance, and decades later he’s a drunk like his father, wondering what his battle with the “ghosties” was even for. Dan still feels the pull of the shining, though, and it lands him in a small New England town where he finds friends, an AA group, and a job at a hospice, where his ability to ease patients into death earns him the moniker Doctor Sleep. Ten years sober, he telepathically meets the “great white whale” of shining—12-year-old Abra—who has drawn the attention of the True Knot, an evil RV caravan of shining-eating quasi-vampires, one part Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show and one part Manson’s dune-buggy attack battalion. Though the book is very poignantly bookended, the battle between Dan/Abra and the True’s “Queen Bitch of Castle Hell” is relegated to a psychic slugfest—not really the stuff of high tension. Regardless, seeing phrases like “REDRUM” and “officious prick” in print again is pretty much worth the asking price. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Even for a King book, this is high profile. The Shining is often considered King’s best novel, so even lapsed fans should come out of the woodwork for this one."
"Stephen King returns to the character and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals."
The novel is 544 pages.
Kindle, $10.99
Hard Cover, $17.55
Audiobook, 17.99
Audible, 30.62 (1 credit)
Cemetery Dance just announced its new Collector's Club. One of the major features is that it's the only place to get Kevin Quigley's new hardcover, A Good Story and Good Words.
About A Good Story and Good Words, Cemetery Dance notes:
This 750 page manuscript dives deep into the works of Stephen King and will be an incredible addition to any collection. There will be a trade edition down the road, but you get the World's First Edition, First Printing and the only Signed Limited Edition that will ever be printed. The manuscript has already been copyedited and is being designed right now, so this will definitely be one of our 2014 titles.
At his site, Quigley explains, "Guys, this is your EXCLUSIVE chance to get my very first solo hardcover, A Good Story and Good Words. Hundreds of hours of research and three years in the writing, Good Story is my first major statement on the work of Stephen King. I really think you're going to like it, and I hope you jump into this awesome club. Thanks!" http://charnelhouse.tripod.com
FROM CEMETERY DANCE:
The Cemetery Dance Collectors Club Is BACK! Members Receive A FREE Signed Limited Edition, A Brand New Exclusive "Short Story" T-Shirt, An Exclusive Signed Limited Edition Chapbook By Richard Chizmar, An Exclusive Halloween Poster By Alan M. Clark, A Stephen King Art Mouse Pad, A Keychain, Exclusive Discounts & Advance Notice on New Books, and Other Perks Not Available to the General Public! PLUS: Members will receive the only Signed Limited Edition of A Good Story and Good Words: The Many Worlds of Stephen King, a groundbreaking new look into the works of Stephen King that would have retailed for $65 if it was available to the general public!
Alfred Hitchock was the the master of suspense. He had the ability to draw you deep into a story, watching every detail with breathless anticipation. When he was at the top of his game, that is! Like any artist, some of his work does not holdup. Stephen King, when he is swinging home runs, also is a master of suspense. I find that stories like Dolores Claiborne and Joyland give me that same level of frantic anticipation that a good Hitchock film does.
I see online a lot essays comparing the two, asking who is the true master of suspense. That's really subjective, and a little childish. Not that this blog is beyond childish! However, they worked in different story telling mediums. If comparing apples to apples -- King movies verses Hitchcock movies, then the answer is hands down Mr. Hitchcock is the master of suspense. King's art is with words, and in that realm, he is -- well -- king.
Watching a Hitchcock is a real treat. In movie like Rear Window, Psycho, Vertigo and The Birds, each scene is like an incredible painting. Hitchcock didn't like filming on locations because so much was out of his control. However, some of the most awesome outdoor scenes brought to film are from Mr. Hitchcock. He would choose every car, and in what order, that would drive by in a scene. Nothing was left to chance!
It is natural to compare the two. Though using different mediums, they often use similar approaches.
Limitation:
I got The Alfred Hitchcock collection on Blu Ray the other night. On the Rear Window DVD, Peter Bogdanovich notes how Hitchcock really liked to limit himself. In Rear Window, Jimmy Stewart has a broken leg and the entire movie is shot looking out his window! Rope also takes place in one apartment. And Lifeboat also is set completely on the boat. Interesting, as there is little scene change, yet the story is so gripping it holds the viewers interest.
Limitation is an art Stephen King has honed and refined.
Some particular limitations:
1. In Cujo most of the action took place trapped in a car.
2. Gerald's Game cent`ered completely on a woman tied to a bed. Small efforts -- like trying to get water -- become monumental feats in which the reader roots for her.
3. Susannah in the Dark Tower is crippled. So is the boy in Silver Bullet.
4. Of course, in Under The Dome the characters are locked together under a giant Dome. I sure would love it if King went back and finished Cannibals, which was an early attempt at Under The Dome. In Cannibals, the people were trapped inside an apartment building. I LOVED the drafts King released.
5. In The Mist the characters are trapped inside a Grocery store.
Cameos.
Not only did Alfred Hitchcock introduce each Hitchcock was known to appear briefly in his own works. It's kind of fun to spot him! I think the most obvious is in The Birds. Hitchcock did this early because he did not want the audience to spend the entire movie looking for him and miss the other elements of his story telling.
It is unusual for an author to do Cameo's in their own work, but Stephen King has made quite a few. Most of the time, it is simply references to his work. Such is the case in The Library Policeman. But in The Dark Tower, King personally appears as himself in The Song of Suzanna.
Ordinary Dangers
In The Birds, Hitchcock took something very ordinary -- birds -- and terrified America. Before the birds, horror movies usually created monstrosities, such as Frankenstein's monster. Or, Hollywood was known to take ordinary animals and make them huge, like gigantisized ants. With the birds, Hitchcock took an ordinary small animal and made it scary. King does this all the time with rats!
Janet Lea, who took that famous shower in Psycho, said that Hitchcock made it so she could never take a shower again! After all, think how vulnerable you are in a shower. (Ask Travis Alexander how dangerous a shower is) King didn't make the shower dangerous, but he did cause an awful lot of people to hate clowns.
Here are some ordinary things King has made scary: 1. Cars. 2. Rats. 3. Dogs. 4. Libraries. 5. A Prom. 6. Clowns. 7. Blow torch. (Misery)
Marriage
Hitchcock's wife Alma was deeply involved in each film he made. From the work of scripting the story to choosing wardrobe and actors, she had a hand in it. When Hitchcock recieved the AFI Life Achievement Award, he thanked one person: Alma.
King has spoken often of the importance of his wife's support and input. He continues to seek her approval -- even if he might deny it a little. I like the story King tells of driving with his wife as she sat in the passenger seat reading part of a book. He asked how it was, and she told him to stop being so needy!
Hitchcock didn't like to spend the evening on the set, but was always home promptly to be with his wife, with whom he often cooked dinner. King has done his fair share of cooking, and has even contributed to a cookbook titled, "Man with a Pan."
GENRE
Though both deal in the art of suspense, Hitchcock and King actually deal in very different genres. King is quick to use the supernatural as a story telling device. It is fair to expect ghosts, vampires, possessed cars and even a few haunted houses in a Stephen King story. In a Hitchcock film there are not ghosts, there are murders and Natzi spies! But the tension is real in both.
I discussed in my short essay, What King Book Would Hitchcock Film, a list of stories I thought would suit the famous director. One person offered the addition of The Ledge to my list, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Some people, my family included, have seen the use of supernatural as a weakness in King's writing. I love it! From Bag of Bones to IT, the creepy stuff is the best when Stephen King is narrating.
Prolific
Hitchock hosted multiple series, as well as making over fifty feature films. In fact, as I read The Art of Alfred Hitchock, I'm surprised by just how many of Hitch's films I haven't seen. There are several I'd like to see. The Lodger is one, and Under Capricorn is another. Hitchcock started in the silent era in 1925.
King, likewise, has amassed quite a body of work, and he shows no signs of slowing.
Did you know that there is one film that Alfred Hitchcock filmed twice? It's The Man Who Knew Too Much. 1934 and then in 1956. Hitchcock said, "Let's say that the first version was the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional." Of course, King hasn't produced the same book twice -- exactly. There was a first attempt at Under The Dome, called Cannibals. But they are essentially different stories. But when you look at The Gunslinger and the revision, I think you see two very different stories. I prefer the revised version. The same can be true of The Stand, which exists in two distinct versions. Again, I like the one that was recut and retold. The storyteller gets better at his craft with each telling.
Though King has never gone back and rewritten a book quite the way Hitchcock returned to The Man Who Knew Too Much, there is a book I wish he would rewrite -- The Tommyknockers. I find parts of the novel difficult to read, yet the story itself quite engaging.
Years ago, my wife and I went out on a rainy night and watched the remake of Psycho. As rain poured outside, and the well known story of murder played out on screen, my wife leaned in and said, "This is really scary!" And it was. But no one could reproduce what Hitchcock had done, even when trying to translate the film scene by scene and frame by frame. Actually, that remake doesn't make any sense to me! Why did they remake it if they were going to use the same script and direction Hitchcock had done? Just to get new actors and do it in color? Hitchcock did Psycho in black and white because by choice.
FAVORITES!
What's your favorite Hitchcock? I find I like Hitchcock's later career -- but not the last of the last! The films of the 60's -- Marnie, Torn Cuartian, Topaz, Frenzy and Family Plot all fail to grab me. My all time favorites are Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo.
Here's a few of my favorites:
Mr. and Mrs Smith, 1940
Shadow of a Doubt, 1943
Lifeboat, 1944
Spellbound, 1945
Strangers on a Train, 1951 (Which has to be paired with Throw Mamma From The Train)
Dial M for Murder, 1954
Rear Window, 1954
The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1955
Vertigo, 1958
North by Northwest, 1959
Psycho, 1960
The Birds, 1963
And favorite episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour is Final Escape.
The September 13 issue of Entertainment Weekly includes an exclusive excerpt of Doctor Sleep on pages 43-47 of the print edition. When you give it a read, let us know what you think.
Hot off the presses -- new editions of Carrie by Stephen King with the movie art just arrived at the publisher's office! (From Facebook Fans Of Stephen King)
From the Press Release In 1980 Stanley Kubrick, who had earlier created landmarks in the genres of black comedy (Dr. Strangelove) and science fiction (2001: A Space Odyssey), released his masterpiece of modern horror, The Shining. Over 30 years later we're still struggling to unearth its hidden meanings. Rodney Ascher's wry and provocative documentary ROOM 237 fuses fact, fiction and speculation through interviews with both fervent fans of the film and scholars, creating a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of Kubrick's controversial classic. It comes to Blu-ray and double-disc DVD from IFC Midnight on September 24, 2013. The bonus-filled discs have SRPs, respectively, of $29.98 and $27.98. Special Features
"The mstrmnd Speaks: Commentary with Kevin McLeod" (McLeod is a key figure in the online examination of Kubrick's film.)
"Secrets of The Shining," an hour-long panel discussion from the first Stanley Film Festival, an event at Colorado's historic Stanley Hotel, which inspired one-time guest Stephen King to write his novel
11 Deleted Scenes
"The Making of the Music" featurette
Mondo Poster Design Discussion with Artist Aled Lewis
Here is a one of a kind Stephen King collectible. . . a Salem's Lot purse.
The website says:
This reinvented quality leather bound Stephen King
classic book has been turned into a fun occasion book purse.
Made just the right size at 7 inches
from top to bottom. 10 inches from side to side.
6 inches for the opening to reach in
and with a generous spine of 2 1/2 inches, roomy enough..
The inside purse lining is sewn together using midnight black
cotton fabric accented with a embellished pocket.
Using the black fabric showcases the front of the book !
A black gem button hooked with a stretchy ribbon
holds your belongings in nice and snug.
Not only did Stephen
King establish himself as a successful commercial author at a young age, but he
also helped to elevate the general public’s appreciation for horror literature
— which was historically thought of as a vehicle for low-brough material. And
while it would be enough for most people to become famous once, King just
wasn’t satisfied.
It’s been suggested
that, during the early stages of King’s career, publishers were apprehensive to
release more than one title from an author in a year, fearing that the public
would not be receptive. They didn’t want writers to over-saturate their own
market. King saw this as an opportunity to increase his artistic output and
confront his fear that his commercial success was attributable to luck more so
than his ability as a writer. And thus, Richard Bachman was “born.”
The first name came from
Donald E. Westlake’s pen name Richard Stark, and the last name came from Randy
Bachman of the classic-rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
King wanted to really stack
the odds against Bachman: the books weren’t marketed very aggressively, and he
even went as far as to have a fake photograph printed on the dust jacket of his
books. King wanted to see if he could replicate his earlier success, and
confirm that he had achieved his professional stature because of the artistic
merits of his work. Unfortunately though, King’s experiment was halted
prematurely, and all because of the sleuth work of a bookstore clerk in
Washington D.C. named Steve Brown.
Brown had been reading
his copy of Thinner, and noticed uncanny similarities between the
“voices” of Bachman and King. Brown paid a visit to the Library of Congress and found the copyright documents for all of Bachman’s books. One
of the earliest copies was made out to Kirby McCauley, who was King’s agent.
This was hardly conclusive though, as McCauley worked for several other
clients. It took a little more digging, but the copyright information retrieved
from the first published Bachman book named King as the copyright holder.
Brown copied all of the
documents, and mailed a letter to King explaining his research, and inquired if
he could write an article about his findings. Brown was insistent that if King
didn’t want the information disclosed, he would keep quiet.
A few weeks later, King
called Steve Brown at the bookstore where he worked, and agreed to do an
exclusive interview with him. Brown interviewed King by telephone over the
course of three evenings, and the article was ultimately published by the
Washington Post. While the Bachman penned Thinner had been performing
reasonably well in the marketplace, it performed 10 times as well once the
secret was out that King had written it.
There was a press
release issued, which stated that Bachman had died. What was the cause?
Reportedly, "cancer of the pseudonym."
King was disheartened to
have had his secret spoiled, especially because he had intended to release the
novel Misery as a Bachman novel. He had believed that novel would
establish Bachman as an enormous success unto “himself.” It was hopefully some
consolation to the writer that Misery was an enormous success, and
inspired the critically acclaimed 1990 film directed by Rob Reiner.
King referenced the
whole double-identity incident in his 1989 book The Dark Half, about a troubled writer’s splintering ego, with the sinister pseudonym
taking over. The book was sardonically dedicated to "the deceased Richard
Bachman." In 1996, King attributed his book The Regulators, which
was the companion novel to Desperation, to Bachman, and in 2007, Bachman
also received writing “credit” for the novel Blaze, which was a revised
manuscript of King’s from decades ago.
About the author:
Brandon Engel is an entertainment blogger for DirectTVcomparison.com whose chief interests include gothic horror literature and
vintage horror films.
Among his favorite writers are H.P. Lovecraft, William
Peter Blatty and, of course, Mr. King.
