Introduction To A King

"Books are a uniquely portable magic" - Stephen King

Stephen King: A Journey into Literary Terror

Stephen King's enduring influence on the horror genre is evident even today, November 17, 2019. I recently watched the second film adaptation of his novel Pet Sematary which was released in theaters earlier this year. 

Originally published in the early 1980s, Pet Sematary remains a chilling exploration of grief, loss, and the primal fear of death. The story follows the Creed family, who discover a mysterious burial ground near their home, capable of bringing the dead back to life. However, as they soon discover, this power comes with a terrifying price.

The enduring popularity of "Pet Sematary" and King's works in general is a testament to his ability to craft stories that tap into our deepest fears and anxieties. King's mastery of suspense, his vivid descriptions, and his ability to create relatable characters make his stories both terrifying and thought-provoking.

A Discovery of Literary Treasures

• Unveiling a Trove of Stephen King Novels

I wasn't a kid that did much reading. Reading wasn't something that I actively pursued. Mom worked a lot and we had a TV, and with unlimited TV time, it became my preferred source of narrative entertainment. I knew of the name Stephen King and that he wrote scary stories so if I saw his name on a movie, I knew I was in for a treat. 

It was 1987 in an attic in Arlington, Virginia that I discovered Stephen King for myself. Like most folks, my Aunt used her attic as a storage space. She was up there shifting boxes around, and I took the opportunity to search through a few boxes to see what I could discover. 

I opened a dusty brown box and revealed what seemed to be thousands of National Geographic magazines! I was stunned to see the uniform covers with bold yellow borders framing bright dramatic images. My mind raced with excitement over what other treasures could be found in the other boxes, though I doubted I would find anything quite as cool.

Carefully moving about with my head bowed and back curved due to the low ceiling, I swiped at a few webs, and pulled the flaps of a dusty brown box unveiling what seemed to be thousands of Stephen King books! 

Huge hardcovers and tiny paperbacks. Hinting at their age and storage, the books were worn and dusty wearing brown faded imprints on the edges of their pages. Firestarter, IT, Carrie, Different Seasons. They were all there! I came down from the attic with three books in hand...Cujo, The Bachman Books, and Skeleton Crew.

From Attic Discovery to Literary Terror: A Journey into Stephen King's World

• Cujo: A Tale of Canine Terror

I had seen parts of Cujo on cable television, so I was familiar with the story. But to hold the book in my hand was something special. The cover art with the closeup of Cujo's fangs was the stuff nightmares are made of. 

Foaming at the mouth, Cujo looked ready to kill on the cover! "Chopper sick balls" is all I thought of, not knowing that the story Stand By Me was adapted from was featured in Different Seasons. 

Eager to delve into the depths of King's writing, I opened the book, the scent of old paper filling my nostrils. The words on the page, initially just black ink against white, began to transform into a vivid tapestry of horror. King's masterful use of language brought the characters and their surroundings to life, immersing me in the oppressive atmosphere of the story.

I think about first seeing the Cujo book alongside the Firestarter book. Both books seemed to be the same size and I had seen parts of each movie. I love the Firestarter book, but the cover didn't invoke the thoughts of horror and gore that Cujo did.

• Skulls and Suspense: Uncovering the Tales of The Bachman Books

The Bachman Books presented itself as a paperback, its cover adorned with a striking burnt orange hue that immediately caught my attention. Emblazoned across the cover were skulls arranged along a roadway, the title displayed in striking embossed white lettering. Its compact yet thick structure held a certain allure, an aesthetic that I found undeniably cool and intriguing.

Among the stories housed within this gripping collection, one that stood out was "The Running Man." This tale later found its way onto the big screen, and it was through the movie adaptation that I first encountered it. As a wrestling enthusiast, seeing Jessie "The Body" Ventura play a villain in the movie added an extra layer of excitement. So captivated was I by the storyline that I even ventured into storyboarding a video game concept that could accompany the movie's narrative.

Beyond "The Running Man," the collection harbored other gripping stories, including "Rage," "The Long Walk," and "Roadwork." Each narrative ventured into different realms of suspense, dystopia, and human psychology, offering a diverse range of tales that lingered in the mind long after the book was closed. These stories explored themes of societal pressure, survival, and the human condition, showcasing Stephen King's versatility and knack for storytelling across genres.

• The Raft: A Story that Gripped a Young Reader

Then there was the book with the iconic cover. Skeleton Crew features an odd-looking monkey holding a pair of symbols on the cover and is packed full of stories. 

The Mist is probably the most popular from this collection. The great thing about this book is that it included short tales that a non-seasoned reader like myself felt confident enough to tackle. 

The Raft, a story of four teenagers on a lake surrounded by a deadly floating substance, was my first complete Stephen King read. 

The story had elements of the slasher films I was a fan of watching at the time. Teenagers, a lake, and a killer. I was proud to have read my first Stephen King story and excited to see how the story would look on screen.

A Turning Point in My Relationship with Storytelling

My discovery of Stephen King's works in my aunt's attic marked a turning point in my relationship with storytelling. From that day forward, I embraced the power of books, recognizing their ability to transport readers to different worlds and evoke a range of emotions.

Stephen King, through his masterful storytelling, became my gateway to a world of literary terror, a world that continues to captivate me with its blend of suspense, horror, and the human condition.

Additional Stephen King books I've picked up over the years

Stephen King's enduring legacy lies in his ability to create stories that resonate with readers and viewers on a primal level. His tales of terror explore the darkest corners of the human psyche, challenging our perceptions of reality and leaving us questioning the boundaries between the living and the dead. As long as there is a human fascination with the macabre, Stephen King's name will continue to be synonymous with horror.

Favorite Halloween Movie

   "Maybe nobody knows how to stop him."- Dr. Loomis

For every horror fan, 1988 was a spectacular year. I've always remembered it for being a personally difficult year but talking about these films reminds me of the great times I had going to the movies that year. The top horror franchises for me were Friday The 13th, A Nightmare On Elm Street and Halloween. In that order. 1988 was the first year I was allowed to see horror movies in the theater. The fun started in the spring with the return of Jason Vorhees in Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood. In the late summer, Freddy Krueger was back haunting dreams in A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master. Along with the changing leaf colors fall brought with it Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers.
   

As the story goes I watched the first three Halloween movies on video from the floor at the foot of my Aunt's bed. Halloween 3 Season Of The Witch was the creepiest of them all. It was also the one I was most familiar with. I first watched parts of Season Of The Witch on a special weekend when it aired as the Friday night movie on local television. You never knew what you were gonna get on Friday night t.v. Jaws, The Shining or Splash. Every Friday was different. I can tell you the feature film was on at 8, local news at 11 and Friday night videos at 11:30. Uptown Girl and Thriller. Everything about Season Of The Witch from the poster to the story made it the perfect 80s Halloween film. On the night my Aunt and I did our Halloween rentals I remember her warning me that parts 1 and 2 were nothing like part 3. She was right. In my mind, parts 1 and 2 were like Friday The 13th. A crazy guy stalking about with a big knife and spooky mask killing as many teenagers as they can. Even though the Halloween series began before the Friday series Friday The 13th was so popular it was the bar I held all slasher films against. Jason was my dude. There wasn't much excitement for Michael.
   

The weekend Halloween 4 The Return Of Michael Myers released in October 1988 I sat with my cousin in the Marlow Heights Cinema at Iverson Mall eager to see a return that I didn't find necessary. Just going out to watch a popular horror movie was always exciting to me. I wanted bragging rights when I went back to school on Monday. That night I got so much more. This movie was great. All of the characters were new to the series except for Dr. Loomis. Michael's sister Laurie Strode is no longer with us, but her daughter Jamie is now the target of Michael. Jamie being so young with very little means of protecting herself gave the scenes maximum tension. Why is he now hellbent on terrorizing such innocence. Thankfully the movie never answers that question but simply floats some ideas. I was thoroughly entertained and tucked deep into my seat through the whole flick.
   

The ending of the movie brings everything full circle. To this day the best ending of any Halloween movie. That was a soap opera status cliffhanger. Two things I needed to do after that finish. Go rent Halloween parts 1 and 2 again, and dream about how fantastic Halloween part 5 was going to be...Oops.
   

Halloween 4 The Return Of Michael Myers really prompted me to revisit the previous movies and appreciate how haunting and creepy this character is. The guy spends the first two films preying on his sister. Years after she has passed from a car accident, he awakes from a coma and hunts his niece. Before I watched this movie Michael was simply slasher guy that was not as "cool" as Jason. I was finally able to separate Jason Vorhees from Michael Myers through this story and for that reason, Halloween 4 The Return Of Michael Myers is my favorite Halloween movie.

Favorite Nightmare On Elm Street Movie

  "Welcome To Wonderland Alice" - Freddy Krueger
   

The Nightmare on Elm Street is a top three horror franchise. An imaginative premise with a creepy but very popular villain Freddy Krueger kept me looking forward to seeing what they would come up with from film to film.  I consider the series to include seven films only, the original Nightmare on Elm Street on to Freddy’s Dead plus Freddy vs Jason. Really the first six are the series with Freddy vs Jason acting as a bonus dvd. It’s hard to turn down those bonus dvds even if you only enjoy 8 minutes of material from it. Over time Freddy vs. Jason has grown on me. That's for a later post.

My favorite Nightmare is not the best entry for the series.  What makes it great is that it is so easy and enjoyable to watch. Anytime it’s on cable I can watch it to the end. I had very little regard for this film when I first saw it. My biggest issue being that it was not scary. After years of repeated viewings on vhs, I recognize A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master as a certified classic!

1988 was not an easy year for me. 12 years old with a 5-year-old brother copycatting me, going to the movies was my escape. I mean he wanted to do everything I wanted to do. If I went out to the park, he'd tag along and now I was watching him. If I wanted to play with my WWF figures, he wanted to play with my WWF figures. Sheesh..If I could relive that time spent I would. It was to be cherished. But at that time I would take a pass. I'd ask mom for money for a movie every time she got a paycheck. She'd oblige if she could and drop me off. It got me out of her hair for a little over an hour and gave me time to myself.

Summer of '88 there were some fun flix released. Tom Hanks in Big, Chevy Chase in Funny Farm, Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and everybody's favorite Christmas movie Die Hard were released that summer. Most of the movies I didn't see until later when they were available for rent on video.
   

Near the end of summer, Freddy was back and mom had just gotten paid. Mother may I..? Yes, you may. She dropped me off for a Saturday matinee screening of this film in Oxon Hill, Md. Lucky for me the theater was down the road from the apartment complex we lived in. I sat alone waiting to be shocked. 90 minutes later...NOTHING. There was too much daylight in this film. The parts I was looking forward to seeing from the commercials, like the glove moving through the sand like Jaws after Kristen weren't surprising anymore. Add that to the fact that the follow through characters from The Dream Warriors, Kincaid, Joey and Kristen were axed in the first 10 minutes, the stage was set for major disappointment. And so I was disappointed.
   

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4 The Dream Master is the only movie in the series that doesn't have long portions that drag as the plot moves forward. As much as I love The Dream Warriors, the scenes with Neil and Sister Mary Helena really slow the film down.
   

The Dream Master expands beautifully on the idea of dream powers started in The Dream Warriors. The characters are the last group of semi-likable characters introduced in the series. Alice is an Elm Street legend. None of the films that followed; Dream Child, Freddy's Dead nor Freddy vs. Jason introduced a new character that fans of the series could get behind and believe in. Debbie's death scene is as fun and troubling as Phillip's death scene a year and a half prior, but not quite as gruesome. Not as dark as the previous entries or those that followed, The Dream Master is a bright spot in the series and my favorite Nightmare on Elm Street movie.

Favorite Friday The 13th Movie

"There's a legend 'round here...a killer buried but not dead." - the narrator

The horror franchise that had a stranglehold on my attention growing up was Friday the 13th. Jason Vorhees was a frickin hero in film lore. So I'd like to talk about my favorite Friday film. For all the Friday lovers, most of you will experience what is known as the jaw drop. Normally this particular Friday film is lucky to be on a top 5 Friday list let alone being someone's number 1. For me, it was a special entry to the series. Here's why Friday the 13th Part VII The New Blood is my favorite Friday the 13th movie.

Friday the 13th Part VII was the first Friday film that I was able to see at the movie theater. Up to that point, I watched the first six films in the series at the foot of my aunt's bed. She lived in Arlington, Va and there was a local video store called Erol's that she was a club member of. She'd let me choose any movie I'd like. More often than not most of my time was spent in the horror section. Back at her house, we'd toss a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and prepare the room for frights with the dimming of the lights. Chop slash chop. It was all good until those damn sex scenes came on the screen. I'd gleefully watch people get axed, women being thrown out of windows, limbs being torn off, blood squirting out of eyes, but when those breasts were exposed I'd slink into the floor with embarrassment pretending to have fallen asleep. I think I liked it.

   

It was 1988 and a new Friday the 13th film hadn't been released in a couple of years. I wasn't crazy about the 6th installment Jason Lives but was anxiously awaiting Jason's return. In the late spring of 1988, The New Blood was released. My cousin and I were escorted to a 10:00 pm showing at the Marlow Heights Cinema on the Friday night opening. At 12 years old I was NOT disappointed. The movie had enough thrills to keep my attention. Jason was bulkier in this movie and he tossed people around like an absolute beast. Ain't that right Melissa.
   

I attended a Christian elementary school at the time. Returning to classes that Monday I was the only kid in my classes whose parent would allow their child to venture out to see this movie shoulder to shoulder with the teenagers late on a Friday night. I commanded quite an audience during recess as I talked about my favorite scene. I re-enacted it over and over. Judy zipped herself in the sleeping bag. Jason dragged her from the tent visibly frustrated by her constant wiggling as Judy struggled in the bag he swings for the fences smashing her against a tree. That was awesome! I was told to stop talking about the movie by a teacher, but that didn't stop me. I had a strong whisper game.
  

The scene where the twisted, lying Dr. Crews comes face to face with Jason is executed perfectly. Dr. Crews is proven to be a jackass. He even has the face you love to hate. Moments before this scene he cowardly shields himself from Jason's machete with Tina's mother. His time is now.
With the camera focused on an exhausted, panicked Crews the music slowly starts and is accompanied by the sound of a buzz saw revving up. Jason steps from behind a tree with that saw on full blast! Crews runs! Jason slowly stalks.
   

This movie rocked. There is plenty of information now available about how the movie suffered from extreme editing forced by the MPAA to avoid an X rating. 

Also much like Halloween 5 The Revenge of Michael Myers, it was filmed and released at a breakneck speed. I believe approximately 5 months from casting to box office opening. I would have loved to have all this behind-the-scenes info at my fingertips 30 years ago.

#1 Scene: The sleeping bag kill mentioned above is quite possibly the most fun, vicious kill in the entire series.

    

If you are a fan of this franchise check out my Gift Guide For Friday the 13th Fans. You might find the perfect gift for yourself!