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[Book Review] Stephen King’s ‘Joyland’

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Although he generally works with big time publishers, author Stephen King released his newest novel Joyland (June 4) through boutique publisher Hard Case Crime, and reading the book, it’s easy to see why. Far from the epic, time-jumping scope of 11/22/63, Joyland is a “boutique” sort of novel––quaint and nostalgic and unapologetically trite, like a knick-knack on your gramma’s mantle.

It’s the summer of 1973. After 21-year-old Devlin Jones is dumped by his girlfriend, he finds a strange solace in his new employment at Joyland, a North Carolina amusement park. After a strange premonition inspires him to stay on through the autumn, he unravels a cold case carnival murder mystery and bags a foxy single mom. And that’s about it. It’s very basic stuff by King standards, but the prolific author expertly employs carnival lingo and a “gather ‘round the campfire fire” tone to keep the pages cranking. At this stage in his career, it’s almost wicked how effortlessly the veteran can roll out a story.

From the opening pages, the first person voice is unmistakably King’s. Relying on old tropes like precognitive tweeners and repeated mantras (“I wore the fur”), he’s the same old cat he’s always been, but with even more ‘70s references. In fact, Joyland may serve as a more interesting novel to those readers familiar with King’s entire body of work, and can compare it to early stuff, like, say Rage (written when King was in his early 20s and now out of print). There’s a vast difference between the manic, angry fervor of King writing as a 21-year-old and the doe-eyed nostalgia he exudes as an old man reflecting on being 21. In more ways than one, King is an author who has come full circle.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Skulls

Movies

‘The Exorcism’ Trailer – Russell Crowe Gets Possessed in Meta Horror Movie from Producer Kevin Williamson

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Russell Crowe (The Pope’s Exorcist) is starring in a brand new meta possession horror movie titled The Exorcism, and Vertical has unleashed the official trailer this afternoon.

Vertical has picked up the North American rights to The Exorcism, which they’ll be bringing to theaters on June 7. Shudder is also on board to bring the film home later this year.

Joshua John Miller, who wrote 2015’s The Final Girls and also starred in films including Near Dark and And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird, directed The Exorcism.

Joshua John Miller also wrote the script with M.A. Fortin (The Final Girls). This one is personal for Miller, as his late father was the star of the best possession movie ever made.

Miller said in a statement this week, “The origins of the film stem from my childhood spent watching my father, Jason Miller, playing the doomed Father Karras flinging himself out a window at the climax of The Exorcist. If that wasn’t haunting enough on its own, my dad never shied away from telling me stories of just how “cursed” the movie was: the mysterious fires that plagued the production, the strange deaths, the lifelong injuries— the list went on and on. The lore of any “cursed film” has captivated me ever since.”

“With The Exorcism, we wanted to update the possession movie formula (“Heroic man rescues woman from forces she’s too weak and simple to battle herself!”) for a world where no one group owns goodness and decency over another,” he adds. “We were gifted with an extraordinary cast and creative team to tell a story about how we’re all vulnerable to darkness, to perpetuating it, if we fail to face our demons. The devil may retaliate, but what other choice do we have?”

The film had previously been announced under the title The Georgetown Project.

The Exorcism follows Anthony Miller (Crowe), a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play.”

Sam Worthington (Avatar: The Way of Water), Chloe Bailey (Praise This), Adam Goldberg (The Equalizer) and David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) also star.

Of particular note, Kevin Williamson (Scream, Sick) produced The Exorcism.

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