Editorials
There’s Only One King
For over 40 years, author Stephen King has been tapping into our greatest fears. With the new ‘Pet Sematary’ on the way, we look back at his career and why his writing is so timeless.
“Pet Sematary”—in its misspelled form—was scribbled by neighborhood children behind Stephen King’s house, providing the inspiration for the title of his 1983 book. It was then adapted into a movie by Mary Lambert in 1989. Thirty years later, the cult classic has been reimagined by filmmakers Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer to terrify a whole new generation of moviegoers.
Pet Sematary is about a family who moves into a new town and discovers a series of strange occurrences at a nearby ancient burial site where dead pets are laid to rest in the hopes that they will come back to life. After a tragic accident, the parents turn to the cemetery’s magic powers to revive one of their children, which results in a whole new nightmare. It’s not only a highly anticipated 2019 release but also another testament to the timeless resonance of King’s stories.
“HAVING KING’S WORK TRANSLATE FROM PAGE TO SCREEN HAS FURTHER EMBEDDED HIS NAME IN THE POP CULTURE CONSCIOUSNESS.”
Multi award-winning author Stephen King has penned so many iconic tales over the course of his career—with 58 novels and approximately 200 short stories on his resume—that it’s impossible to choose just one as his defining work. His first novel Carrie (1974), about a telekinetic teen girl with an abusive mother, led to director Brian De Palma’s powerful on-screen adaptation. The 1976 film boosted the reputation of King, who previously was just another struggling, unknown writer. In a 1979 New York Times interview, he said, “The [Carrie] movie made the book and the book made me.” But then there’s also The Shining, It, Misery, Cujo, Salem’s Lot, and, of course, the aforementioned Pet Sematary in his bibliography. Many of which are notable for being both bestselling books and box office gold. It’s no small feat for a man from such humble beginnings.
Born in 1947 in Portland, Maine, King studied English at the University of Maine. It was on campus that he would meet his wife Tabitha—a prolific author in her own right. The couple built a life for themselves in nearby Orrington, which would later play a big role in King writing Pet Sematary’. He and his lived right next to a major truck route where many pets became roadkill. Local kids made a habit of burying their cats and dogs in a makeshift cemetery nearby. As fate would have it, King’s family cat wound up killed by a semi and he was forced to have a conversation about death with his young daughter. That dialogue and experience would become the foundation for what would become Pet Sematary.
Over the course of his 40-plus year career, King has penned several novels that have become the groundwork for classic film adaptations, from auteurs like Stanley Kubrick and Brian De Palma. Having his work translate from page to screen has further embedded King’s name in the horror and pop culture consciousness. That impact has been even more evident in recent years as both It— originally a two-night television miniseries in 1990—and Carrie have been remade as big budget films. The new Pet Sematary is shaping up to be an even more horrifying adaptation.
Pet Sematary, which originally hit theatres in 1989, is next in line. Starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, and John Lithgow, 2019 version follows the twisted journey of Dr. Louis Creed (Clarke), a flawed hero whose trauma leads him to ultimately foolish but understandable motivations. It’s not hard to sympathize with Dr. Creed’s decision to resurrect his daughter after she was struck by a truck, especially if you’re a parent or know the harrowing emptiness of living on when someone you love is gone. That’s what makes Pet Sematary such a poignant story about grief.
“EVEN AMIDST SUPERNATURAL HAPPENINGS, KING’S STORIES GET AT THE HEART OF PEOPLE’S VERY REAL ANXIETIES.”
Diehard King fans will be quick to note that in the novel and original film it was actually Dr. Creed’s toddler son Gage who was killed and reanimated, but the new film reveals a slightly different vision. Rather than focusing the horror on someone so young, the project utilizes the range of slightly older actor to breathe new life into King’s book. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said, “Gage is so young, you can’t really do that much with him. So this way, we’re able to really get underneath our affected child. We’re able to get into the psychological horror of a child [coming back] because of [the daughter’s] age.” Given how positive early reviews have been, it seems critics are on board with the change as well.
Even amidst supernatural happenings, from undead creatures to vampires, King’s stories get at the heart of very real, private anxieties that happen to ordinary people. Perhaps that’s why they’re so terrifying: the notion that it could happen to you. And because King’s books center on universal and timeless themes, they are ripe for adaptations. While the terrifying story remains the same in the upcoming Pet Sematary, the subtle plot shifts should be expected because as the film’s tagline says: “They don’t come back the same.”
Pet Sematary is in theatres April 5th.
Despite ancient humans having already overcome several potential doomsday scenarios in real life, post-apocalyptic fiction used to be relatively rare until the invention of the atomic bomb convinced us that the end of the world could be just around the proverbial corner.
Since then, we’ve seen many different stories about the collapse of civilization and the strange societies that might emerge from the rubble, but I’d argue that one of the most interesting of these apocalyptic visions is the post-nuclear America of the iconic Fallout games. A witty satire of American jingoism and cold war shenanigans, it’s honestly baffling that it so long for us to finally see a live-action adaptation of this memorable setting.
Thankfully, Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s Fallout TV show isn’t just a great adaptation – it’s also an incredibly fun standalone story that makes the most of its post-apocalyptic worldbuilding. And since fans are going to have to wait a while to see the much-anticipated second season, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six post-apocalyptic thrillers to watch if you’re still craving more Fallout!
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own apocalyptic favorites if you think we missed a particularly fun one. And while it’s not on the list, I’d also like to give a shout-out to The Hughes Brothers’ underrated post-apocalyptic action flick The Book of Eli – which I recently covered in its own article.
With that out of the way, onto the list…
6. The Divide (2011)
Xavier Gens may be best known for his memorable contribution to the New French Extremity movement – with the eerily prescient Frontière(s) – but the filmmaker is also responsible for a handful of underrated thrillers that flew under the radar despite being legitimately solid films. One of the most interesting of these flicks is 2011’s The Divide, a single-location exercise in claustrophobic tension.
Telling the story of a group of New Yorkers who find themselves trapped in a bomb shelter after a surprise nuclear attack, this dark thriller is more interested in the ensuing social chaos than effects-heavy physical destruction. And while critics at the time were horrified by the bleak story and cynical characters, I think this mean streak is precisely what makes The Divide worth watching.
5. The Day After (1983)
One of the highest-rated TV films of all time, ABC’s The Day After is one of the scariest movies ever made despite being more of a speculative docu-drama than an actual genre flick. Following an ensemble of families, doctors and scientists as they deal with the horrific aftermath of all-out nuclear war, this radioactive cautionary tale was vital in convincing real-world politicians to review their policies about nuclear deterrence.
In fact, the film is even credited with scaring President Ronald Reagan into changing his mind about expanding the United States’ nuclear arsenal, with this new stance eventually leading to a treaty with the Soviet Union. With a story this powerful, I think it’s safe to say that The Day After is a must watch for Fallout fans interested in the more down-to-earth elements of the apocalypse.
4. The Postman (1997)
If I had a nickel for each unfairly maligned post-apocalyptic epic starring Kevin Costner that was released in the 90s, I’d have two nickels – which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. And while Waterworld has since seen a resurgence in popularity with fans defending it as a bizarrely expensive B-movie, I haven’t seen a lot of discussion surrounding 1997’s more serious vision of a fallen America, The Postman.
Following Costner (who also directed the flick) as a post-apocalyptic nomad who begins to rebuild America by pretending to be a member of the newly reformed postal service, this David Brin adaptation is consistently fascinating – especially if you view the story as a cynical fairy-tale, which was Costner’s original intention.
And while the flick suffers from some goofy dialogue and a bloated runtime, it makes up for this by having directly inspired Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.
3. Turbo Kid (2015)
Turbo Kid may have been billed as an indie Mad Max with bicycles instead of cars, but François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell’s comedic throwback to the post-apocalyptic future of 1997 is much more than meets the eye. From quirky characters to madly creative designs, the flick rises above nostalgia bait by being a legitimately fun time even if you don’t get the copious amounts of ’80s and ’90s references.
And despite the horror-inspired ultraviolence that colors the frequent action scenes as we follow a young comic-book fan deluding himself into thinking that he’s a superhero, it’s the childlike sense of wonder that really makes this a treat for cinephiles. It’s just a shame that we’re still waiting on the sequel that was announced back in 2016…
2. Six-String Samurai (1998)
A lo-fi homage to spaghetti westerns and classic samurai films – not to mention the golden age of rock ‘n roll – Six-String Samurai is a must-watch for those who appreciate weird cinema. While I’ve already written about the madly creative vibes that make this such an entertaining flick, I think it’s worth repeating just in case some of you have yet to give this musical fever dream a try.
And appropriately enough for this list, the film was also a source of inspiration for the 3D Fallout games – especially Obsidian’s fan favorite New Vegas. The game even includes a New Vegas Samurai achievement (unlocked by killing enemies with a katana) with a vault-boy illustration modeled after the film’s rendition of Buddy Holly.
1. A Boy and His Dog (1975)
The grisly post-apocalyptic comedy that inspired the original Fallout games, L.Q. Jones’ adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s novella is just as shocking today as it was back in ’75. Telling the story of a teenage scavenger who travels the wastelands of 2024 America alongside his telepathic canine companion, A Boy and His Dog feels like a Heavy Metal comic brought to life.
While the film’s rampant misogyny and brutal violence make it tough to revisit under modern sensibilities, it’s still a landmark in post-apocalyptic cinema and one hell of a memorable ride. Not only that, but the flick also inspired the creation of Fallout’s most beloved NPC, the ever-loyal Dogmeat.
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