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The One Stephen King Adaption You Will Never See

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There is no doubt about it, we are living in the time of Stephen King.  Several of his works have been adapted already with several more on the way.  Within the past year we have witnessed several of his stories come to the big screen as well the small.  Netflix alone has two films coming out within the next two months; Gerald’s Game and 1922.  It’s hard to guess which piece of work will be turned into a film next.  However, there is one literary work that King penned that will never find the light of day.  That work is titled Rage.

Rage is one of King’s earliest works, and the first work to be released under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.  The delicate nature of the book has since caused King to cancel its publication in 1999 and has not been mentioned since.  So, what is this book?  What is it about?  Why was its publication cancelled and what made King state in 2007 that the book was “Now out of print, and a good thing”?  Read on as we dive into the literary work known as Rage.

Image result for stephen king's rage

As many readers know, King went by a pseudonym early in his career, Richard Bachman.  King released several books under the name including The Regulators, The Running Man, and Thinner.  However, it was Rage (originally titled Getting it On) that would go on to be the least talked about Bachman book because of its content and premise.  King released Rage in 1977, and then again as part of his collection The Bachman Books in 1985. It was this later release that would give the story a much wider audience.

The story centers around a Maine high school student that goes by the name of Charlie Decker.  Charlie is what we would call a troubled child.  In the beginning of the story we witness Charlie being called into the principal’s office to discuss an altercation he had with his chemistry teacher.  The altercation ended with Charlie suspended and the teacher hospitalized.  Charlie still has a chip on his shoulder and verbally assaults his principal which results in his own suspension.  After Charlie storms out of the office he stops by his locker, grabs a pistol, then decides to light his locker ablaze.  The fire triggers the fire alarm but not before he arrives back in class and shoots his algebra teacher.  The rest of the school evacuates but Charlie commands his classmates to stay behind.

It isn’t until Charlie is left with his classmates when the real meat of the story begins.  The class becomes a sort of psychotherapy room with everyone in the class sharing their deepest and darkest stories.  Through these stories, and Charlies’ as well, we are treated to the darkness that is Charlie.  Charlie, in a sick twisted way, seems to have the class on his side.  Enough so that he convinces the class to tear apart their classmate Ted, leaving the student in a catatonic state.  (Ted was no angel)

Charlie eventually lets his classmates go free at 1 p.m. but poor Ted can’t leave due to the beat down he received from his classmates.  The police storm the room and the unarmed Charlie makes a move to make the police shoot him dead.  The police do shoot Charlie, but he survives.  He is then ordered through court to exist in a psychiatric hospital  until he is fit enough to stand trial for his crimes.

That is the meat and potatoes of this story.  However, the effects of the story went on.  The novella was viewed as inspiration in at least five mass shootings between 1988 and 1997.  The book was cited as either being a favorite or even being in the possession of students that shot up their school.  The book today would seem a bit tame by today’s standards but was enough for King to allow the book to fall out of print.  King has since gone on to write an essay titled Guns after the horrific incident at Sandy Hook and detailed why he let Rage go out of print.

Sometimes there are stories that mirror life so closely, not in the intention of the author, that are better off being allowed to sift through the cracks.  This King story is an excellent example.  It is is in my opinion, however, that this story is still worth being read.  Copies of the Bachman books are available on Amazon and Ebay.  This is the one King adaption you will never see become a film.  King has been very passionate about his dislike of guns and would prefer this story just go away.

 

Kings Guns essay: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://engl102-field.wikispaces.umb.edu/file/view/Guns%2B-%2BKing,%2BStephen%2Bcopy.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwjWuPPLuNzWAhUm4YMKHcnQATgQ5OUBCG4wCw&usg=AOvVaw1TjVXCzc__RBAvJC7pYLi2

 

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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