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Now is the Time to Revisit ‘The Long Walk’, an Underrated Stephen King Classic

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There are few books as pulverizing and cringe-inducing as The Long Walk, yet it’s often overlooked in the large, sprawling body of work by Stephen King.

This is a crime.

The story is simple; during an event called The Long Walk, 100 teenage boys must walk until only one is left. No stopping – not until 99 of them have died from exhaustion or worse. Not for weather; not for sleep; not for total darkness. You walk, or you lose.

And what then? You get your ticket. But a ticket for what?

The last boy walking gets whatever he desires as his prize. He just has to outlast all of the others first. We focus our attention on a 16-year old Ray Garroty. And that’s the last that I’ll say about the plot.

King’s genius knows no bounds. He is able to weave terror out of some of the most abstract and complicated plots – think It – or, if he decides, he can scale everything back and wrench you mercilessly in his grip throughout a story that rests on a single pretense.

Just keep walking. And walking. And walking.

It doesn’t feature any possessed cars, rabid dogs, or otherworldly demons that live on fear. It simply digs deep into the reader’s psyche by exploring what such an endeavor would do to a young boy’s body, mind, and soul. Just imagine walking hundreds of miles until your feet are bruised and bloody, walking on gory nubs.

How’s that sound to you?

The Long Walk gives a short breath before taking off on its trek, and once it starts, it does not stop until the finish line. Readers have sometimes accused King of being longwinded and going on for too long at times about every minute deal (to which I disagree, but I digress); this is a novel for those type of readers. It is unrelenting. It is punishing.

Sitting around 380 pages, it’s a deceptively fast read – once you pick it up, it’s near impossible to put down. A fast-moving, straightforward plot doesn’t hurt either.

It’s also worth a read for the simple fact that it was actually King’s first novel. Though it wouldn’t be released until 1979, King wrote it between 1966 and 1967. For perspective, Carrie was not written for another 5-6 years, give or take.

After King’s success, he began to write under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. King released four novels under this name between 1977 and 1985. This may contribute to why The Long Walk is such an underrated work; but then again, maybe not. After King was discovered as being Bachman, Bachman’s book sales skyrocketed.

Maybe it’s the lack of any iconic monsters or larger than life antagonists. Maybe it’s because the story is too simple. Whatever it is, none of that really matters; what does matter is that you read it.

With the announcement of a film adaptationThe Long Walk may finally get the reputation it deserves. Here’s to hoping it captures the agony and terror contained within these pages.

StephenKing.com

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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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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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