DOCTOR SLEEP - A Literary Review by Rg Lovecraft

Oooooh Stephen King. How's it been goin', old friend? I feel like we haven't sat down and had a good adventure together in quite sometime. 

It should come as no surprise to you guys that I love me some Stephen King. He's one of those guys over whom I would squeal like a little girl if I was to see him in a grocery store, or pumping gas at the local Chevron. The sad thing about King is that his novels are never properly adapted for the big screen, it's something I've grown to accept. I don't believe that King's writing style can ever properly be conveyed in a visual format, he has such a personal, internalized writing style. Being that the Moretz fronted Carrie remake is hits theaters today (and the reviews are far from flattering) I thought today is a good day to focus on the man himself, the man behind the scenes, and his latest novel Doctor Sleep. 

I have been hotly anticipating this one for a little over a year, when I first heard that it was happening. A sequel to The Shining, and thank the heavens that it was Stephen King doing so and not Warner Bros. It says a lot about the faith and trust that I have in King that I can hear something like this, and not have a second thought. Just pure and complete excitement. I mean, we finally get to see what happens to Danny Torrance (now simply Dan), and how he copes with the aftermath of the tragedy in Sidewinder, Colorado. 

Now, if you're not familiar with the The Shining in it's true, original state, there will be some spoilers. If you don't care, or have read the novel, just highlight over those blank portions. 

The novel picks up after those terrible events, The Overlook has burned down and Danny and Wendy have escaped it's wraith, but Danny is still haunted by Mrs. Mackey and Horace Derwent. Not only have they followed him halfway across the country, but after some help from Dick Hallorann, Danny has found a way to use the shining to his advantage and lock them up in mental lockboxes for safe keeping. From here on out, we are taken many years into the future. Dan Torrance is now an adult, leading a life addled by alcoholism and poor decisions. He drinks to block the shining, which has haunted him his entire life. 

After a terrible encounter involving copious amounts of alcohol, cocaine and a curious toddler, Dan hops a train and heads north where he eventually ends up in a small sleepy town in New Hampshire where he not only finds work, but he begins his path to sobriety and finally finds some semblance of normalcy and purpose in life. He gets a job working for a local hospice in which he uses his talents to help the elderly guests (they are not patients in the Helen Rivington Home, but guests) pass onto their next spiritual journey. This is when he meets Abra, a girl who shines even harder than he did as a child, and the group of vampiric immortals who feed off of children who shine as a form of sustenance, but only after it's been purified through their pain and torment. What follows is a suspense trip unlike any other I've read in a King novel.

Something that a lot of people might find disappointing about this novel is the drastic stylistic differences between it and it's predecessor. It reads nothing like The Shining, and aside from the main characters name, you might never guess that it's a sequel to the supernatural novel. While The Shining was a tortured read of psychological terror and horror, this was more a suspense crime novel, wrought with psychic battles, telekinesis and telepathy. Does this make Doctor Sleep  a bad read? Absolutely not. Stephen King still has his touch, and it's just as much a page turner as anything else of his that I've read.

While I will say, The Shining is still the better of the two, King's character development is still spot on, especially in the case of young Abra Stone. One aspect of King's writing that has always amazed me is his ability to write children. He captures childlike innocence in such an amazing way. I am in no way a "children person", I steer clear of them and vice versa, however he is able to evoke emotions in me that I am sure are the very same that parents feel when staring at their beautiful little creations. King has definitely always had an affinity towards writing about children as well. The Shining, Pet Sematary, IT, etc. all prominently feature children, or the dynamic between child and father. Doctor Sleep is no different. 

I could go on for a while longer, but I'm bordering on analyzing King's writing as a whole (but that's for another post), but I will start to wrap things up now. Doctor Sleep is a great read, it's fun, it's engaging and as always, a page turner. While it does not compare to it's predecessor, it is important to keep in mind when reading this that not only is King in a different head space (it's been 30 years, and he's sober) the book is different. It is beautiful in it's own right though, there is the surface story, but the true underlying current is that of Dan Torrance and whether or not he will be able to finally let the grip that his father, and The Overlook has had on him all these years go. In that sense, it's a beautiful novel.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10

- Rg Lovecraft

Weekend Recap - What's New?

Hello all! I hope everyone had a delightfully terrifying weekend. Mine was very nice; relaxing and peaceful, which is exactly what I needed. I am sad to report, however, that due to traffic I was unable to make it to the screening of The Omen on time. I was so excited about getting to hear Richard Donner share his thoughts about the film that converted me to the world of horror at the rip age of 12, but if any of you have ever driven in Los Angeles before, you know how hard it can be to get into Hollywood on a Friday night. I was more excited about recording it so that I could share it with all of you. C'est la vie, I ended up catching Gravity (the latest Sandra Bullock/George Clooney suspense flick) down the street at the Chinese Theater, and while it's not a horror movie, it impacted me so much that I have to review it and share it with you guys. So be expecting that sometime this afternoon!

I also finished reading Stephen King's latest novel, Doctor Sleep, the sequel to his 1977 horror powerhouse The Shining. I was beyond excited to get started on it, and while I had to wait a week to start it, I savored every minute of it. While very different tonally from The Shining, it's still a phenomenal book that follows the later-in-life pursuits of the once young and poweful shiner Danny Torrance, after he's escaped the perils of The Overlook Hotel (physically, atleast). SO, there will be the first ever book review on Lovecraft Reviews. 

Speaking of book reviews, I have to extend an apology to Matthew Blake, the author of the amazing horror novel Awake. While it was set up in my queue for over a month ago, something went wrong and my review never got posted so that will be going up, as well as a Q&A with Mr. Blake discussing some of the finer points of his novel. 

SO, those were some of my weekend's festivities. What were yours? Sound off below!

- Rg Lovecraft

HORROR IN PRINT - Gunnar Hansen Tells The Other Side of the Making of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE

The man behind one of the most iconic masked mad men in the history of horror has stepped out from behind the leather and is telling his side of the making of what is possibly the first great slasher film to ever appear on the big screen. Gunnar Hansen, known for unleashing Leatherface upon the world for the first time, has released his autobiography in which he tells his story in regards to what went into making The Texas Chain Saw Massacre the classic that it has become today. 

The official (and rather lengthy synopsis) is as follows: 

When first released in 1974, the terrifying film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was both reviled and championed, seizing the imaginations of audiences and critics alike. From its early days as a controversial cult sensation to its showing at the Cannes film festival and inclusion in the collection of New York’s MoMA, it is now recognized as one of the greatest horror movies of all time, even while mystery and mythology around the film endures.
 
A six-foot-four poet fresh out of grad school with limited acting experience, Gunnar Hansen played the masked, chainsaw-wielding “Leatherface.” Now in Chain Saw Confidential, critically acclaimed author Hansen steps from behind his “Leatherface” mask to tell the true story behind the making of this iconic film. 

Combining his unique perspective with conversations with fellow cast and crew members, Hansen debunks myths and offer fresh behind-the-scenes details on the film’s inventive but often quite dangerous independent production, illuminating insights into the film’s reputation and place in popular culture, and a thoughtful meditation on why we love to be scared in the first place.

Find out:

● What footage director Tobe Hooper cut for being too disturbing
● The psychological ramifications for several of the cast and crew members
● Which actor maintained character for the entirety of the filming
● What major newspaper called it a “despicable film”
● How the film’s marketing as a true-story created confusion and claims that people know “the real” Leatherface, even today.

This film was, and is, more than just a film to me when I was growing up. It shaped my opinions on film, it opened up a whole new world to me just as much The Exorcist and The Omen did a few years before. I mean, I still sleep underneath a TCM poster every night, so I am understandably very excited to get my hands on this and dig into it myself!

 

HORROR IN PRINT - Stephen King Calls Out Kubrick's Vision of THE SHINING

 
Those who know me know that I am a very devout Shining fan. It's my favorite book, it's my favorite film, I've dressed as Torrance for Halloween, carved Shining inspired pumpkins, decorated my house with a variety of memorabilia and spent an 2 hours crying over that particular section at the Kubrick exhibit this year at LACMA. You get the point. 

Yet, I am still the first to admit that in terms of an book to screen adaptation, The Shining is a fucking horrible movie. Just about the only thing that the book and film have in common are the names of the characters, Kubrick had his own vision and while it was stunning, he completely shut King out of the production. Low blow, bro. 

King has never kept it a secret that he is not a fan of Kubrick's interpretation of the book. However, with Dr. Sleep looming over us now of course his views of the film are starting to come out in interviews. He recently shared some more insights that I had never heard before and I thought it was interesting enough to share on here.

In a recent interview with BBC: “[It's] cold, I’m not a cold guy. I think one of the things people relate to in my books is there’s a warmth, there’s a reaching out and saying to the reader, ‘I want you to be a part of this.’ And with Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’ I felt that it was very cold, very ‘We’re looking at these people, but they’re like ants in an anthill, aren’t they doing interesting things, these little insects.’”

When the subject of the two main characters was brought up: “Jack Torrence, in the movie, seems crazy from the jump. Jack Nicholson, I’d seen all his biker pictures in the 50s and 60s and I thought, ‘He’s just channeling The Wild Angels here,’” he said, “Shelley Duvall as Wendy is really one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on film, she’s basically just there to scream and be stupid and that’s not the woman that I wrote about.”

While right now isn't the right time for me to spew off my thoughts about the film (trust me, it'll take a while and that post is coming soon anyway) I've always said these things about the film, so it's nice to see the man himself reinforce my sentiments. 

More importantly, have you read the book and what do YOU think about the translation from book to film? Share those thoughts!

Get Dr. Sleep in a bookstore near you next Tuesday, September 24th. 

- Rg Lovecraft

Tons of Stuff Coming Soon! YOU'RE NEXT, EVENT HORIZON, THE LOVED ONES and MORE All Get Reviewed!

So I've been sick and as I'm sure you all know, being sick in the summer sucks. It leads to crankiness, laziness and a general malaise BUT I still dragged my happy ass out to the theater on Thursday night to see You're Next and I loved it. I meant to get the review up on Friday, but I started getting sick before the movie on Thursday and am barely coming out of my fog now. SO keep an eye for that review this afternoon!

In the meantime of not posting, I've been watching tons of flicks, so you can also be expecting reviews for:

Event Horizon (1997) 
Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door (2007)
The Loved Ones (2009)
Session 9 (2001)

AND the first ever Lovecraft Reviews NOVEL review of Awake, including a very special Q&A with upcoming author Matthew Blake!

Stay tuned, and as always, thanks for reading. 

Keep it spooky,
Rg Lovecraft

HORROR IN PRINT: TV Ad for Stephen King's Sequel to The Shining: DOCTOR SLEEP

I am a huge Stephen King fan, in case you hadn't already noticed, and my favorite novel/film of all time is getting the sequel treatment (in the only way it should). In case you hadn't heard, King has written a sequel to The Shining entitled Doctor Sleep. It follows Danny Torrance in his more formative years and how he is using his mental abilities as he grows older. Below you can find the synopsis and a brand spankin' new TV ad for the book which will be released on September 24th, wherever books are sold.

The synopsis, per Amazon.com:

"Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.


Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”


Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon"