I know people, and I bet you do, too, that will say they've never seen a Stephen King movie. Chances are good that they've seen "The Shawshank Redemption" and/or "The Green Mile." The man who made those Oscar-nominated films is celebrating his 53rd birthday today.

Frank Darabont, who got robbed by "Forrest Gump" for best picture in 1994, also directed "The Mist" and the old time theater movie "The Majestic." He was the mastermind behind the first season of "The Walking Dead." Before stepping behind the camera, Darabont was a writer. He wrote the remake of "The Blob," "The Fly II," and one of Freddy Krueger's better films.

That's right, Darabont wrote the screenplay for "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors."

The Dead Zone
428 pages
Released in August 1979
Screen adaptations: 1983, directed by David Cronenberg; TV series, six seasons beginning in 2002.
Connections to other works: This is the first Castle Rock novel.

The Dead Zone came out a couple months before I did, which means King's first hardcover bestseller is more than 32 years old. Following the epic of The Stand and its ginormous cast, King chooses to focus on two polarizing characters: Johnny Smith and Greg Stillson. One is a very good man that has to do a bad thing. One is a very bad man who is perceived to be doing good. King handles the paradox with a keen touch.

This is another one of those books that has been overshadowed in popular culture by a successful film adaptation. Don't get me wrong; I love the Cronenberg film. It's one of the best King movies made. For the sake of film, Stillson gets cut out until Smith meets him later in the film. In the novel, Stillson is there from the prologue, showing us why he's such a compelling villain. I understand the decision but I want you to pick up the book and find out what you're missing.

I will be reading a Signet first printing paperback which clocks in at 402 pages. And when I'm done, I'll give the book away. Comment on this post or the follow up in a couple days for your chance to win it.

Being sick have its benefits. One gets plenty of time to sit around and not do anything. Which is how I managed to finish reading "The Stand" today.

Reading "The Stand" and being sick, however, is a level of paranoia that is ridiculous. You start to think you have the flu, then the superflu. And then you start to contemplate the end of the world as you know it. Of course, if you are sick, you won't be one of the survivors.

Surviving is what Stephen King's fourth novel is about. Survive Captain Trips, survive your journey to Nebraska, Boulder or Las Vegas. Live through your choice.

And that's the other important aspect of the novel, to me. A very well-read friend of mine recently read "The Stand." She doesn't like the sometimes demonic paths King takes, but, as she said, there is a balance in "The Stand" that makes it better.

"The Stand" is a battle between good and evil. But it isn't a nice guy with no beliefs versus some random unidentifiable evil. It is the Christian God versus Satan. Each side has its representatives, even if they don't completely give in to the theology behind the forces propelling them forward.

I'm on vacation (trapped in snow in North Idaho) so I missed a couple birthdays this week.

Happy birthday to director John Carpenter. I still haven't watched "The Ward," but it's in my Netflix queue.

Happy birthday to Edgar Allan Poe. (I don't think he'll notice that I'm a day late.)

Now for traveling news:

My wife and I had originally planned to drive through Utah and Nevada to visit some of my family (and to pick up some of the books I need for the Constant Reading Project). Due to unforeseen expenses related to a vehicle, that plan was scrapped. Yes, I'm sad about that but I'm not letting it ruin our good time.

Instead, we are in Sandpoint, Idaho, where my wife grew up. Every time we're here, I like to visit the Corner Bookstore on Main Street. The store has a fine selection of new and used books, which is awesome. That's not why I go there. I go there to ogle the Stephen King first editions. I spent ten minutes just staring at a first edition of "The Stand" which was next to first editions-- the Donald M. Grant limited first editions-- of the second and third "Dark Tower" books. I covered my ears as my wife asked how much the books cost. I could still hear the proprietor as he said, "Those two are $750. I have more in the back. That there is the British edition of 'Desperation,' came out six weeks before we got it in the U.S."

I simultaneously love and hate this man. I'm thinking of going back while I'm still here and asking if I can see what else he has. I know he has other British editions on the regular shelf. There's a British edition of "Misery" I wouldn't mind having. He has a second printing of the first edition of "The Shining," too. It's a more manageable $35. What I need, though, and I haven't told my wife this, is a first edition of "The Dark Half." While "Misery" was my first King, "The Dark Half" sealed my fate. I wouldn't having that British "Desperation," either. We're going to have a lot of fun talking about that book when we get to it.

Anyway, I have to get dressed and get ready to brave the snow. There is some seafood chowder in my immediate future. And in case you're keeping track, I'm 500 pages away from finishing "The Stand."

As I sat on the couch, watching "Friday the 13th" movies last night, I started to think about some of the other media Jason Voorhees has worked his way into. Mostly, I was thinking a line of books that came out in the mid-2000s based on the franchise.

Publisher Black Flame ran two separate lines in 2003 and 2005, one based on "Jason X" and the other featuring standalone stories within the context of the earthbound films. I only bought one of these books.

There are three Friday the 13ths in  2012 and tomorrow is the first of the trifecta. Above is one of many videos highlighting favorite moments from the "Friday the 13th" film series. Everyone has their favorites. My wife and guest blogger Savannah has a preference for "Freddy vs. Jason." I enjoy that film (and not just because it's one of the few horror movies Savannah and I have watched together) and I also like the 2009 remake.

You know, let's talk about that for a second. Of all the movies to get upset about, why "Friday the 13th"? It's not like getting mad about remaking "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Robert Englund IS Freddy. Who is Jason? Kane Hodder? Look, Hodder is awesome and I love his work, but Jason's legacy was sealed before Hodder put on the hockey mask. Chances are good that your favorite Friday moment was not performed by Kane Hodder.

So when it comes to bitching about the "Friday the 13th" remake, give it a rest.

We discuss the best kills, which is always fun, but there are so many great effects (and plenty of subpar ones, too) that we could spend the entire day talking about it. If I didn't have to work at 4 a.m., we could all play the movies we have and live chat about them. Damn, that sounds fun.

Except for having to watch part 5. If you've forgotten, that's the one with the fake Jason. Bastards.

For my money, parts 3 and 4 (pre-Hodder) are the best of the dozen (that's F13 1-8, Jason Goes to Hell, Jason X, Freddy vs. Jason, and the remake).  You can buy the "Friday the 13th" Ultimate Collection here. It only has 1-8, which sucks, but it's a studio thing, so what can you do?

I might as well ask: What is your favorite Friday?

(The next Friday the 13th is in April. At that time, we'll talk about the under appreciated "Friday the 13th" TV series.)

The Stand
Released: November 1978 (revised edition released in May 1990).
Pages: 823 (original cut), 1,152 (uncut & revised).
Screen adaptations: 1994, miniseries, directed by Mick Garris. Proposed theatrical remake in development.

Connections to other works: Elements of The Stand appear in the Dark Tower books, particularly the use of R.F. as initials for a bad guy. The same motif is used in Eyes of the Dragon.


OK, people. We ran into a snag. At zero hour, I was unable to get my hands on the original cut of this massive novel. I feel like I'm cheating here, but that's just how it's going down. I'll be reading the 1,152-page uncut and revised edition of The Stand now, in place of the original 823-page cut. If you feel this pollutes my project, I'm sorry.


The good news is that it cuts out 823 pages, equal to about 11 days-worth of reading, on the 77-page per day pace. I might need those 11 days later in the year.

There are plenty of movies out there about exorcism. In the last few years, there have been several -- "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," "The Last Exorcism" and, the subject of this review, "The Rite." On a side note, for a really interesting article about this film, and specifically about the activities of exorcists in the Dakotas, read this article by Rapid City (S.D.) Journal writer Mary Garrigan.

Released in 2011, costarring Anthony Hopkins and Colin O'Donoghue and directed by Mikael Hafstrom (also directed the film adaptation of the Stephen King story "1408"), "The Rite" takes a look at the Catholic rite of exorcism. It focuses on seminary student Michael Kovak (O'Donoghue) who struggles with his faith, gets sent to the Vatican to learn to be an exorcist and meets Father Lucas Trevant (Hopkins) and demon-possessed chaos ensues.

This movie has some major flaws. For one, what the box says the movie is about — Trevant's character becoming possessed after an exorcism patient dies — is only partially true. Really, this movie isn't sure what it's about. Is it about the Catholic church's insistence on teaching an ancient ritual that flies in the face of logic? Yes. Is it about a young man running from his father (for reasons we never really understand) and struggling with his doubts about Christianity and even the very existence of God himself? Yes. Is it about a journalist who wants to uncover the truth about exorcism? Yes. Is it about a pregnant girl and a little boy and a demon that's shaped like a mule?

Yep. All those things, too.

The Constant Reading Project has closed the book of the first of Stephen King's short story collections. Night Shift includes 20 stories, some of which are classic King tales and some that even other Constant Readers may have forgotten about. I think it's important to say something about each story, so that's what we're going to do.

Ready?

"Jerusalem's Lot": An epistolary tale about the early days of the town that would eventually be overrun by vampires. The Lot was evil well before the vampire Kurt Barlow came to town and even before Hubert Marsten built his home on the hill.

The style of this story is rather antiquated but don't let that fool you. King is doing what many English majors still do today: imitating his heroes. "Jerusalem's Lot" is a Lovecraftian tale, even calling on Lovecraft's Elder Gods. And why shouldn't King pay homage to Lovecraft? As far as New England horrorshows go, Lovecraft was the O.G. (Unless you count Nathaniel Hawthorne's weird tales or any of the fire and brimstone Puritan writers, but they are in King's story, too.)


"Graveyard Shift": Placing this after "Jerusalem's Lot" is brilliant. The first story has sounds that could be rats (like Lovecraft's "Rats in the Walls") and this one has the biggest damn rats ever.

"Night Surf": Captain Trips first foray into print. "Night Surf" is one small group's experience with the flu. Some minor changes into the origin of the world-killing germ and you have "The Stand," which happens to be our next book.

Just checking ot see who has or is planning to see "The Devil Inside" this weekend. Warning Signs is broke this week, so if you go and want to write us a review, send an email to tj@warning-signs.net.

Catch you later.

Night Shift
Released: February 1978
Pages: Original hardback version had 336 pages. The 2011 Anchor Books paperback I'll be reading has 505 pages.

Screen adaptations: It's a short story collection, so here goes:
"Children of the Corn" 1984 and again in 2009 (for the SyFy network).
"Cat's Eye," 1985, an anthology film that included adaptations of "Quitters, Inc." and "The Ledge."
"Maximum Overdrive," 1985, based on "Trucks" (also adapted in 1997 for the USA Network) and directed by King.
"Graveyard Shift," 1990.
"The Lawmower Man," 1992. King sued and won to have his name removed from this because the only thing the film had in common with the short story is that some grass gets cut.
"The Mangler," 1995, directed by Tobe Hooper.
"Sometimes They Come Back," 1991. Not bad but avoid name-only sequels. Just like with the handful of awful "Children of the Corn" sequels.

The story "Battleground" was adapted as part of TNT's "Nightmares & Dreamscapes" series. For more on that adaptation, check this out.

Connections:  "Jerusalem's Lot" and "One for the Road" are about that small town in Maine that gets taken over by vampires.  "The Last Rung on the Ladder" features a much younger version of a saintly old woman from The Stand.  Speaking of that upcoming behemoth,  "Night Surf" is its precursor.


Our fourth book in the Constant Reading Project is Night Shift, and it's the first collection of King's short stories, many of which were published in men's magazines in the early 1970s. These are the grisly tales of ne'er-do-wells that would have been right at home in the pulp mags of the 1920s and '30s, only much more graphic, such as "Battleground" and "Quitters, Inc." There are also more sentimental pieces such as "The Last Rung on the Ladder" and "The Woman in the Room."

King was young and desperate when these stories were written, so it's a great point of comparison to how his works matures over time but stays much the same.

With all that said, time's a-wasting, back to reading.

The Shining is one of the books that people instantly come up with when they think of Stephen King. Even my mother-in-law read it when it was a new release at the library (and always makes sure the shower curtain is pulled back in the bathroom).

There are very good reasons for this.

Story and characters drive King's best work and serve each other. At the top of his game, every King character matters to what is happening. There are no throw away extras. When this happens, every action and every word from a character moves the story forward. Every little detail matters. This is how King can give us a satisfying novel with only three main characters as well as the later books in which it seems characters just fall out of his ass.

King is a master of the set-up, too. Sometimes, he's so good at setting things up that the conclusions can feel rushed. In The Shining, King spends about 300 pages making sure every little thing is in place before rushing to the explosive (ha ha) end. One of the reasons this can happen is that the characters take over, living their lives and doing whatever it is they do until it's time to finish the darn thing off. The Shining easily could have become a bloated novel filled with more backstory into the Overlook Hotel instead of just the glimpses King gives us. Everyone one of the ghosts in the hotel has their own tale. The Torrances weren't the first family to spend the winter up there. King could have done an entire chapter or more on Delbert Grady and his shotgunned twin girls. Rather, King uses the past to inform the present of the story he does tell.

The Shining, particularly when paired with its predecessor 'Salem's Lot, shows us that King was still still working his influences out in his work. While the vampire novel has roots in Dracula, The Shining frequently references Edgar Allan Poe and "The Masque of the Red Death," specifically. Nineteenth century allusions aside, King is 100 percent a 20th Century American author. The haunted hotel story feels uniquely American. The Brits have their haunted castles, we have spectres roaming motor courts. In other words, it's the perfect venue for King's early style.

Another note before moving on: We all know that Jack Nicholson went stark raving mad in the 1980 film based on this book. But look at that picture above, the one of the original dust jacket. Is it just me or does that dude look like Warren Beatty?

Anyway, The Shining is read, bringing our total page count so far to 1,216. Next up is the first of King's short story collections, Night Shift.

True confessions: I read the last chapters of books. No, I don't necessarily read them first and I don't do it because I have some weird Harry Burns-esque thing about knowing what happens in case I die in the middle. I read the end because otherwise I will read books too quickly and miss something. Also, I have kind of high anxiety and knowing who dies/lives/etc. eases it. I also like to have TJ tell me who is going to live while watching scary movies. I would say that it actually enhances my enjoyment.

I started reading "Bag of Bones" in November on the  recommendation of Warning Signs founder (spouse) TJ. It's only my third Stephen King book — I recently conquered Carrie and earlier this year read the "Just Before Sunset" short story collection. If you include the movie adaptations I've seen ("Shawshank," "Green Mile" and "The Shining"), I'm familiar with six King titles.

I fell in love with this book right away. I love the main character's sadness. But as I got deeper in, I began to have a realization. I wasn't going to be able to flip forward and read the end of this story. My bookmark was frozen in place as things suddenly became clear:

Stephen King was going to totally fuck me.

A few days after starting it, I sat in the kitchen with TJ, lamenting that I wasn't gong to be able to watch the new miniseries with him and warning him against telling me anything about the story. He was impressed by what he assumed was my newfound restraint and desire to be surprised.

"Oh, no. That's not it." I said. "I just know that he's about to totally screw me, and I just don't want to know ahead of time that it's coming. I just don't think I could do it."

As a lifelong King fan, Teej just laughed and said, "Yeah, well, you've pretty much got him figured out."

Last night I was up until after midnight reading. I'm maybe 2/3 of the way through "Bag of Bones" now, and things are looking rosy. But I've got too much book left to read for it to stay that way. So I finally did it — I flipped forward and read the epilogue.

And yep, I'm screwed. There's some huge twist that I — more than halfway finished with a novel — still don't see coming. Characters I like are toast. Things I don't want to happen will happen. There's a soft, kind of heartwarming ending, but it's bittersweet.

And you've got to wonder: Why do people keep reading this author? Why do we, collectively, year after year, approach the "New releases" section of our favorite bookstore, drop trow, bend over and let this guy just go to town on our literary expectations?

I guess it's because of the sadness that I fell in love with on page 1. Or maybe it's just the hope that some day, some how, someone is going to make it to the end and not get hit by a bus. Or possessed. Or shot in the head.  Or whatever. Deep down, I believe Stephen King wants good things to happen to good people. For justice to be served. For happily ever after to come true.

And if not — at least the man can tell a good story. And if you're going to get fucked by an author, at least it'll be by one who lubes you up real good first.