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Stephen King's fiction has formed the basis of more motion picture adaptations than any other living author. His earliest short stories, collected in the Night Shift anthology, have been adapted into hit features including Creepshow, Children of the Corn, Cat's Eye, Maximum Overdrive, Graveyard Shift, Sometimes They Come Back, and The Mangler. Through his "Dollar Baby" program, King licensed several Night Shift stories to aspiring filmmakers for just one dollar each, resulting in numerous student film adaptations.
This book critically examines and contextualizes adaptations of the Night Shift short stories, from big box office features to relatively unknown student films. It illuminates how each film is a uniquely and intricately collaborative endeavor, and charts the development of each adaptation from first option to final cut. Through old and new interviews with the creators, the work explores how filmmakers continue to reinvent, reimagine, remake and reboot King's stories.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Series Preface
A Note on Style
Introduction
Origin Stories¿7 delete¿ deleteCinematic Brand Stephen King¿12
Part One: From NIGHT SHIFT to CREEPSHOW
NIGHT SHIFT (1978 treatment)¿17 delete¿ deleteThe Milton Subotsky Story¿21 delete¿ deleteCREEPSHOW (1979 screenplay)¿26
Part Two: Early "Dollar Babies"
THE BOOGEYMAN (1982 short film)¿34 delete¿ deleteAn Interview with Jeffrey C. Schiro (2020)¿38 delete¿ deleteTHE WOMAN IN THE ROOM (1983 short film)¿44 delete¿ deleteDISCIPLES OF THE CROW (1983 short film)¿48 delete¿ deleteAn Interview with John R. Woodward (2020)¿50
Part Three: CHILDREN OF THE CORN
Development Hell (Oral History)¿54 delete¿ deleteCHILDREN OF THE CORN (Undated Second Draft)¿55 delete¿ deleteCHILDREN OF THE CORN (Revised: 6/80)¿60 delete¿ deleteDevelopment Hell (Oral History)¿62 delete¿ deleteGeorge Goldsmith's CHILDREN OF THE CORN (Second Revision 8/5/83)¿64 delete¿ deleteReflections on the Film (Oral History)¿69 delete¿ deleteAn Interview with George Goldsmith (2020)¿70 delete¿ deleteLegacy (Sequels, Sequels, Sequels)¿78 delete¿ deleteDonald P. Borchers' CHILDREN OF THE CORN (2009)¿82 delete¿ deleteAn Interview with Donald P. Borchers (2020)¿86 delete¿ deleteReset¿95
Part Four: From CAT'S EYE to SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK
Development Hell (Oral History)¿98 delete¿ deleteCAT'S EYE (May 14, 1984, screenplay)¿99 delete¿ deleteTHE MACHINES / BEWARE THE GREEN GOD¿103 delete¿ deleteDevelopment Hell (Oral History)¿107 delete¿ deleteTRUCKS / OVERDRIVE / MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE¿109 delete¿ deleteReflections on the Film (Oral History)¿115 delete¿ deleteBrian Taggert's TRUCKS (1997)¿116 delete¿ deleteSOMETIMES THEY COME BACK (First Draft, c. 1987)¿119 delete¿ deleteSOMETIMES THEY COME BACK (Fourth Draft-August 31, 1990)¿123 delete¿ deleteAn Interview with Tom McLoughlin (2011)¿128 delete¿ deleteLegacy (... AGAIN... FOR MORE...)¿135
Part Five: From GRAVEYARD SHIFT to THE MANGLER
Development Hell (Oral History)¿137 delete¿ deleteGRAVEYARD SHIFT (First Draft-March 30, 1986)¿138 delete¿ deleteDevelopment Hell (Oral History)¿142 delete¿ deleteGRAVEYARD SHIFT (Second Draft-April 30, 1990)¿144 delete¿ deleteReflections on the Film (Oral History)¿146 delete¿ deleteAn Interview with John Esposito (2021)¿148 delete¿ deleteTHE LAWNMOWER MAN Lawsuit¿161 delete¿ deleteDevelopment Hell (Oral History)¿163 delete¿ deleteTHE MANGLER (Rewrite-June 9, 1993)¿165 delete¿ deleteTHE MANGLER (June 17, 1993, Final Draft)¿169 delete¿ deleteReflections on the Film (Oral History)¿171 delete¿ deleteAn Interview with Stephen David Brooks (2021)¿172 delete¿ deleteReborn?¿182
Part Six: 21st-Century Adaptations
NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES: "BATTLEGROUND" (2006)¿184 delete¿ deleteAn Interview with Richard Christian Matheson (2021)¿188 delete¿ deleteCREEPSHOW: "GRAY MATTER" (2020)¿195 delete¿ deleteAn Interview with Philip de Blasi and Byron Willinger (2021)¿199 delete¿ deleteCHAPELWAITE (2021)¿206 delete¿ deleteEndless Night¿211
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Joseph Maddrey has researched, written and produced over 100 hours of documentary television, focusing on true crime and the paranormal. He lives in Midlothian, Virginia.
Summary
The second in a series, this book examines the various film adaptations of King’s Night Shift anthology. This volume critically examines and contextualizes adaptations of the Night Shift short stories, illuminating how each film is a uniquely and intricately collaborative endeavour.
