I’ve only ever read one Stephen King novel, in the 9th grade, and that was Carrie. It was…pretty bad. However, my girlfriend is obsessed with Stephen King and insists that he doesn’t suck. And well, I liked the movie adaptations of 1408 and the Mist, so when she (my girlfriend, that is) came home from a trip to Florida wielding a television miniseries written by Stephen King, called Kingdom Hospital, I figured it’d be worth a shot.
First and foremost: BEST OPENING CREDITS SEQUENCE EVER.
Not that you really need to know this going into it, but Kingdom Hospital is essentially Stephen King’s version of a slightly older, Danish miniseries called the Kingdom. It’s not quite a remake, but it’s something close. Kingdom Hospital is a 13-episode miniseries that ran in 2004 originally, and it is mighty interesting. And weird. And awesome.
The gist of it is this: Kingdom Hospital is built on the ruins of what is referred to as “the Old Kingdom,” an older hospital that was burnt down. And the Old Kingdom was built upon the burnt ruins of an old mill that produced uniforms for the Civil War. So we’ve got a hospital built on a hospital built on an old mill. Would it shock you to learn that the place is rather haunted? If you said yes, stop reading this right now and go throw yourself down some stairs because you are clearly not paying attention.
There is a little bit of a story arc to follow, involving the ghost of a little girl named Mary, earthquakes that keep going on at the hospital, and a guy who got hit by a truck and keeps drawing while in a comatose state and interacting with what can only be described as a huge anteater with sharp teeth and a taste for bad puns (and ants). The whole ordeal kind of takes the backseat to the plot from time to time so that other weird stuff can happen, such as one episode where a man is found crucified, but still bleeding, and miracles are occurring. All of which references the Bible, of course, but not every episode is like that. You’ve also of course got all the drama going on between the doctors, particularly Dr. Hook, played by a man who looks and sounds very much like Edward Norton but isn’t, and Dr. Stegman, who is a complete asshole but hilarious nevertheless to watch.
That’s one thing that makes the series so much fun: it bounces around from quirky to dramatic to hilarious to downright surreal. How scary it gets depends on how well you deal with horror-themed things, and while it never really got too creepy, there were some disturbing moments. I loved it most for when it just went all-out strange, like when patients occasionally hallucinate and the doctors break into dancing and singing “na na na na! Na na na na! Hey hey hey! Goodbye!” My particular favorite bits involve a guy with a severed head running around, so that should tell you something. Sure, some episodes are weaker than others, but isn’t that how it always is?
It also seems that Stephen King threw a lot of his own quirks into it. The man who was hit by a truck vaguely parallels his own experience of getting hit by a vehicle, one episode revolves around a retired baseball player (Stephen King luuuurrrrvvveeeessss baseball), characters are reading his books, references are made to other works of his such as the Dark Tower series, and at least twice you hear someone say, “like something horrible out of a Stephen King novel.” And of course the man himself makes a rather entertaining cameo.
So if you hate Stephen King and his writing? I‘d still say try it out, if only for how unique it is. If you love him though, then what the hell are you waiting on? You need to check it out. The first episode is a good 2 hours long and the final episode is an hour, but the rest of the episodes are a nice thirty minutes each, so it’s not too taxing to watch.
[Brett]
GET BONUS: Here, roughly, is the first 10 minutes of the first episode, courtesy of teh Youtube! ENJOY.
February 18, 2009
February 12, 2009
My Name is Indrid Cold (The Mothman Prophecies, 2002)
(Originally posted Nov. 3, 2008)
In 2002 I was a socially awkward 14 year old with an affinity for monsters and a budding interest in Cryptozoology. During my adolescent “figuring myself out” phase I sometimes referred to myself as an, "amateur cryptozoologist", which is a sort of oxymoron, if you really think about it.
That said, I was ecstatic when I learned that a movie based on the cryptid "Mothman" was in production, and scheduled to be released the summer after my interest in arguably-non-existent animals had blossomed.
So a couple of friends and I negotiated the terms with our parents, and opening night were dropped off to see The Mothman Prophecies at the AMC next to the Merit Square Mall. What followed was a sort of thrill ride; a feeling I've yet to experience since.
Six years later, I'm a socially awkward (though less noticeably so) 21 year old and I can't stop buying DVDs. So when I ran across The Mothman Prophecies at work the other day, I felt almost obligated to purchase it. I've just finished re-watching it and hope to do it justice with the following.
The Mothman Prophecies is based on a book by the same title, written by John Keel and published by Panther Books in 1975. It is categorized as non-fiction, and chronicles the strange goings on which took place in and around Point Pleasant, Virginia, between 1966 and 1967. Most notable among these events is the appearance of a winged, humanoid creature, commonly referred to as the Mothman.
The movie takes the great majority of it’s inspiration from the book, but differs in that it is more of a psychological thriller than an investigative look at the paranormal.
It follows the character John Klein (played by Richard Gere). Klein has a good job at the Washington Post, and is happily married to the woman of his dreams. Life seems perfect for him, until one night his wife suffers a sort of panic attack, and runs their car off the road. This lands her in the hospital, where it is discovered that she has a tumor in her brain.
She dies, and Klein becomes predictably depressed.
Two years later, unable to sleep, he takes to the road at one in the morning, driving with no apparent destination in mind. He finds himself in Point Pleasant, the town which is the main focus of the original book. His car breaks down in front of a house in the middle of nowhere. He knocks on the front door, asking to use the phone, and is shocked as the owner of the home points a shotgun at his head, and drags him inside.
The police show up, and it is revealed that someone, believed to be John Klein, has come knocking at the front door of the house at two thirty AM for the past three nights, asking to use the phone. John insists that he’s never been there before.
From here it just gets weirder. John becomes friends with the disturbed home owner (a man named Gordon), who begins to receive messages related to forthcoming natural disasters, including accurate predictions of locations and death tolls. John himself is set upon by a bizarre series of events which seem to be connected to that of his new friend, and many residents of Point Pleasant report seeing a winged creature with glowing red eyes.
While all this is going on, John wrestles with his own grief over his wife’s death, even as he forms a relationship with the town’s sheriff (portrayed by Laura Linney). He begins to investigate, and draws ever closer to the truth concerning Point Pleasant, which may be connected to the death of his wife.
At the center of everything, yet always just out of reach, is the Mothman. Seen only in passing glances, backlit by blinding red light, the creature appears to forty-some eyewitnesses before the movie’s climax.
John Klein receives phone calls from the apparent being, which refers to itself as Indrid Cold. It demonstrates the ability to read John’s mind, to know things before they happen, and warns John of a tragedy soon to befall Point Pleasant. The messages are so cryptic, however, that John can scarcely decipher them, and his warnings are brushed off by those he tells.
The movie portrays a sense of the unknown in very Lovecraftian fashion; an entity, more advanced than a human being, operating at the edge of known reality. Seen only when it wants to be seen, heard only when it chooses to speak, The Mothman meddles in the lives of select individuals with little or no explanation. It hints at a reality far beyond human comprehension, too vast and terrible to be understood.
Subtle imagery is used throughout the film. Allusions to butterfly-like shapes and glowing pairs of red eyes are consistent from start to finish, and add to the idea of something which is unseen, but almost certainly present.
The film may disappoint some viewers in that a good look at the monster – if indeed there is one – is never given. Blurred glimpses from far away, sketches drawn by people who may or may not be crazy, reflections in mirrors which disappear as soon as you notice them: these make up the majority of the Mothman's screen time. You'll find yourself wondering whether or not the creature actually exists.
Are the Mothman sightings legitimate, or the result of mass hysteria? Has Gordon actually encountered the creature, or is he insane? Is John Klein really being contacted by some paranormal being, or are his experiences hallucinations, brought about by his emotional instability? The film does an excellent job of crafting an open-ended plot, allowing the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions as the story progresses.
Overall, this is a great movie. A psychological, suspenseful thriller with a lot to offer any fan of the surreal. Gere’s performance is believable and competent, and the supporting cast does an excellent job. More than worth your time, and with a typically low price tag, it’s a highly accessible commodity.
Careful, though – next time your phone rings, you may think twice about answering.
In 2002 I was a socially awkward 14 year old with an affinity for monsters and a budding interest in Cryptozoology. During my adolescent “figuring myself out” phase I sometimes referred to myself as an, "amateur cryptozoologist", which is a sort of oxymoron, if you really think about it.
That said, I was ecstatic when I learned that a movie based on the cryptid "Mothman" was in production, and scheduled to be released the summer after my interest in arguably-non-existent animals had blossomed.
So a couple of friends and I negotiated the terms with our parents, and opening night were dropped off to see The Mothman Prophecies at the AMC next to the Merit Square Mall. What followed was a sort of thrill ride; a feeling I've yet to experience since.
Six years later, I'm a socially awkward (though less noticeably so) 21 year old and I can't stop buying DVDs. So when I ran across The Mothman Prophecies at work the other day, I felt almost obligated to purchase it. I've just finished re-watching it and hope to do it justice with the following.
The Mothman Prophecies is based on a book by the same title, written by John Keel and published by Panther Books in 1975. It is categorized as non-fiction, and chronicles the strange goings on which took place in and around Point Pleasant, Virginia, between 1966 and 1967. Most notable among these events is the appearance of a winged, humanoid creature, commonly referred to as the Mothman.
The movie takes the great majority of it’s inspiration from the book, but differs in that it is more of a psychological thriller than an investigative look at the paranormal.
It follows the character John Klein (played by Richard Gere). Klein has a good job at the Washington Post, and is happily married to the woman of his dreams. Life seems perfect for him, until one night his wife suffers a sort of panic attack, and runs their car off the road. This lands her in the hospital, where it is discovered that she has a tumor in her brain.
She dies, and Klein becomes predictably depressed.
Two years later, unable to sleep, he takes to the road at one in the morning, driving with no apparent destination in mind. He finds himself in Point Pleasant, the town which is the main focus of the original book. His car breaks down in front of a house in the middle of nowhere. He knocks on the front door, asking to use the phone, and is shocked as the owner of the home points a shotgun at his head, and drags him inside.
The police show up, and it is revealed that someone, believed to be John Klein, has come knocking at the front door of the house at two thirty AM for the past three nights, asking to use the phone. John insists that he’s never been there before.
From here it just gets weirder. John becomes friends with the disturbed home owner (a man named Gordon), who begins to receive messages related to forthcoming natural disasters, including accurate predictions of locations and death tolls. John himself is set upon by a bizarre series of events which seem to be connected to that of his new friend, and many residents of Point Pleasant report seeing a winged creature with glowing red eyes.
While all this is going on, John wrestles with his own grief over his wife’s death, even as he forms a relationship with the town’s sheriff (portrayed by Laura Linney). He begins to investigate, and draws ever closer to the truth concerning Point Pleasant, which may be connected to the death of his wife.
At the center of everything, yet always just out of reach, is the Mothman. Seen only in passing glances, backlit by blinding red light, the creature appears to forty-some eyewitnesses before the movie’s climax.
John Klein receives phone calls from the apparent being, which refers to itself as Indrid Cold. It demonstrates the ability to read John’s mind, to know things before they happen, and warns John of a tragedy soon to befall Point Pleasant. The messages are so cryptic, however, that John can scarcely decipher them, and his warnings are brushed off by those he tells.
The movie portrays a sense of the unknown in very Lovecraftian fashion; an entity, more advanced than a human being, operating at the edge of known reality. Seen only when it wants to be seen, heard only when it chooses to speak, The Mothman meddles in the lives of select individuals with little or no explanation. It hints at a reality far beyond human comprehension, too vast and terrible to be understood.
Subtle imagery is used throughout the film. Allusions to butterfly-like shapes and glowing pairs of red eyes are consistent from start to finish, and add to the idea of something which is unseen, but almost certainly present.
The film may disappoint some viewers in that a good look at the monster – if indeed there is one – is never given. Blurred glimpses from far away, sketches drawn by people who may or may not be crazy, reflections in mirrors which disappear as soon as you notice them: these make up the majority of the Mothman's screen time. You'll find yourself wondering whether or not the creature actually exists.
Are the Mothman sightings legitimate, or the result of mass hysteria? Has Gordon actually encountered the creature, or is he insane? Is John Klein really being contacted by some paranormal being, or are his experiences hallucinations, brought about by his emotional instability? The film does an excellent job of crafting an open-ended plot, allowing the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions as the story progresses.
Overall, this is a great movie. A psychological, suspenseful thriller with a lot to offer any fan of the surreal. Gere’s performance is believable and competent, and the supporting cast does an excellent job. More than worth your time, and with a typically low price tag, it’s a highly accessible commodity.
Careful, though – next time your phone rings, you may think twice about answering.
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