THE LONG WALK and the Long Wait

THE LONG WALK (Blu-ray)

2025 / 108 min

Lionsgate

Review by Princess Pepper😸

As a Stephen King fan most of my life, I’ve been waiting for a movie adaptation of The Long Walk for nearly as long. But I’ve also learned to temper my expectations over the years, since there have been plenty of great King stories that ended up being disappointing (and sometimes terrible) films. 

That being said, it was still hard not to get revved up over this one. Not only did the film have a decades-long, on-again-off-again production history, it’s been my view that most of the best King adaptations have been those that are not based on one of his horror novels. Though frequently horrifying, The Long Walk is not a horror story, but often labeled as such because of the author’s reputation. 

Fortunately - and at long last - the film does not disappoint. As directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by JT Mollner, The Long Walk is not-only the best film either of these guys have been involved with, it’s one of the better King adaptations of the past 20 years. Most importantly, this feels like Stephen King, not just because of its general faithfulness to the novel, but in the grim tone, anti-authoritarian themes prevalent in much of his work, and well-drawn cast of characters.

The basic story is simple: In an alternate dystopian America, one young man from each state is selected by lottery to participate in the titular event, an annual competition in which everyone commences walking and do not stop until only one remains. Anybody falling below three miles per hour is given three warnings to pick up the pace before being shot. Overseeing the event is The Major (Mark Hamill), an enigmatic symbol of the totalitarian regime the country has become since an unspecified war has rendered it into a permanent state of economic depression.

The walk itself comprises a majority of the narrative, presented from the point-of-view of its competitors, primarily Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Pete McVries (David Jonsson), who quickly develop a close bond. Along the way, other participants are introduced, as well as their motivation in volunteering for a competition that’ll likely result in their deaths. For most of these characters, it’s the prize that awaits the winner…massive wealth and the granting of any single wish they want. But some others, like the main protagonists, have more esoteric reasons.

Worst. Parade. Ever.

The concept alone has always been morbidly compelling, which is vividly depicted onscreen. Not only is the film extremely violent, it becomes vicariously exhausting as the walk drags on for hundreds of miles and the attrition grows. But what makes it a truly harrowing journey is the assortment of engaging characters. As friendships develop and more is revealed about each of them (for better and worse) we become emotionally invested in their fates. This is especially true regarding Ray and Pete, whose relationship develops into brotherly love…even as they realize one or both of them are certain to die. Bolstered by strong performances from Hoffman and Jonsson, their brief friendship as endearing as Red and Andy’s in The Shawshank Redemption, or perhaps more accurately, Gordie and Chris’ in Stand by Me.

Though there’s occasional levity and inspirational moments, The Long Walk is relentlessly downbeat, exacerbated by the characters’ desperation and brutal death scenes that are sometimes tough to watch, as well as the hauntingly sparse rural landscape through which they’re walking. Speaking of which, the film’s production design is unusual for a dystopian film, with vehicles, signage and houses that appear lifted from the 1960s. At the same time, there’s technology shown that didn’t exist back then, so we’re never certain exactly when this story takes place. Such aesthetic ambiguity is a neat creative touch, and along with excellent cinematography, it keeps things visually interesting.

Then there’s that ending, which takes a significant detour from the original novel. It isn’t better or worse than what King came up with, but certainly unexpected and I suppose some fans of the book might balk at the new climax. Beyond that, however, The Long Walk is a beautifully bleak and brutal adaptation that stays true to the spirit of its source material. Some of us waited a long time for this one, but it was worth it.

EXTRA KIBBLES

EVER ONWARD: MAKING THE LONG WALK - This is an excellent 75 minute making of documentary with plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with most of the cast & crew.

TRAILERS

DIGITAL COPY

Experience THE LIFE OF CHUCK

THE LIFE OF CHUCK (Blu-ray)

2025 / 111 min

Neon/Decal Releasing

Review by Princess Pepper😻

Considering Stephen King’s reputation, it’s ironic that the best adaptations of his work have generally been those that aren’t horror stories. Maybe that’s because, while certainly good at scaring the pants off of you, he might be even better at creating vivid, authentic characters, the kind that good filmmakers love to sink their teeth into. 

And considering director Mike Flanagan’s reputation, it’s also ironic that The Life of Chuck is his best film, though maybe not too surprising. Sure, he’s mostly known for horror, but the best parts of his two previous King adaptations (Gerald’s Game & Doctor Sleep) were their character driven moments. And because Flanagan himself wrote or co-wrote those screenplays, he does more than simply pull exposition from the books…he seems personally invested in these people.

The Life of Chuck is entirely driven by its characters, with a premise and plot that defy genre classification. Like the King novella, it consists of three acts presented in reverse chronological order, which isn't some kind of narrative stunt either. If told chronologically, the story would have lost all of its impact. Instead, this might be the most emotionally affecting Stephen King movie since The Shawshank Redemption (though not always the most uplifting).

“Act III: Thanks, Chuck” sees the world apparently coming to an end, as experienced through middle school teacher Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his ex-wife, Felicia Gordon (Karen Gillan). Little by little, everything simply seems to be sort-of shutting down, both societally and physically. While no explanation is offered, the apocalypse has something to do with a guy named Chuck (Tom Hiddleston), whose face appears everywhere - billboards, windows, television - though nobody knows who he is.

We’re actually introduced to Chuck in “Act II: Buskers Forever.” He’s a 39 year old accountant who - as Nick Offerman’s narration informs us - is less than a year away from dying of cancer, though Chuck is currently unaware of this. While walking down the street, he comes across street drummer Taylor Franck (Taylor Gordon), drops his briefcase and spontaneously begins dancing to the beat she's laying down. The scene turns into a full-blown dance number as he’s joined by a stranger, Janice (Annalese Basso), and the two attract an enthusiastic crowd. Viewed out of context, it’s the most joyous and charming sequence in the entire film…

"He followed me home. Can we keep him?"

…but its narrative significance becomes clear during “Act I: I Contain Multitudes," where Chuck’s childhood is revealed. After his parents are killed in a car crash, he’s raised by his grandparents, Sarah (Mia Sara) and Albie (Mark Hamill), both of whom have a huge impact on his life. Sarah instills him with a love for dancing, while Albie - though he drinks too much - stresses the importance of mastering mathematics, as well as warning Chuck never to unlock the cupola upstairs. 

But the singular moment in his young life occurs in middle school, a conversation with his teacher, Miss Richards (Kate Siegel, Flanagan’s wife, BTW) about a Whitman poem that turns out to be the crux of the entire narrative. To elaborate further would be a disservice, as would hinting at the thread that ultimately ties all three acts together. Based on one of the few King stories I actually haven’t read, I knew nothing about The Life of Chuck beyond the title, so going into it completely cold turned out to be a great experience and full of surprises. By turns, the film is eerie, ominous, whimsical, bittersweet, rousing, surreal, sentimental, poignant and ultimately inspirational. 

Flanagan masterfully moves from one key moment in Chuck’s life to the next, with nearly every story & character development vital to the overall narrative, but waiting until the opportune time to reveal their significance. He’s greatly helped by a terrific ensemble cast, all of whom deliver earnest, engaging performances. The big surprise might be Mark Hamill. We all know who he is, of course, but this might be the first time I’ve ever seen him completely disappear into his character, where I didn’t immediately go, “Hey, it’s Mark Hamill.” 

By the end credits, I was drained…in a good way. The Life of Chuck is the kind of movie that emotionally grabs you and doesn’t let go until the haunting denouement, which could either be seen as depressing or life-affirming (I choose the latter). Either way, it’s a unique film and one of the best of 2025.

EXTRA KIBBLES

MAKING-OF FEATURETTE

ON-SET INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with actors Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mark Hamill.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer-director Mike Flanagan.

TRAILER & TEASER TRAILER

“HEART” & “MULTITUDES” - These are also essentially teaser trailers.

Revisiting CREEPSHOW 2 in 4K

CREEPSHOW 2 Limited Edition (4K UHD)

1987 / 90 min

Arrow Video

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

As a big fan of Stephen King, George A. Romero and anthology horror films in general, I loved the original Creepshow. While not as flat-out scary as I expected, the movie was a hell of a lot of fun, with great stories, plenty of humor and a colorful aesthetic that paid homage to the ancient horror comics that inspired it. Decades later, it remains the best (certainly the most consistent) anthology film I’ve ever seen. 

For once, here was a horror film that justified and deserved a sequel…maybe lots of sequels. 

So imagine my initial disappointment at 1987’s Creepshow 2, which was (and still is) inferior in almost every way. Shorter (only three stories), cheaper and aesthetically drab, the movie largely eschews the comic book flourishes that made the first one unique. Though Romero returns to write the screenplay based on King stories, he’s sorely missed in the director’s chair, replaced by longtime associate Michael Gornick. And save for one segment, much of the original’s giddy gallows humor is conspicuously absent. At the time, I felt like those responsible for the sequel didn’t really give a damn about it, resulting in a movie that should have been called CHEAPshow.

But you know what? Time has actually been somewhat kind to Creepshow 2. While it still doesn’t hold a candle to the original (nor to many episodes of the recent Shudder series), I’ve revisited the movie on numerous occasions over the years, and like Jordy Verrill's fungus, it has sort of grown on me. Without the baggage of elevated expectations, I’ve learned to enjoy it on its own terms. So have many other fans, because what was once a critical and commercial dud has since earned something of a cult following.

Shoulda gone to Supercuts.

As for the stories themselves, I enjoy the first one, “Ol’ Chief Woodenhead," more than I used to. A fairly straightforward tale of just-desserts, its utter predictability doesn’t help, but the segment features a terrific villainous performance by a very young Holt McCallany (who’s now a reliable character actor) and some nice atmospheric touches. Conversely, one of King’s best stories, “The Raft,” is turned into the movie’s cheesiest segment, with unlikable characters, shitty performances and a man-eating slab of lake-dwelling goo that resembles a bunch of Hefty bags tied together. However, this one does feature some nasty gore effects. 

The best segment, “The Hitchhiker,” is the only one that would have been right at home in the first film. The story of a hit-and-run victim who won’t stay dead, this one boasts fun performances by Lois Chiles as a self-absorbed driver and Tom Wright as the title character seeking revenge. Creepshow 2 also has a wraparound story tying it all together, that of a comic book fan getting revenge on bullies with the help of Venus fly traps. This story (as well as The Creep himself) is animated, and cheaply, too, but it’s pretty amusing.

In the end, I no longer think Creepshow 2 was made by folks who didn’t give a damn. They simply did their best with the talent and meager resources available to them at the time. So all things considered, everyone involved who wasn’t a pencil pusher did manage to put together an entertaining little horror film. 

Now it’s available on 4K as a limited edition boxed set and features a pretty good video upgrade, though the three audio options are the same as Arrow’s previous Blu-ray release (and not really a complaint since the DTS-HD Master Audio track is really good). Having been sent a promo disc for review, I can’t comment on any physical supplements, but all of the other bonus material (outlined below) is the exactly same as the Blu-ray. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

FEATURETTES - Screenplay for a Sequel is an interview with screenwriter George A. Romero; Tales from the Creep is an interview make-up legend with Tom Savini (who plays The Creep in the wraparound segments); Poncho’s Last Ride and The Road to Dover are interviews with actors Daniel Beer (Randy) and Tom Wright (The Hitchhiker); Nightmares in Foam Rubber is special effects featurette, including interviews with Howard Berger & Greg Nicotero; My Friend Rick is an appreciation of make-up artist Rick Baker, featuring Howard Berger.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Michael Gornick.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE

TRAILERS & TV SPOTS

SCREENPLAY GALLERIES

Welcome Back to SALEM'S LOT

SALEM’S LOT (DVD)

1979 / 183 min

Warner Bros

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

I remember feeling tempered anticipation for this miniseries, which first aired on CBS back in the late ‘70s. As a horror fan who recently discovered Stephen King, I devoured the novel it's adapted from just a few months before. However, television was a lot different back then and I knew there was no way certain aspects of the novel would ever make it to the boob tube. 

Sure enough, Salem’s Lot was reasonably faithful to the book storywise, but certainly de-fanged (no pun intended) and sanitized to meet broadcast standards. It also didn’t help that its biggest star at the time, David Soul, was still TV’s “Hutch” to most of us and certainly wasn’t who I pictured as the protagonist (he plays him like Hutch, too). Still, I enjoyed the show for what it was, and Trilogy of Terror notwithstanding, this was about as scary as TV horror ever really got in the ‘70s.

The story is typical King, with author Ben Mears (Soul) returning to his hometown to write about an old house with a dark past that terrified him as a boy. But the big local news is the opening of a classy new antique shop, run by newcomer Richard Striker (James Mason) and his partner, Kurt Barlow, whose impending arrival is highly anticipated. In reality, Barlow is actually a vampire, with Striker as his servant preparing for his arrival. Soon after, people begin dying or go missing. But of course, they don’t remain dead for long. 

Looks like someone needs to cut back on the caffeine.

Revisiting Salem’s Lot decades later was kinda fun. It certainly looks, sounds and plays like a made-for-TV movie of the era, including frequent fades-to-black for commercial breaks. I’d forgotten how much the first half unfolds more like a nighttime soap than a horror film, with subplots involving unfaithful spouses and jealous boyfriends. But along the way, director Tobe Hooper does manage to build an increasingly creepy atmosphere (even as we suspect his hands were somewhat tied by television restrictions).

The cast is loaded with familiar faces, some who’d go on to bigger things (like Bonnie Bedelia), others who’ve been around forever. It wasn’t until re-watching it this time that I realized Elisha Cook Jr. and Marie Windsor once played together as husband and wife in the classic heist film, The Killing. They’re married in this one, too, but certainly get along better. Overall, the performances are perfunctory, save for Mason, who’s wonderfully sinister and steals the entire movie.

Salem’s Lot looks a bit quaint these days, though there’s a lot of nostalgic fun to be found here. It’s probably nowhere near as scary as you remember it, but story remains engaging and, if nothing else, it’s still better than the two subsequent attempts to remake it. Now back in print, this is a re-issue of a previously released DVD. Except for a trailer for the theatrical version, no additional bonus material is included, nor has the picture or sound been upgraded.

THE MONKEY Business

THE MONKEY (Blu-ray)

2025 / 98 min

Neon/Decal Releasing

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

“The best Stephen King movie in decades,” touts a gushing review quote on the back cover. While I’m not quite sure I concur, The Monkey is arguably one of the best adaptations of a King short story, which initially might be considered faint praise. Like most of ‘em, it takes the basic concept, pads it out to feature length and slaps the author’s name above the title for marquee value.

But unlike such cinematic swill as Children of the Corn, The Lawnmower Man and Graveyard Shift, this one is the work of a genuinely good filmmaker. Writer-director Osgood Perkins not only knows how to put together a solid horror film, he uses King’s story as an opportunity to step outside his own personal comfort zone by cranking out the goriest, funniest and narratively outrageous movie of his career.

This is certainly no Longlegs, Perkins’ last film, which was an atmospheric, slow-burning piece of 'elevated' horror (and perhaps just a tad overpraised). Theo James plays Hal and Bill Shelburn, twin siblings who’ve been tormented most of their lives by a mysterious drum-playing toy monkey brought home by their absentee father when they were kids. Whenever it’s wound-up and starts playing, someone they know dies in an accident (really violently). 

The first act takes place when the Shelburns are in their early teens (and played by Christian Convery). Bill is the meaner of the two, subjecting Hal to constant verbal abuse. Still, both agree that the monkey might be responsible for the deaths of people close to them. After being subjected to a humiliating prank by his brother, Hal winds-up the monkey hoping it'll kill Bill, but instead their mother dies because monkey kills whomever it chooses and doesn't take requests. Since it can’t be destroyed, the boys drop it into a well.

"Yes, I do like that song...so leave it."

Fast forward 25 years…Hal is a loner with visitation rights to estranged teenage son Petey (Colin O’Brien) for one week a year. Concurrently, the aunt who raised he and Bill suddenly dies. The violent nature of her death has Bill suspecting it might somehow be the work of the monkey. With Petey in tow, he returns to his hometown, where the monkey has been sold in an estate sale. Locals left-and-right are also dying at an alarming rate because somebody keeps winding it up. I won’t reveal who because that’s one of the film’s more amusing plot turns.

Speaking of amusing, The Monkey is primarily played for laughs, mostly through quirky characters, clever dialogue and death scenes that are not-only shocking…they’re shockingly funny. Yet at the same time, the film is atmospheric and occasionally chilling (that monkey really is creepy). It also boasts a great dual performance by James, who looks like he had a ball playing both lead roles. 

While Longlegs garnered Osgood Perkins more mainstream notoriety and critical accolades (deservedly so, to an extent), The Monkey is a lot more fun. It’s a fast-paced, morbidly funny slab of splatstick horror that may not be high art, but never descends into self-aware stupidity either. And if nothing else, you gotta admire the director’s determination not to repeat himself.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Outrageously Gory and Thoroughly Gratuitous (making-of); The Cast of The Monkey; Becoming Hal and Bill.

TRAILERS

FUNERAL PROGRAMS - Faux-programs commemorating the “passing” of a few of the film’s victims.