Roberto Scarlato's Blog, page 12

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

This has to be one of the largest collections of short stories I have ever seen to date. At a startling 912 pages, I would be highly surprised if you read though this entire tome with no favorites. It is impossible, I tell you. Fortunately, I didn't find it necessary to strain my eyes because the pocket paperback version looks like it was printed in size ten font. In all likelihood that means that if you lost the corner of a page, say if it tore against something, you'd probably be losing 250 words or more just from that small rip. So, I decided to rent the audio book and listened to it an hour before I would go into work, which, at that time, I was working as a busser at an upscale restaurant. I would just sit in the parking lot, sometimes fumbling with my tie in the rear view mirror as I listened to spine-tingling tales.
Here are the best stories of the bunch, in my opinion.
Dolan's Cadillac - A bittersweet tale of revenge in which a widower gets the drop, quite literally, on a mob-affiliated bad guy who had a hand in the murder of his wife.
The End of The Whole Mess - This story was narrated by Matthew Broderick. It tells the story of a man who is trying to rid the world of human violence by inspecting a certain community's drinking water. But what he finds is way more destructive than violence itself.
The Night Flier - This is the tale of a vampire who invades the skies in a small cesna plane, which substitutes as a perfect mobile coffin. Wherever he lands, he feeds, then takes to the air. A reporter is trying to track him down. I remember this was made into a horror movie that was also very close adaptation of the original.
Chattery Teeth - A man wronged in the past by a hitchhiker makes the mistake again but this time doesn't pay such a heavy price. With him he carries a pair of chattery teeth. It looks like a harmless child's toy but there is more to be said about innocent smiling trinkets.
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band - This one isn't scary. Just disturbing. A husband and wife, knowing they are lost, pull into a small town where they try to peacefully figure out their predicament over food at a local diner. The problem is they notice that the guests and staff look very similar to dead rockers and singers of yesteryear.
Sorry, Right Number - This is recorded as a radio play, much in the same vein as that Radio show called Suspense! (You can still find it on iTunes), where they debuted the episode, Sorry, Wrong Number. Now, having heard both, I respect each interpretation and think that each one is equally disturbing.
Crouch End - This tale was narrated by Tim Curry. Oh, and he does give a chilling narration to this story. Two London police officers working the night shift are discussing a case in which a woman came into the precinct in hysterics. Saying that her husband had disappeared and that there were monsters afoot.
The Doctor's Case - A mystery story involving Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. In a startling turn of events, Dr. Watson actually solves the mystery. Not a bad interpretation. Very much like Conan Doyle. Sounded nothing like a Stephen King story.
Umney's Last Case - A stubborn detective in the 1930's gets a surprise visit from one fellow named Landry who happens to be the fiction writer who wrote him. Now, having lived his life penning the 1930's, Landry wants to switch places with Umney.

Skelton Crew

[image error] This one collection kept me occupied when I frequented laundromats. It was so cram-packed with stories. Some chilling, some weird, but always a wide ride. Here are my favorites from Stephen King's Skeleton Crew.
The Mist - Included was the novella called The Mist, in which a group of survivors occupy a local grocery store as a ghostly mist covers the land. But, within the mist are dark creatures from another world that are hungry as well. Got about halfway before I moved on to the short stories. Just couldn't finish it. Too disturbing for me. But I did see the movie version and was equally terrified by that.
The Jaunt - By far the scariest science fiction story I've read in recent years. It's about a family about to use a device to travel that has been around for a while. The father explains to his son how someone stumbled onto the device, how it works, how they tested it on prisoners. But the father also explains how it is very important that all passengers inhale the sleeping gas before the trip. No human can be conscious in the jaunt. I was not prepared for the twist ending at all. But, man, was that story a trip.
Word Processor of The Gods - A hapless writer with an abusive wife and a teen son is the recent recipient of a hand-built word processor. What he comes to find out is that he can write things into existence. Whats worse...he can also delete things. Namely, abusive people.
Survivor Type - Disgraced surgeon, Richard Pine, is trapped on an island. Destined to write out the rest of his days trying to survive, he writes about smuggling drugs and the eventual madness that sets in. It's a gruesome little tale in diary form. There's no end to the lengths he will go to just to survive. After braking his ankle while trying to flag down a plane, he amputates it, desperate for something to eat.

Everything's Eventual

There may be 14 dark tales in this collection, but I would say that 6 of these stories are pure gold. Read this one while I was still in high school.
Autopsy Room Four - A man is paralyzed but the medics pronounced him dead. Now he must try to find a way to alert them to their own mistake. It's kind of a re-hash of a popular Alfred Hitchcock episode but it is still pretty well written.
The Man In The Black Suit - A creepy man pays a little boy a visit. Very chilling. Kind of reminds me of that crazy ghost preacher in Poltergeist 2. This story nabbed King an O. Henry award.
The Road Virus Heads North - a man, while browsing a garage sale, picks up a sinister painting that seems to change in appearance as he drives home. The real question is...what is waiting for him when he gets there?
Lunch at The Gotham Cafe - A man and a woman are in the midst of a divorce settlement. They meet the lawyer at a popular cafe. But, to their surprise, a matre d goes nuts and starts slicing everything in his path. This was later turned into a short film which King praised in public.
1408 - I saw the movie of this first and thought it was brilliant. But the story was great too. It was like a little seedling of what is essentially a good haunted hotel room story. Much of the dialogue used is in the movie so it has my stamp of approval. Funny thing is, King used this story in his book On Writing to show how he edits his work. What started as an example became a financial succes in the box office. The film grossed $131 Million worldwide.
Riding the Bullet - This story became Stephen's intro into e-books. During the first 24 hours, 400,000 copies were downloaded. A man decides to hitchhike, on his way to his sick mother, but when a stranger picks him up, he gives his passenger a choice: "Either you die or your mother does. Who will it be?"

Night Shift

Okay, so I know were back to King books again but this time I'm taking you through the short story collections in the order I read them. If there is one thing I can count on with King, it's that he could weave a good yarn big or small.
The first collection I was ever introduced to was Night Shift. On a whim I picked up an audio book of it and would listen to it in my car at 2am before I would head into work as a preloader for a shipping company an hour later. If anything, these stories kept me awake with their atmosphere as well as the bone-chilling situations. Here are some of my favorites.

The Mangler - a terrifying story about a laundry machine that will mangle you if you get too close. Seems to have a life of its own.
The Boogeyman - a troubled man meets with a psychiatrist to discuss his past of nighlty visits by what he calls the boogeyman. A really nice twist at the end.
The Lawnmower Man - a man has a run in with a weird human-like being that manipulates lawnmowers with his mind. Oddly enough, this was the basis for the movie The Lawnmower Man starring Jeff Fahey and Pierce Brosnan. However, King so disliked the outcome that he sued the filmmakers for changing his work that bared "no meaningful resemblance." Good story, very weird.
Quitters, Inc. - One man tries to come to grips with quitting his smoking habit. So he hires a company that does it for him. But the company is more than just a healthy reminder, they are stealthy and all the way extreme. Quitting might be the least of his troubles.

The Heart-shaped Box

For those of you that don't know, this title is written under Stephen King's Son. Since his son wanted to strike out on his own, without the help of his father's fame, he decided to publish his books under the name of Joe Hill. He's also written a short story collection called 20th Century Ghosts, which I have not read yet. But the real breakout novel I'm here to discuss is The Heart-Shaped Box. Wow, what a ride.
Right from the first chapter, we are propelled into the life of retired rocker Judas Coyne. We get a glimpse of the macabre items he collects. He is said to have a painting by John Wayne Gacy, a skull, a couple snuff films, etc. But when his buddy finds a dead man's suit on ebay, he gives Judas a call. Jude, as they call him, can't resist such a deal. So he buys the suit and it comes in a heart-shaped box. But, as the days are passing, things are happening that can't be explained away. It seems the ghost of the dead man is still attached to the suit, now infecting Jude's life with creepy things in the night.
The characters, atmosphere and storytelling really shines in this one. My buddy Matt was singing praises of this book non-stop. Only after my wife and I read the entire thing did he then reveal that this was Stephen King's boy. Well, it shows.

Life Expectancy

Although some would describe Life Expectancy as suspense, I feel that there are roots grounded in horror. So, okay, the cover doesn't look like much. And yes, it does remind me of that one Goosebumps book: The Cuckoo Clock of Doom. But the story itself, a man who knows he will have five horrid days in his life just screams terror. This was the first book I read of Dean Koontz and I've been chugging along trying to see if Koontz could recapture that lightning in a bottle. Sadly, after reading nine of his titles, it doesn't look like I'll have a terrifying ride as I've had with this one. If anyone out there knows of a good Dean Koontz title that is completely underated, be sure to let me know in the comments section.

Red Dragon

[image error] Thomas Harris is among the top of the list of my favorite writers of all time. Why? It's due to his methodical way of working. To his credit, Thomas works slowly. So slowly, in fact, it seems he only comes out with a book once every ten years. Which is a long stretch for any writer. But this just ensures me that he takes time with his art and heavily researches his material. Case in point: Red Dragon.
Red Dragon is the beginning of an already dark tale. Will Graham, a brilliant FBI profiler is pulled out of his own self-retirement to catch a killer known only as the Tooth Fairy. But the FBI is getting desperate. They beg Will to sign on to the case, in hopes that he could crack this one. But Will still has his own demons to work out, namely, seeking the help of his old nemesis: Hannibal Lecter.
This was the first story that touched on the iconic villain of Lecter. It was later turned into a movie by Michael Mann in the eighties called Manhunter which held great critics reviews but failed miserably in the box office. Years later, Thomas writes The Silence of The Lambs, which I have not read yet and don't intend to read, ever. The reason? The film was all I needed. Going back, I remember reading this in high school, sometimes thumbing through the pages on the way to my next class. The writing draws you in. It's like poetry in motion. There is a reason why this author is a master at prose... because he takes his time.
Sure, I have read the sequel Hannibal and Hannibal Rising, how Hannibal became a cannibal, which I hold both books in high regard. But I always keep coming back to Red Dragon, which was a scary, suspenseful thriller that has left a mark.

Frankenstein

Speaking of Frankenstein, did you know that till this day, people still refer to the creature as Frankenstein when, in actuality, it's really supposed to be Frankenstein's monster?
Though I have yet to clear ten pages of it, I am fascinated with its creation.
Mary Shelly was only eighteen when she penned this Gothic tale. Legend has it that she spent a cold stormy night with Lord Byron and John Polidori, weaving ghostly tales to amuse themselves. While one wrote about a talkative skull and another envisioned the story known as The Vampyre, Shelly wrote her tale of terror and found success.
One day I will read the entire book, which looks to be a quick read. But what inspires me the most about this woman, is that she finally realized she was a success when she said, " I think I can maintain myself, and there is something inspiriting in the idea."
Oh, and one very important detail that you may not be familiar with. In the original story, there was never a character named Igor.

Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde

This is another case of slim novel (Novella, in fact), but perfect execution. Robert Louis Stevenson who was famous for Treasure Island and Kidnapped first penned this forever immortalized classic in just three days. Three days. That's when he had entered a period so few writers are familiar with: a white-hot fury of words. When he showed the manuscript to his wife, she suggested that it be written as an allegorical story. Stevenson thought about it then burned his manuscript, showing her the ashes and forcing himself to write the whole thing over which took another three days.
Upon its publication in 1886, it was sold for one U.S. dollar to people, the book was slowly building it's success. By 1901 it had sold 250,000 copies. Not bad for a rewrite.
Today, the story still fascinates us. It's been rewritten by other authors, parodied and played by several actors and ranks up there with the likes of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man.
Quite recently it was adapted as a mini series by the BBC and written by Steven Moffat, the creator of Sherlock, updating the tale and bringing a new face of horror to the already classic tale of dual personalities.

The Island of Dr. Moreau

Many would view The Island of Dr. Moreau as a science fiction novel. And it is classified that in libraries. But when I read this story for the first time on my kindle, I was in for a shock. Like so many terrifying tales before it, it is not what is shown to you that is horrifying. It is what you don't see. It a slim novel but very hard to get through seeing as how you're almost too stunned to turn the next page.