Dolan's Cadillac (novella)

Last updated
Dolan's Cadillac
AuthorStephen King
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s) crime, thriller, novella
Published inCastle Rock, Nightmares & Dreamscapes
Publication type Anthology
Publisher Viking
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Publication date 1985

"Dolan's Cadillac" is a novella by Stephen King. It was originally published in Castle Rock, King's official newsletter, in monthly installments from February to June 1985. In 1993, "Dolan's Cadillac" was collected in Nightmares & Dreamscapes . The story is narrated by the protagonist, a schoolteacher, and there is only one other main character, Dolan.

Contents

Plot

Robinson, the narrator, is a schoolteacher who lives in Las Vegas. He has become a widower after Dolan, a wealthy crime-boss, had his wife murdered with a car bomb in order to prevent her from testifying against him. The murder remains unsolved, and Robinson, unskilled in the arts of revenge, has no recourse. Over a seven-year period, however, Robinson—mentally haunted by his wife's voice—devises a scheme of retaliation.

Discovering that Dolan regularly takes the same route along State Route 71 when traveling to Los Angeles while in his Cadillac, Robinson decides to trick Dolan into missing a detour on his usual route and bury him in the car. Nothing else would even have a chance of working, as Dolan's Cadillac is too well-armored against conventional threats, and Dolan himself is an intensely vigilant man. Robinson takes on an arduous summer job with a road paving crew so that he can learn to operate the heavy equipment needed to excavate an oblong ditch just long and deep enough to contain the car, but not so wide as to allow escape through its doors.

Circumstances align to ensure that a road work that Robinson can use will be occurring on an occasion that Dolan will be travelling along the highway over a Fourth of July holiday weekend, ensuring that Robinson can prepare the trap without fear of interruption, though the physical effort and mental strain of doing so single-handedly proves agonising to Robinson. On the night the plan is attempted, however, Robinson's trap works flawlessly, and Dolan's Cadillac drops into the pit as the altered section of road collapses under its weight. One of Dolan's bodyguards is killed in the crash, while the other, crushed by the engine block, screams out in agony and panic, prompting Dolan to kill him. Robinson greets him and announces his intent on burying Dolan alive. Dolan addresses Robinson by name, luring Robinson to lean closer, narrowly missing as he fires a few bullets skyward. Robinson proceeds with the burial.

Dolan attempts to reason, negotiate, and finally plead for his freedom, gradually becoming less coherent as the sound of dirt cascading over the Cadillac's roof erodes his sanity. Robinson takes no interest in any of Dolan's offers, but does offer one of his own, promising to release Dolan if he can scream as loud as the explosives that killed Robinson's wife. None of Dolan's attempts are judged sufficient, and Robinson delightedly listens as Dolan's mind crumbles. With what must be the last gasp of air left to him, Dolan screams out, "For the love of God, Robinson!" (An allusion to The Cask of Amontillado) as the latter drops the last piece of paving into place.

The strain of his efforts takes a physical and mental toll on Robinson, causing him to collapse with exhaustion and a severely injured back. He manages to recover, never returning to roadwork, and a fortuitous sandstorm works to ensure that Dolan will remain hidden; his disappearance goes largely unmourned, and the press jokes that he is "playing dominos or shooting pool somewhere with Jimmy Hoffa."

Robinson muses that one day, the sinkhole created by the buried Cadillac will cause the road above it to collapse, risking its discovery; however, the specifications Dolan ordered to protect himself will ironically ensure that this will not occur for a long while, and it may even just be covered over again. He notes that he occasionally drove along the same highway, and on the final occasion urinated on the spot where he believed Dolan was buried, but has since taken to driving an alternate route. He concludes by revealing that his wife's voice no longer haunts him, which he finds a relief, but that he has occasionally glimpsed visions of Dolan's emaciated corpse.

Adaptations

The 2008 film version of "Dolan's Cadillac" was directed by Jeff Beesley, scripted by Richard Dooling and starred Christian Slater as Dolan, Wes Bentley as Robinson, and Emmanuelle Vaugier as Robinson's wife. [1] The film was shot in Regina and Moose Jaw. J-pop idol Crystal Kay performed its theme song, "Hold On". [2]

The audiobook version of this story was narrated by actor Rob Lowe. [3]

Notes

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Umneys Last Case</i> Short story by Stephen King

Umney's Last Case is a short story by American author Stephen King, first published in King's collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993). In July 1995, it was published as a separate paperback as part of Penguin's 60th anniversary.

<i>Nightmares & Dreamscapes</i> Short story collection by Stephen King

Nightmares & Dreamscapes is a short story collection by American author Stephen King, published in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cask of Amontillado</span> Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Cask of Amontillado" is a short story by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the November 1846 issue of Godey's Lady's Book. The story, set in an unnamed Italian city at carnival time, is about a man taking fatal revenge on a friend who, he believes, has insulted him. Like several of Poe's stories, and in keeping with the 19th-century fascination with the subject, the narrative follows a person being buried alive – in this case, by immurement. As in "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart", Poe conveys the story from the murderer's perspective.

"The End of the Whole Mess" is a short science fiction story by American writer Stephen King, first published in Omni Magazine in 1986. It was collected in King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes in 1993 and in Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse in 2008. The story is written in the form of a personal journal, and tells the story of the narrator Howard Fornoy's genius younger brother's attempt to cure humanity's aggressive tendencies.

"The Ten O'Clock People" is a short story by American author Stephen King, published in the Nightmares & Dreamscapes collection. Unlike many of King's stories which take place in fictional places like Castle Rock, Maine, "The Ten O'Clock People" takes place in Boston, Massachusetts. A film adaptation has been announced.

"Suffer the Little Children" is a horror short story by American writer Stephen King. It was first published by Cavalier in February 1972. The story was later published as part of the collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes in 1993. In the "Notes" section of Nightmares & Dreamscapes, King wrote that it was originally supposed to be published in his 1978 collection Night Shift, but editor Bill Thompson opted to have it cut. King had wanted to cut "Gray Matter", but deferred to Thompson's choice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainy Season (short story)</span> Short story by Stephen King

Rainy Season is a short horror story by Stephen King, first published in the Spring 1989 issue of Midnight Graffiti magazine, and later included in King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes collection. It ended a bout of writer's block from which King had been suffering.

"Crouch End" is a horror story by Stephen King, set in the real-life North London district of Crouch End, originally published in New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos (1980), and republished in a slightly different version in King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes collection (1993). It contains distinct references to the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft.

<i>Dreamscape</i> (1984 film) 1984 film by Joseph Ruben

Dreamscape is a 1984 American dark science-fiction adventure film directed by Joseph Ruben and written by David Loughery, with Chuck Russell and Ruben co-writing. It stars Dennis Quaid, Kate Capshaw, Max von Sydow and Christopher Plummer.

"You Know They Got a Hell of a Band" is a 1992 horror short story by American writer Stephen King. It was first published January 1992 in the horror anthology Shock Rock and later included in King's collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes. It concerns a young couple on a road trip in Oregon when they accidentally wander into a small town inhabited by dead rock and roll legends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Premature Burial</span> Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Premature Burial" is a horror short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1844 in The Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper. Its main character expresses concern about being buried alive. This fear was common in this period and Poe was taking advantage of the public interest. The story has been adapted to a film.

"The Road Virus Heads North" is a short story by Stephen King. The story first appeared in 999, an anthology published in 1999 and edited by Al Sarrantonio. In 2002, it was collected in King's Everything's Eventual.

"The Fifth Quarter" is a short story by American author Stephen King, originally published in the April 1972 issue of Cavalier and later collected in King's 1993 collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes. It was filmed as an episode of the TNT miniseries Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King.

The Beggar and the Diamond is a re-telling of a Hindu parable written by Stephen King which was published as part of his 1993 short story collection, Nightmares & Dreamscapes. It begins with an author's note explaining that the origin of the story and that in the original Hindu version of the story, God is Shiva and the archangel is his wife, Parvati. It is not listed in the contents of Nightmares & Dreamscapes.

"Chattery Teeth" is a short story by American writer Stephen King. It was originally published in Cemetery Dance and was later collected in Nightmares & Dreamscapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hop-Frog</span> Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"Hop-Frog" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1849. The title character, a person with dwarfism taken from his homeland, becomes the jester of a king particularly fond of practical jokes. Taking revenge on the king and his cabinet for the king's striking of his friend and fellow dwarf Trippetta, he dresses the king and his cabinet as orangutans for a masquerade. In front of the king's guests, Hop-Frog murders them all by setting their costumes on fire before escaping with Trippetta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Allan Poe in television and film</span>

American poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe has had significant influence in television and film. Many are adaptations of Poe's work, others merely reference it.

<i>Dolans Cadillac</i> (film) 2009 Canadian film

Dolan's Cadillac is a 2009 Canadian crime film starring Wes Bentley, Christian Slater and Emmanuelle Vaugier. It is based on a novella of the same name by Stephen King.

<i>Tales of Poe</i> American film

Tales of Poe is a 2014 anthology film directed by independent filmmakers Bart Mastronardi and Alan Rowe Kelly. As of February 2019, the film has grossed over $5k from video sales.

References

  1. ↑ "Dolan's Cadillac Starts its Engine". June 9, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Crystal Kay Sings For US Film!". August 17, 2008. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
  3. ↑ King, Stephen. "Nightmares & Dreamscapes". Official page. Stephen King. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.