Graveyard Shift (1990 film)

Last updated
Graveyard Shift
Graveyard Shift film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRalph S. Singleton
Screenplay byJohn Esposito
Based on "Graveyard Shift"
Stephen King
Produced byWilliam J. Dunn
Ralph S. Singleton
Starring
Cinematography Peter Stein
Edited byJim Gross
Randy Jon Morgan
Music byBrian Banks
Anthony Marinelli
Production
companies
Distributed by Paramount Pictures (North America and Japan)
Columbia Tri-Star Film Distributors International (International)
Release date
  • October 26, 1990 (1990-10-26)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10.5 million [2]
Box office$11.6 million [3]

Graveyard Shift (also known as Stephen King's Graveyard Shift) is a 1990 American horror film directed by Ralph S. Singleton, written by John Esposito, starring David Andrews, Stephen Macht, Kelly Wolf, and Brad Dourif, and based on the 1970 short story of the same name by Stephen King [4] which was first published in the October 1970 issue of Cavalier magazine, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift . [4] The film was released in October 1990.

Contents

Plot

Widowed drifter John Hall is hired to work in an old rat-infested textile mill next to an abandoned graveyard by the sadistic mill foreman, Warwick. Warwick has been carrying on numerous affairs with female workers, the latest being Nordello. Warwick has hired eccentric rat exterminator Tucker Cleveland to take care of the rat problem. Cleveland confides in Hall that he is unable to kill all of the rats and the mill should be shut down. In the following weeks, Hall is bullied by both his fellow workers Danson, Brogan, and Stevenson, and Warwick, who holds a special hatred for him. Hall begins a romantic relationship with his coworker Jane Wisconsky.

Warwick is informed that the basement must be cleaned up to due to major safety violations that could shut the mill down. Warwick assigns Stevenson to look through the basement and string up lights before he assigns a crew to clean it out, but he's grabbed by a creature and dragged away.

Hall, Wisconsky, Carmichael, Danson and Brogan are assigned to clean the basement. That night, Nordello breaks in to Warwick's office to steal documents showing recommendations for the mill’s closure from the exterminator and OSHA. As she leaves, Nordello falls down the stairs into the basement, where the creature devours her. Meanwhile, Warwick believes the graveyard to be the breeding ground for the rats. Cleveland is blackmailed by Warwick to exterminate the rat problem in the graveyard, but he's killed when a stone coffin falls on him.

While cleaning out the basement, Brogan keeps busy by shooting rats with the fire hose. Hall later discovers a trap door leading to an abandoned part of the mill, which he believes to be the nesting ground for the rat infestation. Warwick forces Hall to enter with a fire hose to kill the rats, but Hall only agrees on the condition that Warwick help him in handling the fire hose. Wisconsky also volunteers, and Warwick forces the remaining workers to go as well, and once downstairs they discover caves beneath the mill. Brogan discovers a severed human hand and, terrified, runs back up, but one of the stairs breaks and he falls into the pool beneath, where the creature devours him.

Carmichael discovers a cave passage with the sound of an outside river and encourages the team to follow him. Once inside, he discovers a hole through which they can reach outside. When Carmichael puts his hand through the hole, he is attacked by the creature, which rips his arm off. The team abandons Carmichael as he is devoured by the creature; a terrified Danson refuses to keep going and is also abandoned by the team. Left alone in complete darkness and hearing a strange noise next to him, he lights a lighter and encounters the creature, who immediately devours him.

Hall and Wisconsky discover the creature’s lair, a large cavern filled with human and animal bones. Wisconsky discovers Warwick buried beneath a pile of bones. Now insane, Warwick attacks Hall and Wisconsky, engaging Hall in a brutal battle. Wisconsky attempts to stop him, only to be stabbed by Warwick with a knife. Warwick flees from a vengeful Hall, only to come upon the creature: a large, bat-like rat. Warwick attacks and injures it, only to be killed and devoured. Seeing this, Hall flees and manages to escape into the mill, but the creature follows him and attacks. The creature gets its tail caught in the cotton picker as it closes in on Hall, so he turns on the cotton picker, shredding the creature. The final shot shows a sign outside the still-open mill, stating the mill is under new management.

TV Extended Ending

Hall punches out ending his shift, and he also punches Wisconsky's shift before leaving the mill.

Cast

Production

Stephen King optioned Graveyard Shift for a relatively modest $2,500 to William J. Dunn who had worked on King projects such as Creepshow 2 and Pet Sematary as a location scout, as well as having helped to establish the Maine Film Office. [2] King's decision to option Graveyard Shift for a relatively small amount was motivated by the story being a short story as well as the company being small and felt they had interesting enough ideas to warrant as "Pay as you go" type approach. [2] Dunn brought in Ralph S. Singleton to direct the film in what would be his directorial debut after having previously served as an associate producer on Pet Sematary. [2] The adaptation of the Graveyard Shift was written by John Esposito who had actually been carried over from work under another producer who had previously held the option on the story but let it lapse. [2] Dunn secured financial backing for the film from Larry Sugar Entertainment who had previously handled the European theatrical release of Salem's Lot edited from the TV miniseries, and opted to produce Graveyard Shift independently which was motivated by the success of Pet Sematary. [2] Larry Sugar put the film immediately into production hoping to be the very first King adaptation after Pet Sematery, and upon the film's unveiling at the American Film Market, Paramount acquired distribution rights hoping to repeat the success of having distributed Pet Semetary. [2]

The film was shot in the village of Harmony, Maine at Bartlettyarns Inc., the oldest woolen yarn mill in the United States (est. 1821). The historic Bartlett mill was renamed "Bachman" for the movie, an homage to King's pseudonym, Richard Bachman. The interior shots of the antique mill machinery, and the riverside cemetery, were in Harmony. Other scenes (restaurant interior, and giant wool picking machine) were at locations in Bangor, Maine, at an abandoned waterworks and armory. A few other mill scenes were staged near the Eastland woolen mill in Corinna, Maine, which subsequently became a Superfund site.

Reception

The film was received poorly by critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a rare 0% approval rating based on seven reviews. [5] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "C−" on scale of A+ to F. [6]

The film was released October 26, 1990 in the United States opening in first place for the weekend, however due to negative word of mouth Graveyard Shift saw a steep drop off in attendance the following weekends. [7] It grossed a total of $11,582,891 domestically. [3]

Stephen King heavily disliked the film and named it one of his least favorite adaptations calling it "a quick exploitation picture". [8]

Home media

Graveyard Shift was released on VHS and Laserdisc in 1991. The DVD was released on May 28, 2002, and re-released on August 15, 2017 by Paramount Home Entertainment. Columbia TriStar released the film on Region DVDs and VHS from 1992-2003. The film was released on Blu-ray in France on October 3, 2011, Spain and Germany in 2017. On July 28, 2020, Shout! Factory under the Scream Factory label released the film on Blu-ray.

Soundtrack

A limited edition soundtrack release, featuring the score by Anthony Marinelli and Brian Banks, was released on October 6, 2020 from La-La Land Records. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Four Past Midnight</i> Collection of novellas by Stephen King

Four Past Midnight is a collection of novellas written by Stephen King in 1988 and 1989 and published in August 1990. It is his second book of this type, the first one being Different Seasons. The collection won the Bram Stoker Award in 1990 for Best Collection and was nominated for a Locus Award in 1991. In the introduction, King says that, while a collection of four novellas like Different Seasons, this book is more strictly horror with elements of the supernatural.

<i>Braindead</i> (film) 1992 film by Peter Jackson

Braindead is a 1992 New Zealand zombie comedy splatter film directed by Peter Jackson, produced by Jim Booth, and written by Stephen Sinclair, Fran Walsh, and Jackson based on an original story idea by Sinclair. It stars Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody and Ian Watkin. The plot follows Lionel, a young man living in South Wellington with his strict mother Vera. After Lionel becomes romantically entangled with a girl named Paquita, Vera is bitten by a hybrid rat-monkey creature and begins to transform into a zombie, while also infecting swathes of the city's populace.

<i>Cujo</i> Novel by Stephen King

Cujo is a 1981 horror novel by American writer Stephen King about a rabid Saint Bernard. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982 and was made into a film in 1983. Cujo's name was based on the alias of Willie Wolfe, one of the men responsible for orchestrating Patty Hearst's kidnapping and indoctrination into the Symbionese Liberation Army. King discusses Cujo in On Writing, referring to it as a novel he "barely remembers writing at all." King wrote the book during the height of his struggle with alcohol addiction. King goes on to say he likes the book and wishes he could remember enjoying the good parts as he put them on the page.

<i>Pet Sematary</i> 1983 novel by Stephen King

Pet Sematary is a 1983 horror novel by American writer Stephen King. The novel was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1984, and adapted into two films: one in 1989 and another in 2019. In November 2013, PS Publishing released Pet Sematary in a limited 30th-anniversary edition.

<i>Creepshow</i> 1982 horror comedy anthology film by George A. Romero

Creepshow is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Leslie Nielsen, Carrie Nye, E. G. Marshall, and Viveca Lindfors, Ted Danson and Ed Harris, as well as King himself. The film was primarily shot on location in Pittsburgh and its suburbs, including Monroeville, where Romero leased an old boys' academy to build extensive sets for the film.

<i>Insomnia</i> (novel) 1994 novel by Stephen King

Insomnia is a 1994 horror/fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King. It follows retired widower Ralph Roberts, whose increasing insomnia allows him to perceive auras and other hidden things, leading him to join a conflict between the forces of the Purpose and the Random. Like It and Dreamcatcher, the story is set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine. It includes connections to other Stephen King stories, particularly his novel series The Dark Tower. Insomnia was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Rock (Stephen King)</span> Part of Stephen Kings fictional Maine

Castle Rock is a fictional town appearing in Stephen King's fictional Maine topography, providing the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. Castle Rock first appeared in King's 1979 novel The Dead Zone and has since been referred to or used as the primary setting in many other works by King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derry (Stephen King)</span> Fictional setting of the "It" universe

Derry is a fictional town in the U.S. state of Maine that has served as the setting for a number of Stephen King's novels, novellas, and short stories, notably It. Derry first appeared in King's 1981 short story "The Bird and the Album" and has reappeared as recently as his 2011 novel 11/22/63.

<i>Willard</i> (2003 film) 2003 American film

Willard is a 2003 American psychological horror film written and directed by Glen Morgan and starring Crispin Glover, R. Lee Ermey and Laura Elena Harring. It is loosely based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert, as well as on the novel's first film adaptation, Willard (1971), and its sequel, Ben (1972). It was not billed as a remake by the producers, who chose instead to present it as a reworking of the themes from the original with a stronger focus on suspense.

<i>Pet Sematary Two</i> 1992 film by Mary Lambert

Pet Sematary Two is a 1992 American supernatural horror film directed by Mary Lambert and written by Richard Outten. It is the sequel to the film Pet Sematary (1989), which was based on Stephen King's 1983 novel of the same name and the second film in the Pet Sematary film series. The film stars Edward Furlong, Anthony Edwards, and Clancy Brown. Pet Sematary Two was theatrically released in the United States on August 28, 1992, by Paramount Pictures and grossed $17.1 million worldwide. It received negative reviews from critics, but Brown's performance received critical acclaim.

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

"Graveyard Shift" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the October 1970 issue of Cavalier magazine and collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift. It was adapted into a 1990 film of the same name.

<i>Pet Sematary</i> (1989 film) 1989 film by Mary Lambert

Pet Sematary is a 1989 American supernatural horror film and the first adaptation of Stephen King's 1983 novel of the same name. Directed by Mary Lambert, with King writing the screenplay, it stars Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Blaze Berdahl, Fred Gwynne, and Miko Hughes as Gage Creed. The title is a sensational spelling of "pet cemetery".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet Sematary (song)</span> 1989 single by Ramones

"Pet Sematary" is a single by American punk rock band Ramones, from their 1989 album Brain Drain. The song, originally written for the Stephen King 1989 film adaptation of the same name, became one of the Ramones' biggest radio hits and was a staple of their concerts during the 1990s. The song plays over the film’s credits.

<i>The Rats</i> (novel) 1974 horror novel by James Herbert

The Rats (1974) is a horror novel by British writer James Herbert. This was Herbert's first novel and included graphic depictions of death and mutilation.

<i>Of Unknown Origin</i> 1983 film by George P. Cosmatos

Of Unknown Origin is a 1983 psychological horror film directed by George P. Cosmatos, and starring Peter Weller, Jennifer Dale, Lawrence Dane, Maury Chaykin, and Shannon Tweed. Based on the 1979 novel The Visitor by Chauncey G. Parker III, it focuses on a mild-mannered Manhattan banker who becomes increasingly obsessive and destructive in his attempts to kill a rat loose in his renovated brownstone. The film's title refers to the misconception that rats have no known origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerusalem's Lot (Stephen King)</span> Fictional town

Jerusalem's Lot, Maine is a fictional town and a part of writer Stephen King's fictional Maine topography. 'Salem's Lot has served as the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. It first appeared in King's 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot, and has reappeared as late as his 2019 novel The Institute. The town is described as being located in Cumberland County, between the towns of Falmouth, Windham, and Cumberland, near the southern part of the state about 10 miles north of Portland. A map on King's official website, though, places 'Salem's Lot considerably further north, approximately in Northwest Piscataquis.

<i>Pet Sematary</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer

Pet Sematary is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer from a screenplay by Jeff Buhler, based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Stephen King. It is the second film adaptation of the novel, following of the 1989 film. It is the third installment in the Pet Sematary film series. The film stars Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, and John Lithgow, and follows a family that discovers a mysterious graveyard in the woods behind their new home, capable of resurrecting the dead.

Gage William Creed is a fictional character created by Stephen King who is the primary antagonist of his 1983 novel Pet Sematary. In the novel, Gage is an innocent child who is accidentally killed by a speeding tanker truck. Gage's grieving father Louis brings him back to life by burying him in the titular cemetery, which is possessed by a Wendigo. Once reanimated, Gage is controlled by the Wendigo's evil spirit and murders his mother, Rachel, and their neighbor, Jud Crandall. Gage was portrayed in the 1989 film adaptation of the novel by Miko Hughes. He was portrayed in the 2019 remake by twins Hugo and Lucas Lavoie. Gage was also portrayed in a small cameo appearance by his creator, Stephen King, in the 1997 miniseries adaptation of The Shining. Gage is briefly mentioned in King's 1994 novel Insomnia, though he never makes an appearance.

<i>Pet Sematary: Bloodlines</i> 2023 film by Lindsey Anderson Beer

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by Lindsey Anderson Beer, and co-written by Beer and Jeff Buhler. Serving as a prequel to Pet Sematary (2019), which in turn was based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Stephen King. It is the fourth installment of the Pet Sematary film series and stars Jackson White, Forrest Goodluck, Jack Mulhern, Henry Thomas, Natalie Alyn Lind, Isabella Star LaBlanc, Samantha Mathis, Pam Grier and David Duchovny. Set in 1969, 50 years before the events of the previous film, the plot follows a young Jud Crandall as he discovers a local Native American cemetery where the dead can live again, without realizing the horror that will affect his life.

References

  1. 1 2 "Stephen King's Graveyard Shift (1990)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wood, Gary (December 1990). "Graveyard Shift". Cinefantastique . Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Graveyard Shift (1990)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Cavett Binion (2015). "Graveyard Shift". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 22, 2015.
  5. "Stephen King's 'Graveyard Shift' (1990)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  6. "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  7. "Weekend Box Office October 26-28, 1990". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  8. Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 2, 2016). "Stephen King On What Hollywood Owes Authors When Their Books Become Films: Q&A". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  9. "Graveyard Shift: Limited Edition Soundtrack". La-La Land Records. Retrieved 2020-10-15.