The Man in the Black Suit

Last updated
"The Man in the Black Suit"
Short story by Stephen King
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s) Horror
Publication
Published in Six Stories ,
Everything's Eventual
Publication type Anthology
Publisher Philtrum Press
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Publication date 1994

"The Man in the Black Suit" is a horror short story by American writer Stephen King. It was originally published in the October 31, 1994 issue of The New Yorker magazine.

Contents

In 1995, it won the World Fantasy Award and the O. Henry Award for Best Short Fiction.

In 1997, it was published in the limited-edition collection Six Stories .

In 2002, it was included in King's collection Everything's Eventual . King described the piece as an homage to Nathaniel Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown". He also states that the story evolved from one his friend told him, in which the friend's grandfather had come face to face with Satan himself in the form of an ordinary man. It was adapted into a short film, with the same title, in 2004 by Nicholas Mariani.

Plot summary

Set in the fictional town of Motton, Maine, "The Man in the Black Suit" recounts the tale of Gary, a nine-year-old boy, whose brother died, not long ago, due to a bee sting. One day, Gary goes out fishing and falls asleep. When he awakens, he's startled to discover a bee sitting on the edge of his nose. Although Gary doesn't share his brother's allergy to them, he is still scared. Suddenly, he hears a clap and the bee is dead. Turning around, Gary discovers a man with burning eyes looming over him. Dressed in a black three-piece suit, the man has pale skin and claw-like fingers. When he grins, his mouth exposes horrible shark-like teeth. The man—whose body odor smells like burnt match heads—tells Gary terrible things: that his mother has died while he was away, that his father intends to molest him, and that he (the man) intends to eat him. At first, Gary doesn't believe him. However, he soon realizes that the man is actually the devil. In order to dissuade the man in the black suit from eating him, Gary offers him a fish he caught, and the man swallows it whole. He tells Gary that he is still hungry so Gary tries to escape. The man pursues Gary to the outskirts of the forest. When Gary thinks he lost him, he sees the man right behind him. Throwing his fishing rod at the man, Gary continues to run home and meets his father outside.

Gary believes the man's claim until seeing his mother in the kitchen. Gary realizes that the things the man said were false. Gary's father can see that he is shaken but he eventually persuades him to return with him to the spot in the forest to bring back the rest of his fishing equipment. When they arrive at the spot where Gary met the man in the black suit, Gary's father examines the scene where the man lay down and can see that the grass is black and that there is a foul smell. Gary can then sense that his father knows that something out of the ordinary happened where Gary was fishing. Gary's father also tells him not to return there.

The story is narrated by Gary, looking back from his perspective as an elderly man. He is haunted by his belief that he escaped from the devil by sheer luck or his own wits. As the story draws to a close, we learn that he's frightened by the thought of his approaching death and the possibility of a second encounter with the man in the black suit. Gary knows that he won't be able to outwit him or outrun him in his old age.

Short film adaptation

The book was adapted into a short film in 2004, with actor/writer and comedian John Viener in the titular role.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen King</span> American writer (born 1947)

Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", his books have sold more than 350 million copies as of 2006, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. King has published over 65 novels/novellas, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections.

<i>The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger</i> Fantasy novel by American author Stephen King

The Gunslinger is a dark-fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It is the first volume in the Dark Tower series.

<i>The Body</i> (King novella) 1982 coming-of-age story novella by Stephen King

The Body is a novella by American writer Stephen King. The Body was published in King's 1982 collection Different Seasons and later adapted into the 1986 film Stand by Me.

"Still Valley" is episode 76 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.

<i>Cycle of the Werewolf</i> 1983 novella by Stephen King

Cycle of the Werewolf is a horror novella by American writer Stephen King, featuring illustrations by comic-book artist Bernie Wrightson. Each chapter is a short story unto itself. It tells the story of a werewolf haunting a small town as the moon turns full once every month. It was published as a limited-edition hardcover in 1983 by Land of Enchantment, and in 1985 as a mass-market trade paperback by Signet. King also wrote the screenplay for its film adaptation, Silver Bullet (1985). It is King's shortest novel to date at 127 pages, which makes it technically a novella.

"Gray Matter" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the October 1973 issue of Cavalier magazine, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift. The story is set in the same area as King's novel Dreamcatcher.

<i>Everythings Eventual</i> (novella) Novella by Stephen King

Everything's Eventual is a fantasy novella by American writer Stephen King. It was originally published in the October/November 1997 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. In 2000, it was included in the game Stephen King's F13, and in 2002, in King's collection of the same name.

<i>The Tramp</i> (film) 1915 film directed by Charlie Chaplin

The Tramp is Charlie Chaplin's sixth film for Essanay Studios and was released in 1915. Directed by Chaplin, it was the fifth and last film he made at Essanay's Niles, California studio. The Tramp marked the beginning of The Tramp character most known today, even though Chaplin played an earlier version of the character in previous films. This film marked the first departure from the more slapstick character of the earlier films, with an emotional ending showing he cared for others, rather than just himself. The film co-stars Edna Purviance as the farmer's daughter and Ernest Van Pelt as Edna's father. The outdoor scenes were filmed on location near Niles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Devil and Tom Walker</span> Short story by Washington Irving

"The Devil and Tom Walker" is a short story by Washington Irving that first appeared in his 1824 collection Tales of a Traveller, in "The Money-Diggers" part of volume II. The story is very similar to the German legend of Faust.

<i>Liseys Story</i> Novel by Stephen King

Lisey's Story is a novel by American writer Stephen King that combines elements of psychological horror and romance. The novel was released on October 24, 2006. It won the 2006 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2007. An early excerpt from the novel, a short story titled "Lisey and the Madman", was published in McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories (2004), and was nominated for the 2004 Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction. King has stated that this is his favorite of the novels he has written.

"The Moving Finger" is a horror short story by American writer Stephen King. It was first published in December 1990 in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and three years later in 1993 was included in King's collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes.

In October 2005, Slave Labor Graphics released a new bimonthly comic book series based on the classic Disneyland attraction, The Haunted Mansion. Each issue has roughly four or five separate stories, as well as a piece of the overarching story "Mystery of the Manse", which recounts the life of Master Gracey. Each issue, except for #3, features a cover by Roman Dirge.

<i>The Gingerbread Girl</i>

The Gingerbread Girl is a novella by American writer Stephen King, originally published in the July 2007 issue of Esquire. It was later included in King's Just After Sunset collection in 2008. The Gingerbread Girl was also released as an audiobook, read by Mare Winningham, by Simon & Schuster Audio on May 6, 2008. The title is an allusion to the fairy tale "The Gingerbread Boy".

The Devil's Gift is a 1984 horror film directed by Kenneth J. Berton. The film's plot is similar to that of the Stephen King short story "The Monkey", leading some to believe that the filmmakers plagiarized the story.

The Gunslinger is a fantasy novella by American writer Stephen King, originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in October 1978. In 1982, "The Gunslinger" was collected with four other stories King published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction as The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger. "The Gunslinger" formed the first chapter of the book, and was slightly revised for the inclusion.

According to books by Tyson Blue, Stephen J. Spignesi, and Rocky Wood et al., there are numerous unpublished works by Stephen King that have come to light throughout King's career. These allegedly include novels and short stories, most of which remain unfinished. Most are stored among Stephen King's papers in the special collections of the Raymond H. Fogler Library at the University of Maine, some of which are freely accessible to the library's visitors. However, others require King's permission to read. Additionally, there are a number of uncollected short stories, published throughout King's long career in various anthologies and periodicals, that have never been published in a King collection.

<i>I Am Rembrandts Daughter</i>

I Am Rembrandt's Daughter is a 2007, young adult historical fiction novel by Lynn Cullen about the famous artist Rembrandt van Rijn's daughter Cornelia van Rijn (1654-1684). In Cullen's version of the story, Cornelia finds that she is not Rembrandt's daughter, but rather that of Nicolaes Bruyningh, the subject of one of Rembrandt's paintings. The novel was selected by YALSA as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2008.

Stephen Shin is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a supporting character of Aquaman who debuted during "The New 52" reboot. Stephen Shin first appeared in Aquaman #2 and was created by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis.

<i>Billy Summers</i> 2021 crime novel by Stephen King

Billy Summers is a crime novel written by American author Stephen King, published by Scribner on August 3, 2021.

"Cookie Jar" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the spring 2016 issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review.

References