All right, so I’m an addict. Actually I have been for the last 45 years. That’s right. Ever since 1974, when Stephen King first published “Carrie,” I’ve been completely addicted to his stories. And why shouldn’t I be? Through his more than 65 novels and myriad short stories, just think what he’s done for me. He made me believe in vampires, took me through a huge haunted hotel in the mountains, showed me a place where dead pets can come back to life, introduced me to a little girl who could start fires by just staring at things, scared the hell out of me with a crazy clown, and shared with me two of the best prison stories ever written. I could go on, but you get the gist.
In 1987 King published “Misery,” one of his most memorable and horrifying novels. This riveting book is the story of Paul Sheldon, a best-selling author of Victorian romances centered around the character of Misery Chastain. When Paul finally finishes the series by killing off Misery, he decides to celebrate by driving across the country to Los Angeles. Everything goes well until he runs into a nasty snowstorm in Colorado, where he ultimately loses control of his car and crashes it.
When he regains consciousness, he finds himself in the home of Annie Wilkes, a former nurse who rescued him. At first, he can’t believe his good fortune because Annie tells him that she is his number one fan. However, his joy soon turns to horror when he finds out that she is very upset with him for offing Misery in the last book of his series. What follows is an unspeakable nightmare for Paul. Of course, this story was just too good for Hollywood to miss, and so the film (a pretty good one by the way) hit the big screen in 1990, starring James Caan as Paul and Kathy Bates in an Oscar-winning role as the maniacal Annie.
Annie is one of the all-time best villains in literature and cinema, and when we read about her or watch her in the movie, she is a mature adult. But what must she have been like in her younger years? Well, if you are interested, you can find the answer in “Castle Rock – Season 2,” an exciting and eerie new series now streaming on Hulu. For the uninitiated, Castle Rock is a small fictional mill town in Maine and the setting for a number of other King stories such as “Needful Things,” “Cujo,” “It,” and “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.”
Now you are going to have to bear with me here because I have to be very careful about not spoiling the plot for you, and so some of what you are going to read is intentionally vague. After a brief prologue in the present, the series flashes back to Annie (Lizzy Caplan) and her daughter, Joy (Elsie Fisher), happily driving across the country to what they refer to as the “laughing place.” During their travels they often stop in towns long enough for Annie to put on a nursing outfit, walk into the local hospital, and steal some drugs to keep her mental condition stable. Their trip turns sour, however, when Annie wrecks the car after attempting to avoid something in the road. The accident takes place near Castle Rock, and that’s where Annie and Joy end up while their car is being repaired.
Annie is obsessed about protecting Joy from the outside world, and when they check into a cabin at the local motel, Annie tells Joy not to go outside and to keep all the window blinds down. And it doesn’t take the townspeople long to figure out something is not quite right with Annie. In fact, we learn through one of her mental flashbacks that the FBI wants her for murder. Among the many things King is so adept at in his writing is creating memorable characters, and Castle Rock is no exception.
Some of the people Annie encounters are the following: Reginald “Pop” Merrill (Tim Robbins), the terminally ill patriarch of the Merrill crime family; John “Ace” Merrill (Paul Sparks), Pop’s nephew who is first in line to take over the family business; Chris Merrill (Matthew Alan), Ace’s younger brother, who seems to have become the intermediary in a festering disagreement between the Merrill family and the Somali population; Dr. Nadia Omar (Yusra Warsama), the Somali doctor serving as the medical director at the Jerusalem’s Lot hospital; and Abdi Omar (Barkhad Abdi), Nadia’s older brother, who is trying to increase the power of the Somalis in the town.
As you would expect from anything associated with King’s writing, “Castle Rock” is a dark and brooding story filled with plenty of eerie moments and surprises. In fact, I have watched a plethora of horror films in my time, and I can honestly say that “Castle Rock” boasts one of the most imaginative murders I’ve ever seen. And some perfectly subdued lighting and imaginative camera angles help to create a wonderfully creepy atmosphere.
Although the acting is excellent across the board, Caplan steals the show with her terrific portrayal of Annie. From the first time she appears on the screen, you are immediately drawn to her incredibly expressive eyes, and when she loses her composure, she’s frighteningly believable. And she consistently imbues her character with a look that is just not quite normal.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the darkness descends earlier these days, and the weather has grown colder. This might be a perfect time to pick an evening, make some popcorn, light a fire, and pay a visit to Castle Rock.
OH, DON’T FORGET TO LOCK YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS!
