As Halloween approaches, Hulu’s creepy new exclusive series Castle Rock is gaining some buzz. The series, based off Stephen King novels, tells the story of a small town in Maine that is constantly struck by mysterious tragedy. What really makes Castle Rock stand out is its one of very few tv or movie adaptions of a King novel that manages to properly capture the disturbing essence of his writing.
Since King's rise in the mid 1970s, there have been numerous attempts to bring his novels to the screen, but the majority have flopped and been met with negative reception from critics and King himself. In fact, King regularly expresses contempt for the film adaption of The Shining. What Castle Rock does different is instead of bringing his writing directly to the screen, the creators took a very unique path.
The creators chose to let King's novels lead them into their own unique story and then add in settings and references familiar to fans of King. For instance, the town Castle Rock is located near Shawshank Prison, the setting of King’s novel The Shawshank Redemption. The results of this method allow for a unique story that also attracts fans of King.
The core narrative begins with a correctional officer discovering a mysterious man locked in a cage in an abandoned wing of Shawshank. From here, madness ensues. What is so fantastic about Castle Rock's narrative arc is that it plays out the way a King novel truly would. The story spirals in an organized chaos that induces shock without compromising the quality of the story.
The real strength of Castle Rock is how the narrative becomes distorted as it progresses, true to the form of King’s writing. What starts out as a simple plot about a town and a few of its residents descends deep into a paranormal mystery. This is something many of the previous Stephen King movies couldn’t quite get. King’s biggest criticism of The Shining was that the main character, Jack initially comes across as an insane man rather than a man battling with his sanity like he was in the novel.
Castle Rock does not have this issue. The characters in Castle Rock are smartly written and well developed. The struggles they face do not simply rise out of the blue, but instead build and grow over time. This truly sets this series apart from its predecessors.
Another strength of King’s work is the psychologically disturbing nature of his characters. The essence of this is captured in the main antagonist played by Bill Skarsgard. This character comes across as a normal man, in fact a victim at first, rather than a terrifying monster. As events play out, it quickly becomes clear there is something horrifying behind this mysterious man, but it isn’t initially made clear what.
Less successful King adaptations such as Needful Things or Firestarter completely failed to reflect the author's complex character development and plot lines on the screen. Even the more successful films such as Cujo and the original IT fall fairly short. There’s a long list of classic King films, but many of these are not necessarily of the horror or psychological thriller genre that the author is so well known for.
Castle Rock may not stand the test of time the way The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me have, but when it comes to King adaptations in the horror genre Castle Rock should be regarded as one of the strongest.
Noah Wright is an undecided sophomore studying at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Noah? Tweet him @NoahCampaign.
