Monster of the Day #1989

Updated on August 23, 2019 By Ken Begg 15 Comments

1989 was a pretty lame year for horror movies. Most of the horror flicks that came out were remakes. (Thank goodness those days are over!) There were a few decent little flicks (Shocker, Warlock), but of all the movies that came out that year, I would go with this one, which I personally consider one of my very favorite Stephen King adaptations. On the other hand, I’m one of ten people who isn’t a fan of Kubrick’s The Shining, so take that with a grain of salt.

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  • Gamera977

    I assumed this was ‘Cat’s Eye’ but it’s listed as 1985. I’m guessing this is ‘Pet Sematary’?

  • Beckoning Chasm

    I’ve grown to like The Shining, mostly because of the weird stuff Kubrick does to establish “unreliable narrator.” Like having a chair against a wall in one shot, then cutting back and the chair is gone. Or the typewriter changing color.

    On the other hand, I’m one of ten people who likes “Independence Day” so there’s that!

  • zombiewhacker

    Lots of people liked Independence Day, myself included. In retrospect, I think the (intentionally) campy approach worked against it sometimes, but overall it still holds up.

  • zombiewhacker

    Uh, Ken, make that eleven.

  • Gamera977

    ‘The Shining’ is okay, not a huge fan nor do I hate it. Main issue I have is that Nicholson does his usual unhinged shick thoughout the movie. Kinda undercuts the whole going mad storyline when he doesn’t seem too mentally stable in the beginning.

  • Eric Hinkle

    This is one of the few King movies that genuinely creeped me out, mainly in the scenes with wendigo!Gage. I’m not a parent and never will be one, and I was shocked at how they l left me feeling.

  • Beckoning Chasm

    OT, but I walked past a movie theater showing “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” and saw on the poster that two of the cast members had last names of “Stallone” and “Rhambo.”

  • zombiewhacker

    Bingo. Reminds me of the old Gallagher joke: “When yogurt goes bad… how can you tell?”

  • I find Kubrick fairly overrated. Though to be fair I’ve only seen three of his films, and, again to be fair I did like two of them. But a master of the genre he ain’t, and The Shining ain’t all that.

  • zombiewhacker

    Though Kubrick in his time was hailed for being a maverick filmmaker, I contend that his best work was conducted under the constraints of the old studio system. As he strayed further from those constraints (1970s on) the quality of his work dropped accordingly. Kubrick was a talented guy, yes, but not the genius auteur some would have us believe.

  • The Rev.

    Gage is a creepy little guy, for sure. I’d have to think about whether it’s one of my favorites, but off the top of my head it seems likely it would be.

  • Ken_Begg

    Yeah, that’s one of my big complaints. He’s already clearly nuts in the job interview that opens the movie, which kind of kills the whole point of the story.

  • Ken_Begg

    His early work is pretty great, including Paths of Glory, an anti-war film that like the very similar Breaker Morant manages to be very angry but never preachy. He’s a really good filmmaker…I mean, Clockwork Orange…but he’s a little cold and clinical for my taste.

  • Beckoning Chasm

    I’ve seen a few of the King adaptations, so I really can’t judge them as a whole, but I think The Dead Zone was probably the most effective.

  • The Rev.

    I’ve seen most of them, and that would definitely be on my short list for best King adaptation.