Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished - Revised & Expanded Edition (51 page)

And, in
The Shorter Works of Stephen King
:  

“Slade” is as derivative as King’s early extant tales; the difference is that he is now aware of the fact … Everything – every movement, every line of dialogue, every locale and every character – functions strictly according to stereotypes, yet King gives them new life by blending them with both parody and burlesque.
¹¹³
 

In
The Unseen King
Tyson Blue summarizes the story by saying:  

(
It
) shows King’s eye for choosing just the right elements of the Western genre to poke fun at, and he uses anachronisms – the air-dropped giant mayonnaise jar, the political jokes and references, the authorial intrusions – here in much the same fashion as Mel Brooks did in his filmic genre spoof “Blazing Saddles”, and to similar effect. If nothing else, “Slade” shows that King’s ability to tell a good story serves him just as well in a comic framework as it does in his more serious tales. 

In the end though, this obscure 6500-word tale is actually little more than an exercise in satire by a 22-year-old recent graduate writing for his college newspaper. It is most unlikely King will allow republication, as it certainly does not reflect the Stephen King most readers know. In fact, according to Beahm, “…when UMO’s
The Maine Campus
was planning on incorporating it as part of a student anthology years after the fact, SK put an immediate stop to it, stating it was clearly juvenilia and that he would not allow its reprinting.”
¹¹⁴
 

There is no doubt King is fascinated with the Western form. He often refers to Westerns in his fiction (for instance, Bobbi Anderson of
The Tommyknockers
wrote novels, mostly with a Western feel) and his central fictional character Roland Deschain
is
a gunslinger. In fact, King began
The Dark Tower
the same summer he wrote
Slade.
Also,
George D. X. McArdle
, subject of another chapter of this book, is an incomplete novel based in the Old West.  

Hardcore fans and students of King’s development will both gain from reading
Slade
. If nothing else, it is still funny today, three and a half decades after it was written, and we can all do with a good laugh. 

¹⁰⁹
For a review of each column see
Stephen King: The Non-Fiction
by Rocky Wood and Justin Brooks (Cemetery Dance, 2010) 

¹¹⁰
Newsweek
described it as, “Perhaps the funniest and most complex exercise in sustained political satire since
Animal Farm
” 

¹¹¹
The Unseen King
, Tyson Blue, p.34-38 

¹¹²
Horror Plum’d
, Michael Collings, p.428 

¹¹³
The Shorter Works of Stephen King
, Michael Collings and David Engebretson, p.17-22 

¹¹⁴
Stephen King Collectibles: An Illustrated Price Guide
, George Beahm, p.261 

Sleepwalkers (1991) 

Sleepwalkers
was the first wholly original King movie screenplay ever produced. It was made on a budget of $16 million and was released on 10 April 1992, taking over $30 million at the box office. The screenplay has not been published but copies circulate in the King community and readers would best access it in that manner. Considering its originality it would be a prime candidate to be published should King consider allowing one or more of his screenplays to be published in some format. 

Sleepwalkers
, also known as
Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers
, attracts only a 4.5 rating out of a possible 10 from the members of
www.imdb.com
but deserves better. Mick Garris directed, the first time he had done so for a King production. He would go on to helm the mini-series of
The Stand
and of
The Shining
, as well as
Quicksilver Highway
,
Riding the Bullet
and
Desperation
. 

The actors were Brian Krause as Charles Brady; Madchen Amick (who also appeared in the cult show
Twin Peaks
) as Tanya Robertson; and Alice Krige (who played the Borg Queen to perfection in
Star Trek: First Contact
) as Mary Brady. There were a number of cameos, including that of the director’s wife Cynthia Garris as Laurie Travis;
Animal House
director John Landis as a Lab Tech;
Gremlins
director Joe Dante as a Lab Assistant; Stephen King as a Cemetery Caretaker; and horror writer Clive Barker and
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
director Tobe Hooper as Forensic Techs. The movie was first released on DVD in 2000. 

This chapter was compiled from the Sixth Draft of the original screenplay, dated 20 March 1991. That draft is 107 pages in length. An earlier draft appears in a Journal originally held in Box 2702 at the Special Collections Unit of the Raymond H. Fogler Library at the University of Maine, Orono but since moved to a Restricted Box, 1010. That draft appears under the title,
Tania’s Suitor.  

In this America Under Siege script incestuous and ancient creatures face their mortal enemies. Sleepwalkers had evolved from cats and in their true form had reptilian
and
feline features. They fed upon the life force of humans and modern cats were their mortal enemies.  

Carl and Martha Brodie had lived in Bodega Bay, California (apparently the same town in which Alfred Hitchcock’s classic
The Birds
was set) before being attacked by local cats, which had discovered that Sleepwalkers were in their midst. The mother and son barely escaped with their lives and moved to Travis, Indiana. Settling into this new town as the Bradys, Charles enrolled at the local high school and set his sights on the attractive 17-year-old Tanya Robertson, an all-round American girl, who also worked part time at the town’s only movie theater. 

Seducing Tanya, Charles attacked her in Homeland Cemetery but she fought back and Clovis, a local cat, seriously wounded him. While fleeing, Charles passed a speed trap and was pursued by a local Deputy Sheriff, who saw him transforming into his true shape. Charles then shot and killed the police officer and returned home, critically injured. 

Clovis and a gang of cats from Travis and nearby Castle Rock now targeted the Brady house as the police, alerted by Tanya, also moved in. Mary Brady fought back, killing a number of police and kidnapping Tanya to provide Charles the life force he needed to recover.  

However, the cats outsmarted her and gained entry to the house, saving Tanya’s life. The script tells us:  

Charles battles on until he reaches Mary and one by one throws off the marauding cats. And at last he takes Mary in his arms,
the two of them ancient destroyed creatures, burning alive on the pyre of their own bodies. Slowly, like tallow, they begin to melt and fuse together. And together they HOWL their final note. A LONG, ULULATING CRY that is as old as their race on earth. It echoes and fades with the only dignity this cursed kind knows.
 

Sleepwalkers
is a genuinely original tale in which King introduces creatures never before seen in horror fiction. In their true form Sleepwalkers have reptilian and feline features. They evolved from cats and were an ancient race, feeding upon the life force of humans. Modern cats were their mortal enemies and would seek out Sleepwalkers and, if possible, kill them. Although Mary Brady believed there were others of their kind still alive Charles doubted her. King has not returned to these creatures since, so Mary and Charles may indeed have been the last. Sleepwalkers have an ability to make themselves “dim,” in fact Mary Brady used this exact word to describe the act. This is a skill Randall Flagg and certain other characters in King stories display (particularly those with the initials “R.F.”).  

The dimming ability is another example of King enjoying the linking of his screenplays to his other fiction and the making of small in-jokes for the benefit of Constant Readers and long-time fans. In this case there are a number of other examples. For instance, one of Tanya Robertson’s classmates was a girl named Carrie! 

For some reason this screenplay/movie was set in Indiana. The town of Castle Rock, Indiana is close to Travis, as Sheriff Ira of Travis called for help from Castle Rock; and cats were even able to get from it to Travis for the final confrontation with the Bradys. Castle Rock, Indiana is strangely similar to Castle Rock, Maine. For instance, in the script someone called Pangborn was the Sheriff of Castle Rock, Indiana. In
The Sun Dog
,
The Dark Half
,
Gerald’s Game
and
Needful Things
, Alan Pangborn was Sheriff of Castle Rock, Maine. He is also mentioned in
Bag of Bones
. There is a Mellow Tiger bar in Castle Rock, Indiana. There was also a Mellow Tiger bar in Castle Rock, Maine in
The Body
,
Needful Things
,
Bag of Bones
,
Cujo
and
The Sun Dog
; and a Mellow Tiger bar in Castle County, Maine in
The Dark Half
. None of this is coincidental and the only question is why King felt obligated to move a town so closely associated with his work to another state for this tale? 

Travis is described as having a “…certain Norman Rockwellesque charm.” The Bradys lived at 66 Wicker Street, which Charles Brady claimed sounded like the address in an “old horror movie.” The cemetery in which Charles attacked Tanya was the Homeland Cemetery, almost the archetypal location for a writer so skilled at describing these places of the dead and using them in his fiction. The word “Homeland” appeared in rusted ornamental ironwork arches over the front gate. It was surrounded by rock walls that had crumbled and broken and the surrounding woods had overgrown the back wall. Inside the walls it was old and overgrown and consequently served as a local make-out spot. 

While no timelines are given in the script the events in Travis must occur after the release of the movie,
Misery
in the United States on 30 November 1990 as the Aero movie theater in Travis, Indiana was showing that movie when the Bradys tried to abduct Tanya Robertson. The script mentions that the movie is “Stephen King’s
Misery
.” This is a relatively rare mention by King of himself in his fiction. King also appears in
The King Family and the Wicked Witch
and is referred to but not named in
The Leprechaun
. He is a horror author mentioned by Ardelia Lortz in
The Library Policeman
; and is also mentioned as an author in the
Prime Evil
version of
The Night Flier
,
Thinner
and
Slade
; mentioned as the narrator of
The Blue Air Compressor
; and notably as a character in
The Dark Tower
cycle. 

George Beahm
¹¹⁵
relates King’s inspiration for the story. Apparently Stephen and Tabitha King’s son, Joe
¹¹⁶
had a crush on the popcorn girl at the Bangor Hoyt’s Cinema:  

…one night when we were at the movies, he was talking to her and I could see why he was attracted to her. She was just this beautiful, vital girl who played a lot of sports and had this kind of healthy, wholesome glow about her … And it made me think of a guy wanting to ask the popcorn girl out for all the wrong reasons, and the story just followed that burst of inspiration. 

In retrospect this is an interesting tale, introducing a new species native to our planet, which preys on humans much as vampires are said to do, in this case sucking out our life force rather than our blood. There are strong sexual overtones in the script – the Bradys are physically incestuous and both Charles and Tanya display teenage physical lust toward each other. Somehow, the power of the tale and the interaction fail to come across on screen. Perhaps the budget simply wasn’t there to allow the sort of movie the script would have allowed. 

The screenplay pretty much ends with Tanya saying, “Let
them
sleep together. Forever.” And: “Is she relieved of the horror or does she remember the pilgrim soul she loved for a moment? Suddenly she pulls out of Ira’s arms and rushes forward. Is she going to Charles? Hell no, just to pick up Clovis who watches solemnly from the sidewalk.” 

The
Last
Of The Sleepwalkers 

In their true form Sleepwalkers have reptilian and feline features. They evolved from cats and were an ancient race upon the earth, feeding upon the life force of humans. Modern cats were their mortal enemies and would seek out Sleepwalkers and, if possible, kill them. Although Mary Brady believed there were others of their kind still alive, Charles Brady doubted her. King has not returned to these creatures since, so Mary and Charles may indeed have been the last. Sleepwalkers have an ability to make themselves “dim,” in fact Mary Brady used this exact word to describe the act. 

Mary Brady (Martha Brodie) 

Mary was the mother of Charles. They are Sleepwalkers and incestuous. She had lived in Bodega Bay, California under the name Martha Brodie before moving to Travis, Indiana. She was slim, pretty and young looking. After Charles was seriously hurt by a cat, Clovis she kidnapped Tanya Robertson, intending to give her to Charles to feed upon her life force. An army of cats, led by Clovis, entered the house and tore Mary and Charles apart, causing them to catch fire and die. 

Charles Brady (Carl Brodie) 

Mary’s son and possibly the last male of his race, when in Sleepwalker form his eyes are green. He had lived in Bodega Bay, California under the name Carl Brodie. He was very good looking and appeared to be about 18. He registered as a student of Travis High School and attracted Tanya Robertson with the aim of feeding on her life force. When he attacked Tanya she fought back and injured him. When Deputy Sheriff Simpson chased him after the attack he saw Charles metamorphosing but Charles shot him dead. Simpson’s cat, Clovis then seriously wounded Charles, forcing him to leave Tanya. He made it home but his wounds caused a reversion to his Sleepwalker form. He again tried to feed on Tanya when Mary brought her home but Tanya attacked him once more, and an army of cats, lead by Clovis, tore Charles and his mother apart. 

Clovis The Attack Cat 

Clovis belonged to Travis Deputy Sheriff Andy Simpson. He was a large, sleek, green-eyed tomcat, with a green velvet collar to which was attached a silver tag reading, “Clovis the Attack Cat.” After Charles Brady killed Simpson, Clovis attacked Charles and seriously wounded him. Clovis later led an army of cats to the Brady House where they attacked and killed both Bradys and saved Tanya Robertson’s life.