Stephen King Movie Critics Hate is Now on Paramount+, But is it Really So Bad?
Few films have the unenviable privilege of being as universally disliked as the 1990 Stephen King adaptation Graveyard Shift. The flick has seven Rotten Tomatoes critic reviews logged and all seven are negative, giving the picture an overall freshness rating of 0%. Ouch.
People took issue with the editing, pacing, acting, and the lack of scares. In spite of that, the film still managed to gross approximately $11.5 million during its theatrical exhibition. The flick claimed the top spot at the box office on its opening weekend. But negative word of mouth always spreads quickly. So, the second week returns dropped off dramatically.
Ralph S. Singleton directed the film from a script by John Esposito. The screenplay is adapted from King’s short story of the very same name. ‘Graveyard Shift’ first appeared in the gentleman’s magazine Cavalier and eventually found a more permanent home in King’s short story collection Night Shift.
In spite of its less-than-stellar reputation, the film has the distinction of featuring a fairly impressive cast of characters. Graveyard Shift stars David Andrews, Kelly Wolf, Stephen Macht, Andrew Divoff, Vic Polizos, and Brad Dourif. Horror fans will likely recognize at least a few of those names.
Fun fact: Graveyard Shift was filmed at Bartlettyarns Inc in Harmony, Maine. Why is that relevant? Because it’s the oldest woolen yarn mill in the entire U.S. That’s why!
Where can I stream Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift?
If you aren’t put off by the film’s abysmal reputation or just happen to be a glutton for punishment, you can find Graveyard Shift streaming on Paramount+ as of the publication of this post.
The setup for this much-maligned effort goes like this: John Hall (Andrews) is a drifter who wanders into a small town in Maine. He needs a job and decides to seek employment at the community’s top business: a large textile mill. He is hired to work the “graveyard shift” — from around midnight to dawn — and, along with a few others, he is charged with cleaning out the basement. This task strikes the workers as simple enough, but then, as they proceed deeper underground, they encounter an unspeakable monstrosity intent on devouring them all.
That’s all that we have for you, for the time being. Keep an eye out for more updates on which films within your interest set are available to stream and where you can find them. If you’re game to chat more about this maligned Stephen King adaptation, hit me up with your thoughts on Threads @FunWithHorror.
Categorized:News
