MovieChat Forums > Misery (1990) Discussion > Stephen King watched this movie in an or...

Stephen King watched this movie in an ordinary theater on an ordinary night

posted 4 years ago by MaximRecoil (4647)
28 replies | jump to latest

When Misery was released I was 15 and a big fan of the Rocky movies. I'd never seen a Rocky movie on the big screen before, so when I heard about Rocky V I was determined to see it in a theater, though that was easier said than done because the nearest theater was in Bangor (Maine), about a 45-minute drive. I had to convince my father to take me, which took some doing, since he didn't care about Rocky movies, and didn't like driving to Bangor either.

My father and I were in line at the Bangor Mall Cinemas, which was called "Hoyts Cinemas" back then, and I heard murmuring from the people around me: "Stephen King... that's Stephen King". I looked over my left shoulder and Stephen and his wife Tabitha were standing there in the line beside me. Even though he was commonly seen out and about in Bangor by the people who actually lived there, I'd only ever seen him on TV and in his movie cameos. I was surprised at how big he was. I wasn't at my full height yet, but I was about 6' and he looked to be a good 4 or 5 inches taller than me, plus he had a big frame. His imposing appearance was at odds with his pink Converse All Star sneakers.

I didn't say anything to him and neither did anyone else; I just thought it was odd that he was going to watch a movie based on his novel in a regular theater in such an uneventful fashion. I would have expected him to watch it at a premiere event with lots of celebrities in attendance, in Hollywood or something.

[–] BensGirl (590) 4 years ago

I loved reading that! Thank you for sharing and what an amazing story! I would love to meet him. I have read absolutely everything he has written : )

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

I've seen most of the movies based on his works, but I've only ever read one of his full novels (Christine), and a book that was a collection of his short stories (Night Shift).

In the movie Creepshow 2 (1987), the prologue was filmed in the town that I grew up in, and that was Stephen King's idea. I remember when it was being filmed, because downtown, from the stop light to the foot of Zion's Hill, was blocked off, and Mom had to take a detour to get us to school that morning.

Here's a screenshot from the movie along with a picture I took a few years ago:

https://i.imgur.com/FH0WTXB.jpg

The biggest change from then to now is: in January 1990, Reny's roof collapsed, which is why it's now missing the third floor:

https://i.imgur.com/idyE07o.jpg

[–] BensGirl (590) 4 years ago

I love these! Thank you for showing these pics!! I always thought that was such a beautiful town. I love his films, but the books are so much better. I know people always say that but it’s true. I just reread “Joyland” and I really hope they make it into a film.
Do you have any other pics? Any other stories? You’re my new bestie lol..

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

I have a video of Dexter that was taken in 1986. I don't know who took the video, but I remember all those businesses, most of which are gone now:

https://app.box.com/s/q1139r9qfdqqatcelfhqyr2yaj9cqnld

At the 1:35 mark, that's the same street as the scene from Creepshow 2, except facing the opposite direction. You can see Zion's Hill in the background, which is very steep. In fact, Dexter is the hilliest town that I know of.

As for Stephen King stories, I don't have many. People from Bangor could probably tell you plenty of them. I remember when someone stole the gargoyles off the gate to his wrought iron fence at his house in Bangor in the '80s, which you can see in this picture:

https://i0.wp.com/bdn-data.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/04/57087283_H5769334.JPG?fit=1535%2C1177&ssl=1

He was on the local news saying that he just wanted them back, no questions asked. A couple of weeks later they showed up in boxes in front of his house, anonymously.

In the early 1990s my friend Ian was at the Airport Mall in Bangor (which is a smaller mall than the Bangor Mall where Hoyts Cinemas is located), and as he was walking past a book store in there he saw King in there standing in front of a section of Stephen King books. Ian said to him, "Anything worth reading in there?" and King just laughed.

People say that he used to spend a lot of time at the Bangor public library, and that the library was the only place where he would refuse to sign autographs. Also, he allowed trick-or-treaters to come to his house in Bangor every Halloween.

[–] BensGirl (590) 4 years ago

I loved reading that and checking out the links. Thank you for that.. so interesting!!

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

You're welcome.

[–] Scape (527) 4 years ago

Hey, Bensgirl! I’m right there with you on having read everything Stephen King’s published. At the moment I’m re-reading Four Past Midnight & on second story Secret Window, Secret Garden. King has such a way of pulling you into a story. What a gift he has.

Also, that’s an awesome story Maxim. Cool pics too. I know exactly what scene that’s from in Creepshow 2. I’ve always been fascinated with Maine. Just seems like such a beautiful place. I’m sure that’s also because I’m a huge King fan, but I plan on making my way there at some point. And I’ve also ran into celebs here & there and did the same as you with just playing cool. I bet he would’ve been totally cool though if you said anything to him. Seems like a down to earth kind of guy.

[–] BensGirl (590) 4 years ago

Hi Scape!!! I have not read Four Past Midnight in awhile... I know what I’m doing this weekend! Thanks!!

[–] bobbynynex (1505) 4 years ago

how did his penur taste?

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

Your non sequitur is dismissed and you're now on ignore.

[–] ebhaynz (3689) 4 years ago

Thanks for telling us this great little tidbit. I'm a great admirer of Stephen King. I read so many of his books right after graduating High School. That summer I think I read Dead Zone, The Stand, Firestarter, Different Seasons, Cujo, and Christine. It was good timing too because in a very short amount of time most of these were released as movies, Christine being one of the better flicks. Many years later I read an interview with King and he admitted he was doing a lot of coke while writing and the family had to intervene to keep him from killing himself. He's just human like the rest of us.

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

"Christine being one of the better flicks."

Christine is not only my favorite Stephen King movie, but it's also one of my favorite movies in general. I liked the book, but I liked the movie even better. I preferred the way it was just Arnie and Christine in the movie, rather than Arnie, Christine, and the ghost of LeBay in the book.

[–] BensGirl (590) 4 years ago

In one of my past posts somewhere on this site I talked about Christine being an almost perfect movie. I love it. It isn’t my favourite movie of all time, but it is just about a perfect film. As far as the book, it wasn’t that enjoyable to me. (sorry) I have only been disappointed in a couple of his books, that and Silver Bullet (Cycle of the werewolf). If you get a chance read Joyland.. it is a bit different than his others, but really good.

Also, regarding Lebay... his scenes in the film are probably my favourite. His interactions with Arnie when he meets Christine are amazing!

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

LeBay, Darnell, and Buddy Repperton were all great characters.

I loved the drive-in theater scene. Seeing that as a kid made me want to see a movie at a drive-in theater, in an old car, in the pouring rain. I never got a chance to go to a drive-in theater at all until the late 1990s, when I found out there was one in Skowhegan. I went a few times a year every year after that, but it was never raining, and I didn't have an old car. Well, I had/have a 1969 Dodge Charger; same body style as Dennis' 1968 Dodge Charger in Christine, but it needed a ton of work before it was driveable. I got my old car on the road in 2011, but it wasn't until 2013 that it finally rained while I was at the drive-in theater. It was a double-feature and it rained hard the entire time, which was awesome.

[–] millsey72 (10381) 4 years ago

I don't believe this. He must have his own movie theater in one of his mansions. You saw someone who looked like him

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

No, I saw Stephen and Tabitha King, and so did the other people who were there at the time. People from Maine, especially people from Bangor (most of the people there were obviously from Bangor), know what Stephen King looks like, and they know what his wife looks like too. Not only were they often out and about in Bangor like normal people, but they were also on local TV a lot.

By the way, I've seen other [bizarre] posts from you, and you're either half a bubble off plumb or a troll.

[–] Moonglum9 (11311) 4 years ago

Half a bubble off plumb. I've never heard that expression before, but I like it!

[–] PaladinNJ (21528) 4 years ago

I like it too. May use it in the future.

[–] millsey72 (10381) 4 years ago

Well nonetheless, Stephen King is another example of white privilege

[–] BensGirl (590) 4 years ago

Ignore them.. 100% troll.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Guess what: they're normal people, too!

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

Having a net worth of hundreds of millions of dollars isn't normal (i.e., it doesn't fall into a range that would be considered the norm, not even close), and being a major celebrity isn't normal either.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Depends on your definition. When I carry around thousands I am a little more suspicious. Same as when a celebrity walks around: they expect to be recognized and are a little weary of it sometimes. That's normal. Yet most of them are very normal and easygoing in a regular conversation. Because they're just normal people.

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

"Depends on your definition."

I already stated the definition, i.e., normal is something that falls into a range that would be considered within the statistical norm.

"When I carry around thousands I am a little more suspicious."

What does that have to do with anything?

"Same as when a celebrity walks around: they expect to be recognized and are a little weary of it sometimes. That's normal."

How is that the same as a non-celebrity carrying around thousands of dollars that passersby don't even know about? And what does it have to do with whether or not someone is a normal person?

"Yet most of them are very normal and easygoing in a regular conversation. Because they're just normal people."

Some of them act like normal people in public, but that doesn't make them normal people. Again, the statistical norm doesn't include being worth hundreds of millions of dollars, nor does it include major celebrities, and it definitely doesn't include people who are both worth hundreds of millions of dollars and are a major celebrity. Those people are way, way outside the norm. I don't know what King's net worth was in 1990, but Google says it's $500 million today, and there are only a few/several thousand people on Earth worth that much or more, and only 48 of them are also celebrities according to this site:

https://www.celebritynetworth.com/list/top-50-richest-celebrities/

That's out of a population of nearly 8 billion people.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

We are talking normal behavior here. Circumstances are different for everyone on earth.

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

"We are talking normal behavior here."

"We"? No, you said he was a normal person, and now you're trying to move the goalpost. As for behavior, how do you know his behavior is normal? Do you hang out with him often? If you're going by what I posted, one example of normal behavior 31 years ago isn't anywhere near enough to establish someone's behavior as normal. By that standard, pretty much everyone on Earth could be said to be normal, because pretty much everyone has behaved normally at one time or another.

"Circumstances are different for everyone on earth."

That's irrelevant. King's circumstances are so drastically different than what would be considered normal that's there's no question that he falls WAY outside the normal range. It isn't a trivial difference in circumstances like one person making $75,000 a year and another making $50,000 or $100,000, or one person being a plumber and another person being an electrician, or one person having a sibling and another person being an only child. The median net worth in the US is $121,700. King's is over 4,000 times higher. That opens a ton of doors that are firmly locked to normal people.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

You're confusing normal with average. That makes you special.

[–] MaximRecoil (4647) 4 years ago

nor·mal
noun
1. the usual, average, or typical state or condition.

"her temperature was above normal

"That makes you special."

That's comically ironic coming from the simpleton who confused "median" with "average" in the first place (I never said anything about "average", Slow Doug; you're the first one to mention "average" in this thread).

In any case, since you have no arguments, and you failed to address anything I said, your tacit concession is noted.