Going back to the publication of Carrie in 1974, it’s rare for a full calendar year to go by without the release of a new Stephen King novel – and 2023 isn’t bucking the trend. Almost exactly one year after the arrival of Billy Summers, Holly will be hitting stores, and while it’s exciting enough that we are about the get a new King book, the author has now given us another reason to anticipate the tome.
In this new edition of The King Beat, we have the legendary writer teasing shocking material in his new book, an interview with The Boogeyman star Sophie Thatcher, a deep dive into Later, and more – so let’s dive in!
With Holly Out Next Week, Stephen King Is Prepping Constant Readers For “A Few Fairly Gruesome Scenes”
Holly Gibney is a lovable character with sweet sensibilities, but those are not adjectives that could be used to describe the tenor of the mysteries that she has helped solve. The novel where she debuts, Mr. Mercedes, centers on a mass murderer who drives a Mercedes-Benz through a crowd of people awaiting the opening of a job fair, and things don’t get less grisly in Finders Keepers, End of Watch, The Outsider, or “If It Bleeds.”
So can you really be all that surprised that Stephen King is teasing some gnarly material in the upcoming book Holly?
The new book is now just days away from publication, and it would seem that the author is making a specific effort to make sure that the release is on the radar of his Constant Readers who particularly enjoy his horror material. King took to his personal Twitter account this week to provide the following warning:
My new novel, HOLLY, is published on September 5th. Warning: There are a few fairly gruesome scenes.
In the new book, Holly Gibney’s detective agency, Finders Keepers, is contacted by a mother who needs help finding her missing daughter. The titular shy investigator takes the case, and it ends up seeing her crossing paths with a despicable duo: Professors Rodney and Emily Harris, who are married octogenarians with a monstrous secret. Based on Stephen King’s tease, it sounds like readers should prepare to be horrified by their hidden proclivities.
King has somewhat moved away from horror in the last decade, with most of his works being better described as mysteries and thrillers, but books like Revival, Later, and the Holly Gibney stories consistently show that he still very much knows how to get under a reader’s skin. That will be surely be something to anticipate when diving into his latest novel when it arrives in stores on Tuesday.
Read My Interview With Sophie Thatcher About The Boogeyman, Which Is Now On Digital
While Holly is still a few days away from hitting store shelves, Stephen King fans did get to see a special treat arrive online this week, as director Rob Savage’s The Boogeyman, based on King’s short story of the same name, is now available for digital purchase. Earlier this summer (prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike), I had the pleasure of interviewing star Sophie Thatcher about her role as Sadie in the film, and we discussed her relationship with the source material, how Carrie impacted her perspective on the horror genre, and her reaction to seeing the finished movie. An excerpt from our conversation is below:
What is your history with Stephen King? Are you a Constant Reader, or is this closer to your first toe dip?
I grew up with his movies. I'd never read one of his books before surprisingly. But I grew up with Carrie, and I watched that when I was really young and that was pretty informative. And I just thought, I mean Sissy Spacek is incredible in that, and it's just such an incredible performance, and I was like, 'Oh, that's cool that horror can do that and find such strong and complicated female protagonists.'
Have you had the chance to like either communicate with Stephen King or even possibly meet him?
No. I mean, I'd seen his Tweets, that he was giving us the thumbs up and he liked Yellowjackets so that felt good.
I was actually gonna specifically ask you about that. I was wondering if it got back to you and if you think it...
My mom was immediately… just sent me a screenshot and just freaking out <laugh>.
Do you think it had an impact on your casting? Because it was right before you came aboard this project.
It was. I think they had seen me in that, and that was the first time that I'd ever really had an offer or anything, 'cause usually I feel like I have to go through a lot to prove myself 'cause I'm at a very early point in my career. So that felt really nice, that they could trust me and respect me with bringing Sadie to life.
Were you able to use the short story at all?
I read it. And it's incredible and it's insane that it can be so impactful within like such a short amount of pages.
Could it have any influence in your character? I mean, because it's almost like a prequel to what this movie is.
Exactly. Yeah. And it's different, and it's cool that they decided to tell it from Sadie's point of view, and I respect that, and I think that's smart of them. And I think Sadie's a really interesting character and there's more at stake when it's somebody that's younger and more vulnerable and has less life experience.
From what I understand, Rob Savage had a Boogeyman head that was used on set. And what was your relationship with that?
For me that was just for eye line. Yeah. I know that Vivian [Lyra Blair] was a little bit more scared by it. But I think it was just so I could like have some kind of visual and just to have an eye line because ultimately I was just using my imagination and that's what it was kind of up to. I mean it was a little, not corny, but it wasn't what it was going to be. And they did their best, but...
Did it actually look like what we see in the finished film?
A little bit. Yeah. I didn't know what to expect and I just wanted to use my imagination for that and I'm really, really happy with what they used in the movie. It looks incredible. It looks really good.
Well I mean that's, that's a whole other question in itself. When you've made this movie, when you've been a part of it, can you experience it as an audience member?
I can, and that just shows how well done the movie is I think. And I usually don't feel that, but I was able to distance myself from watching me and just be fully present and just anxious the entire time. It really made me, it made me cry. I mean, I cry all the time, but watching yourself is like... That's crazy. <Laugh>.
The Boogeyman is now available for purchase through Amazon, Vudu, Apple, and Google Play, and if you need any convincing to check it out, read my 4-star CinemaBlend review.
Listen To Me Talk About Later On A Bonus Episode Of The Kingcast
I love discussing Stephen King – a fact that should probably be obvious given the existence of this King Beat column. I’m excited for every opportunity I get to dig into the works of the literary legend, but I was particularly thrilled recently to be invited as a guest for a bonus episode of The Kingcast. Hosts Scott Wampler and Eric Vespe are tremendously knowledgeable about King’s books and adaptations, and they gave me the opportunity to come on and discuss the 2021’s Later, which is my second favorite King novel to be published in the last decade (after Revival).
The hour-long episode is now available via the Kingcast Patreon page – though listeners who haven’t yet read the book should be warned that we go heavy into spoilers… and there is a whole lot to spoil. Later features deep thematic and literal ties into the larger Stephen King canon (including a major connection to one of the author’s most beloved novels), and the work provides fascinating insight into King’s mind. It’s a quick and thrilling read that inspires fun conversation.
Recommendation Of The Week: “The Body”
Because this column only launched last week, I missed the opportunity to celebrate the latest anniversary of director Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me, which arrived in theaters on August 8, 1986, but I still get the opportunity to highlight the brilliant coming of age story because of another anniversary: Different Seasons, Stephen King’s first novella omnibus, was first published this week back in 1982 – which means that it was 41 years ago that readers first got to enjoy the magic of “The Body.”
Those who have only ever seen the adaptation may be surprised by some of the differences in the novella, but it’s an indelible and timeless work about the experience of growing up that highlights one of King’s many great talents: regardless of his own age, he’s always had the ability to tap into the perspective of youth. It’s also a perfect late summer read, making it an ideal story to pick up as August comes to a close.
Be on the lookout next Thursday here on CinemaBlend for the latest installment of The King Beat, aggregating the news and developments out of the world of Stephen King, and while you wait, check out my Adapting Stephen King column, which chronicles the full history of the author’s works in film and television.
