Stephen King Defended This Disastrous 10%-Rated Adaptation of His Story: "They'll Do Better Next Time"

Over the decades, the number of adaptations of Stephen King's novels, novellas, and short stories has grown so vast that even the King of Horror himself sometimes struggles to keep track of which projects are being released under his name.

Naturally, the quality of these adaptations varies widely, ranging from masterpieces like The Shawshank Redemption and The Shining to lackluster efforts that are quickly forgotten.

One such forgotten and ridiculed work is the 1990's Graveyard Shift – a low-budget horror movie directed by first-time filmmaker Ralph S. Singleton.

Stephen King Says He Was Criticized for Letting 'Graveyard Shift' Be Adapted

King approved the project, but the result was so dismal that the author faced a wave of criticism. Surprisingly, however, King didn't disown the flick, instead, he defended its creators, stating that everyone has the right to make a mistake:

“I've become progressively less interested in the movies that I sign off on as the years go by. Like Graveyard Shift, I let it go. In that case, it's an exploitation film. That's OK. That movie belongs on the video shelf.”

The writer knew the movie wasn't high art, but he didn't feel the need to condemn its creators:

“I got spanked in People magazine for allowing Graveyard Shift to be made, which is ridiculous. Ralph Singleton had never directed a film. John Esposito had never written a film. Now they both have a movie credit. They'll do better next time. This is why you do it.”

What Is 'Graveyard Shift' About?

The story unfolds in Gates Falls, a small, abandoned town. Nearby stands a dilapidated textile mill that has become a haven for hordes of rats.

John Hall gets a job at the mill, tasked with clearing away debris in the basement. He and a crew of workers descend into the depths, tasked with cleaning out flooded tunnels teeming with rodents.

However, they soon discover that the rats are not the greatest threat – a mutated creature lurks within the depths of the mill, hunting the workers.

'Graveyard Shift' Is Definitely One of the Worst King Adaptations

Like many other adaptations of King's short stories, Graveyard Shift suffers from a lack of material to build a fully realized world. King's original story was concise, but that proved insufficient for a feature-length movie.

Consequently, Graveyard Shift devolved into a clichéd collection lacking atmosphere, a consistent tone, and any genuinely frightening moments.

The characters are flat and underdeveloped, the actors overact, and their motivations remain unclear. Many scenes seem improvised, while others appear included solely to reach the required 90-minute runtime.

Visually, the movie looks cheap: the sets, lighting, and monster design fail to hold up to scrutiny, even by early-1990s standards. Though critics and viewers alike tore it apart, Graveyard Shift sold hundreds of thousands of copies on VHS.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Graveyard Shift'?

• Graveyard Shift has 10% from critics and 23% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 5.0/10.

• On Letterboxd, Graveyard Shift scored 2.6/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Graveyard Shift'?

Graveyard Shift is available to stream on Paramount+.