Other movies in this series:
Please see the Nightmares and Dreamscapes series page.

Rish's Reviews
I just realised, this is the first film starting with "Y" we have ever reviewed. Weird.
So, a husband and wife on a long drive through the country take a wrong turn (the premise of approximately twelve Stephen King stories), and end up in a surreal, timeless little town called Rock and Roll Heaven. They check out the sights, enjoy a bite in the local cafe, and start to see familiar faces among the townspeople. You see, there may be more to the town's moniker than just a colorful name . . .
Wow, this one is actually in the book "Nightmares and Dreamscapes." I love the story this was based on, and the filmed version stays slavishly faithful to the original tale. It's pretty scary, too. This was the last episode of the series to air (I think, it was a while back), and was quite good. My guess is that they picked the strongest two episodes to bookend the series.*
Steven Weber has to be the acting world's biggest Stephen King fan, since he's appeared in so many King-based productions (The "Outer Limits" episode The Revelations of Becka Paulson being the one you're not thinking of).
Kim Delaney is very good as the beleaguered wife, tired and almost at her wit's end with her stubborn, Rish Outfieldian husband.
Part of what's creepy about the story (or the truth BEHIND the story) is that so many Rock & Roll stars died in tragic, even horrible ways. Sure, they get to stay forever young (well, most of them, at least), but at what a price.
Ultimately, because you actually see everything rather than imagine it in your mind, the filmed version is a bit sillier and a bit less scary than the story. But it's still a very good one.
I'd Recommend It To: People who can only pick a couple episodes to watch. And really love Kim Delaney.
*But I don't know why they'd do that, since you'd want to put your best shows first, so people continue to watch. Then, by the time you get to the lousy ones, what's done is done and you're off in the Caribbean somewhere with your trophy wife, trying not to let her find out you also brought your mistress along and she's staying two cabins away from hers.
Posted: January 13, 2007

The tyranist's thoughts
Nightmares & Dreamscapes was the first Stephen King collection that I read cover to cover. I didn't really come into my fandom until around the time I met Rish. Up until then I'd read a couple of his novels, but never really even tried to get deep into his body of work. It was also about that time that my love for the American short story really started to develop.
And I do remember this story. The title alone keeps it fresh.
Ultimately, the adaptation could only disappoint though. A written story lets you do so much more of the work and lets you experience the story in your own personal way. Watching it on the TV screen doesn't really give you the same leeway, and when the premise is as gimmicky as this one, it become harder to buy.
Unfortunately, this was one of the better entries in the series. I had pretty decent hopes for the 8 adaptations and they mostly failed to deliver. Still, this is better than a lot of Stephen King adaptations even if it manages to lose the feel of the story simply because their vision is not my vision.
Posted: January 13, 2007

Total Skulls: 10

Sequel
Sequel setup
Rips off earlier film
Horror film showing on TV/in theater in movie
Future celebrity appears
Former celebrity appears
Bad title
Bad premise
Bad acting
Bad dialogue
Bad execution
MTV Editing
OTS
Girl unnecessarily gets naked
Wanton sex
Death associated with sex
Unfulfilled promise of nudity
Characters forget about threat
Secluded location
Power is cut
Phone lines are cut
Someone investigates a strange noise
Someone runs up stairs instead of going out front door
Camera is the killer
Victims cower in front of a window/door
Victim locks self in with killer
Victim running from killer inexplicably falls
Toilet stall scene
Shower/bath scene
Car stalls or won't start
Cat jumps out
Fake scare
Laughable scare
Stupid discovery of corpse
Dream sequence
Hallucination/Vision
No one believes only witness
Crazy, drunk, old man knows the truth
Warning goes unheeded
Music detracts from scene
Death in first five minutes
x years before/later
Flashback sequence
Dark and stormy night
Killer doesn't stay dead
Killer wears a mask
Killer is in closet
Killer is in car with victim
Villain is more sympathetic than heroes
Unscary villain/monster
Beheading
Blood fountain
Blood spatters - camera, wall, etc.
Poor death effect
Excessive gore
No one dies at all
Virgin survives
Geek/Nerd survives
Little kid lamely survives
Dog/Pet miraculously survives
Unresolved subplots
"It was all a dream" ending
Unbelievably happy ending
Unbelievably crappy ending
What the hell?