[KING'S CORNER] The Road Virus Heads North (2006)

The Road Virus Heads North - King's Corner Review

Welcome to King's Corner. A recurring series of reviews based on the film and TV adaptations of Stephen King's novels and collections, reviewed and released in order of the original source material publishing date.

Director: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Starring: Tom Berenger, Hamish Michael, Susie Porter, Marsha Mason, Marg Downey

Written by: Peter Filardi

Produced by: Jeffrey M. Hayes, John J. McMahon

Cinematography by: Ben Nott

Original Score by: Jeff Beal

Synopsis:

A popular but terminally ill horror author returning to his old stomping grounds with an eerie painting in tow is greeted by agitated dogs at every stop and death follows in his wake.

Thoughts:

Have you ever seen a painting so terrifying that you can’t stop thinking about it? Where it haunts your waking hours so much that you can’t shake the image from your mind? Worse yet, have you ever looked at it so long that you could have sworn it moved or changed in a way you question what it is that you saw in the first place? The moving pictures motif in horror stories is one that Stephen King is a fan of. 'The Sun Dog' depicts a man who gets a camera but it depicts pictures of a strange dog that gets closer with every picture he takes. 'The Reaper’s Image' is about a mirror where people can see the Grim Reaper and every time they look at it, they get closer. One of his most memorable tales that delves into this trope is 'The Road Virus Heads North'. 

The first appearance of the story was in the 1999 anthology, '999' which was edited by Al Sarrantonio. In 2002 it was added to King’s story collection, 'Everything’s Eventual'. It is about a famous horror writer, Richard Kinnell who stops by a yard sale after a literary conference in Boston. He notices a disturbing painting and is so taken by it that he decides to buy it but soon realises that it was a mistake as the ever changing nature of it unsettles him. He can’t get rid of it though and it continues to haunt him with severe consequences. In the introduction to 'Everything’s Eventual', King writes about how an evil looking painting he owned inspired the story. Even though it was a gift from his wife, Tabitha it creeped him and his kids out as it hung up on his office wall. 

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The story was adapted for the 2006 show, 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King' and the premise makes it ideal for adapting for this kind of show. It has the perfect blend of horror and the surreal in line with something like 'The Twilight Zone' or 'The Outer Limits'. It was the fifth episode of the series and there was quite a pedigree of talent involved in making it. Sergio Mimica-Gezzan directed the episode and he has a vast amount of work directing in television (including on the TV series of Under the Dome). He is probably best known for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg where he worked as principal AD for him for all of his films from 'Schindler’s List' to 'The Terminal'. The script was adapted by another Stephen King alumni, Peter Filardi who wrote the 2004 version of 'Salem’s Lot' and 'Chapelwaite' but he is probably most known for his scripts for the likes of 'The Craft' and 'Flatliners'. 

Right away when you watch the episode you get the distinct impression that it is going to be very much of its time (the early to mid 2000’s) from a visual point of view and it isn’t limited to the beginning as it carries on throughout. The opening montage of Richard Kinnell (Tom Berenger) driving to an event in Boston is clearly riffing on the opening credits of 'The Sopranos' with the modern jazzy score from Jeff Beal pushing the boundaries of homage. This visual palette continues throughout the episode with lots of choppy editing used for establishing shots and cuts to Richard in his car and the titular painting. It is an over-stylised attempt to modernise the classic horror trappings of the premise but looking back at it now, it is very dated and adds very little to the story. 

In the lead role, Tom Berenger acquits himself well as the proxy for Stephen King (complete with an admirable attempt at a Maine accent). He handles his fanatical fans quite well despite their bizarre gifts and inane questions but the sobering element to his performance comes to the surface when he is told he may have a lift threatening illness that requires further testing. Mounting on top of this life altering news is his rising paranoia over the nature of the painting he purchases. Facing the inexplicable as a writer of the horrifically fantastical he gives a measured performance throughout, even when the supernatural causes his life to spiral further. 

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This unravelling gets to the crux of how the situation Richard finds himself in with the painting runs in parallel to his potentially terminal illness in how he faces his mortality. The more he tries to distance himself from the painting it always remains sitting in the backseat of his car with the subject smiling at him with a demented grin. It gives the story an air of inevitability in that there is nothing Richard can do to change his fate, as it was sealed the second he laid his eyes on the painting. 

Behind the camera Mimica-Gezzan captures this sense of inevitability and growing paranoia quite well, as the camera is constantly moving throughout the episode. The sense of danger from the spectre of the artist behind the painting is realised in a gruesome fashion as shown through how Mimica-Gezzan portrays the murder of the lady who sold him the painting (played by Marg Downey). The flashy cuts work in this scene as blood splatters across the floor ending in a shot of her decapitated head on a shelf. The manner in which he handles the appearances of the artist known as Road Virus (Hamish Michael) is creepy as well as his face is constantly obscured except his depiction in the painting. 

'The Road Virus Heads North' is a very workmanlike adaptation of the story that tries to do something different with its stylistic approach. Whilst it works for some elements of the episode, it doesn’t work as a whole with the visual presentation of the episode feeling dated. Having said that, Berenger does a fine job carrying the episode and portraying the well realised thematic idea that revolves around the inevitability of death. It is a good addition to a series that features some of the best and worst adaptations of King’s work. 

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Joseph McElroy