Many authors have broken the barrier between book and film, but nobody has done it as much as Stephen King. With over 70 movie adaptations, nearly 25 comic adaptations, and forty-some original and adapted television series, King’s work takes the horror and mystery genre to a new level, with nearly each of his works relating to one another. In a majority of his stories, one such common denominator is Shawshank prison, which becomes a central location in his new original Hulu series, Castle Rock. 

Castle Rock focuses on a small (of all places) Maine town that begins suffering a dangerous fate after a prison guard commits suicide off of a cliff. Surveying the prison, guards find a hidden room which has held a mysterious prisoner for ages, stuffed away in a cell and kept from the world. This prisoner, known only as “The Kid,” will only say two words—that being the name of former Castle Rock resident, lawyer Henry Deaver.

Summoning Henry (Andre Holland) back to town, the Kid (Bill Skarsgård) is released into his custody. It seems that as soon as he is released though, bad things begin happening in the town. Buses crash, residents commit suicide and murder. Nobody is safe until the Kid is returned or killed.

Castle Rock works to blend all of King’s stories together, starting with The Shawshank Redemption at its core and working outward, introducing elements of such books as Cujo, Stand by Me, and The Shining. Even by introducing these characters and elements though, the story remains original, keeping audiences guessing even more than Walking Dead fans after comparing comics to TV. One character that keeps viewers guessing is Jackie Torrance (Jane Levy), niece of The Shining’s Jack Torrance, whose actions turn from helpful real estate employee to misunderstood author/axe murder in the course of the series, though where the latter begins is unknown. Meanwhile, Henry’s mother, Ruth (Sissy Spacek) suffers from dementia after living many years with an abusive husband and son who was not always home. The neighbor, Molly Strand (Melanie Lynskey) works alongside Jackie, as her life in the town helps summate its history, though her psychic visions a la Hearts in Atlantis don’t hurt.

With the It sequel on its way, Mr. Mercedes recently released on DVD, plus The Outsider, Elevation, and Flight or Fright all in bookstores this year, 2018 is the year for Stephen King. If you are a fan of King’s work, Castle Rock is worth a watch.