Graveyard Shift(1990)

Whitsbrain

6/10

Well, this is certainly based on the Stephen King short story of the same name. But to make this into a movie, they really had to stretch out the original tale that can be found in King's first collection of short stories named "Night Shift". The ending of this movie, when the characters enter the sub-basement by way of a trap door, can't hold a candle to the grotesque portal to Hell that King created in his story. The monster, along with other dog-sized rats, is a mysteriously alien thing. A creation of all of the mud and grime collected over a century of polluted waters, factory waste and graveyard bodies. King paints a disgustingly effect story with an ending that only hints at a conclusion. This movie tries but mostly fails because the more frightening monster happens to be the factory foreman named Warwick. He's a villain painted with a heavy, heavy brush. A character with not one ounce of redeemable value. You know he's going to get his comeuppance right from the start. The main character, Hall, on the other hand, is nothing but goodness and courage while all of those around him are dysfunctional. I couldn't help wondering why they would work for such a tyrant in such a hellhole? Bad-guy Warwick goes absolutely bonkers during the final act but I'm not sure why. Sure, he was a total jerk, cheat, asshole, but he went totally nuts by the end. This was not in the book and I think this route was chosen to extend the 17-page story into an 86-minute movie. Still, this was entertaining in an over-the-top way. Everyone was dirty, sweaty and crazy. There was lots of grime and gore. The practical monster effect was actually very good and the rats were plentiful.