"Strawberry Spring" | |
---|---|
Short story by Stephen King | |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre(s) | Horror, Short story |
Publication | |
Published in | Night Shift |
Publisher | Doubleday |
Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
Publication date | 1978 |
"Strawberry Spring" is a horror short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in the Fall 1968 issue of Ubris magazine, [1] then republished in the November 1975 issue of Cavalier magazine, and, heavily revised, collected in King's Night Shift in 1978. [2]
"Strawberry Spring" takes place at a fictional New England college, New Sharon College. The main setting for the story is March 1968, specifically starting on March 16, 1968.
An unnamed narrator sees the words "Springheel Jack" in a newspaper. It rekindles memories of a time about eight years previously when he was at New Sharon College. His recollections are nostalgic, almost melancholy.
It was March 16, 1968 when the strawberry spring, a "false" spring much like an Indian summer, arrived. It brought a thick fog that covered the campus at nighttime, providing perfect cover for a serial killer called "Springheel Jack". The body of a girl was found in a parking lot, the first murder in a series. Several more female students were murdered during the strawberry spring. The narrator describes the reactions of the college community throughout this time, and the contradicting rumors that spread about the victims. The police arrested Carl Amalara, the boyfriend of the first victim, for the crimes. Another murder was committed while Amalara was in custody, and the police were forced to release him. The investigation was made more difficult by the fearful panic of police officers, security guards (an incident is recounted in which an unconscious student is misidentified as a corpse by a terrified security guard), and the students. No legitimate suspects were found.
Eight years later, a new strawberry spring arrives, and so does "Springheel Jack", who has taken another victim at New Sharon College. The narrator realizes that he is Springheel Jack despite having no memories of his actions.
In 2021, Audio Up Media and iHeart Media released a podcast adaptation of the short story. Lee Metzger served as the producer for the series, [3] which ran for eight episodes starting in September 2021. [4] The series marked the first time that one of King's works was officially adapted in podcast form. [5] [6] The podcast starred Garrett Hedlund as the protagonist and narrator for the series, as well as Milo Ventimiglia, Herizen F. Guardiola, Sydney Sweeney, Ken Marino, Al Madrigal, and Brec Bassinger. [7] [8]
The podcast retains the setting and time period of the original story while expanding it to include information about the narrator, additional characters, and backstory to the narrator's life. The story follows Henry through the 60's, while he was a student, and in the 70's, after he became a professor. It follows him as he investigates the murders in both time periods while also reflecting on his time in an orphanage, after the death of his mother and brother in a car accident while they were driving through a similar strawberry spring. It is eventually revealed that Henry is the murderer, killing while in a dissociative state caused by the car accident, which he finds was caused by his abusive father chasing after his mother while she tried fleeing for their safety. It is heavily implied that Henry murdered his mother by breaking her neck as an act of mercy, as she was severely injured by the accident. The series ends with Henry murdering one of the people who were aware that he is the killer and him vowing to kill another who he suspects already knows, while also celebrating the birth of his new daughter. [4]
The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is King's third published novel and first hardcover bestseller; its success firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre. The setting and characters are influenced by King's personal experiences, including both his visit to The Stanley Hotel in 1974 and his struggle with alcoholism. The novel was adapted into a 1980 film and a 1997 miniseries. The book was followed by a sequel, Doctor Sleep, published in 2013, which in turn was adapted into a film of the same name in 2019.
Night Shift is Stephen King's first collection of short stories, first published in 1978. In 1980, Night Shift won the Balrog Award for Best Collection, and in 1979 it was nominated as best collection for the Locus Award and the World Fantasy Award.
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is told by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator's sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the narrator committed. The victim was an old man with a filmy pale blue "vulture-eye", as the narrator calls it. The narrator emphasizes the careful calculation of the murder, attempting the perfect crime, complete with dismembering the body in the bathtub and hiding it under the floorboards. Ultimately, the narrator's actions result in hearing a thumping sound, which the narrator interprets as the dead man's beating heart.
Christine is a horror novel by American writer Stephen King, published in 1983. It tells the story of a car apparently possessed by malevolent supernatural forces. In April 2013, PS Publishing released Christine in a limited 30th Anniversary Edition.
'Salem's Lot is a 1975 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his second published novel. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot in Maine, where he lived from the age of five through nine, only to discover that the residents are becoming vampires. The town is revisited in the short stories "Jerusalem's Lot" and "One for the Road", both from King's story collection Night Shift (1978). The novel was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 1976 and the Locus Award for the All-Time Best Fantasy Novel in 1987.
The Mist is a science fiction psychological horror novella by American author Stephen King. First published by Viking Press in 1980 as part of the Dark Forces anthology, an edited version was subsequently included in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew. In the story, the small town of Bridgton, Maine is shrouded in a dense mist that conceals otherworldly creatures. The protagonist and narrator David Drayton, who has taken refuge with his young son in a supermarket, tries to survive against not only the creatures of the mist, but also fanatical aggression from other survivors. In The Mist, King addresses the themes of man-made fears and religious fundamentalism.
Bruce Allen Davison is an American actor, who has appeared in over 270 film, television and stage productions since his debut in 1968. His breakthrough role was as Willard Stiles in the 1971 cult horror film Willard. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and won a Golden Globe Award and an Independent Spirit Award, for his performance in Longtime Companion (1989).
The Dark Tower is a series of eight novels, one novella, and a children's book written by American author Stephen King. Incorporating themes from multiple genres, including dark fantasy, science fantasy, horror, and Western, it describes a "gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. The series, and its use of the Dark Tower, expands upon Stephen King's multiverse and in doing so, links together many of his other novels.
Garrett John Hedlund is an American actor and musician. His films include Troy (2004), Friday Night Lights (2004), Four Brothers (2005), Eragon (2006), Death Sentence (2007), Tron: Legacy (2010), Country Strong (2010), On the Road (2012), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Unbroken (2014), Pan (2015), Mudbound (2017), Triple Frontier (2019), and The Marsh King's Daughter (2023).
Annie Wilkes is a character originating from Stephen King's 1987 novel Misery, in which she acts as one of the two central characters and main antagonist. In 2022, King picked her as his personal favorite character among all those he created in his literary career.
"Gray Matter" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the October 1973 issue of Cavalier magazine, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.
"Sometimes They Come Back" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1974 issue of Cavalier and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.
The Secretary of Dreams is a series of graphic short story collections authored by Stephen King and illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne. Cemetery Dance Publications released the first volume in December 2006.
"The Signal-Man" is a horror mystery story by Charles Dickens, first published as part of the Mugby Junction collection in the 1866 Christmas edition of All the Year Round. The story is told from a fictional first-person perspective.
Apt Pupil (1982) is a novella by Stephen King subtitled "Summer of Corruption", originally published in the 1982 novella collection Different Seasons with a more dramatic bent, rather than the horror fiction for which King is famous. Apt Pupil consists of 30 chapters, many of which are headed by a month. Set in a fictional suburb of Southern California called "Santo Donato," the story unfolds over a period of about four years, with most of the action taking place during the first year and the last months. It is the only novella in Different Seasons to be narrated in the third person.
Spring-heeled Jack is a Victorian character, notorious for his frightening leaps.
Keith Hunter Jesperson is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the early 1990s. He was known as the Happy Face Killer because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. Many of Jesperson's victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. Strangulation was his preferred method of murdering, the same method he often used to kill animals as a child.
"Herbert West–Reanimator" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was written between October 1921 and June 1922. It was first serialized in February through July 1922 in the amateur publication Home Brew. The story was the basis of the 1985 horror film Re-Animator and its sequels, in addition to numerous other adaptations in various media.
The Narrator is a fictional character and the protagonist and main antagonist of the 1996 Chuck Palahniuk novel Fight Club, its 1999 film adaptation of the same name, and the comic books Fight Club 2 and Fight Club 3. The character is an insomniac with a split personality, and is depicted as an unnamed everyman during the day, who becomes the chaotic and charismatic Tyler Durden at night during periods of insomnia.
The Springheel Saga is a drama audio series about the Victorian bogeyman, Spring-heeled Jack, written by Jack Bowman and Robert Valentine, and produced by The Wireless Theatre Company. The first series, The Strange Case of Springheel'd Jack, released in 2011 and starring Julian Glover, is based on the original 1837–38 Spring-heeled Jack sightings. Nicholas Parsons features in the second series, The Legend of Springheel'd Jack, which was released in 2013 and focuses on Spring-heeled Jack's absorption into popular culture in the 1840s. The third and final series, The Secret of Springheel'd Jack, released over 2015 and 2016, features Jenny Runacre and Matthew Kelly, and deals with the 1877 Aldershot barracks incident. The production was Wireless Theatre's first audio series, and is distributed as a digital download in MP3 format.