Graduation Afternoon
| "Graduation Afternoon" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Stephen King | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Just After Sunset |
"Graduation Afternoon" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, originally published in the March 2007 issue of Postscripts, and collected in King's 2008 collection Just After Sunset.[1]
Plot summary
[edit]The story tells of a young woman enjoying her wealthy boyfriend's high school graduation party at his suburban Connecticut home when events take an unexpected turn.
Critical response
[edit]PopMatters compared the ending of the story to Two Suns in the Sunset by Pink Floyd.[2] M. John Harrison at The Guardian called it an "elegiac and old-fashioned end-of-the-world piece."[3] Matt Thorne at The Independent said the horror in Graduation Afternoon "is not just a premonition of something that could happen, but something that would happen."[4]
Short film adaptation
[edit]The story was adapted by Marie D. Jones into a short film in 2019 as part of Dollar Baby[5] and released on January 10, 2021.[6] The film stars George Jac, Jade Kaiser, Diane Sargent, Noor Razooky, and Brian Patrick Butler.[6]
Production
[edit]Jones chose to adapt the story because it was one of King's shorter Dollar Baby choices. It was shot over three weekends during the Spring and Summer 2019[7] and Rob Padilla Jr. directed the film.[5]
Critical response
[edit]Steve Hutchinson at Tales of Terror said it was a quality film that is relatable because the filmmakers connected Donald Trump.[8] Adam Groves at The Bedlam Files said "the film isn’t very invigorating."[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "PS Publishing Postscripts Magazine". Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
- ^ "Just After Sunset by Stephen King, PopMatters". PopMatters. December 2, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Harrison, M. John (November 15, 2008). "My poisoned bon-bons". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Thorne, Matt (November 9, 2008). "Just After Sunset, By Stephen King". The Independent. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ a b "Marie D. Jones – February 09; 2020". Stephen King Short Stories (Interview). February 9, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ a b "Graduation Afternoon". Rotten Tomatoes. January 10, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Garrido, Oscar (2020). "Insomnia: The new anthology of short stories by Stephen King" (PDF). Insomnia Magazine (in Spanish). 265: 43–49 – via StephenKing.com.
- ^ Hutchison, Steve (May 25, 2021). "Graduation Afternoon". Tales of Terror. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Groves, Adam. "The Dollar Babies | The Bedlam Files". Retrieved October 30, 2023.
External links
[edit]- "Graduation Afternoon" at StephenKing.com
- "Graduation Afternoon" title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Graduation Afternoon at IMDb
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