Four past Midnight

Four past Midnight is a collection of novellas by Stephen King. It is his second book of this type, the first one being Different Seasons. The collection won the Bram Stoker Award in 1990 for best collection and was nominated for a Locus Award in 1991. In the introduction, Stephen King says that, while a collection of four novellas like Different Seasons, this book is more strictly horror with elements of the supernatural.

Contents

The four novellas contained in the collection are described here:

The Langoliers

Plot

On a cross-country red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Boston, ten passengers awaken to find that the crew and most of their fellow passengers have disappeared, leaving the airliner under the control of the autopilot. They realize that only those who were sleeping are now left on the plane. Off-duty airline pilot Brian Engle takes control from the autopilot and lands the plane in Bangor, Maine despite protests from irritable Craig Toomy.

Upon arrival, they find the airport abandoned with no signs of life. Hearing an approaching sound like radio static, the group agrees to leave before it arrives. Based on the belief that they have flown through a "time rip" into the past and that flying back into the rip will return them to their own time, the passengers work together to refuel the plane as the noise gets louder. Having lost touch with reality, Craig believes the others to be manifestations of the Langoliers, monsters he feared as a child that go after those who are lazy and waste time. He stabs Dinah, a young blind girl with psychic powers, and kills Don Gaffey, before being subdued. Dinah insists that Craig must not be killed as the group needs him alive.

Past Midnight

Past Midnight is a 1991 Neo-noir thriller film (with slasher connections) starring Paul Giamatti, Tom Wright and Clancy Brown alongside leads Rutger Hauer and Natasha Richardson.

Synopsis

Parolee Ben Jordan has spent the past fifteen years behind bars for his pregnant wife's murder. He is monitored by his parole officer Lee Samuels and social worker Laura Mathews after he is released. Mathews begins looking into his case and becomes convinced that he was convicted under circumstantial evidence and starts becoming convinced of his innocence in the crime. Before long she starts falling for him, but this is far from wise, since even if he is innocent, Mrs Jordan's real murderer may soon come a calling.

Production

After Quentin Tarantino significantly re-wrote the script, Catalaine Knell shared her associate producer credit with him on the film, his first official screen credit.

Release

Originally intended for a theatrical release, the film aired on the USA Network on December 16, 1992. Before, the film was shown at the American Film Market and at the Vancouver International Film Festival in October of the previous year. The movie was released on videocassette and laserdisc on April 21, 1993 by Columbia TriStar Home Video, and was released on DVD by the same company on August 17, 2004, in widescreen.