Graveyard Shift is a 1990 film directed by Ralph S. Singleton from a screenplay by John Esposito, based on the short story of the same name by Stephen King. The story was first published in the 1970 issue of Cavalier magazine, and later collected in King’s 1978 collection Night Shift. It should not be confused with the 1986 film of the same title.
On a reported budget of $10.5 million, the film took $11,582,891 at the US box office but presumably worldwide receipts and ancillary sales turned more of a profit.
Main cast:
David Andrews, Kelly Wolf, Stephen Macht, Brad Dourif, Vic Polizos, Robert Alan Beuth, Ilona Margolis, Jimmy Woodard, Jonathan Emerson, Minor Rootes, Kelly L. Goodman.
Plot:
When an abandoned textile mill is reopened, several employees meet mysterious deaths. The link between the killings being that they all occurred between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. – the graveyard shift.
The sadistic mill foreman (Stephen Macht) has chosen newly hired drifter John Hall (David Andrews) to help a group clean up the mill’s rat-infested basement. The workers find a subterranean maze of tunnels leading to the cemetery—and a giant bat that hunts at night…
Reviews:
“Like most of the films expanded from Stephen King’s short stories, Graveyard Shift doesn’t really succeed as well as the ones based on his novels and novellas, but if you want a mediocre creature feature to rag on, or you are Stephen King completionist, Graveyard Shift is decent enough.” David Coen, HorrorNews.net
Buy: Amazon.co.uk
“The whole concept is pretty ridiculous, why not laugh it up? Even in the finale, when a Diet Pepsi can is used to save the day (best product placement ever?), director Ralph Singleton and writer John Esposito play the whole thing maddeningly straight. ut it’s still enjoyable once it gets going, and the gore is sufficient. The acting is pretty decent for the most part as well.” Horror Movie a Day
“As directed by Ralph S. Singleton, Graveyard Shift works better above ground than below. The early scenes that allow the actors a little color are more fun than the all-basement episodes, which are visually monotonous despite the fact that the film’s monster plot is a multi-media affair.” Janet Maslin, The New York Times
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“The characters are so dark and unappealing that sympathy for their eventual plight, when trapped in the monster’s breeding grounds beneath the rat-infested mill, is nil. John Esposito’s script never escapes the B-movie category, rendering director Ralph S. Singleton as helpless as the cast.” John Stanley, Creature Features
Filming locations:
Harmony, Maine at Bartlettyarns Inc., the oldest woollen yarn mill in the United States (est. 1821).
