''Night Shift'' is

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

's first collection of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, first published in 1978. In 1980, ''Night Shift'' won the

Balrog Award The Balrog Awards were a set of awards given annually from 1979 to 1985 for the best works and achievements of speculative fiction in the previous year. The awards were named after the balrog, a fictional creature from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-eart ...

for Best Collection, and in 1979 it was nominated as best collection for the

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the p ...

and the

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

Details

The book was published on the heels of '' The Shining'' (1977 Doubleday) and is King's fifth published book (including '' Rage'', which was published under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman). Nine of the twenty stories had first appeared in issues of '' Cavalier Magazine'' from 1970 to 1975; others were originally published in '' Penthouse'', ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'', ''Gallery'', ''Ubris'', and ''Maine Magazine''. The stories "Jerusalem's Lot", "Quitters, Inc.", "The Last Rung on the Ladder", and "The Woman in the Room" appeared for the first time in this collection.

Foreword and introduction

''Night Shift'' is the first book for which King wrote a foreword. The introduction was written by one of King's favorite authors,

John D. MacDonald John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers. MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. On ...

Film, television or theatrical adaptations

With the publication of ''Night Shift'' and the rise in King's popularity as a best-selling author, and with the success of

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...

's motion picture adaptation of ''Carrie'' (1976), student film makers began submitting requests to King to adapt stories from the collection. King formed a policy he deemed the Dollar Deal, which allowed the students the permission to make an adaptation for $1. In the 1980s, entrepreneurial film producer Milton Subotsky purchased the rights to six of the stories in this collection to produce feature films and a television anthology based on multiple stories. Although Subotsky was involved with several King adaptations (''Cat's Eye'', ''Maximum Overdrive'', ''Sometimes They Come Back'', ''The Lawnmower Man'') the television series never happened due to conflicts with the networks' Standards and Practices.Perakos, Peter S. "Stephen King on ''Carrie'', ''The Shining'', etc." published in '' Cinefantastique'' Magazine Vol 1 No 8 Winter 1978. Reprinted in "Feast of Fear" Underwood & Miller, Carroll and Graf 1989 pp. 70 The following film, television, and theatre adaptations are adapted from the stories in ''Night Shift'':

Feature film adaptations

*''

Children of the Corn "Children of the Corn" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1977 issue of '' Penthouse'', and later collected in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. The story is about a couple who end up in an abandoned Nebraska ...

'' (1984) Hal Roach Studios, Inc., directed by Fritz Kiersch *'' Cat's Eye'' (1985)

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

Productions/ MGM/UA directed by Lewis Teague (featured adaptations of "Quitters Inc." and "The Ledge") *''

Maximum Overdrive ''Maximum Overdrive'' is a 1986 American comedy horror film written and directed by Stephen King. The film stars Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, and Yeardley Smith. The screenplay was inspired by and loosely based on King's sho ...

'' (based on "Trucks") (1986)

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) was an entertainment production company and distribution studio founded by Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis. The company is notable for producing '' Manhunter'', '' Blue Velvet'', the horror films '' ...

(DEG) directed by Stephen King *'' Graveyard Shift'' (1990)

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

directed by Ralph S. Singleton *'' The Mangler'' (1995)

New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...

directed by

Tobe Hooper Willard Tobe Hooper (; January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work in the horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influential horror fi ...

Television adaptations

*''

Sometimes They Come Back "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''. Plot summary In 1957, nine-year-old Jim Norman and his twelve- ...

'' (1991)

Vidmark Entertainment Trimark Pictures was an American production company that specialized in the production and distribution of television and home video motion pictures. The company was formed in 1984 by Mark Amin as Vidmark Entertainment with Vidmark Inc. (late ...

directed by Tom McLoughlin, originally attempted to be adapted into '' Cat's Eye''. *''

Trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

'' (1997) USA Pictures directed by Chris Thomson *''Battleground'' (2006) Turner Network Television mini-series ''

Nightmares & Dreamscapes ''Nightmares & Dreamscapes'' is a short story collection by American author Stephen King, published in 1993. Stories Dedication King dedicated this collection of stories to Thomas Williams, a writing instructor who taught for many years at t ...

'' *''

'' (2009) a

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...

production *'' Chapelwaite'' (2021) based on the short story Jerusalem's Lot

Dollar Baby adaptations (shorts)

*''The Boogeyman'' (1982) directed by Jeff Schiro *''Disciples of the Crow'' (based on "Children of the Corn") (1983) directed by John Woodward *''The Woman in the Room'' (1983) directed by

Frank Darabont Frank Árpád Darabont (born Ferenc Árpád Darabont, January 28, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In his early career, he was primarily a ...

*''The Last Rung on the Ladder'' (1987) directed by James Cole and Daniel Thron *''The Lawnmower Man'' (1987) directed by Jim Gonis *''Night Surf'' (2001) directed by Peter Sullivan *''Strawberry Spring'' (2001) directed by Doveed Linder *''I Know What You Need'' (2004) directed by Shawn S. Lealos *''La Femme dans la chambre'' (''The Woman in the Room'') (2005) directed by Damien Maric *''The Boogeyman'' (play) (2005) by Graham Rees (60 minutes)

Other

*''

The Lawnmower Man "The Lawnmower Man" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the May 1975 issue of ''Cavalier'' and later included in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. Plot summary Harold Parkette is in need of a new lawn mowing service. The ...

'' (1992)

directed by

Brett Leonard Brett Leonard (born May 14, 1959) is an American film director, producer and music video director specializing in the science fiction and horror genres. A few of his films such as '' The Lawnmower Man'' (1992) and ''Virtuosity'' (1995) featur ...

- an unrelated film named in tribute to the story of the same name contained within this anthology.

References

{{The Mangler 1978 short story collections American short story collections Short story collections by Stephen King Doubleday (publisher) books English-language books

Contents