"The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands" is a short story by American writer

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 ...

, first published in the 1982 horror anthology '' Shadows 4'', edited by

Charles L. Grant Charles Lewis Grant (September 12, 1942 – September 15, 2006) was an American novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called " dark fantasy" and "quiet horror". He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fe ...

. It was collected in ''

Skeleton Crew A skeleton crew is the minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item such as a business, organization, or ship at its most simple operating requirements. Skeleton crews are often utilized during an emergency and are meant to ...

'' in 1985. Like the novella "

The Breathing Method ''The Breathing Method'' is a novella by American writer Stephen King, originally released as part of his ''Different Seasons'' collection in 1982. It is placed in the section entitled "A Winter's Tale". Plot David, the narrator of the frame ta ...

" from King's collection ''

Different Seasons ''Different Seasons'' (1982) is a collection of four Stephen King novellas with a more dramatic bent, rather than the horror fiction for which King is famous. The four novellas are tied together via subtleties that relate to each of the four seas ...

'', the story takes the form of a nested narrative told in a strange 'club' in Manhattan.

Plot summary

At a private club in Manhattan, an elderly man named George Gregson recounts a card game he played many years ago where he met an odd man named Henry Brower who refused to touch anyone, recoiling from contact in fear. After Brower wins the game, another player, Jason Davidson, leaps up and shakes his hand enthusiastically, causing Brower to scream and bolt from the room. Gregson then makes it his mission to find him and give him his winnings. It's revealed shortly thereafter that Davidson had died of a brain aneurysm. Gregson speaks with an old associate of the man, who tells him that Brower was cursed by an Indian shaman after an unfortunate incident in Bombay in which he accidentally caused the death of a boy. From that moment on, Brower has been cursed to cause the death of any living thing he touches. Gregson then attempts to track down Brower and meets an innkeeper who tells him that he discovered Brower dead in the inn, one hand firmly clasped in the other.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

"The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands" started principal photography on June 3, 2022 from Capital B Films. The screenplay was adapted from the Stephen King short story by Nicholas Bromund, who also directs, and co-written by Guthrie Roy Hartford. "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands" has been adapted into a film shown at the Cedar Rapids Film Festival on 3 April 2009. The screenplay was adapted from the Stephen King short story by Kevin Erhard.

References

^ "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands (2009)". Internet Movie Database. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477186/. Retrieved on 2009-07-28. {{DEFAULTSORT:Man Who Would Not Shake Hands, The 1982 short stories Horror short stories Short stories adapted into films Short stories by Stephen King

Plot summary

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

See also

References