Secret Window

Secret Window

(2004)

May 05, 2005

HBO Broadcast, Somerville, MA

** ½ / ****

by Scott Muoio

I’ve always held a certain theory about fans of Stephen King’s novels. The theory goes something like this: anyone who has read an abundance of King novels and freely admits to enjoying them is a prolific reader. These prolific readers love reading in general and adore Stephen King in particular for his ability to create an engrossing world regardless of the lack of elegance or scholarliness of his prose. However, when novel becomes movie, as is the case with this translation of Secret Window, Secret Garden, and the King neophytes are forced to literally see what King merely has them imagine in his stories something gets lost in translation and the fan club shakes its collective head with dismay. Enter Secret Window, the latest big screen King creep show. Gadzooks, this may be the pulpy cinematic presentation the King faithful have been hankering for.

The movie version of Secret Window stars Johnny Depp as Mort Rainey, and wouldn’t you know it: Rainey is a successful horror author living in a small New England town. While normally occupying his cozy, lakeside hideaway merely for writing sessions, his pending divorce has turned the cabin into his permanent residence. Living in a creepy home all by one’s lonesome can mean only one thing in a Stephen King movie, and this movie is no exception: big, big trouble. So begins Mort’s ever-quickening dissent into all-out disturbia.

As the story progresses we follow along with Mort as he recollects images from his break up with his wife, Amy (Maria Bello), his current encounters with a Mississippi hillbilly who accuses him of plagiarism (John Turturro), his own messy divorce proceedings, and his increasingly paranoid hyperbole that he’s more than just a hack writer belching out tired, garbage prose. Eventually, Mort finds himself disturbed to the point of insanity and we begin to enter typical Stephen King territory: total meltdown of the lead character. Yes, we have seen this from King before, but from the get-go you get the feeling this could possibly turn out different than merely a big body count and a silly twist ending. Whether or not it actually does isn’t quite the issue, yet, and for the majority of the picture the plot keeps us guessing and gushing throughout. Eventually, the crummy ending hits as expected, but even then we’re able to mostly shake it off because we’ve had so much fun getting there.

The biggest reason for the film’s success is Johnny Depp. Depp turns a burned out, sleep loving, wealthy writer into a real person that we not only relate to, but root for as well. Depp literally turns in a one-man show bringing frantic livelihood to an otherwise dull, boring, and clichéd character and plot. So good is Depp at being slovenly, silly, and engrossing that I can admit without a hint of irony that his Window performance is better than his Oscar nominated turn in Finding Neverland. King fans will dig this movie in a big way for its star studded lead’s performance and his ability to create a spooky and unnerving ambience. Without him, this would be another typically disappointing King cinematic adaptation. With him, however, it is grossly entertaining and much better than it has any reason to be.

In spite of its far-fetched woes and dopey ending, Window is clever enough that it will keep even the most skeptical horror viewer immersed throughout. Add to that director David Koepp’s ability to keep us in the mindset, “yeah, this is strange, creepy, and pretty far-fetched, but you know, it could, maybe happen,” and we’ve got something slightly different than your typical psychological horror tale. I can’t quite come right out and recommend it, but there is much worse you could watch on a late Saturday night. Secret Window isn’t great by any means, but it is above average fair that pulp aficionados can sink their teeth into without the lousy aftertaste King on the big screen generally affords. Check it out, King neophytes, you just might like it.