Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Of the 4 stories in "Different Seasons" this should have easily made the best and most disturbing movie (Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me were the other novella-to-movie adaptations from this book - that should demonstrate how great the book was). However this movie falls far short of expectations. Between pitiful acting, poor direction and a horrible screenwriting adaptation it is hard to tell where this went so wrong but a combination of all those factors doom this from the start. Ian McKellan wrangles as much from the script as possible, but Renfro never fails to bring down every scene he's in. Fans of the written story wanting to see the film version will feel cheated. Those experiencing only the film version will never know how deeply disturbing the written story was. And that should be considered a crime.

I loved Stephen King's Different Seasons, except for one thing. I always thought that the story APT PUPIL was about fifty pages too long. The film version takes care of this concern, distilling PUPIL down to it's basic elements: old evil passing itself on to a young, all too eager student. Ian McKellen (yep, Gandolf himself!) is perfectly, quietly malevolent as the ancient nazi war criminal, hiding out in suburbia. Brad Renfro plays Todd Bowden, the normal-looking high school kid, concealing a darkness that appears to be insatiable and without limits. Todd fools his family, friends, and guidance counselor (David Schwimmer), into believing he is just another highly gifted teenager. In reality, he is a sociopathic wretch, coasting along by gaining the misplaced trust of others. Studying the holocaust in history class brings out Todd's blackened interior, causing him to hunt down and ensnare McKellen's character. What follows is a study of twisted evil in the midst of apparent normalcy. Todd and his "teacher" develop a seemingly symbiotic relationship that is in actuality purely parasitic. They are destroying each others souls. APT PUPIL's horror lies in it's use of demonic evil in broad daylight. Most of the movie is played out in the sunny afternoon. Evil doesn't wait for nightfall. It hides in plain sight, looking clean-cut and well-adjusted...