"Graduation Afternoon"
Short story by Stephen King
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Horror
Publication
Published inJust After Sunset

"Graduation Afternoon" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, originally published in the March 2007 issue of Postscripts, and collected in King's 2008 collection Just After Sunset.[1]

Plot summary

The story tells of a young woman enjoying her wealthy boyfriend's high school graduation party at his suburban Connecticut home when events take an unexpected turn.

Critical response

PopMatters compared the ending of the story to Two Suns in the Sunset by Pink Floyd.[2] M. John Harrison at The Guardian called it an "elegaic and old-fashioned end-of-the-world piece."[3] Matt Thorne at The Independent said the horror in Graduation Afternoon "is not just a premonition of something that could happen, but something that would happen."[4]

Short film adaptation

Graduation Afternoon
Directed byRob Padilla Jr.
Written byMarie D. Jones
Story byStephen King
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyS.G. Nair
Edited byRob Padilla Jr.
Music byAntoni M. March
Production
companies
  • Gray Area Multimedia
  • IndieMan Productions
  • Irontree Film Collective
Release date
  • January 10, 2021 (2021-01-10)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The story was adapted by Marie D. Jones into a short film in 2019 as part of Dollar Baby[5] and released on January 10, 2021.[6]

From left to right: Jade Kaiser and George Jac in Graduation Afternoon (2021).

Cast

Production

Jones chose to adapt the story because it was one of King's shorter Dollar Baby choices. It was shot over three weekends and Rob Padilla Jr. directed the film.[5]

Critical response

Steve Hutchinson at Tales of Terror said it was a quality film that is relatable because the filmmakers connected Donald Trump.[7] Adam Groves at The Bedlam Files said "the film isn’t very invigorating."[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "PS Publishing Postscripts Magazine". Archived from the original on 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  2. ↑ "Just After Sunset by Stephen King, PopMatters". PopMatters. 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  3. ↑ Harrison, M. John (2008-11-15). "My poisoned bon-bons". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  4. ↑ Thorne, Matt (2008-11-09). "Just After Sunset, By Stephen King". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  5. 1 2 "Marie D. Jones – February 09; 2020". Stephen King Short Stories (Interview). February 9, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Graduation Afternoon". Rotten Tomatoes. January 10, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  7. ↑ Hutchison, Steve (2021-05-25). "Graduation Afternoon". Tales of Terror. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  8. ↑ Groves, Adam. "The Dollar Babies | The Bedlam Files". Retrieved 2023-10-30.
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